File No. 333-[ ]
AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MAY 14, 2018
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-14
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [X]
Pre-Effective Amendment No. [ ]
Post-Effective Amendment No. [ ]
JNL Series Trust
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
1 Corporate Way
Lansing, Michigan 48951
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(517) 381-5500
(Registrant’s Area Code and Telephone Number)
225 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(Mailing Address)
With copies to:
EMILY J. BENNETT, ESQ. JNL Series Trust 1 Corporate Way Lansing, Michigan 48951 | PAULITA PIKE, ESQ. Ropes & Gray LLP 191 North Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 |
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:
As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.
It is proposed that this Registration Statement will become effective on June 18, 2018, pursuant to Rule 488 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Title of securities being registered: Class A and Class I Shares of beneficial interest in the series of the registrant designated as the JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund.
No filing fee is required because the registrant is relying on Section 24(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, pursuant to which it has previously registered an indefinite number of shares (File Nos. 033-87244 and 811-08894).
JNL SERIES TRUST
CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
This Registration Statement contains the following papers and documents:
Cover Sheet
Contents of Registration Statement
Letter to Contract Owners
Notice of Special Meeting
Contract Owner Voting Instructions
Part A - Proxy Statement/Prospectus
Part B - Statement of Additional Information
Part C - Other Information
Signature Page
Exhibits
JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK
1 Corporate Way
Lansing, Michigan 48951
June 18, 2018
Dear Contract Owner:
Enclosed is a notice of a Special Meeting of Shareholders of the JNL Real Assets Fund (the “Real Assets Fund” or the “Acquired Fund”), a series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust (“JVST”). The Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Acquired Fund is scheduled to be held at the offices of Jackson National Life Insurance Company, 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan, 48951, on July 12, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time (the “Meeting”). At the Meeting, the shareholders of the Acquired Fund will be asked to approve the proposal described below.
JVST’s Board of Trustees (the “JVST Board”) called the Meeting to request shareholder approval of the reorganization (the “Reorganization”) of the Acquired Fund into the JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), a series of the JNL Series Trust (“JNLST”).
The JVST Board, after careful consideration, approved the Reorganization. After considering the recommendation of Jackson National Asset Management, LLC (“JNAM”), the investment adviser to the Funds, the JVST Board concluded that: (i) the Reorganization will benefit the shareholders of the Acquired Fund; (ii) the Reorganization is in the best interests of the Acquired Fund; and (iii) the interests of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund will not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization.
Both the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund are managed by JNAM, but only the Acquiring Fund is sub-advised by an investment sub-adviser. If the Reorganization is approved and implemented, each person that invests indirectly in the Acquired Fund will automatically become an investor indirectly in the Acquiring Fund.
Pending shareholder approval, effective as of the close of business on August 10, 2018, or on such later date as may be deemed necessary in the judgment of the JVST Board or JNLST’s Board of Trustees in accordance with the Plan of Reorganization (the “Closing Date”), you will invest indirectly in shares of the Acquiring Fund in an amount equal to the dollar value of your interest in the Acquired Fund on the Closing Date. No sales charge, redemption fees, or other transaction fees will be imposed in the Reorganization. The Reorganization will not cause any fees or charges under your contract to be greater after the Reorganization than before the Reorganization, and the Reorganization will not alter your rights under your contract or the obligations of the insurance company that issued the contract.
You may wish to take actions relating to your future allocation of premium payments under your insurance contract to the various investment divisions (the “Divisions”) of the separate account. You may execute certain changes prior to the Reorganization, in addition to participating in the Reorganization with regard to the Acquiring Fund, such as allocating your premium payments to other Divisions.
All actions with regard to the Acquired Fund need to be completed by the Closing Date. In the absence of new instructions prior to the Closing Date, future premium payments previously allocated to the Acquired Fund Division will be allocated to the Acquiring Fund Division. The Acquiring Fund Division will be the Division for future allocations under the Dollar Cost Averaging, Earnings Sweep, and Rebalancing Programs (together, the “Programs”). In addition to the Acquiring Fund Division, there are other Divisions investing in mutual funds that seek maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management. If you want to transfer all or a portion of your Contract value out of the Acquired Fund Division prior to the Reorganization, you may do so and that transfer will not be treated as a transfer for the purpose of determining how many subsequent transfers may be made in any period or how many may be made in any period without charge. In addition, if you want to transfer all or a portion of your Contract value out of the Acquiring Fund Division after the Reorganization, you may do so within 60 days following the Closing Date and that transfer will not be treated as a transfer for the purpose of determining how many subsequent transfers may be made in any period or how many may be made in any period
without charge. You will be provided with an additional notification of this free-transfer policy on or about August 13, 2018.
If you want to change your allocation instructions as to your future premium payments or the Programs or if you require summary descriptions of the other underlying funds and Divisions available under your contract or additional copies of the prospectuses for other funds underlying the Divisions, please contact:
For Jackson variable annuity policies:
Annuity Service Center |
P.O. Box 30314 |
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7814 |
1-800-644-4565 |
www.jackson.com |
For Jackson New York variable annuity policies:
Jackson of NY Service Center |
P.O. Box 30313 |
Lansing, Michigan 48909-7813 |
1-800-599-5651 |
www.jackson.com |
An owner of a variable annuity contract or certificate that participates in the Acquired Fund through the Divisions of separate accounts established by Jackson National Life Insurance Company or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York (each, an “Insurance Company”) is entitled to instruct the applicable Insurance Company how to vote the Acquired Fund shares related to the ownership interest in those accounts as of the close of business on May 18, 2018. The attached Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement and Prospectus concerning the Meeting describe the matters to be considered at the Meeting.
You are cordially invited to attend the Meeting. Because it is important that your vote be represented whether or not you are able to attend, you are urged to consider these matters and to exercise your right to vote your shares by completing, dating, signing, and returning the enclosed voting instruction card in the accompanying return envelope at your earliest convenience or by relaying your voting instructions via telephone or the Internet by following the enclosed instructions. Of course, we hope that you will be able to attend the Meeting, and if you wish, you may vote your shares in person, even if you may have already returned a voting instruction card or submitted your voting instructions via telephone or the Internet. At any time prior to the Meeting, you may revoke your voting instructions by providing the Insurance Company with a properly executed written revocation of such voting instructions, properly executing later-dated voting instructions by a voting instruction card, telephone, or the Internet, or appearing and voting in person at the Meeting. Please respond promptly in order to save additional costs of proxy solicitation and to make sure you are represented.
| Very truly yours, |
| |
| |
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| Mark D. Nerud |
| Trustee, President, and Chief Executive Officer |
| JNL Series Trust |
| |
JACKSON VARIABLE SERIES TRUST
JNL Real Assets Fund
1 Corporate Way
Lansing, Michigan 48951
________________________
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JULY 12, 2018
________________________
To the Shareholders:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Meeting of Shareholders of the JNL Real Assets Fund (the “Real Assets Fund” or the “Acquired Fund”), a series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust (“JVST”), will be held on July 12, 2018 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, at the offices of Jackson National Life Insurance Company, 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan 48951 (the “Meeting”).
The Meeting will be held to act on the following proposals:
| 1. | To approve the Plan of Reorganization, adopted by the JVST’s Board of Trustees (the “JVST Board”), which provides for the reorganization of the Real Assets Fund into the JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund, a series of the JNL Series Trust. |
| 2. | To transact other business that may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournments thereof. |
Please note that owners of variable annuity contracts or certificates (the “Contract Owners”) issued by Jackson National Life Insurance Company or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York (each, an “Insurance Company”) who have invested in shares of the Acquired Fund through the investment divisions of a separate account or accounts of an Insurance Company (“Separate Account”) will be given the opportunity, to the extent required by law, to provide the applicable Insurance Company with voting instructions on the above proposals.
You should read the Proxy Statement and Prospectus attached to this notice prior to completing your proxy or voting instruction card. The record date for determining the number of shares outstanding, the shareholders entitled to vote, and the Contract Owners entitled to provide voting instructions at the Meeting and any adjournments thereof has been fixed as the close of business on May 18, 2018. If you attend the Meeting, you may vote or give your voting instructions in person.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
PLEASE RETURN YOUR PROXY CARD OR VOTING INSTRUCTION CARD PROMPTLY.
Regardless of whether you plan to attend the Meeting, you should vote or give voting instructions by promptly completing, dating, signing, and returning the enclosed proxy or voting instruction card for the Acquired Fund in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. You also can vote or provide voting instructions through the Internet or by telephone using the 12-digit control number that appears on the enclosed proxy or voting instruction card and following the simple instructions. At any time prior to the Meeting, you may revoke your voting instructions by providing the Insurance Company with a properly executed written revocation of such voting instructions, properly executing later-dated voting instructions by a voting instruction card, telephone, or the Internet, or appearing and voting in person at the Meeting. If you are present at the Meeting, you may change your vote or voting instructions, if desired, at that time. The JVST Board recommends that you vote or provide voting instructions to vote FOR the proposal.
| By order of the JVST Board, |
| |
| |
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| Mark D. Nerud |
| Trustee, President, and Chief Executive Officer |
June 18, 2018
Lansing, Michigan
JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK
CONTRACT OWNER VOTING INSTRUCTIONS
REGARDING A SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF
JNL REAL ASSETS FUND
A SERIES OF THE JACKSON VARIABLE SERIES TRUST
TO BE HELD ON JULY 12, 2018
DATED: JUNE 18, 2018
GENERAL
These Contract Owner voting instructions are being furnished by Jackson National Life Insurance Company (“Jackson National”), or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York (each, an “Insurance Company” and, together, the “Insurance Companies”), to owners of their variable annuity contracts or certificates (the “Contracts”) (the “Contract Owners”) who, as of May 18, 2018 (the “Record Date”), had net premiums or contributions allocated to the investment divisions of their separate accounts (the “Separate Accounts”) that are invested in shares of the JNL Real Assets Fund (the “Real Assets Fund” or “Acquired Fund”), a series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust (“JVST”).
JVST is a Massachusetts business trust registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an open-end management investment company.
Each Insurance Company is required to offer Contract Owners the opportunity to instruct it, as the record owner of all of the shares of beneficial interest in the Acquired Fund (the “Shares”) held by its Separate Accounts, as to how it should vote on the reorganization proposal (the “Proposal”) to be considered at the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Acquired Fund referred to in the preceding Notice and at any adjournments (the “Meeting”). The enclosed Proxy Statement and Prospectus, which you should retain for future reference, concisely sets forth information about the proposed reorganization involving the Acquired Fund and a series of the JNL Series Trust (“JNLST”) that a Contract Owner should know before completing the enclosed voting instruction card.
These Contract Owner Voting Instructions and the accompanying voting instruction card are being mailed to Contract Owners on or about June 19, 2018.
HOW TO INSTRUCT AN INSURANCE COMPANY
To instruct an Insurance Company as to how to vote the Shares held in the investment divisions of its Separate Accounts, Contract Owners are asked to promptly complete their voting instructions on the enclosed voting instruction card(s) and sign, date, and mail the voting instruction card(s) in the accompanying postage-paid envelope. Contract Owners also may provide voting instructions by phone at 1-866-256-0779 or by Internet at our website at www.proxypush.com/JNL.
If a voting instruction card is not marked to indicate voting instructions but is signed, dated, and returned, it will be treated as an instruction to vote the Shares in favor of the Proposal.
The number of Shares held in the investment division of a Separate Account corresponding to the Acquired Fund for which a Contract Owner may provide voting instructions was determined as of the Record Date by dividing (i) a Contract’s account value (minus any Contract indebtedness) allocable to that investment division by (ii) the net asset value of one Share of the Acquired Fund. At any time prior to an Insurance Company’s voting at the Meeting, a Contract Owner may revoke his or her voting instructions with respect to that investment division by providing the Insurance Company with a properly executed written revocation of such voting instructions, properly executing later-dated voting instructions by a voting instruction card, telephone or the Internet, or appearing and voting in person at the Meeting.
HOW AN INSURANCE COMPANY WILL VOTE
An Insurance Company will vote the Shares for which it receives timely voting instructions from Contract Owners in accordance with those instructions. Shares in each investment division of a Separate Account for which an Insurance Company receives a voting instruction card that is signed, dated, and timely returned but is not marked to indicate voting instructions will be treated as an instruction to vote the Shares in favor of the Proposal. Shares in each investment division of a Separate Account for which an Insurance Company receives no timely voting instructions from a Contract Owner, or that are attributable to amounts retained by an Insurance Company or its affiliate as surplus or seed money, will be voted by the applicable Insurance Company either for or against approval of the Proposal, or as an abstention, in the same proportion as the Shares for which Contract Owners (other than the Insurance Company) have provided voting instructions to the Insurance Company. Similarly, the Insurance Companies and their affiliates will vote their own shares and will vote shares of the regulated investment companies (also known as “RICs”) that are held by the Fund of Funds whose shares are held by a Separate Account in the same proportion as voting instructions timely given by Contract Owners for those respective regulated investment companies. As a result of proportionate voting, a small number of Contract Owners could determine the outcome of the Proposal. Please see “Additional Information about the Funds – Tax Status” below for further information regarding regulated investment companies.
OTHER MATTERS
The Insurance Companies are not aware of any matters, other than the Proposal, to be acted on at the Meeting. If any other matters come before the Meeting, an Insurance Company will vote the Shares upon such matters in its discretion. Voting instruction cards may be solicited by employees of Jackson National or its affiliates as well as officers and agents of JVST. The principal solicitation will be by mail, but voting instructions may also be solicited by telephone, fax, personal interview, the Internet, or other permissible means.
The Meeting may be adjourned whether or not a quorum is present, by the chairperson of the Meeting from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place as determined by the chairperson of the Meeting for any reason, including failure of a Proposal to receive sufficient votes for approval. No shareholder vote shall be required for any adjournment. No notice need be given that the Meeting has been adjourned other than by announcement at the Meeting. Any business that might have been transacted at the original Meeting may be transacted at any adjourned Meeting.
It is important that your Contract be represented. Please promptly mark your voting instructions on the enclosed voting instruction card; then sign, date, and mail the voting instruction card in the accompanying postage-paid envelope. You may also provide your voting instructions by telephone at 1-866-256-0779 or by Internet at our website at www.proxypush.com/JNL.
PROXY STATEMENT
for
JNL Real Assets Fund, a series of Jackson Variable Series Trust
and
PROSPECTUS
for
JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund, a series of JNL Series Trust
Dated
June 18, 2018
1 Corporate Way
Lansing, Michigan 48951
(517) 381-5500
This Proxy Statement and Prospectus (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”) is being furnished to owners of variable annuity contracts or certificates (the “Contracts”) (the “Contract Owners”) issued by Jackson National Life Insurance Company (“Jackson National”) or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York (each, an “Insurance Company” and together, the “Insurance Companies”) who, as of May 18, 2018, had net premiums or contributions allocated to the investment divisions of an Insurance Company’s separate accounts (the “Separate Accounts”) that are invested in shares of beneficial interest in the JNL Real Assets Fund (the “Real Assets Fund” or the “Acquired Fund”), a series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust (“JVST”), an open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The purpose of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus is for shareholders of the Real Assets Fund to vote on a Plan of Reorganization, adopted by the JVST’s Board of Trustees (the “JVST Board”), which provides for the reorganization of the Real Assets Fund into the JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund (the “Real Return Fund” or the “Acquiring Fund”), a series of the JNL Series Trust (“JNLST”).
This Proxy Statement/Prospectus also is being furnished to the Insurance Companies as the record owners of shares and to other shareholders that were invested in the Acquired Fund as of May 18, 2018. Contract Owners are being provided the opportunity to instruct the applicable Insurance Company to approve or disapprove the proposal contained in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus in connection with the solicitation by the JVST Board of proxies to be used at the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Acquired Fund to be held at 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan 48951, on July 12, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, or any adjournment or adjournments thereof (the “Meeting”).
THE SEC HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. |
The proposal described in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus is as follows:
Proposal | Shareholders Entitled to Vote on the Proposal |
1. To approve the Plan of Reorganization, adopted by the JVST Board, which provides for the reorganization of the Real Assets Fund into the Real Return Fund. | Shareholders of the Real Assets Fund |
The reorganization referred to in the above proposal is referred to herein as the “Reorganization.”
This Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which you should retain for future reference, contains important information regarding the proposal that you should know before voting or providing voting instructions. Additional information about JNLST has been filed with the SEC and is available upon oral or written request without charge. This Proxy Statement/Prospectus is being provided to the Insurance Companies and mailed to Contract Owners on or about June 19, 2018. It is expected that one or more representatives of each Insurance Company will attend the Meeting in person or by proxy and will vote shares held by the Insurance Company in accordance with voting instructions received from its Contract Owners and in accordance with voting procedures established by JVST.
The following documents have been filed with the SEC and are incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus:
1. | The Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of JVST, each dated April 30, 2018 [, as supplemented], with respect to the Acquired Fund (File Nos. 333-177369 and 811-22613); |
2. | The Annual Report to Shareholders of JVST with respect to the Acquired Fund for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (File Nos. 333-177369 and 811-22613); |
3. | The Statement of Additional Information dated June 18, 2018, relating to the Reorganization (File No. 333-[ ]). |
For a free copy of any of the above documents, please call or write to the phone numbers or address below.
Contract Owners can learn more about the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund in any of the documents incorporated into this proxy statement/prospectus, including the Annual Report listed above, which have been furnished to Contract Owners. Contract Owners may request a copy thereof, without charge, by calling 1-800-644-4565 (Jackson Service Center) or 1-800-599-5651 (Jackson NY Service Center), by writing the JNL Series Trust, P.O. Box 30314, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7814, or by visiting www.jackson.com.
JNLST is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Accordingly, it must file certain reports and other information with the SEC. You can copy and review proxy materials, reports, and other information about JNLST at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Proxy materials, reports, and other information about JNLST are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, SEC Office of Consumer Affairs and Information Services, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549-1520.
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You should read this entire Proxy Statement/Prospectus carefully. For additional information, you should consult the Plan of Reorganization, a copy of which is attached hereto as Appendix A.
T
he Proposed Reorganization
The proposed Reorganization is as follows:
Proposal | Shareholders Entitled to Vote on the Proposal |
1. To approve the Plan of Reorganization, adopted by the JVST Board, which provides for the reorganization of the Real Assets Fund into the Real Return Fund. | Shareholders of the Real Assets Fund |
This Proxy Statement/Prospectus is soliciting shareholders with amounts invested in the Acquired Fund as of May 18, 2018, to approve the Plan of Reorganization, whereby the Acquired Fund will be reorganized into the Acquiring Fund. (The Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund are each sometimes referred to herein as a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds.”)
The Acquired Fund has two share classes, designated Class A and Class I shares (“Acquired Fund Shares”). The Acquiring Fund also has two share classes, Class A and Class I shares (“Acquiring Fund Shares”).
The Plan of Reorganization provides for:
· | the transfer of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for Acquiring Fund Shares having an aggregate net asset value equal to the Acquired Fund’s net assets; |
· | the Acquiring Fund’s assumption of all the liabilities of the Acquired Fund; |
· | the distribution to the shareholders (for the benefit of the Separate Accounts, as applicable, and thus the Contract Owners) of those Acquiring Fund Shares; and |
· | the complete termination of the Acquired Fund. |
A comparison of the investment objective(s), principal investment policies and strategies and principal risks of the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund is included in the “Comparison of Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies,” “Comparison of Principal Risk Factors” and “Comparison of Fundamental Policies” sections below. The Funds have identical distribution procedures, purchase procedures, exchange rights, and redemption procedures, which are discussed in “Additional Information about the Funds” below. Each Fund offers its shares to Separate Accounts and certain other eligible investors. Shares of each Fund are offered and redeemed at their net asset value without any sales load. You will not incur any sales loads or similar transaction charges as a result of the Reorganization.
The Reorganization is expected to be effective as of the close of business on August 10, 2018, or on such later date as may be deemed necessary in the judgment of the JVST Board or the JNLST Board in accordance with the Plan of Reorganization (the “Closing Date”). As a result of the Reorganization, a shareholder invested in shares of the Acquired Fund would become an owner of shares of the Acquiring Fund. Such shareholder would hold, immediately after the Closing Date, Acquiring Fund Shares having an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the Acquired Fund Shares that were held by the shareholder as of the Closing Date. Similarly, each Contract Owner whose Contract values are invested indirectly in shares of the Acquired Fund through the Investment Divisions of a Separate Account would become indirectly invested in shares of the Acquiring Fund through the Investment Divisions of a Separate Account. The Contract value of each such Contract Owner would be invested indirectly through the Investment Divisions of a Separate Account, immediately after the Closing Date, in shares of the Acquiring Fund having an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the Acquired Fund Shares in which the Contract Owner invested indirectly through the Investment Divisions of a Separate Account as of the Closing Date. It is expected that there will be no adverse tax consequences to Contract Owners as a result of the
Reorganization. Please see “Additional Information about the Reorganization – Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reorganization” below for further information.
The JVST Board unanimously approved the Plan of Reorganization with respect to the Real Assets Fund. Accordingly, the JVST Board is submitting the Plan of Reorganization for approval by the Acquired Fund’s shareholders. In considering whether to approve the proposal (“Proposal”), you should review the Proposal for the Acquired Fund in which you were invested on the Record Date (as defined under “Voting Information”). In addition, you should review the information in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus that relates to the Proposal and the Plan of Reorganization generally. The JVST Board recommends that you vote “FOR” the Proposal to approve the Plan of Reorganization.
| APPROVAL OF THE PLAN OF REORGANIZATION WITH RESPECT TO THE REORGANIZATION OF THE REAL ASSETS FUND INTO THE REAL RETURN FUND. |
This Proposal requests the approval of Real Assets Fund shareholders of the Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Real Assets Fund will be reorganized into the Real Return Fund.
In considering whether you should approve this Proposal, you should note that:
· | The Funds have comparable investment objectives. The Real Assets Fund seeks long-term real return through an allocation in stocks and other asset classes and strategies through investment in other funds (the “Underlying Funds”), while the Real Return Fund seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management. For a detailed comparison of each Fund’s investment policies and strategies, see “Comparison of Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies” below and Appendix B. |
· | Although the Funds have comparable investment objectives, they employ different investment strategies in seeking to achieve those objectives. The Real Assets Fund is structured as a fund-of-funds and seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings made for investment purposes) in Class I shares of the Underlying Funds that focus on investments in one or more of inflation-linked instruments or the commodity, natural resource, or real estate sectors. The Real Return Fund is a stand-alone Fund that is managed by a sub-adviser and under normal circumstances invests at least 80% of its assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. For a detailed comparison of each Fund’s investment objectives and principal investment strategies, see “Comparison of Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies” and Appendix B. |
· | Both Funds have similar fundamental policies. However, the Real Return Fund lists one fundamental policy that is not listed for the Real Assets Fund; the Real Return Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. While the Real Assets Fund does not have the same fundamental policy, the Real Assets Fund may only invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are illiquid due to regulatory guidelines that are substantially similar. Furthermore, the Real Return Fund has a more restrictive fundamental investment policy with respect to lending securities. For a detailed comparison of each Fund’s fundamental investment policies, see “Comparison of Fundamental Policies” below. |
· | While there are some similarities in the risk profiles of the Funds, there are also some differences of which you should be aware. Each Fund’s principal risks include credit risk, currency risk, derivatives risk, emerging markets and less developed countries risk, equity securities risk, fixed-income risk, foreign regulatory risk, foreign securities risk, inflation-indexed securities risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk, liquidity risk, managed portfolio risk, non-diversification risk, portfolio turnover risk, and short sales risk. The Real Assets Fund, however, also is subject to allocation risk, commodity risk, counterparty risk, market risk, natural resource related securities risk, real estate investment risk, sector risk, settlement risk, sovereign debt risk, TIPS and inflation-linked bonds risk, and underlying funds risk, while these generally are not principal risks for the Real Return Fund. In addition, the principal risks of investing in the Real Return Fund include call risk, debt securities ratings risk, extension risk, forward and futures contract risk, high yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities risk, investment strategy risk, issuer risk, mortgage-related and other asset- |
backed securities risk, options risk, prepayment risk, swaps risk, and U.S. Government securities risk, which are not principal risks of investing in the Real Assets Fund. For a detailed comparison of each Fund’s risks, see both “Comparison of Principal Risk Factors” below and Appendix B.
· | Jackson National Asset Management, LLC (“JNAM” or the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser and administrator for each Fund and would continue to manage and administer the Real Return Fund after the Reorganization. JNAM has received an exemptive order from the SEC that generally permits JNAM, with approval from the JNLST’s Board of Trustees and the JVST Board of Trustees, respectively, to appoint, dismiss, and replace each Fund’s unaffiliated sub-adviser(s) and to amend the advisory agreements between JNAM and the unaffiliated sub-advisers, without obtaining shareholder approval. However, any amendment to an advisory agreement between JNAM and JVST or JNLST, respectively, that would result in an increase in the management fee rate specified in that agreement (i.e., the aggregate management fee) charged to a Fund will be submitted to shareholders for approval. JNAM is responsible for managing the assets of the Real Assets Fund directly and has not appointed a sub-adviser for the Real Assets Fund. JNAM has appointed Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) as sub-adviser to manage the assets of the Real Return Fund. It is anticipated that PIMCO will continue to sub-advise the Real Return Fund after the Reorganization. For a detailed description of JNAM, please see “Additional Information about the Funds - The Adviser” below. |
· | The Real Assets Fund and Real Return Fund had net assets of approximately $12.15 million and $2,059.13, respectively, as of December 31, 2017. Thus, if the Reorganization had been in effect on that date, the combined Fund (the “Combined Fund”) would have had net assets of approximately $2,071.28 million. |
· | Class A Shareholders of the Real Assets Fund will receive Class A shares of the Real Return Fund, and Class I Shareholders of the Real Assets Fund will receive Class I shares of the Real Return Fund pursuant to the Reorganization. Shareholders will not pay any sales charges in connection with the Reorganization. Please see “Comparative Fee and Expense Tables,” “Additional Information about the Reorganization,” and “Additional Information about the Funds” below for more information. |
· | Following the Reorganization, the management fees for the Real Return Fund will be higher than that of the Real Assets Fund currently, but the total annual fund operating expense ratio for the Real Return Fund will be lower than that the Real Assets Fund currently. The lower total annual fund operating expense ratio after the Reorganization is a result of the Real Return Fund not having any acquired fund fees and expenses. For a more detailed comparison of the fees and expenses of the Funds, please see “Comparative Fee and Expense Tables” and “Additional Information about the Funds” below. |
· | The maximum management fee for the Real Assets Fund is equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of its average daily net assets, while the maximum management fee for the Real Return Fund is equal to an annual rate of 0.39% of its average daily net assets. As of December 31, 2017, the actual management fees of the Real Assets Fund and the Real Return Fund were 0.15% and 0.38%, respectively. In addition, the Real Assets Fund pays an administrative fee to JNAM, at the rate of 0.05% of its average daily net assets, whereas the Real Return Fund pays JNAM an administrative fee of 0.10% of its average daily net assets. For a more detailed description of the fees and expenses of the Funds, please see “Comparative Fee and Expense Tables” and “Additional Information about the Funds” below. |
· | Following the Reorganization, the Combined Fund will be managed in accordance with the investment objective, policies and strategies of the Real Return Fund. It is currently anticipated that roughly 100% of the Real Assets Fund’s holdings will be liquidated in advance and reinvested in the Real Return Fund in connection with the Reorganization. It is not expected that the Real Return Fund will revise any of its investment policies following the Reorganization to reflect those of the Real Assets Fund. |
· | The costs and expenses associated with the Reorganization relating to the solicitation of proxies, including preparing, filing, printing, and mailing of the proxy statement and related disclosure documents, and the related legal fees, including the legal fees incurred in connection with the analysis under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) of the tax treatment of this transaction, and the costs associated with obtaining a consent of independent registered public accounting firm will all be borne by JNAM, and no sales or other charges will be imposed on Contract Owners in connection with this Reorganization. The Reorganization is not expected to result in any material adverse federal income tax consequences to |
shareholders of the Real Assets Fund. Please see “Additional Information about the Reorganization” below for more information.
C
omparative Fee and Expense Tables
The following tables show the fees and expenses of each Fund and the estimated pro forma fees and expenses of Class A and Class I shares of the Acquiring Fund after giving effect to the proposed Reorganization. Fees and expenses for each Fund are based on those incurred for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The pro forma fees and expenses of the Acquiring Fund Shares assume that the Reorganization had been in effect for the year ended December 31, 2017. The tables below do not reflect any fees and expenses related to the Contracts, which would increase overall fees and expenses. See a Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Acquired Fund: Real Assets Fund | Acquiring Fund: Real Return Fund | Pro Forma Real Return Fund (assuming expected operating expenses if the Reorganization is approved) |
| Class A | Class I | Class A | Class I | Class A | Class I |
Management Fee | 0.15% | 0.15% | 0.38% | 0.38% | 0.38% | 0.38% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.30% | 0.00% | 0.30% | 0.00% | 0.30% | 0.00% |
Other Expenses 1, 2 | 0.06% | 0.06% | 0.48% | 0.48% | 0.48% | 0.48% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 3 | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 4 | 1.31% | 1.01% | 1.16% | 0.86% | 1.16% | 0.86% |
1 “Other expenses” for the Acquiring Fund are based on amounts incurred during the period ended December 31, 2017. The amount includes financing costs associated with secured borrowings. The Acquiring Fund’s annualized ratios of financing costs related to secured borrowings were 0.38%. The Acquiring Fund’s actual financing costs may be significantly higher or lower than the amounts above due to, among other factors, the extent of the Fund’s involvement with secured borrowings and the costs associated with those transactions, each of which is expected to vary over time.
2 “Other expenses” include an Administrative Fee of 0.05% for the Acquired Fund, and 0.10% for the Acquiring Fund, which is payable to JNAM.
3 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect expenses of investing in other investment companies. The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses disclosed above do not correlate to the Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets of the Fund stated in the Financial Highlights because the Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
4 Expense information has been restated to reflect current fees.
This example is intended to help you compare the costs of investing in the Funds with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This example does not reflect fees and expenses related to the Contracts, and the total expenses would be higher if they were included. The example assumes that:
· | You invest $10,000 in a Fund for the time periods indicated; |
· | Your investment has a 5% annual return; |
· | The Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as they were as of December 31, 2017; and |
· | You redeem your investment at the end of each time period. |
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Real Assets Fund (Acquired Fund) | | | | |
Class A | $133 | $415 | $718 | $1,579 |
Class I | $103 | $322 | $558 | $1,236 |
Real Return Fund (Acquiring Fund) | | | | |
Class A | $118 | $368 | $638 | $1,409 |
Class I | $88 | $274 | $477 | $1,061 |
Pro Forma Real Return Fund (assuming expected operating expenses if the Reorganization is approved) | | | | |
Class A | $118 | $368 | $638 | $1,409 |
Class I | $88 | $274 | $477 | $1,061 |
Each Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Expense Examples, affect a Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, the portfolio turnover rates for the Real Assets Fund and the Real Return Fund were 127% and 162%, respectively, of the average value of each portfolio.
C
omparison of Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
The following table compares the investment adviser and sub-adviser of the Real Return Fund with that of the Real Assets Fund.
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
Investment Adviser Jackson National Asset Management, LLC Investment Sub-Adviser None | Investment Adviser Jackson National Asset Management, LLC Investment Sub-Adviser Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
C
omparison of Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies
The following table compares the investment objectives and principal investment strategies of the Real Assets Fund with those of the Real Return Fund. A Fund’s Board of Trustees may change the investment objective of a Fund without a vote of the Fund’s shareholders. For more detailed information about each Fund’s investment strategies and risks, see Appendix B.
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
Investment Objective The investment objective of the Fund is to seek long-term real return through an allocation in stocks and other asset classes and strategies through investment in other funds (the “Underlying Funds”). | Investment Objective The investment objective of the Fund is to seek maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management. |
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
Principal Investment Strategies The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings made for investment purposes) (“80% Policy”) in Class I shares of the Underlying Funds that focus on investments in one or more of inflation-linked instruments or the commodity, natural resource, or real estate sectors. The Fund allocates the majority of its assets to Underlying Funds that invest primarily in equity securities, inflation protected securities of issuers in the U.S. and foreign countries, including emerging markets and currencies. The Underlying Funds in which the Fund may invest each are a separate series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust, JNL Series Trust, JNL Variable Fund LLC, or JNL Investors Series Trust. Not all Funds of the Jackson Variable Series Trust, JNL Series Trust JNL Variable Fund LLC, or JNL Investors Series Trust are available as Underlying Funds. Please refer to “More Information on Strategies and Risk Factors – JNL Real Assets Fund” in Appendix B for a list of available Underlying Funds. | Principal Investment Strategies The Fund seeks its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings made for investment purposes) in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation-indexed bonds may be invested in other types of fixed-income instruments. “Fixed-income instruments” include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond’s principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”) as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. “Real return” equals total return less the estimated rate of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, such as CPI-U. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, as calculated by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”). For these purposes, in calculating the Fund’s average portfolio duration, PIMCO includes the real duration of the inflation-indexed portfolio. |
Consistent with its 80% Policy described above, the Fund typically allocates approximately 20% to 50% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in fixed-income securities; 0% to 20% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in equity securities; and 40% to 80% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in alternative securities. | The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated B or higher by Moody's or equivalently rated by S&P Global Ratings or Fitch Inc., or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 10% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. Foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated |
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
| securities or currencies) normally will be limited to 20% of the Fund’s total assets. |
The Fund allocates its assets among Underlying Funds categorized by the Adviser into the following investment categories: · Alternative Assets · Alternative Strategies · Domestic/Global Equity · Domestic/Global Fixed-Income · International · International Fixed-Income · Risk Management · Sector · Specialty · Tactical Management The Fund considers the Underlying Funds in the Domestic/Global Fixed Income and International Fixed Income investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in fixed income securities, and the Underlying Funds in the Domestic/Global Equity, International, Sector, and Specialty investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in equity securities. The Underlying Funds in the Risk Management and Tactical Management investment categories include funds that can invest in a variety of asset classes in various proportions, may take measures to manage risk and/or adapt to prevailing market conditions and may have significant exposure to both fixed income and equity securities. To the extent the Fund invests in one of these Underlying Funds, the Fund’s exposure to fixed income securities and equity securities will be allocated according to the Underlying Fund’s relative exposure to these asset classes. The Fund considers the Underlying Funds in the Alternative Assets and Alternative Strategies investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in alternative assets and employ alternative strategies. | No corresponding strategy. |
Each Underlying Fund has its own investment objective and invests in certain types of securities or other assets in order to implement its investment strategy and seek to achieve its investment objective. Those types of securities or other assets include, but are not limited to: equity securities (such as common stock, preferred stock, and convertible securities), equity futures, equity swaps, currency forwards, currency futures, commodity futures and swaps, bond futures, fixed income swaps, interest rate swaps, and inflation swaps; U.S. and foreign government bonds, including inflation protected bonds (such as Treasury Inflation Protected Securities); bank loans; cash and cash equivalents, including but not limited to money market fund shares. These holdings | The Fund may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as futures, options, or swap agreements, or in mortgage or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued basis, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buybacks or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks. |
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
can include investment exposure to both developed and emerging markets, and may be illiquid or thinly traded. Securities held by the Underlying Funds may be denominated in U.S. and/or non-U.S. currencies. | |
An Underlying Fund may be leveraged and therefore could be subject to a heightened risk of loss. The leverage involved in certain derivative transactions may result in an Underlying Fund’s net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related investment. In determining allocations to any particular Underlying Fund, the Adviser considers, among other things, long-term market and economic conditions, historical performance of each Underlying Fund, and expected long-term performance of each Underlying Fund, as well as diversification to control overall portfolio risk exposure. The Adviser may change the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests from time to time at its discretion without notice or shareholder approval. Therefore, the Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that are not listed in the statutory prospectus. | No corresponding strategy. |
The Fund is “non-diversified,” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds. | The Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds. |
C
omparison of Principal Risk Factors
While there are some similarities in the risk profiles of the Funds, there are also some differences of which you should be aware. Each Fund’s principal risks include credit risk, currency risk, derivatives risk, emerging markets and less developed countries risk, equity securities risk, fixed-income risk, foreign regulatory risk, foreign securities risk, inflation-indexed securities risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk, liquidity risk, managed portfolio risk, non-diversification risk, portfolio turnover risk, and short sales risk. The Real Assets Fund, however, also is subject to allocation risk, commodity risk, counterparty risk, market risk, natural resource related securities risk, real estate investment risk, sector risk, settlement risk, sovereign debt risk, TIPS and inflation-linked bonds risk, and underlying funds risk, while these generally are not principal risks for the Real Return Fund. In addition, the principal risks of investing in the Real Return Fund include call risk, debt securities ratings risk, extension risk, forward and futures contract risk, high yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities risk, investment strategy risk, issuer risk, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities risk, options risk, prepayment risk, swaps risk, and U.S. Government securities risk, which are not principal risks of investing in the Real Assets Fund. For a detailed comparison of each Fund’s risks, see both “Comparison of Principal Risk Factors” below and Appendix B.
An investment in a Fund is not guaranteed. As with any mutual fund, the value of a Fund’s shares will change, and an investor could lose money by investing in a Fund. The following table compares the principal risks of an investment in each Fund. The Acquired Fund will incur the risks associated with each Underlying Fund in which it is invested. For additional information about each principal risk and other applicable risks, see Appendix B.
| Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Risks | Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
Allocation risk | X | |
Call risk | | X |
Commodity risk | X | |
Counterparty risk | X | |
Credit risk | X | X |
Currency risk | X | X |
Debt securities ratings risk | | X |
Derivatives risk | X | X |
Emerging markets and less developed countries risk | X | X |
Equity securities risk | X | X |
Extension Risk | | X |
Fixed-income risk | X | X |
Foreign regulatory risk | X | X |
Foreign securities risk | X | X |
Forward and futures contract risk | | X |
High yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities risk | | X |
Inflation-indexed securities risk | X | X |
Interest rate risk | X | X |
Investment strategy risk | | X |
Issuer risk | | X |
Leverage risk | X | X |
Liquidity risk | X | X |
Managed portfolio risk | X | X |
| Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Risks | Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
Market risk | X | |
Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities risk | | X |
Natural resource related securities risk | X | |
Non-diversification risk | X | X |
Options risk | | X |
Portfolio turnover risk | X | X |
Prepayment risk | | X |
Real estate investment risk | X | |
Sector risk | X | |
Settlement risk | X | |
Short sales risk | X | X |
Sovereign debt risk | X | |
Swaps risk | | X |
TIPS and inflation-linked bonds risk | X | |
Underlying funds risk | X | |
U.S. Government securities risk | | X |
C
omparison of Fundamental Policies
Each Fund is subject to certain fundamental policies and restrictions that may not be changed without shareholder approval. The following table compares the fundamental policies of the Real Assets Fund with those of the Real Return Fund.
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
(1) The Fund is “non-diversified.” | Same. |
Acquired Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Real Assets Fund | Real Return Fund |
(2) The Fund may not invest more than 25% of the value of its assets in any particular industry (other than U.S. Government securities and/or foreign sovereign debt securities). | Same. |
(3) The Fund may not invest directly in real estate or interests in real estate; however, the Fund may own debt or equity securities issued by companies engaged in those businesses. | Same. |
(4) The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities other than foreign currencies unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities (but this limitation shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures, swaps and forward contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities). | Same. |
(5) The Fund may not lend any security or make any other loan, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and any applicable exemptive relief. | The Fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets would be lent to other parties (but this limitation does not apply to purchases of commercial paper, debt securities or repurchase agreements). |
(6) The Fund may not act as an underwriter of securities issued by others, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed an underwriter in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities of the Fund. | Same. |
(7) The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and any applicable exemptive relief. | No corresponding fundamental restriction. |
(8) The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and any applicable exemptive relief. | Same. |
(9) No corresponding fundamental restriction. | The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. This limitation does not apply to securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A of the 1933 Act or commercial paper issued in reliance upon the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of that Act, which have been determined to be liquid in accord with guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. |
C
omparative Performance Information
The performance information shown below provides some indication of the risks of investing in each Fund by showing changes in each Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how each Fund’s average annual returns compared with those of a broad-based securities market index that has investment characteristics similar to those of such Fund, and, for the Real Assets Fund, a composite index which has investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Past performance is not an indication of future performance.
Information for Real Assets Fund Class I shares is not shown because Class I shares commenced operations on September 25, 2017.
The returns shown in the bar chart and table do not include charges imposed under the Contracts. If these amounts were reflected, returns would be less than those shown.
Real Assets Fund – Calendar Year Total Returns
(Acquired Fund)
Class A
Best Quarter (ended 6/30/2016): 8.69%; Worst Quarter (ended 9/30/2015): -8.66%
Real Return Fund – Calendar Year Total Returns
(Acquiring Fund)
Class A
Best Quarter (ended 3/31/2008): 5.77%; Worst Quarter (ended 6/30/2013): -8.29%
Class I
Best Quarter (ended 3/31/2008): 5.85%; Worst Quarter (ended 6/30/2013): -8.28%
Av
erage Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017
Acquired Fund – Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017 | |
| 1 year | Life of Fund (April 29, 2013) |
Real Assets Fund (Class A) | 6.26% | 0.66% |
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes Index Value Unhedged (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 3.01% | 0.01% |
33% FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Index, 33% Bloomberg Barclays Commodity Index, 34% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 5.32% | -0.98% |
FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Real Estate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 11.42% | 4.97% |
Bloomberg Commodity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 1.70 | -8.35% |
Acquiring Fund – Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017 | |
| 1 year | 5 year | 10 year |
Real Return Fund (Class A) | 3.11% | -0.28% | 3.80% |
Real Return Fund (Class I) | 3.18% | -0.08% | 4.03% |
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 3.01% | 0.13%% | 3.53% |
The following table shows the capitalization of each Fund as of December 31, 2017, and of the Real Return Fund on a pro forma combined basis as of December 31, 2017 after giving effect to the proposed Reorganization. The actual net assets of the Real Assets Fund and the Real Return Fund on the Closing Date will differ due to fluctuations in net asset values, subsequent purchases, and redemptions of shares. No assurance can be given as to how many shares of the Real Return Fund will be received by shareholders of Real Assets Fund on the Closing Date, and the following table should not be relied upon to reflect the number of shares of the Real Return Fund that will actually be received.
| Net Assets | Net Asset Value Per Share | Shares Outstanding |
Real Assets Fund (Acquired Fund) – Class A | $12,153,258 | $9.84 | 1,234,603 |
Real Return Fund (Acquiring Fund) – Class A | $1,195,715,417 | $9.95 | 120,139,964 |
Adjustments | $0 | $0 | (13,170) (b) |
Pro forma Real Return Fund (assuming the Reorganization is approved) | $1,207,868,675 | $9.95 | 121,361,397 |
Real Assets Fund (Acquired Fund) – Class I | $513 | $9.86 | 52 |
Real Return Fund (Acquiring Fund) – Class I | $863,415,939 | $10.06 | 85,800,325 |
Adjustments | $0 | $0 | (1) (b) |
Pro forma Real Return Fund (assuming the Reorganization is approved) | $863,416,452 | $10.06 | 85,800,376 |
(a) | The costs and expenses associated with the Reorganization relating to the solicitation of proxies, including preparing, filing, printing, and mailing of the proxy statement and related disclosure documents, and the related legal fees, including the legal fees incurred in connection with the analysis under the Code of the tax treatment of this transaction as well as the costs associated with obtaining a consent of independent registered public accounting firm, will all be borne by JNAM, and no sales or other charges will be imposed on Contract Owners in connection with the Reorganization. There are no transaction expenses, such as trade commissions, related fees and taxes, or any foreign exchange spread costs (“Transaction Costs”), associated with the Reorganization. |
(b) | The adjustment to the pro forma shares outstanding number represents a decrease in shares outstanding of the Acquiring Fund to reflect the exchange of shares of the Acquired Fund. |
The Reorganization provides for the acquisition of all the assets and all the liabilities of the Real Assets Fund by the Real Return Fund. If the Reorganization had taken place on December 31, 2017, shareholders of the Real Assets Fund would have received 1,221,433 and 51 Class A and Class I shares, respectively, of the Real Return Fund.
After careful consideration, the JVST Board unanimously approved the Plan of Reorganization with respect to the Real Assets Fund. Accordingly, the JVST Board has submitted the Plan of Reorganization for approval by the Real Assets Fund’s shareholders. The JVST Board recommends that you vote “FOR” this Proposal.
* ��* * * *
A
DDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE REORGANIZATION
T
erms of the Plan of Reorganization
The terms of the Plan of Reorganization are summarized below. For additional information, you should consult the Plan of Reorganization, a copy of which is attached as Appendix A.
If shareholders of the Acquired Fund approve the Plan of Reorganization, then the assets of the Acquired Fund will be acquired by, and in exchange for, Class A and Class I shares, respectively, of the Acquiring Fund and the liabilities of the Acquired Fund will be assumed by the Acquiring Fund. The Acquired Fund will then be terminated by JNLST, and the Class A and Class I shares of the Acquiring Fund distributed to the Class A and Class I shareholders, respectively, of the Acquired Fund in the redemption of the Class A and Class I Acquired Fund Shares. Immediately after completion of the Reorganization, the number of shares of the Acquiring Fund then held by former shareholders of the Acquired Fund may be different than the number of shares of the Acquired Fund that had been held immediately before completion of the Reorganization, but the total investment will remain the same (i.e., the total value of the Acquiring Fund shares held immediately after the completion of the Reorganization will be the same as the total value of the Acquired Fund shares formerly held immediately before completion of the Reorganization).
It is anticipated that the Reorganization will be consummated as of the close of business on August 10, 2018, or on such later date as may be deemed necessary in the judgment of the JVST Board or JNLST Board and in accordance with the Plan of Reorganization, subject to the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the closing. It is not anticipated that the Acquired Fund will hold any investment that the Acquiring Fund would not be permitted to hold (“non-permitted investments”).
De
scription of the Securities to Be Issued
The Class A shareholders of the Acquired Fund will receive Class A shares of the Acquiring Fund, and the Class I shareholders of the Acquired Fund will receive Class I shares of the Acquiring Fund in accordance with the procedures provided for in the Plan of Reorganization. Each such share will be fully paid and non-assessable by JNLST when issued and will have no preemptive or conversion rights.
JNLST may issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Fund and divide or combine such shares into a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interests in JNLST. Each share of the Acquiring Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that Fund with each other share. JNLST reserves the right to create and issue any number of Fund shares. In that case, the shares of the Acquiring Fund would participate equally in the earnings, dividends, and assets of the Fund. Upon liquidation of the Acquiring Fund, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. The Acquiring Fund is a series of JNLST.
JNLST currently offers two classes of shares, Class A and Class I shares, for the Acquiring Fund. All of the JNLST Funds have adopted a distribution plan in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Pursuant to the distribution plan, Class A shares will be charged a Rule 12b-1 fee at the annual rate of 0.30% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Class A shares of the respective Fund. Because these distribution/service fees are paid out of the Funds’ assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase your cost of investing and may cost more than paying other types of charges. Class I shares are not charged a 12b-1 fee.
At a meeting of the JVST Board of Trustees (in this section, the “JVST Board”) held on February 28 – March 2, 2018, (the “Board Meeting”), the JVST Board, including all of the independent trustees, who are not interested persons of the funds (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) (the “Independent Trustees”), considered information relating to the proposed reorganization of Acquired Funds, a series of the JVST, into the Acquiring Fund, a series of the JNLST. Prior to approving the Reorganization, the Independent Trustees reviewed the foregoing information with their independent legal counsel and with management, reviewed with independent legal counsel applicable law and their duties in considering such matters, and met with independent legal counsel in a private session without management present. The JVST Board considered a number of principal factors presented at the time of the JVST Board Meeting in reaching its determinations, including the following:
· | Investment Objectives and Investment Strategies. The JVST Board considered that the Reorganization will permit the Contract Owners and others with beneficial interest in the Acquired Fund to continue to invest in a professionally managed fund with similar investment goals, noting that the Acquired Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term real return through an allocation in stocks and other asset classes and strategies through investment in Underlying Funds, and the Acquiring Fund’s investment objective is to seek maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management. The JVST Board also considered that the Acquired Fund is structured as a fund-of-funds, while the Acquiring Fund is a stand-alone fund that is managed by a sub-adviser. The JVST Board noted that both the Acquired and Acquiring Funds have an investment mandate that focuses on inflation-related securities and that the Acquiring Fund makes up approximately 36% of the Acquired Fund’s holdings, making it the Acquired Fund’s largest underlying holding. As described below, the JVST Board also considered how the Acquired Fund’s shareholders will benefit from the Reorganization. For a full description of the investment objectives and investment strategies of the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund, see “Comparison of Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies.” |
· | Operating Expenses. The JVST Board considered that, if approved by the Acquired Fund’s shareholders, the Reorganization will result in a Combined Fund with a total annual fund operating expense ratio that is lower than those of the Acquired Fund currently, though the Combined Fund will have higher management fees than the Acquired Fund does currently. The JVST Board noted that the lower total annual fund operating expense ratio after the Reorganization is primarily a result from having no acquired fund fees and expenses for the Combined Fund. The JVST Board further noted that the Acquiring Fund’s total annual expense ratio and management fees are not expected to change as a result of the Reorganization. See “Comparative Fee and Expense Tables.” |
· | Larger Asset Base. The JVST Board considered that the Reorganization may benefit Contract Owners and others with beneficial interests in the Acquired Fund by allowing them to invest in the Combined Fund that has a larger |
asset base than that of the Acquired Fund currently. The JVST Board noted that as of December 31, 2017, the Acquired Fund had assets of $12.15 million as compared to assets of $2,059.13 million for the Acquiring Fund. The JVST Board considered that, according to management, the Acquired Fund does not have good prospects for growth, and thus increasing its size through a reorganization into the Acquiring Fund appears to be the best way to offer Contract Owners and other investors a comparable investment alternative with assets that may be operated more efficiently than the Acquired Fund. The JVST Board considered that reorganizing the Acquired Fund into the Acquiring Fund offers Contract Owners and other investors the ability to benefit from economies of scale.
· | Performance. The JVST Board considered that the Acquiring Fund has had better performance than the Acquired Fund for the 3-year period ended December 31, 2017. The Board also noted that the Acquiring Fund outperformed the Acquired Fund during calendar years 2014 and 2015 and that the Acquiring Fund has outperformed the Funds’ primary benchmark, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, in the three-month, one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2017. |
· | Investment Adviser and Other Service Providers. The JVST Board considered that that the Funds currently have the same investment adviser and administrator, JNAM, and the same service providers, with the exception of sub-adviser. It considered that the Acquired Fund will have the same investment adviser and other service providers after the Reorganization as it has currently. Specifically, the JVST Board noted that the Acquired Fund does not have a sub-adviser whereas the Acquiring Fund is sub-advised by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, and it considered that after the Reorganization, the Combined Fund will be sub-advised by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. The JVST Board discussed how the addition of a sub-adviser may benefit the Acquired Fund’s shareholders. The JVST Board considered management’s high level of conviction in the Acquiring Fund, as well as management’s confidence in the Acquiring Fund’s sub-adviser. See “Comparison of Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser.” |
· | Federal Income Tax Consequences. The Board took into account that Contract Owners are not expected to have adverse tax consequences as a result of the Reorganization. Although the Acquired Fund will sell all of its portfolio securities prior to and in connection with the Reorganization, which will result in gain or loss that is allocated to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders, the Reorganization is not expected to result in any material adverse federal income tax consequences to shareholders of the Acquired Fund that are Separate Accounts, in light of their tax favored status, and Jackson National. |
· | Costs of Reorganization. The JVST Board considered that the costs and expenses associated with the Reorganization relating to the solicitation of proxies, including preparing, filing, printing, and mailing of the proxy statement and related disclosure documents, and the related legal fees, including the legal fees incurred in connection with the analysis under the Code of the tax treatment of this transaction, as well as the costs associated with obtaining a consent of independent registered public accounting firm will all be borne by JNAM, and no sales or other charges will be imposed on Contract Owners in connection with the Reorganization. Please see “Additional Information about the Reorganization” above for more information. |
In summary, in determining whether to recommend approval of the Reorganization, the JVST Board considered factors including (1) the terms and conditions of the Reorganization and whether the Reorganization would result in dilution of the Acquired Fund’s shareholders’, Contract Owners’, and plan participants’ interests; (2) the compatibility of the Funds’ investment objectives, investment strategies and investment restrictions, as well as shareholder services offered by the Funds; (3) the expense ratios and information regarding the fees and expenses of the Funds; (4) the advantages and disadvantages to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders, Contract Owners, and plan participants of having a larger asset base in the Combined Fund; (5) the relative historical performance of the Funds; (6) the management of the Funds; (7) the federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization; and (8) the costs of the Reorganization. No one factor was determinative and each Trustee may have attributed different weights to the various factors.
The JVST Board, including the Independent Trustees, determined that the Reorganization would be in the best interests of the Acquired Fund and that the interests of the Acquired Fund’s Contract Owners and other investors would not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization. At the JVST Board meeting held on February 28 – March 2, 2018, the JVST Board voted unanimously to approve the Reorganization and recommended its approval by Contract Owners and others with beneficial interests in the Acquired Fund.
D
escription of Risk Factors
A Fund’s performance may be affected by one or more risk factors. For a detailed description of each Fund’s risk factors, please see “More Information on Strategies and Risk Factors” in Appendix B.
F
ederal Income Tax Consequences of the Reorganization
The Acquired Fund will sell all of its portfolio securities prior to and in connection with the Reorganization. The sale of the portfolio securities will result in the recognition of gain or loss by the Acquired Fund, which will be allocated to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders. In the Reorganization, the Acquired Fund will transfer cash to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund. Such exchange is not expected to result in any material adverse federal income tax consequences to shareholders of the Acquired Fund.
Contract Owners with premiums or contributions allocated to the investment divisions of the Separate Accounts as well as others that are invested in Acquired Fund shares generally will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the Reorganization.
Contract Owners and other investors are urged to consult their tax advisers as to the specific consequences to them of the Reorganization, including the applicability and effect of state, local, foreign, and other taxes.
If the Reorganization is not approved by shareholders, the Funds will continue to operate as they currently do and the JVST Board will consider what actions are appropriate and in the best interests of Contract Owners that have assets invested in the Acquired Fund.
A
DDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Ma
nagement of JNLST and JVST
This section provides information about JNLST, JVST, the Adviser for the Funds, and the Sub-Adviser for the Acquiring Fund.
JNLST is organized as a Massachusetts business trust and is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. Under Massachusetts law and JNLST’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the management of the business and affairs of JNLST is the responsibility of its Board. The Acquiring Fund is a series of JNLST.
JVST is also organized as a Massachusetts business trust and is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. Under Massachusetts law and the JVST’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the management of the business and affairs of the JVST is the responsibility of its Board. The Acquired Fund is a series of JVST.
Jackson National Asset Management, LLC, located at 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan 48951, serves as the investment adviser to JNLST and JVST and provides the Funds with professional investment supervision and management. JNAM is registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. JNAM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jackson National, a U.S. based financial services company. Jackson National is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential plc, a publicly traded company incorporated in the United Kingdom. Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America.
JNAM acts as investment adviser to JNLST and JVST pursuant to separate Investment Advisory and Management Agreements. Under each Investment Advisory and Management Agreement, JNAM is responsible for managing the affairs and overseeing the investments of the Funds and determining how voting and other rights with respect to securities owned by the Funds will be exercised. JNAM also provides recordkeeping, administrative and exempt transfer agent services to the Funds and oversees the performance of services provided to the Funds by other service providers, including the custodian and shareholder servicing agent. JNAM plays an active role in advising and
monitoring the Funds. JNAM, among other things, implements the investment objective and program by selecting securities and determining asset allocation ranges.
Each Investment Advisory and Management Agreement continues in effect for each Fund from year to year after its initial two-year term so long as its continuation is approved at least annually by (i) a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to such agreement or interested persons of any such party except in their capacity as Trustees of JNLST or JVST, respectively, and (ii) the shareholders of the affected Fund or the Board. It may be terminated at any time upon 60 days’ notice by JNAM, or by a majority vote of the outstanding shares of a Fund with respect to that Fund, and will terminate automatically upon its assignment. Each Investment Advisory and Management Agreement provides that JNAM shall not be liable for any error of judgment, or for any loss suffered by any Fund in connection with the matters to which the agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of JNAM in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the agreement. As compensation for its services, JNLST and JVST each pay JNAM a separate fee in respect of each Fund as described in each Fund’s Prospectus.
JNAM and JNLST, together with other investment companies of which JNAM is investment adviser, have been granted an exemption from the SEC that allows JNAM to hire, replace or terminate unaffiliated sub-advisers with the approval of the Board of Trustees, but without the approval of shareholders. The order also allows JNAM to materially amend a sub-advisory agreement with unaffiliated sub-advisers with the approval of the Board of Trustees, but without shareholder approval. However, any amendment to an advisory agreement between JNAM and JNLST that would result in an increase in the management fee rate specified in that agreement (i.e., the aggregate management fee) charged to a Fund will be submitted to shareholders for approval. Under the terms of the exemption, if a new sub-adviser is hired by JNAM, shareholders in the affected Fund will receive information about the new sub-adviser within 90 days of the change. The order allows the Funds to operate more efficiently and with greater flexibility. JNAM provides oversight and evaluation services to the Funds, including, but not limited to the following services: performing initial due diligence on prospective sub-advisers for the Funds; monitoring the performance of sub-advisers; communicating performance expectations to the sub-advisers; and ultimately recommending to the Board of Trustees whether a sub-adviser’s contract should be renewed, modified or terminated. JNAM and JVST have been granted a similar exemption from the SEC with similar terms.
As compensation for its advisory services, JNAM receives a fee from JNLST and JVST computed separately for the Funds, accrued daily and payable monthly. The fee JNAM receives from each Fund is set forth below as an annual percentage of the net assets of the Fund.
The table below shows the advisory fee rate schedule for each Fund as set forth in the respective Investment Advisory and Management Agreement and the aggregate annual fee the Fund paid to JNAM for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Each Fund’s advisory fee rate schedule is subject to contractual breakpoints that reduce the advisory fee rate should the Fund’s average daily net assets exceed specified amounts.
In addition to the fees disclosed below, the Acquired Fund will indirectly bear its pro rata share of the fees of certain Underlying Funds.
Fund | Assets | Advisory Fee (Annual Rate Based on Average Daily Net Assets of the Fund) | Aggregate Annual Fee Paid to Adviser for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017 (Annual Rate Based on Average Net Assets of the Fund) |
Real Assets Fund | $0 to $500 million $500 million to $3 billion $3 billion to $5 billion Over $5 billion | 0.15% 0.10% 0.095% 0.09% | 0.15% |
Real Return Fund | $0 to $1 billion $1 billion to $2 billion $2 billion to $3 billion $3 billion to $5 billion Over $5 billion | 0.39% 0.375% 0.365% 0.355% 0.345% | 0.46% |
A discussion of the basis for the JNLST Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement is available in JNLST’s Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017.
A discussion of the basis for the JVST Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement is available in JVST’s Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017.
As compensation for its services for the Acquiring Fund, the Sub-Adviser to the Acquiring Fund, PIMCO, receives a sub-advisory fee that is payable by JNAM. The current sub-advisory fee schedule is set forth below:
Fund | Average Daily Net Assets | Sub-Advisory Fee (Annual Rate Based on Average Net Assets) |
Real Return Fund | $0 to $1 billion $1 billion to $2 billion Over $2 billion | 0.25% 0.20% 0.175% |
A discussion of the basis for the Board’s approval of the sub-advisory agreement is also available in the JNLST’s Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017.
In addition to the investment advisory fee, each Fund currently pays to JNAM (the “Administrator”) an administrative fee as an annual percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund, accrued daily and paid monthly, as set forth below.
Fund | Assets | Administrative Fee (Annual Rate Based on Average Net Assets) |
Real Assets Fund | $0 to $3 billion Assets over $3 billion | 0.05% 0.045% |
Real Return Fund | $0 to $3 billion Assets over $3 billion | 0.10% 0.09% |
In return for the administrative fee, the Administrator provides or procures all necessary administrative functions and services for the operation of each Fund. In addition, the Administrator, at its own expense, provides or procures routine legal, audit, fund accounting, custody (except overdraft and interest expense), printing and mailing, and other administrative services necessary for the operation of each Fund. The administrator also pays a portion of the costs of the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer. Each Fund is responsible for trading expenses including brokerage commissions, interest and taxes, and other non-operating expenses. Each Fund is also responsible for nonrecurring and extraordinary legal fees, interest expenses, registration fees, licensing costs, a portion of the Chief Compliance Officer costs, directors and officers insurance, the fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees and of independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees (categorized as “Other Expenses” in the fee tables).
The allocations for the Acquired Fund are made by JNAM. The following table describes the Acquired Fund’s adviser, portfolio managers, and each portfolio manager’s business experience. Information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of securities of the Acquired Fund is available in the Trust’s Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2018[, as supplemented].
Acquired Fund | Adviser & Portfolio Managers | Business Experience |
Real Assets Fund | Jackson National Asset Management, LLC 225 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606 Portfolio Managers William Harding, CFA Sean Hynes, CFA, CAIA Mark Pliska, CFA | Mr. Harding, CFA, is Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for JNAM since July 2014. Mr. Harding was a Vice President, Head of Investment Management from October 2012 to June 2014. Mr. Harding leads the Investment Management function responsible for oversight of sub-advisor performance and risk, due diligence and manager research. Mr. Harding was previously the Head of Manager Research for Morningstar Inc.’s Investment Management division and has over 20 years of investment experience including asset allocation, manager research, portfolio management, and performance evaluation. Mr. Harding graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He holds an MBA from Loyola University Chicago and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Hynes, CFA, CAIA, is Assistant Vice President, Investment Management for JNAM since April 2013. Mr. Hynes provides leadership for the performance analysis and due diligence review of external investment managers. He develops and maintains key relationships with asset managers and provides leadership and direction to Investment Management staff. Prior to joining JNAM, Mr. Hynes was an Investment Manager for Morningstar Investment Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morningstar Inc., and a research associate for Managers Investment Group. Mr. Hynes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a CFA and CAIA charterholder. Mr. Pliska, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager for JNAM. Mr. Pliska is responsible for manager research, portfolio construction, and asset allocation of Funds. Prior to joining JNAM in 2011, Mr. Pliska worked as an Investment Analyst for Plan Sponsor Advisors from 2008 to 2011, where he was responsible for the selection and monitoring of investment managers, client reporting, and asset allocation for defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and prior to that, Mr. Pliska was a Research Analyst for DWM Financial Group from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Pliska is a National Merit Scholar and holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Kansas. |
The Statements of Additional Information for JNLST and JVST, respectively, provide additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of securities in each Fund.
There is no sub-adviser for the Acquired Fund.
PIMCO is the sub-adviser for the Acquiring Fund. The Acquiring Fund’s investments are selected by PIMCO. As of December 31, 2017, PIMCO had assets under management of $1.75 trillion, including $1.33 trillion in third-party client assets. PIMCO is an investment management firm founded in 1971. PIMCO is a majority-owned subsidiary of Allianz Asset Management with minority interests held by certain of its current and former officers, by Allianz Asset Management of America LLC, and PIMCO Partners, LLC, a California limited liability company. PIMCO
Partners, LLC is owned by certain current and former officers of PIMCO. Through various holding company structures, Allianz Asset Management is majority owned by Allianz SE.
The following table describes the Acquiring Fund’s sub-adviser, portfolio managers, and each portfolio manager’s business experience. Information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of securities of the Acquiring Fund is available in the JNLST’s Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2018 [, as supplemented].
Acquiring Fund | Sub-Adviser & Portfolio Managers | Business Experience |
Real Return Fund | PIMCO 650 Newport Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 Portfolio Managers Mihir P. Worah Jeremie Banet | Mihir Worah is CIO Asset Allocation and Real Return and a managing director in the Newport Beach office. He is a member of the Investment Committee and the Executive Committee, and oversees portfolio management for the U.S. He is a generalist portfolio manager who manages a variety of fixed income, commodity and multi-asset portfolios. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2001, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he built models to explain the difference between matter and anti-matter. In 2012 he co-authored “Intelligent Commodity Indexing,” published by McGraw-Hill. He has 16 years of investment experience and holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Chicago. Jeremie Banet is an executive vice president in the Newport Beach office and a portfolio manager on the real return team. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2011, he traded inflation-linked investments at Nomura Fixed Income. Prior to that, he was with BNP Paribas, most recently as head of U.S. inflation trading. He has 16 years of investment and financial services experience and holds a master's degree in applied economics and an undergraduate degree from Paris IX Dauphine University. |
JNLST and JVST have each adopted a multi-class plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act. Under the multi-class plan, the Funds have two classes of shares, Class A and Class I. As discussed in “Distribution Arrangements” below, the Class A shares of the Funds are subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee equal to 0.30% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to Class A shares. Class I shares are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee. Under the multi-class structure, the Class A shares and Class I shares of the Funds represent interests in the same portfolio of securities and will be substantially the same except for “class expenses.”
The expenses of the Funds are borne by each class of shares based on the net assets of the Fund attributable to each Class, except that class expenses are allocated to the appropriate class. “Class expenses” include any distribution, administrative or service expense allocable to that class, pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan described below, and any other expense that JNAM determines, subject to ratification or approval by the Board, to be properly allocable to that class, including: (i) printing and postage expenses related to preparing and distributing to the shareholders of a particular class (or Contract Owners funded by shares of such class) materials such as Prospectuses, shareholder reports and (ii) professional fees relating solely to one class.
D
istribution Arrangements
Jackson National Life Distributors LLC (“JNLD” or the “Distributor”), 7601 Technology Way, Denver, Colorado 80237, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jackson National, is the principal underwriter of the Funds of JNLST and JVST. JNLD is responsible for promoting sales of each Fund’s shares. The Distributor also is the principal underwriter of the variable annuity insurance products issued by Jackson National and its subsidiaries. On behalf of the Funds, JNLST and JVST, acting separately, have adopted, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, Amended and Restated Distribution Plan (“Plan”) with respect to the Class A shares of each Fund. The Boards of Trustees of JNLST and JVST, acting separately and including all of the Independent Trustees of each Board, must approve, at least annually, the continuation of the Plan. Under the Plan, each Fund that has adopted the Plan will pay a Rule 12b-1 fee at an annual rate of 0.30% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributed to Class A shares, as compensation for distribution, administrative or other service activities incurred by JNLD and its affiliates with respect to Class A shares. Class I shares are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. To the extent consistent with the Plan and existing law, the Distributor, as principal underwriter, may use the 12b-1 fee to compensate broker-dealers, administrators, financial intermediaries or others for providing or assisting in providing distribution and related additional services. At a special meeting of shareholders of JNLST and JVST held on June 22, 2017, the shareholders of JNLST and JVST adopted the Plan.
The Distributor and/or an affiliate have the following relationships with one or more of the sub-advisers of JNLST, JVST, and/or their respective affiliates:
· | The Distributor receives payments from certain of these sub-advisers to assist in defraying the costs of certain promotional and marketing meetings in which they participate. The amounts paid depend on the nature of the meetings, the number of meetings attended, the costs expected to be incurred, and the level of a sub-adviser’s participation. |
· | A brokerage affiliate of the Distributor participates in the sales of shares of retail mutual funds advised by certain of these sub-advisers and receives commissions and other compensation from them in connection with those activities, as described in the prospectus or statement of additional information for those funds. |
· | In addition, the Distributor acts as distributor of the Contracts issued by the Insurance Companies. |
Pa
yments to Broker-Dealers and Financial Intermediaries
Only Separate Accounts of the Insurance Companies and series, including fund of funds, of registered investment companies in which either or both of the Insurance Companies invest may purchase shares of the Funds. You may invest indirectly in the Funds through your purchase of a variable annuity contract issued by Separate Accounts of the Insurance Companies that invests directly, or through a fund of funds, in these Funds. Any minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements and redemption procedures are governed by the applicable Separate Account through which you invest indirectly. If an investor invests in the Funds under a Contract or a plan that offers a Contract as a plan option through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a financial institution), the Funds and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and the salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s web-site for more information.
Inv
estment in JNLST and JVST Shares
Shares of JNLST and JVST are presently offered only to Separate Accounts of the Insurance Companies to fund the benefits under certain Contracts, to unqualified retirement plans, and to other regulated investment companies that in turn are sold to Separate Accounts. The Separate Accounts, through their various sub-accounts that invest in designated Funds, purchase the shares of the Funds at their net asset value (“NAV”) using premiums received on Contracts issued by the insurance company.
Purchases are effected at NAV next determined after the purchase order is received by JNAM as the Funds’ transfer agent in proper form. There is no sales charge. Shares of the Funds are not available to the general public directly.
The price of each Fund’s shares is based on its NAV. The NAV per share of each Fund is determined by JNAM at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for regular trading. However, calculation of each Fund’s NAV may be suspended on days determined by the JNLST Board or the JVST Board, respectively, in times of emergency or market closure as determined by the SEC. The NAV per share is calculated by adding the value of all securities and other assets of a Fund, deducting its liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding. Generally, the value of exchange-listed or -traded securities is based on their respective market prices, bonds are valued based on prices provided by an independent pricing service and short-term debt securities are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. Each of the JNLST Board and the JVST Board have adopted procedures pursuant to which JNAM may determine, subject to Board oversight, the “fair value” of a security for which a current market price is not available or the current market price is considered unreliable or inaccurate. Under these procedures, the “fair value” of a security generally will be the amount, determined by JNAM in good faith, that the owner of such security might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale.
Each of the JNLST Board and JVST Board have established a valuation committee to review fair value determinations pursuant to each Trust’s “Pricing Guidelines.” The valuation committee will also review the value of restricted and illiquid securities, securities and assets for which a current market price is not readily available, and securities and assets for which there is reason to believe that the most recent market price does not accurately reflect current value (e.g., disorderly market transactions).
The Acquired Fund is comprised of Underlying Funds. The value of each Underlying Fund is determined based on the number of shares owned multiplied by the NAV of the respective Underlying Funds. The Acquiring Fund may invest in securities primarily listed on foreign exchanges and that trade on days when the Acquiring Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Acquiring Fund’s NAV may change on days when shareholders are not able to purchase or redeem the Acquiring Fund’s shares.
Because the calculation of a Fund’s NAV does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the closing prices of the majority of foreign portfolio securities used in the calculation, there exists a risk that the value of foreign portfolio securities will change after the close of the exchange on which they are traded, but before calculation of the Fund’s NAV (“time-zone arbitrage”). Accordingly, each of the JNLST’s procedures and JVST’s procedures for pricing of portfolio securities also authorize JNAM, subject to oversight by the respective Board of Trustees, to determine the “fair value” of such foreign securities for purposes of calculating a Fund’s NAV. JNAM will “fair value” foreign securities held by a Fund if it determines that a “significant event” has occurred subsequent to the close of trading in such securities on the exchanges or markets on which they principally are traded, but prior to the time of the Fund’s NAV calculation. A significant event is one that can be expected materially to affect the value of such securities. Certain specified percentage movements in U.S. equity market indices are deemed under the JNLST’s pricing procedures and the JVST’s pricing procedures to be a “significant event.” A “significant event” affecting multiple issuers might also include, but is not limited to, a substantial price movement in other securities markets, an announcement by a governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory authority relating to securities markets, political or economic matters, or monetary or credit policies, a natural disaster such as an earthquake, flood or storm, or the outbreak of civil strife or military hostilities. Accordingly, on any day when such specified percentage movements in U.S. equity market indices occur, when fair valuing such foreign securities, JNAM will adjust the closing prices of all foreign securities held in any Fund’s portfolio, based upon an adjustment factor for each such security provided by an independent pricing service, in order to reflect the “fair value” of such securities for purposes of determining a Fund’s NAV. When fair-value pricing is employed, the foreign securities prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
These procedures seek to minimize the opportunities for “time zone arbitrage” in Funds that invest all or substantial portions of their assets in foreign securities, thereby seeking to make those Funds significantly less attractive to “market timers” and other investors who might seek to profit from time zone arbitrage and seeking to reduce the potential for harm to other Fund investors resulting from such practices. However, these procedures may not completely eliminate opportunities for time zone arbitrage because it is not possible to predict in all circumstances whether post-closing events will have a significant impact on securities prices.
All investments in JNLST and JVST are separately credited to the shareholder’s account in the form of full and fractional shares of the designated Fund (rounded to the nearest 1/1000 of a share). Both JNLST and JVST do not issue share certificates.
Fund shares may only be purchased by Separate Accounts of the Insurance Companies, the Insurance Companies themselves, qualified and unqualified retirement plans and certain other regulated investment companies.
The interests of a Fund’s long-term shareholders may be adversely affected by certain short-term trading activity by other Contract Owners invested in the Separate Accounts. Such short-term trading activity, when excessive, has the potential to, among other things, compromise efficient portfolio management, generate transaction and other costs, and dilute the value of Acquiring Fund shares held by long-term shareholders. This type of excessive short-term trading activity is referred to herein as “market timing.” The Funds are not intended to serve as a vehicle for market timing. The JNLST Board and the JVST Board have each adopted policies and procedures with respect to market timing.
The Funds, directly and through its service providers, and the insurance company and retirement plan service providers (collectively, “service providers”) takes various steps designed to deter and curtail market timing with the cooperation of the Insurance Companies. For example, in the event of a round trip transfer, complete or partial redemptions by a shareholder from a sub-account investing in a Fund is permitted; however, once a complete or partial redemption has been made from a sub-account that invests in a Fund, through a sub-account transfer, shareholders will not be permitted to transfer any value back into that sub-account (and the corresponding Fund) within fifteen (15) calendar days of the redemption. The Funds will treat as short-term trading activity any transfer that is requested into a sub-account that was previously redeemed within the previous fifteen (15) calendar days, whether the transfer was requested by the shareholders or a third party authorized by the shareholder. The Insurance Companies have entered into agreements with the Trust to provide upon request certain information on the trading activities of Contract Owners in an effort to help curtail market timing.
In addition to identifying any potentially disruptive trading activity, each Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy of “fair value” pricing to discourage investors from engaging in market timing or other excessive trading strategies for international Funds. The Funds’ “fair value” pricing policy is described under “Investment in JNLST and JVST Shares” above and will apply to the Underlying Funds in which certain Funds invest.
The policies and procedures described above are intended to deter and curtail market timing in the Funds. However, there can be no assurance that these policies, together with those of the Insurance Companies, and any other insurance company that may invest in the Funds in the future, will be totally effective in this regard. The Funds rely on the Insurance Companies to take the appropriate steps, including daily monitoring of separate account trading activity, to further deter market timing. If they are ineffective, the adverse consequences described above could occur.
A description of Jackson National’s anti-market timing policies and procedures can be found in the appropriate variable insurance contract Prospectus (the “Separate Account Prospectus”). The rights of the Separate Accounts to purchase and redeem shares of a Fund are not affected by any Fund’s anti-market timing policies if they are not in violation of the Separate Accounts’ anti-market timing policies and procedures.
A Separate Account redeems shares to make benefit or withdrawal payments under the terms of its Contracts. Redemptions typically are processed on any day on which JNLST and JVST and the NYSE are open for business and are effected at net asset value next determined after the redemption order is received by JNAM, the Fund’s transfer agent, in proper form.
JNLST and JVST may suspend the right of redemption only under the following circumstances:
· | When the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays) or trading is restricted; |
· | When an emergency exists, making disposal of portfolio securities or the valuation of net assets not reasonably practicable; or |
· | During any period when the SEC has by order permitted a suspension of redemption for the protection of shareholders. |
The Funds typically expect that a Fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The Funds may also use the proceeds of orders to purchase Fund shares or the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests, if consistent with the management of each Fund. These redemption methods will be used
regularly and may also be used in stressed market conditions. The Funds have in place a line of credit intended to provide short-term financing, if necessary, subject to certain conditions, in connection with stressed market conditions or atypical redemption activity. The Funds, pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC and a master Interfund Lending agreement, also have the ability to lend or borrow money for temporary purposes directly to or from one another.
In the case of a liquidity event, a Fund’s share price and/or returns may be negatively impacted. If a liquidity event occurs, JNAM will notify the JVST Board and JNLST Board of the liquidity event and take corrective action. Corrective action may include, among other things, use of the Fund’s line of credit or Interfund Lending Program.
D
ividends and Other Distributions
The Acquired Fund generally does not expect to make distributions of its net investment income and net realized capital gains. The Acquiring Fund generally distributes most or all of its net investment income and its net realized gains, if any, no less frequently than annually.
For both Funds, distributions other than in redemption of Fund shares, if any, are automatically reinvested at net asset value in shares of the distributing class of that Fund.
The Acquired Fund intends to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and does not expect to make regular distributions (other than in redemption of Acquired Fund Shares) to shareholders. The interests in the Acquired Fund are generally owned by one or more Separate Accounts that hold such interests pursuant to Contracts, and by Jackson National.
The Acquired Fund is treated as a partnership separate from JVST for purposes of the Code. Therefore, the assets, income, and distributions, if any, of the Acquired Fund are considered separately for purposes of determining the tax classification of the Acquired Fund.
Because the shareholders of the Acquired Fund are Separate Accounts of variable insurance contracts and Jackson National, there are no tax consequences to those shareholders from buying, holding, exchanging and selling shares of the Acquired Fund. Distributions from the Acquired Fund, if any, are not taxable to those shareholders. However, owners of Contracts should consult the applicable Separate Account Prospectus for more detailed information on tax issues related to the Contracts.
The Acquired Fund intends to comply with the diversification requirements currently imposed by the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder, on separate accounts of insurance companies as a condition of maintaining the tax-advantaged status of the Contracts issued by Separate Accounts. The Investment Advisory and Management Agreement require the Acquired Fund to be operated in compliance with these diversification requirements. The Adviser may depart from the investment strategy of the Acquired Fund only to the extent necessary to meet these diversification requirements.
The Acquiring Fund intends to continue to qualify and be eligible for treatment as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code. As a regulated investment company, the Acquiring Fund intends to distribute all its net investment income and net capital gains to shareholders and, therefore, does not expect to be required to pay any federal income or excise taxes. The interests in the Acquiring Fund are owned by one or more Separate Accounts that hold such interests pursuant to Contracts and by various funds of JNLST and JVST, which are partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and by qualified and certain non-qualified pension plans.
The Acquiring Fund is treated as a corporation separate from JNLST for purposes of the Code. Therefore, the assets, income, and distributions of the Acquiring Fund are considered separately for purposes of determining whether or not the Acquiring Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company.
Because the shareholders of the Acquiring Fund are Separate Accounts of variable insurance contracts, qualified and unqualified retirement plans and certain other funds of JNLST and JVST, which are partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, there are no tax consequences to those shareholders from buying, holding, exchanging and selling shares of the Acquiring Fund. Distributions from the Acquiring Fund are not taxable to those shareholders. However, owners of Contracts should consult the applicable Separate Account Prospectus for more detailed information on tax issues related to the Contracts.
The Acquiring Fund intends to comply with the diversification requirements currently imposed by the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder, on separate accounts of insurance companies as a condition of maintaining the tax-advantaged status of the Contracts issued by Separate Accounts. The Investment Advisory and Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement require the Acquiring Fund to be operated in compliance with these diversification requirements. The Sub-Adviser may depart from the investment strategy of the Acquiring Fund only to the extent necessary to meet these diversification requirements.
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the financial performance of the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund for the past five years or, if shorter, the period of the Fund’s operations. The following tables provide selected per share data for one share of each Fund. The total returns in the financial highlights table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Acquired Fund or the Acquiring Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions) held for the entire period. The information does not reflect any charges imposed under a Contract. If charges imposed under a variable contract were reflected, the returns would be lower. You should refer to the appropriate Contract prospectus regarding such charges.
The annual information below has been derived from financial statements audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto, together with the report of KPMG LLP thereon, in the JVST or JNLST Annual Report, as applicable. Each Fund’s financial statements are included in the JVST or JNLST Annual Report, as applicable, which is available upon request.
Jackson Variable Series Trust – Acquired Fund
Financial Highlights
For a Share Outstanding
| | | | Increase (decrease) from investment operations | | Distributions from | | | | | Supplemental data | | Ratios(a)(b) |
Period ended | Net asset value, beginning of period($) | Net investment income (loss)($)(c) | Net realized & unrealized gains (losses)($) | Total from investment operations($) | | Net investment income($) | Net realized gains on investment transactions($) | Net asset value, end of period($) | Total return(%)(d) | Net assets, end of period (in thousands)($) | Portfolio turnover (%)(e) | | Net expenses to average net assets(%)(f) | Total expenses to average net assets(%)(f) | Net investment income (loss) to average net assets(%) |
|
JNL Real Assets Fund (Acquired Fund) (g) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
12/31/17 | | 9.26 | | 0.27 | | 0.31 | | 0.58 | | | — | | — | | 9.84 | | 6.26 | | 12,153 | | 127 | (h) | | 0.31 | | 0.31 | | 2.89 | |
12/31/16 | | 8.22 | | 0.28 | | 0.76 | | 1.04 | | | — | | — | | 9.26 | | 12.65 | | 13,591 | | 27 | | | 0.22 | | 0.22 | | 3.05 | |
12/31/15 | | 9.64 | | 0.22 | | (1.32) | | (1.10) | | | (0.06) | | (0.26) | | 8.22 | | (11.50) | | 9,656 | | 64 | | | 0.24 | | 0.24 | | 2.38 | |
12/31/14 | | 9.90 | | 0.05 | | (0.21) | | (0.16) | | | (0.09) | | (0.01) | | 9.64 | | (1.65) | | 11,294 | | 47 | | | 0.27 | | 0.27 | | 0.47 | |
12/31/13 | * | 10.00 | | 0.13 | | (0.23) | | (0.10) | | | — | | — | | 9.90 | | (1.00) | | 5,285 | | 10 | | | 0.42 | | 0.42 | | 1.90 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Class I | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
12/31/17 | ‡‡ | 9.61 | | 0.00 | | 0.25 | | 0.25 | | | — | | — | | 9.86 | | 2.60 | | 1 | | 127 | (h) | | 0.01 | | 0.01 | | (0.01) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* | The Fund commenced operations on April 29, 2013. | | |
‡‡ | Effective September 25, 2017, Class I shares were offered by the Fund. | | |
(a) | Annualized for periods less than one year. | | |
(b) | Ratios of net investment income and expenses to average net assets do not include the impact the Fund’s and Underlying Funds' expenses. |
(c) | Calculated using the average shares method. | |
(d) | Total return assumes reinvestment of all distributions for the period. Total return is not annualized for periods less than one year and does not reflect payment of the expenses that apply to the variable accounts or any annuity charges and if it did performance would be lower. | |
(e) | Portfolio turnover is not annualized for periods of less than one year. Portfolio turnover for the Funds of Funds is based on the Funds of Funds' purchases and sales of the Underlying Funds. Portfolio turnover for the Master Feeder Funds reflects each Master Fund’s portfolio purchases and sales. | |
(f) | The expenses for the Funds' Class I shares were $0.00 for certain days during the period and this was a result of the net assets for the Fund being below a level to generate an expense allocation greater than $0.005 for that day. Additionally, the expenses for the Funds' Class I shares were $0.01 for certain days during the period and this was a result of the net assets for the Fund being at a level to generate an expense allocation between $0.005 and $0.01 for that day and rounded to $0.01. As a result, the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets during the period for Class I shares can be less than or more than the anticipated ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets depending on the net assets that Class I shares acquired during the period. | |
(g) | Prior to September 25, 2017, the Fund did not charge a 12b-1 fee. The shareholders investing in a Fund of Funds indirectly bore any 12b-1 fees incurred by the Class A shares or regular shares, as applicable of each Underlying Fund. Effective September 25, 2017, the Fund began to charge a Rule 12b-1 fee at a maximum annual rate of 0.30% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares. At this time, the investment in each Underlying Fund was sold from Class A shares and purchased into Class I shares which do not charge a 12b-1 fee. | |
(h) | Portfolio turnover includes the purchase and sale in each Underlying Fund which was sold from Class A shares and purchased into Class I shares effective September 25, 2017. Portfolio turnover not including the purchase and sale of each Underlying Fund was 29% for the Fund. | |
JNL Series Trust – Acquiring Fund
Financial Highlights
For a Share Outstanding
| | | | Increase (decrease) from investment operations | | Distributions from | | | | | Supplemental data | | | | Ratios(a) | | |
Period ended | Net asset value, beginning of period($) | Net investment income (loss)($)(b)(c) | Net realized & unrealized gains (losses)($) | Total from investment operations($) | | Net investment income($) | Net realized gains on investment transactions($) | Net asset value, end of period($) | Total return(%)(d) | Net assets, end of period (in thousands)($) | Portfolio turnover (%)(e) | | Net expenses to average net assets(%)(f) | Total expenses to average net assets(%)(f) | Net investment income (loss) to average net assets(%)(c) |
|
JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund (Acquiring Fund)(g) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
12/31/17 | | 9.65 | | 0.17 | | 0.13 | | 0.30 | | | — | | — | | 9.95 | | 3.11 | | 1,195,715 | | 162 | | | 1.16 | (h)(i) | 1.17 | (h)(i) | 1.71 | |
12/31/16 | | 9.74 | | 0.17 | | 0.35 | | 0.52 | | | (0.61) | (k) | — | | 9.65 | | 5.17 | | 1,750,231 | | 118 | | | 1.05 | (h) | 1.05 | (h) | 1.70 | |
12/31/15 | | 10.46 | | 0.05 | | (0.37) | | (0.32) | | | (0.40) | | — | | 9.74 | | (3.10) | | 1,571,160 | | 29 | | | 0.94 | (h) | 0.94 | (h) | 0.47 | |
12/31/14 | | 10.20 | | 0.15 | | 0.19 | | 0.34 | | | (0.08) | | — | | 10.46 | | 3.29 | | 1,950,838 | | 34 | | | 0.86 | (h) | 0.86 | (h) | 1.37 | |
12/31/13 | | 12.89 | | 0.07 | | (1.24) | | (1.17) | | | (0.17) | | (1.35) | | 10.20 | | (9.13) | | 1,820,680 | | 86 | | | 0.86 | (h) | 0.86 | (h) | 0.61 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Class I | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
12/31/17 | ‡ | 9.75 | | 0.25 | | 0.06 | | 0.31 | | | — | | — | | 10.06 | | 3.18 | | 863,416 | | 162 | | | 0.90 | (h)(i) | 0.90 | (h)(i) | 2.46 | |
12/31/16 | | 9.82 | | 0.20 | | 0.36 | | 0.56 | | | (0.63) | (k) | — | | 9.75 | | 5.56 | | 744 | | 118 | | | 0.85 | (h) | 0.85 | (h) | 1.92 | |
12/31/15 | | 10.56 | | 0.08 | | (0.40) | | (0.32) | | | (0.42) | | — | | 9.82 | | (3.03) | | 693 | | 29 | | | 0.74 | (h) | 0.74 | (h) | 0.80 | |
12/31/14 | | 10.30 | | 0.17 | | 0.19 | | 0.36 | | | (0.10) | | — | | 10.56 | | 3.52 | | 757 | | 34 | | | 0.66 | (h) | 0.66 | (h) | 1.61 | |
12/31/13 | | 13.01 | | 0.10 | | (1.25) | | (1.15) | | | (0.21) | | (1.35) | | 10.30 | | (8.88) | | 768 | | 86 | | | 0.66 | (h) | 0.66 | (h) | 0.84 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
‡ | Prior to September 25, 2017, the Fund offered Class B shares. Effective September 25, 2017, Class B shares were renamed to Class I shares. |
(a) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
(b) | Calculated using the average shares method. |
(c) | Net investment income(loss) per share and ratios of net investment income(loss) to average net assets for Class I shares can be less than Class A shares for certain Funds or can be significantly more than Class A shares for certain Funds because the net assets for Class I shares increased significantly after the Funds of Funds investment in the Underlying Fund was sold in Class A and purchased in Class I effective September 25, 2017 and also as a result of the timing of income received in the Fund before and after September 25, 2017. |
(d) | Total return assumes reinvestment of all distributions for the period. Total return is not annualized for periods less than one year and does not reflect payment of the expenses that apply to the variable accounts or any annuity charges and if it did performance would be lower. |
(e) | Portfolio turnover is not annualized for periods of less than one year. Securities sold short are considered long term investments for purposes of calculating portfolio turnover. Dollar roll transactions are excluded for purposes of calculating portfolio turnover. |
(f) | The expenses or expense waivers for the Fund’s Class I shares were $0.00 for certain days during the period and this was a result of the net assets for the Fund being below a level to generate an expense allocation greater than $0.005 for that day. Additionally, the expenses or expense waivers for the Fund’s Class I shares were $0.01 for certain days during the period and this was a result of the net assets for the Fund being at a level to generate an expense allocation between $0.005 and $0.01 for that day and rounded to $0.01. As a result, the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets during the period for Class I shares can be less than or more than the anticipated ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets depending on the net assets that Class I shares acquired during the period. |
(g) | Prior to September 25, 2017, the Fund accrued the Rule 12b-1 fee at the maximum annual rate up to 0.20% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares of the Fund. Effective September 25, 2017, the maximum annual rate for Rule 12b-1 fees paid by the Fund changed from 0.20% to 0.30% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares of the Fund. |
(h) | The net and total expense ratios to average net assets without dividend expenses, net borrowing fees on securities sold short or interest expense for the Fund was as follows: |
| December 31, 2017(%) | December 31, 2016(%) | December 31, 2015(%) | December 31, 2014(%) | December 31, 2013(%) |
JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund | | | | | |
Class A – Net expenses / Total expenses 1,2 | 0.78/0.79 | 0.80 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 0.79 |
Class I – Net expenses / Total expenses 1,2 | 0.52/0.52 | 0.60 | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.59 |
1 Effective January 1, 2017, the Fund voluntarily began waiving a portion of advisory fees. Effective September 25, 2017, the voluntary waiver was discontinued. 2 Prior to September 25, 2017, pursuant to contractual and voluntary fee waiver agreements, JNAM waived a portion of its advisory fees for the Fund. Effective September 25, 2017, the contractual and voluntary advisory fee waivers were discontinued and the waived portion of advisory fees for the Fund was converted to a permanent reduction in advisory fees. For certain Funds that had a significant increase in Class I shares during the year, the difference between the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets for each share class may differ for those Funds that discontinued the waivers. |
(i) | Prior to September 25, 2017, pursuant to contractual and voluntary fee waiver agreements, JNAM waived a portion of its advisory fees for the Fund. Effective September 25, 2017, the contractual and voluntary advisory fee waivers were discontinued and the waived portion of advisory fees for the Fund was converted to a permanent reduction in advisory fees. For certain Funds that had a significant increase in Class I shares during the year, the difference between the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets for each share class may differ for those Funds that discontinued the waivers. |
(k) | Distribution amount for the Fund includes a return of capital distribution for Class A and Class I shares of $0.49 and $0.51 per share, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2016. |
The following information applies to the Reorganization of the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund for which you are entitled to vote.
The Meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on July 12, 2018, at 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan 48951, together with any adjournment thereof. The Meeting is being held to consider and vote on the Plan of Reorganization, which provides for the reorganization of the Real Assets Fund into the Real Return Fund, and any other business that may properly come before the Meeting. Only shareholders of the Acquired Fund are entitled to vote on this matter.
A copy of the Plan of Reorganization is attached hereto as Appendix A of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
The JVST Board fixed the close of business on May 18, 2018, as the Record Date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
The Amended and Restated By-Laws of JVST, dated March 8, 2017 (the “JVST By-Laws”), provide that, the holders of a majority of the shares issued and outstanding and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a Shareholder meeting, except where any provision of law or the JVST Declaration of Trust dated April 27, 2015 and amended and restated on September 25, 2017 (the “JVST Declaration of Trust”) provides otherwise. The presence of Jackson National and/or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York (“Jackson NY,” and together with Jackson National, the “Insurance Companies”), through the presence of an authorized representative, constitutes a quorum. A quorum, once established at a meeting, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum.
The JVST By-Laws further provide that shares may be voted in person or by proxy. A proxy with respect to shares held in the name of two or more persons shall be valid if executed by any one of them unless at or prior to the exercise of the proxy the Trust receives a specific written notice to the contrary from any one of them. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Shareholder shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving its invalidity shall rest on the challenger. At all meetings of Shareholders, unless inspectors of election have been appointed, all questions relating to the qualification of voters and the validity of proxies and the acceptance or rejection of votes shall be decided by the chairman of the meeting. Any person giving voting instructions may revoke them at any time prior to their exercise by submitting to the Secretary of the Trust a superseding voting instruction form or written notice of revocation. Voting instructions can be revoked until the Meeting date. Only the Contract Owner executing the voting instructions can revoke them. The Insurance Companies will vote the shares of the Fund in accordance with all properly executed and unrevoked voting instructions. Unless otherwise specified in the proxy, the proxy shall apply to all shares of the Fund owned by the Shareholder.
The vote of the “majority of the outstanding voting shares” of a Fund is required to approve the Proposal. The vote of the “majority of the outstanding voting shares” means the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund entitled to vote thereon present in person or by proxy at the Meeting if holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present in person or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Except as otherwise provided by law, if a Shareholder abstains from voting as to any matter, then the shares represented by such abstention will be treated as shares that are present at the Meeting for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum. However, abstentions will not be counted as a vote cast on such proposal. The approval of the Proposal depends upon whether a sufficient number of votes are cast for the Proposal. Accordingly, an instruction to abstain from voting on any proposal has the same practical effect as an instruction to vote against the Proposal.
C
ontract Owner Voting Instructions
Both JVST and JNLST are organized as Massachusetts business trusts. Shares of JVST and JNLST currently are sold only to Separate Accounts of the Insurance Companies to fund the benefits of variable insurance contracts, to certain non-qualified
employee benefit plans of Jackson National, or directly to the Insurance Companies. In addition, shares of JVST and JNLST are sold to certain funds of both Trusts organized as funds-of-funds. Although the Insurance Companies legally own all of the shares of the Fund held in their respective Separate Accounts that relate to the Contracts, a portion of the value of each Contract is invested by the Insurance Companies, as provided in the Contract, in shares of one or more funds.
Contract Owners have the right under the interpretations of the 1940 Act to instruct the relevant Insurance Company how to vote the shares attributable to their Contract. Contract Owners at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to notice of the Meeting and to instruct the relevant Insurance Company how to vote at the Meeting or any adjourned session. The Insurance Company will vote all such shares in accordance with the voting instructions timely given by the Contract Owners with assets invested in the Acquired Fund. Shares for which the Insurance Company receives a voting instruction card that is signed, dated, and timely returned but is not marked to indicate voting instructions will be treated as an instruction to vote the Shares in favor of the Proposal. Shares for which the Insurance Company receives no timely voting instructions from a Contract Owner will be voted by the applicable Insurance Company either for or against approval of the applicable Proposal, or as an abstention, in the same proportion as the Shares for which Contract Owners have provided voting instructions to the Insurance Company. The Insurance Companies and their affiliates will vote their own shares and shares held by other regulated investment companies in the same proportion as voting instructions timely given by Contract Owners. As a result, a small number of Contract Owners may determine the outcome of the vote.
Contract Owners may use the enclosed voting instructions form as a ballot to give their voting instructions for those shares attributable to their Contract as of the Record Date. The Insurance Companies have fixed the close of business on July 10, 2018 as the last day on which voting instructions will be accepted, other than those provided in person at the Meeting.
Pr
oxy and Voting Instruction Solicitations
The JVST Board is soliciting proxies from shareholders of the Acquired Fund. The Insurance Companies are the shareholders of record and are soliciting voting instructions from their Contract Owners as to how to vote at the Meeting. In addition to the mailing of these proxy materials, voting instructions may be solicited by letter, facsimile, telephone or personal contact by officers or employees of JVST, JNLST, JNAM or officers or employees of the Insurance Companies.
JNAM, as JVST's administrator, has retained the services of Mediant Communications ("Mediant"), 400 Regency Parkway, Suite 200, Cary, North Carolina 27519.. Under the agreement between JNAM and Mediant, Mediant will provide proxy distribution, solicitation, and tabulation services (the "Services"). The anticipated cost of the Services to be provided by Mediant in connection with this proxy solicitation is approximately $10,895.54 and will be borne by JNAM.
The costs of printing and mailing of the Notice, this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, and the accompanying voting instruction card, and the solicitation of Contract Owner voting instructions, will be paid by JNAM. JVST does not expect to bear any significant expenses in connection with the Meeting or the solicitation of proxies and voting instructions.
Any authorized voting instructions will be valid for any adjournment of the Meeting. If JVST receives an insufficient number of votes to approve the Proposal, the Meeting may be adjourned to permit the solicitation of additional votes. The Meeting may be adjourned by the chairperson of the Meeting from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place as determined by the chairperson of the Meeting for any reason, including failure of a Proposal to receive sufficient votes for approval. No Shareholder vote shall be required for any adjournment. No notice need be given that the Meeting has been adjourned other than by announcement at the Meeting. Any business that might have been transacted at the original Meeting may be transacted at any adjourned Meeting.
Re
vocation of Voting Instructions
Any person giving voting instructions may revoke them at any time prior to the Meeting by submitting to the Insurance Companies a superseding voting instruction form or written notice of revocation or by appearing and voting in person at the Meeting. Only the Contract Owner executing the voting instructions can revoke them. The Insurance Companies will vote the shares of the Acquired Fund in accordance with all properly executed and un-revoked voting instructions.
Ou
tstanding Shares and Principal Shareholders
The Insurance Companies will vote on the Reorganization as instructed by their Contract Owners. As of May 18, 2018, the Trustees and officers of JVST, as a group, beneficially owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund.
Because the shares of the Funds are sold only to the separate accounts of the Insurance Companies, certain funds of JVST and JNLST organized as funds-of-funds, and certain nonqualified retirement plans, the Insurance Companies, through the Separate Accounts which hold shares in JVST and JNLST as funding vehicles for the Contracts and certain retirement plans, are the owner of record of substantially all of the shares of JVST and JNLST. In addition, Jackson National, through its general account, is the beneficial owner of shares in certain of the Funds, in some cases representing the initial capital contributed at the inception of a Fund, and in other cases representing investments made for other corporate purposes. The table below shows the number of outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund as of the Record Date that are entitled to vote at the Meeting.
Fund | Total Number of Outstanding Shares |
Real Assets Fund (Class A) | [To be Provided] |
Real Assets Fund (Class I) | [To be Provided] |
As of the Record Date, [May 18, 2018], the following person(s) owned 5% or more of the shares of the Acquired Fund either beneficially or of record:
Contract Owner’s Name/Address | Percent Ownership of Shares of the Fund | Percent Ownership of Shares of the Combined Fund (assuming the Reorganization occurs) |
| | |
* * * * *
PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
JACKSON VARIABLE SERIES TRUST
JNL REAL ASSETS FUND
JNL SERIES TRUST
JNL/PIMCO REAL RETURN FUND
This Plan of Reorganization has been entered into on August 10, 2018, by JACKSON VARIABLE SERIES TRUST (“JVST”), a Massachusetts business trust, on behalf of its JNL REAL ASSETS FUND (the “Real Assets Fund,” or the “Acquired Fund”), and JNL SERIES TRUST (“JNLST”), a Massachusetts business trust, on behalf of its JNL/PIMCO REAL RETURN FUND (the “Real Return Fund,” or the “Acquiring Fund”).
WHEREAS, JVST and JNLST are both registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in accord with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), each as an open-end management investment company, and each has established several separate series of shares (“funds”), with each fund having its own assets and investment policies;
WHEREAS, JVST’s Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of JVST, has determined that participation in the transaction described herein is in the best interests of the Acquired Fund, and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquired Fund will not be diluted as a result of the transaction described herein;
WHEREAS, JNLST’s Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of JNLST, has determined that the transaction described herein is in the best interests of the Acquiring Fund, and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquiring Fund will not be diluted as a result of the transaction described herein;
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 2.1 of JVST’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated April 27, 2015, as amended September 25, 2017 (the “JVST Declaration of Trust”), authorizes the Board of Trustees to conduct the business of JVST and carry on its operations;
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 2.1 of JNLST’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated September 25, 2017 (the “JNLST Declaration of Trust”), authorizes the Board of Trustees to conduct the business of JNLST and carry on its operations;
WHEREAS, JVST’s Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of JVST, has approved the reorganization of the Acquired Fund with and into the Acquiring Fund (the “Reorganization”), subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund;
WHEREAS, JNLST’s Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of JNLST, has approved the reorganization of the Acquired Fund with and into the Acquiring Fund, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund; and
WHEREAS, the Acquired Fund will sell all of its portfolio securities prior to and in connection with the Reorganization. The sale of the portfolio securities will result in the recognition of gain or loss by the Acquired Fund, which will be allocated to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders. In the Reorganization, the Acquired Fund will transfer cash to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund. Such exchange is not expected to result in any material adverse federal income tax consequences to shareholders of the Acquired Fund.
NOW, THEREFORE, all the assets, liabilities, and interests of the Acquired Fund shall be transferred on the Closing Date to the Acquiring Fund, as described below; provided, however, that such transaction shall not occur unless and until this Plan of Reorganization shall have first been approved by a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Acquired Fund as provided in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act; and provided further that JVST’s Board of Trustees or JNLST’s Board of Trustees may terminate this Plan of Reorganization at or prior to the Closing Date:
| 1. | The Closing Date shall be August 10, 2018, or if the New York Stock Exchange or another primary trading market for portfolio securities of the Acquired Fund or the Acquiring Fund (each, an “Exchange”) is closed to trading or trading thereon is restricted, or trading or the reporting of trading on an Exchange or elsewhere is disrupted so that, in the judgment of either JVST’s Board of Trustees or JNLST’s Board of Trustees, accurate appraisal of the value of either the Acquired Fund’s or the Acquiring Fund’s net assets and/or the net asset value per share of Acquiring Fund shares is impracticable, the Closing Date shall be postponed until the first business day after the day when such trading has been fully resumed and such reporting has been restored; |
| 2. | On or before the Closing Date, and before effecting the reorganization transaction described herein, JNLST shall have received a satisfactory written opinion of legal counsel as to such transaction that the securities to be issued in connection with such transaction have been duly authorized and, when issued in accordance with this Plan of Reorganization, will have been validly issued and fully paid and will be non-assessable by JNLST on behalf of the Acquiring Fund. |
| 3. | In exchange for all of its shares of the Acquired Fund, each shareholder of such Acquired Fund shall receive a number of shares, including fractional shares, of the corresponding class of the Acquiring Fund equal in dollar value to the number of whole and fractional shares that such shareholder owns in such Acquired Fund. Each shareholder of such Acquired Fund shall thereupon become a shareholder of the Acquiring Fund. |
| 4. | For purposes of this transaction, the value of the shares of the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund shall be determined as of 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Closing Date. Those valuations shall be made in the usual manner as provided in the relevant prospectus of JVST or JNLST. |
| 5. | Upon completion of the foregoing transaction, the Acquired Fund shall be terminated and no further shares shall be issued by it. The classes of JVST’s shares representing such Acquired Fund shall thereupon be closed and the shares previously authorized for those classes shall be reclassified by JVST’s Board of Trustees. JVST’s Board of Trustees and management of JVST shall take whatever actions may be necessary under Massachusetts law and the 1940 Act to effect the termination of the Acquired Fund. |
| 6. | The costs and expenses associated with the Reorganization relating to the solicitation of proxies, including preparing, filing, printing, and mailing of the proxy statement and related disclosure documents, and the costs and expenses related to obtaining a consent of independent registered public accounting firm will be borne by Jackson National Asset Management, LLC (“JNAM”), and no sales or other charges will be imposed on Contract Owners in connection with the Reorganization. The legal expenses associated with the Reorganization, including the legal fees incurred in connection with the analysis under the Code of the tax treatment of this transaction, will also be borne by JNAM. |
A copy of each of the JVST Declaration of Trust and the JNLST Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Notice is hereby given that this instrument is executed on behalf of the Trustees as Trustees, and is not binding on any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of JVST or JNLST individually, but only binding on the assets and properties of the Acquired Fund or the Acquiring Fund, respectively.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, JVST, on behalf of the Real Assets Fund, and JNLST, on behalf of the Real Return Fund, have caused this Plan of Reorganization to be executed and attested in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, on the date first written above.
| JNL SERIES TRUST |
| | |
| By: | |
| | Mark D. Nerud, Trustee, President, and |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
| Attest: | |
| | Susan S. Rhee, Vice President, Chief Legal |
| | Officer, and Secretary |
| | |
| | |
| JACKSON VARIABLE SERIES TRUST |
| | |
| By: | |
| | Mark D. Nerud, Trustee, President, and |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
| Attest: | |
| | Susan S. Rhee, Vice President, Chief Legal |
| | Officer, and Secretary |
More Information on Strategies and Risk Factors
Acquired Fund
JNL Real Assets Fund
Class A
Class I
Investment Objective. The investment objective of the JNL Real Assets Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek long-term real return through an allocation in stocks and other asset classes and strategies through investment in other funds (the “Underlying Funds”).
Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any amount of borrowings made for investment purposes) (“80% Policy”) in Class I shares of a diversified group of Underlying Funds that focus on investments in one or more of inflation-linked instruments or the commodity, natural resource, or real estate sectors. The Underlying Funds in which the Fund may invest each are a separate series of the Jackson Variable Series Trust, JNL Series Trust, JNL Variable Fund LLC, or JNL Investors Series Trust. Not all Funds of the Jackson Variable Series Trust, JNL Series Trust, JNL Variable Fund LLC, or JNL Investors Series Trust are available as Underlying Funds.
Consistent with its 80% Policy described above, the Fund typically allocates approximately 20% to 50% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in fixed-income securities; 0% to 20% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in equity securities; and 40% to 80% of its assets to Underlying Funds investing in alternative securities. The Fund allocates a majority of its assets to Underlying Funds that invest primarily in equity securities of issuers in the U.S. and foreign countries, including emerging markets.
In determining allocations to any particular Underlying Fund, Jackson National Asset Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (“JNAM” or the “Adviser”) considers, among other things, long-term market and economic conditions, historical performance of each Underlying Fund, and expected long-term performance of each Underlying Fund, as well as diversification to control overall portfolio risk exposure. Allocations among the Underlying Funds are periodically reviewed and may be modestly revised, based on changing market and economic conditions that may affect specific Underlying Funds or asset classes.
Generally, any changes among asset classes will be strategic in nature within a modest range around the target allocation set for each Underlying Fund; however, the Adviser may at times make larger allocation changes if it believes market conditions warrant a larger change. Allocations are based not only on past asset class performance but on future risk/return expectations. The Adviser reserves the right to replace Underlying Funds or other securities in its asset allocation model at any time.
The Fund considers the Underlying Funds in the Domestic/Global Fixed Income and International Fixed Income investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in fixed income securities, and the Underlying Funds in the Domestic/Global Equity, International, Sector, and Specialty investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in equity securities. The Underlying Funds in the Risk Management and Tactical Management investment categories include funds that can invest in a variety of asset classes in various proportions, may take measures to manage risk and/or adapt to prevailing market conditions and may have significant exposure to both fixed income and equity securities. To the extent the Fund invests in one of these Underlying Funds, the Fund’s exposure to fixed income securities and equity securities will be allocated according to the Underlying Fund’s relative exposure to these asset classes. The Fund considers the Underlying Funds in the Alternative Assets and Alternative Strategies investment categories to be funds that invest primarily in alternative assets and employ alternative strategies.
Each Underlying Fund has its own investment objective and invests in certain types of securities or other assets in order to implement its investment strategy and seek to achieve its investment objective. Those types of securities or other assets include, but are not limited to: equity securities (such as common stock, preferred stock, and convertible securities), equity futures, equity swaps, currency forwards, currency futures, commodity futures and swaps, bond futures, fixed income swaps, interest rate swaps, and inflation swaps; U.S. and foreign government bonds, including inflation protected bonds (such as Treasury Inflation Protected Securities); bank loans; cash and cash equivalents, including but not limited to money market fund shares. These holdings can include investment exposure to both developed and emerging markets, and may be illiquid or thinly traded. Securities held by the Underlying Funds may be denominated in U.S. and/or non-U.S. currencies.
An Underlying Fund may be leveraged and therefore could be subject to a heightened risk of loss. The leverage involved in certain derivative transactions may result in an Underlying Fund’s net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related investment.
The Underlying Funds in which the Fund may invest may be changed from time to time at the discretion of the Adviser without notice or shareholder approval. Therefore, the Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that are not listed in the statutory prospectus.
Because the Fund invests exclusively in the Underlying Funds, you should look elsewhere in the respective Prospectus for the Jackson Variable Series Trust, JNL Series Trust, JNL Variable Fund LLC, or JNL Investors Series Trust for the particular information and the risks related to the Underlying Funds.
The following charts list the Underlying Funds available for investment as of the date of this Prospectus:
Domestic/Global Equity | Domestic/Global Fixed-Income |
| |
Jackson Variable Series Trust | Jackson Variable Series Trust |
JNL/DFA U.S. Small Cap Fund | JNL/DoubleLine® Total Return Fund |
JNL/Epoch Global Shareholder Yield Fund | JNL/PIMCO Credit Income Fund |
JNL/The London Company Focused U.S. Equity Fund | |
JNL/T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/The Boston Company Equity Income Fund | JNL/Crescent High Income Fund |
| JNL/DoubleLine® Core Fixed Income Fund |
JNL Series Trust | JNL/Franklin Templeton Global Multisector Bond Fund |
JNL Multi-Manager Mid Cap Fund | JNL/Goldman Sachs Core Plus Bond Fund |
JNL Multi-Manager Small Cap Growth Fund | JNL/JPMorgan U.S. Government & Quality Bond Fund |
JNL Multi-Manager Small Cap Value Fund | JNL/Mellon Capital Bond Index Fund |
JNL/BlackRock Large Cap Select Growth Fund | JNL/Neuberger Berman Strategic Income Fund |
JNL/ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund | JNL/PIMCO Income Fund |
JNL/DFA U.S. Core Equity Fund | JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund |
JNL/Franklin Templeton Global Fund | JNL/PPM America Floating Rate Income Fund |
JNL/Franklin Templeton Income Fund | JNL/PPM America High Yield Bond Fund |
JNL/Franklin Templeton Mutual Shares Fund | JNL/PPM America Total Return Fund |
JNL/Harris Oakmark Global Equity Fund | JNL/Scout Unconstrained Bond Fund |
JNL/Invesco Diversified Dividend Fund | JNL/T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund |
JNL/Invesco Mid Cap Value Fund | JNL/WMC Government Money Market Fund |
JNL/Invesco Small Cap Growth Fund | |
JNL/JPMorgan MidCap Growth Fund | JNL Investors Series Trust |
JNL/Mellon Capital MSCI KLD 400 Social Index Fund | JNL/PPM America Low Duration Bond Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital S&P 1500 Growth Index Fund | |
JNL/Mellon Capital S&P 1500 Value Index Fund | International Fixed-Income |
JNL/Mellon Capital S&P 500 Index Fund | |
JNL/Mellon Capital S&P 400 MidCap Index Fund | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/Mellon Capital Small Cap Index Fund | JNL/DoubleLine® Emerging Markets Fixed Income Fund |
JNL/MFS Mid Cap Value Fund | JNL/Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
JNL/Oppenheimer Global Growth Fund | |
JNL/PPM America Mid Cap Value Fund | International |
JNL/PPM America Small Cap Value Fund | |
JNL/PPM America Value Equity Fund | Jackson Variable Series Trust |
JNL/T. Rowe Price Established Growth Fund | JNL/Lazard International Strategic Equity Fund |
JNL/T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth Fund | JNL/WCM Focused International Equity Fund |
JNL/T. Rowe Price Value Fund | |
JNL/WMC Balanced Fund | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/WMC Value Fund | JNL/Causeway International Value Select Fund |
JNL/S&P Competitive Advantage Fund | JNL/Franklin Templeton International Small Cap Growth Fund |
JNL/S&P Dividend Income & Growth Fund | JNL/GQG Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
JNL/S&P Intrinsic Value Fund | JNL/Invesco China-India Fund |
JNL/S&P Total Yield Fund | JNL/Invesco International Growth Fund |
| JNL/Lazard Emerging Markets Fund |
JNL Variable Fund LLC | JNL/Mellon Capital Emerging Markets Index Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital DowSM Index Fund | JNL/Mellon Capital European 30 Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital MSCI World Index Fund | JNL/Mellon Capital International Index Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital JNL 5 Fund | JNL/Mellon Capital Pacific Rim 30 Fund |
| JNL/Oppenheimer Emerging Markets Innovator Fund |
Risk Management | Tactical Management |
| |
JNL Series Trust | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/AB Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund | JNL/BlackRock Global Allocation Fund |
| JNL/FPA + DoubleLine® Flexible Allocation Fund |
Sector | |
| Specialty |
JNL Series Trust | |
JNL/Mellon Capital Consumer Staples Sector Fund | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/Mellon Capital Industrials Sector Fund | JNL/DoubleLine® Shiller Enhanced CAPE® Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital Materials Sector Fund | JNL/S&P International 5 Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital Real Estate Sector Fund | JNL/S&P Mid 3 Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital Utilities Sector Fund | |
| JNL Variable Fund LLC |
JNL Variable Fund LLC | JNL/Mellon Capital Nasdaq® 100 Index Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital Consumer Discretionary Sector Fund | JNL/Mellon Capital S&P® SMid 60 Fund |
JNL/Mellon Capital Energy Sector Fund | |
JNL/Mellon Capital Financial Sector Fund | Alternative Assets |
JNL/Mellon Capital Healthcare Sector Fund | |
JNL/Mellon Capital Information Technology Sector Fund | Jackson Variable Series Trust |
JNL/Mellon Capital Telecommunications Sector Fund | JNL/Neuberger Berman Risk Balanced Commodity Strategy Fund |
Alternative Strategies | JNL/VanEck International Gold Fund |
| |
Jackson Variable Series Trust | JNL Series Trust |
JNL/AQR Risk Parity Fund | JNL/BlackRock Global Natural Resources Fund |
JNL/BlackRock Global Long Short Credit Fund | JNL/Brookfield Global Infrastructure and MLP Fund |
JNL/Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund | JNL/Invesco Global Real Estate Fund |
JNL/FAMCO Flex Core Covered Call Fund | |
JNL/Neuberger Berman Currency Fund | |
JNL/Nicholas Convertible Arbitrage Fund | |
JNL/PPM America Long Short Credit Fund | |
| |
JNL Series Trust | |
JNL Multi-Manager Alternative Fund | |
JNL/AQR Large Cap Relaxed Constraint Equity Fund | |
JNL/AQR Managed Futures Strategy Fund | |
JNL/Boston Partners Global Long Short Equity Fund | |
JNL/Westchester Capital Event Driven Fund | |
The Fund seeks to achieve real return through its investment in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in investments in commodity, inflation-sensitive, natural resource and real estate sectors. Investments may include Underlying Funds that invest in both domestic and international stocks of large established companies, as well as stocks of smaller companies with above-average growth potential. The Fund may also invest in Underlying Funds that invest exclusively in companies domiciled in emerging markets.
The Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed. As with any mutual fund, the value of the Fund’s shares will change, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The following descriptions of the principal risks do not provide any assurance either of the Fund’s investment in any particular type of security, or assurance of the Fund’s success in its investment selections, techniques and risk assessments. As a managed portfolio, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective for a variety of reasons including changes in the financial condition of issuers (due to such factors as management performance, reduced demand or overall market changes), fluctuations in the financial markets, declines in overall securities prices, or the Adviser investment techniques otherwise failing to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
· | Emerging markets and less developed countries risk |
· | Inflation-indexed securities risk |
· | Natural resource related securities risk |
· | Non-diversification risk |
· | Real estate investment risk |
· | TIPS and inflation-linked bonds risk |
Please see the “Glossary of Risks” section at the end of Appendix B for a description of these risks. There may be other risks that are not listed in this Prospectus that could cause the value of your investment in the Fund to decline and that could prevent the Fund from achieving its stated investment objective. This Prospectus does not describe all of the risks of every technique, investment strategy or temporary defensive position that the Fund may use. For additional information regarding the risks of investing in the Fund, please refer to the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Additional Information About the Other Investment Strategies, Other Investments and Risks of the Fund (Other than Principal Strategies/Risks). There may be additional risks that may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its stated investment objective. Those additional risks are:
· | Investment strategy risk |
· | Large-capitalization investing risk |
· | Mid-capitalization investing risk |
· | Regulatory investment limits risk |
· | Small-capitalization investing risk |
· | Temporary defensive positions and large cash positions risk |
These and other risks associated with the Underlying Funds are described elsewhere in the prospectus. Since the Fund concentrates its investments in shares of the Underlying Funds, its performance is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their respective investment objectives, as well as JNAM’s allocation among the Underlying Funds. The Fund’s exposure to each category of risk varies as a result of changes in its percentage allocations to Underlying Funds that invest primarily in equity, fixed-income or
money market securities. To the extent that the Fund has a higher percentage of investments in non-traditional investment categories, the Fund may incur more risk. Many of the Underlying Funds are classified as alternative investment funds and invest in non-traditional investment categories.
Please see the “Glossary of Risks” section at the end of Appendix B for a description of these risks.
In addition, the performance of the Fund depends on the Underlying Funds' sub-advisers' abilities to effectively implement the investment strategies of the Underlying Funds.
The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information has more information about the Fund's authorized investments and strategies, as well as the risks and restrictions that may apply to it.
Acquiring Fund
JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund
Class A
Class I
Investment Objective. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.
Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings made for investment purposes) in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts, or swap agreements. Assets not invested in inflation-indexed bonds may be invested in other types of Fixed-income Instruments. “Fixed-income Instruments” include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities that are structured to provide protection against inflation. The value of the bond's principal or the interest income paid on the bond is adjusted to track changes in an official inflation measure. The U.S. Treasury uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”) as the inflation measure. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. “Real return” equals total return less the estimated rate of inflation, which is typically measured by the change in an official inflation measure, such as the CPI-U. The average portfolio duration of this Fund normally varies within three years (plus or minus) of the duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. TIPS Index, as calculated by PIMCO. For these purposes, in calculating the Fund's average portfolio duration, PIMCO includes the real duration of inflation-indexed portfolio securities and the nominal duration of non-inflation-indexed portfolio securities.
The Fund invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated B or higher by Moody's or equivalently rated by S&P Global Ratings or Fitch, Inc., or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such 10% limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B). The Fund also may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. Foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) normally will be limited to 20% of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund is non-diversified, which means it may concentrate its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified portfolio.
The Fund may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as futures, options, or swap agreements, or in mortgage or asset-backed securities. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued basis, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buybacks or dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks.
The Fund may not invest more than 5% of its net assets in any combination of mortgage-related and/or other asset-backed inverse floater, interest-only or principal-only securities. To the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies, the Fund may invest in residual interest bonds without limitation. The term “residual interest bonds” generally includes tender option bond trust residual interest certificates and instruments designed to receive residual interest payments or other excess cash flows from collateral pools once other interest holders and expenses have been paid.
Consistent with the Fund’s investment policies, the Fund may invest in “fixed-income instruments,” which as used by this Fund include:
· | Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (“U.S. Government Securities”); |
· | Corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper; |
· | Mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; |
· | Inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations; |
· | Structured notes, including hybrid or “indexed” securities, and event-linked bonds; |
· | Bank capital and trust preferred securities; |
· | Loan participations and assignments; |
· | Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities; |
· | Bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; |
· | Repurchase agreements on Fixed-Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed-Income Instruments; |
· | Debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises; |
· | Obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and |
· | Obligations of international agencies or supranational entities. |
The Fund may invest in derivatives based on Fixed-Income Instruments.
The Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed. As with any mutual fund, the value of the Fund’s shares will change, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The following descriptions of the principal risks do not provide any assurance either of the Fund’s investment in any particular type of security, or assurance of the Fund’s success in its investment selections, techniques and risk assessments. As a managed portfolio, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective for a variety of reasons including changes in the financial condition of issuers (due to such factors as management performance, reduced demand or overall market changes), fluctuations in the financial markets, declines in overall securities prices, or the Sub-Adviser's investment techniques otherwise failing to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
· | Debt securities ratings risk |
· | Emerging markets and less developed countries risk |
· | Forward and futures contract risk |
· | High-yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities risk |
· | Inflation-indexed securities risk |
· | Investment strategy risk |
· | Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities risk |
· | Non-diversification risk |
· | U.S. Government securities risk |
Please see the “Glossary of Risks” section at the end of Appendix B for a description of these risks. There may be other risks that are not listed in this Prospectus that could cause the value of your investment in the Fund to decline and that could prevent the Fund from achieving its stated investment objective. This Prospectus does not describe all of the risks of every technique, investment strategy or temporary defensive position that the Fund may use. For additional information regarding the risks of investing in the Fund, please refer to the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Additional Information About the Other Investment Strategies, Other Investments and Risks of the Fund (Other than Principal Strategies/Risks). There may be additional risks that may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its stated investment objective. Those additional risks are:
· | Asset-based securities risk |
· | Convertible securities risk |
· | Corporate loan, sovereign entity loan, and bank loan risk |
· | Currency management strategies risk |
· | Regulatory investment limits risk |
· | Temporary defensive positions and large cash positions risk |
Please see the “Glossary of Risks” section at the end of Appendix B for a description of these risks.
In addition, the performance of the Fund depends on the Sub-Adviser's abilities to effectively implement the investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information has more information about the Fund’s authorized investments and strategies, as well as the risks and restrictions that may apply to it.
Glossary of Risks
Accounting risk – The Fund makes investment decisions, in part, on information drawn from the financial statements of issuers. Financial statements may not be accurate, may reflect differing approaches with respect to auditing and reporting standards and may affect the ability of the Fund’s investment manager to identify appropriate investment opportunities.
Allocation risk– The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective depends upon the investment manager’s analysis of such factors as macroeconomic trends, outlooks for various industries and asset class valuations and investment manager’s ability to select an appropriate mix of asset classes and Underlying Funds. The Fund is subject to the risk of changes in market, investment, and economic conditions, as well as the selection and percentages of allocations among appropriate Underlying Funds.
Asset-based securities risk– Asset-based securities are typically fixed-income securities whose value is related to the market price of certain commodities, interests, and other items, such as precious metals, as well as other assets, such as credit card receivables. Although the market price of these securities is expected to follow the market price of the related assets, there may not be perfect correlation. There are special risks associated with certain types of assets that will also affect the value of asset-based securities related to those assets. For an example of such special risks, please refer to “Sector risk - Precious metals-related securities risk.”
Call risk–Call risk is the risk that, during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.
Commodity risk – Commodity prices can be extremely volatile and may be directly or indirectly affected by many factors, including changes in overall market movements, real or perceived inflationary trends, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates, population growth and changing demographics, and factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, or other weather conditions, livestock disease, trade embargoes, competition from substitute products,
transportation bottlenecks or shortages, fluctuations in supply and demand, tariffs, and international regulatory, political, and economic developments (e.g., regime changes and changes in economic activity levels). In addition, some commodities are subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors, and others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials.
Actions of and changes in governments, and political and economic instability, in commodity-producing and commodity-exporting countries may affect the production and marketing of commodities. In addition, commodity-related industries throughout the world are subject to greater political, environmental, and other governmental regulation than many other industries. Changes in government policies and the need for regulatory approvals may adversely affect the products and services of companies in the commodities industries. The effect of future regulations affecting commodity-related industries cannot be predicted. Because of a Fund’s exposure to the commodities market, the value of the Fund may decline and fluctuate in a rapid and unpredictable manner.
Company risk – Investments in U.S. and foreign-traded equity securities may fluctuate more than the values of other types of securities in response to changes in a particular company’s financial condition. For example, poor earnings performance of a company may result in a decline of its stock price.
Concentration risk – The Fund may concentrate its investments in certain securities. To the extent that the Fund focuses on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors, issuers, types of investment or limited number of securities from time to time, the Fund may be subject to greater risks of adverse economic, business or political developments in such areas of focus than a fund that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments.
Industry
Companies within an industry are often faced with the same economic conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry, and their stock may react similarly and move in unison with these and other market conditions. As a result, stocks within a certain industry in which the Fund invests may be more volatile, and carry greater risk of adverse developments affecting many of the Fund’s holdings, than a mixture of stocks of companies from a wide variety of industries.
Geographic
To the extent that the Fund has a significant level of investment in issuers in particular countries or regions, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political and economic conditions within those countries or regions and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The economies and financial markets of certain regions can be highly interdependent and may decline all at the same time. In addition, certain regions are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, droughts or tsunamis and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Such events may have a negative impact on the value of the Fund’s investments in those regions.
Security
The Fund’s portfolio may invest in a limited number of securities. As compared to other Funds, this could subject the Fund to additional risk if one of the portfolio securities declines in price, or if certain sectors of the market experience a downturn. It may take additional time to sell all or part of a Fund’s investment in a particular security, and consequently, concentrating portfolio investments may also limit the ability of the Fund to take advantage of other investment opportunities.
Convertible securities risk – Convertible securities have investment characteristics of both equity and debt securities. Investments in convertible securities may be subject to market risk, credit and counterparty risk, interest rate risk and other risks associated with investments in equity and debt securities, depending on the price of the underlying security and the conversion price. While equity securities may offer the potential for greater long-term growth than most debt securities, they generally have higher volatility. A convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer-specific risks that apply to the underlying common stock, since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted. In addition, because companies that issue convertible securities are often small- or mid-capitalization companies, to the extent the Fund invests in convertible securities, it will be subject to the risks of investing in these companies.
The value of convertible and debt securities may fall when interest rates rise. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. Convertible securities normally are “junior” securities, which means that an issuer usually must pay interest on its non-convertible debt before it can make payments on its convertible securities. If an issuer stops making interest or principal payments, these securities may become worthless and the Fund could lose its entire investment. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities may be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. Due to their hybrid nature, convertible securities are typically more sensitive to changes in interest rates than the underlying common stock, but less sensitive than a fixed rate corporate bond.
Corporate loan, sovereign entity loan, and bank loan risk– Commercial banks, sovereign entities, and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies or sovereign entities that need capital to grow, restructure, or for infrastructure projects. These instruments are commonly referred to as “loans” or “bank loans.” Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at “floating” rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of such loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of interest rate fluctuations than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, the market for certain loans may not be sufficiently liquid, and the Fund may have difficulty selling such securities. It may take longer than seven days for transactions in loans to settle. Certain loans may be classified as “illiquid” securities.
Due to restrictions on transfers in loan agreements and the nature of private syndication of loans, some loans are not as easily purchased or sold as publicly traded securities. Some loans are illiquid, which may make it difficult for the Fund to value them or dispose of them at the price at which the Fund has valued the loan. In addition, compared to public securities, purchases and sales of loans generally take longer to settle. It may take longer than seven days for transactions in loans to settle. To the extent the extended loan settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, such as the need to satisfy redemption requests, the Fund may hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow to meet its short-term liquidity needs. Additionally, because a loan may not be considered a security, the Fund may not be afforded the same legal protections afforded securities under federal securities laws. Thus, the Fund must rely on contractual provisions in the loan agreement and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
Bank loans may not be considered securities under the federal securities laws and accordingly, may offer less legal protection in the event of fraud or misrepresentation in connection with the purchase or sale of such instruments. Instead, lenders generally rely on the contractual provisions in the loan agreement itself, and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
Bank loans usually have mandatory and optional prepayment provisions. If a borrower prepays a loan, the Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other loans or financial assets that may pay lower rates of return.
A Sub-Adviser may take steps to ensure that it does not receive material nonpublic information about the issuers of loans who also issue (directly or through a related entity) publicly traded securities. In that circumstance, a Sub-Adviser may have less information than other investors about certain of the loans in which it invests or seeks to invest. This may place the Fund at a disadvantage relative to other investors in loans.
A lead bank or other financial institution will often act as agent for all holders of a particular corporate loan. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless a holder of the corporate loan, such as the Fund, has direct recourse against the borrower, the holder may have to rely on the agent to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness. The agent may also be responsible for distributing income from the corporate loan and, as a result, holders of the loan might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on the loan and could suffer a loss of principal or interest. In addition, investments in corporate loans may expose the holders of the corporate loan, including the Fund, to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. In the event of the insolvency of an agent bank, a corporate loan could be subject to settlement risk, as well as the risk of interruptions in the administrative duties performed in the day-to-day administration of the loan (such as processing LIBOR calculations and processing draws).
Certain corporate loans may be issued in connection with highly leveraged transactions, including leveraged buyout loans, leveraged recapitalization loans, and other types of acquisition financing. Leveraged buyout loans are subject to greater credit risks than other investments including a greater possibility that the borrower may default or enter bankruptcy.
Some loans may be “covenant lite” loans which do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached.
If a Fund invests in a loan via participation, the Fund will be exposed to the ongoing counterparty risk of the entity providing exposure to the loan (and in certain circumstances, such entity’s credit risk) in addition to the exposure the Fund has to the creditworthiness of the borrower.
Counterparty risk – Transactions involving a counterparty are subject to the credit risk of the counterparty. A Fund that enters into contracts with counterparties, such as repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements or over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives contracts, or that lends its securities, runs the risk that the counterparty will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, files for bankruptcy, or otherwise experiences a business interruption, the Fund could suffer losses, including monetary losses, miss investment opportunities or be forced to hold investments it would prefer to sell. Counterparty risk is heightened during unusually adverse market conditions.
Participants in OTC derivatives markets typically are not subject to the same level of credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as are members of exchange-based markets, and, therefore, OTC derivatives generally expose a Fund to greater counterparty risk than exchange-traded derivatives. A Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a derivative in accordance with its terms
because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem. If a counterparty’s obligation to a Fund is not collateralized, then the Fund is essentially an unsecured creditor of the counterparty. If a counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies, but the Fund may be unable to enforce them, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss. Counterparty risk is greater for derivatives with longer maturities because there is more time for events to occur that may prevent settlement. Counterparty risk also is greater when a Fund has concentrated its derivatives with a single or small group of counterparties. Counterparty risk still exists even if a counterparty’s obligations are secured by collateral because the Fund’s interest in the collateral may not be perfected or additional collateral may not be promptly posted as required.
A Fund also is subject to counterparty risk because it executes its securities transactions through brokers and dealers. If a broker or dealer fails to meet its contractual obligations, goes bankrupt, or otherwise experiences a business interruption, the Fund could miss investment opportunities or be unable to dispose of investments it would prefer to sell, resulting in losses for the Fund.
Counterparty risk with respect to derivatives will be affected by rules and regulations affecting the derivatives market. Some derivatives transactions are required to be centrally cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivatives transaction. Credit risk of market participants with respect to derivatives that are centrally cleared is concentrated in a few clearing houses, and it is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system. A clearing member is obligated by contract and by applicable regulation to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing member from its customers with respect to cleared derivatives are generally held by the clearing member on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, and the clearing member may invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. Therefore, a Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of a Fund’s clearing member because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for a relevant account class. Also, the clearing member is required to transfer to the clearing house the amount of margin required by the clearing house for cleared derivatives, which amounts are generally held in an omnibus account at the clearing house for all customers of the clearing member. Regulations promulgated by the CFTC require that the clearing member notify the clearing house of the initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearing house that is attributable to each customer. However, if the clearing member does not accurately report a Fund’s initial margin, the Fund is subject to the risk that a clearing house will use the Fund’s assets held in an omnibus account at the clearing house to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing house. In addition, clearing members generally provide the clearing house the net amount of variation margin required for cleared swaps for all of its customers in the aggregate, rather than individually for each customer. A Fund is therefore subject to the risk that a clearing house will not make variation margin payments owed to the Fund if another customer of the clearing member has suffered a loss and is in default, and the risk that the Fund will be required to provide additional variation margin to the clearing house before the clearing house will move the Fund’s cleared derivatives transactions to another clearing member. In addition, if a clearing member does not comply with the applicable regulations or its agreement with a Fund, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the margin held by the clearing member.
Credit risk – The price of a debt security can decline in response to changes in the financial condition of the issuer, borrower, guarantor, counterparty, or other entity responsible for payment. The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of the issuer’s financial strength or in a security’s credit rating, which reflects a third party’s assessment of the credit risk presented by a particular issuer, may affect debt securities’ value. When a fixed-income security is not rated, the Fund’s investment manager may have to assess the risk of the security itself. The Fund may incur substantial losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies than such securities actually do. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in municipal bonds, they are subject to the risk that litigation, legislation or other political events, local business or economic conditions, or the bankruptcy of the issuer could have a significant effect on an issuer’s ability to make payments of principal and/or interest.
Currency management strategies risk – Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund’s exposure to currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the investment manager expects. In addition, currency management strategies, to the extent that they reduce the Fund’s exposure to currency risks, may also reduce the Fund’s ability to benefit from favorable changes in currency exchange rates. Using currency management strategies for purposes other than hedging further increases the Fund’s exposure to foreign investment losses. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. In addition, currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, and can reduce returns.
Currency risk – Investments in foreign currencies, securities that trade in or receive revenues in foreign currencies or derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies may decline in value, or, in the case of hedging
positions, that the currency may decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and may be affected by a number of factors, such as the general economics of a country, the actions (or inaction) of U.S. and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation. The Fund accrues additional expenses when engaging in currency exchange transactions, and valuation of a Fund’s foreign securities may be subject to greater risk because both the price of the currency (relative to the U.S. dollar) and the price of the security may fluctuate with market and economic conditions. A decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar reduces the value in U.S. dollars of investments denominated in that foreign currency.
Cybersecurity risk – Cyber attacks could disrupt daily operations related to trading and portfolio management. In addition, technology disruptions and cyber attacks may impact the operations or securities prices of an issuer or a group of issuers, and thus may have an adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments. Cyber attacks on securities markets or the financial services infrastructure could cause market volatility or the failure of critical financial services. Cyber attacks on a Fund’s Sub-Adviser(s) and service providers could cause business failures or delays in daily processing, and the Funds may not be able to issue a NAV per share. As a result, cyber attacks could impact the performance of the Funds. See the “Technology Disruptions” section in this Prospectus.
Debt securities ratings risk – The use of credit ratings in evaluating debt securities can involve certain risks, including the risk that the credit rating may not reflect the issuer's current financial condition or events since the security was last rated by a rating agency. Credit ratings may be influenced by conflicts of interest or based on historical data that no longer apply or are accurate. Governmental efforts to reform rating agencies and the use of credit ratings in the marketplace may impact a Fund’s investments or investment process.
Derivatives risk – Certain Funds may invest in derivatives, which are financial instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of underlying assets, reference rates, or indices. Derivatives can be highly volatile and may be subject to transaction costs and certain risks, such as unanticipated changes in securities prices and global currency investment. Derivatives also are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as leverage risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, counterparty risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, interest rate or index. Gains or losses from derivatives can be substantially greater than the derivatives’ original cost. Certain derivatives transactions may subject the Fund to counterparty risk.
The Fund’s investment manager must choose the correct derivatives exposure versus the underlying assets to be hedged or the income to be generated, in order to realize the desired results from the investment. The Fund’s investment manager must also correctly predict price, credit or their applicable movements, during the life of a derivative, with respect to the underlying asset in order to realize the desired results from the investment.
The Fund could experience losses if its derivatives were poorly correlated with its other investments, or if the Fund were unable to liquidate its position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or suddenly can become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives. The value of derivatives may fluctuate more rapidly than other investments, which may increase the volatility of the Fund, depending on the nature and extent of the derivatives in the Fund’s portfolio.
If the Fund’s investment manager uses derivatives in attempting to manage or “hedge” the overall risk of the portfolio, the strategy might not be successful and the Fund may lose money. To the extent that the Fund is unable to close out a position because of market illiquidity or counterparty default, the Fund may not be able to prevent further losses of value in its derivatives holdings and the Fund’s liquidity may be impaired to the extent that it has a substantial portion of its otherwise liquid assets marked as segregated on its books to cover its obligations under such derivative instruments.
The Fund may also be required to take or make delivery of an underlying instrument that the manager would otherwise have attempted to avoid. Investors should bear in mind that, while a Fund may intend to use derivative strategies on a regular basis, it is not obligated to actively engage in these transactions, generally or in any particular kind of derivative, if the investment manager elects not to do so due to availability, cost or other factors.
The Fund’s use of derivative instruments may involve risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on the Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on the Fund’s exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. The Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in these types of instruments, which could cause the Fund’s investment exposure to exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be affected by securities it does not own.
The U.S. Government has enacted legislation that provides for new regulation of the derivatives market, including clearing, margin, reporting, and registration requirements. The CFTC, SEC and other federal regulators have been tasked with developing the rules and regulations enacting the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). While certain of the rules are effective, other rules are not yet final and/or effective, so its ultimate impact remains unclear. The Dodd-Frank Act substantially increased regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market and participants in that market, imposing various requirements on transactions involving instruments that fall within the Dodd-Frank Act’s definition of “swap” and “security-based swap.” It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments could potentially limit or completely restrict the ability of a Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which a Fund engages in derivative transactions could also prevent a Fund from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change availability of certain investments.
The CFTC and certain futures exchanges have established limits, referred to as “position limits,” on the maximum net long or net short positions which any person or entity may hold or control in particular options and futures contracts (and certain related swap positions). All positions owned or controlled by the same person or entity, even if in different accounts, may be aggregated for purposes of determining whether the applicable position limits have been exceeded and, as a result, the investment manager’s trading decisions may have to be modified or positions held by a Fund may have to be liquidated in order to avoid exceeding such limits. Even if the Fund does not intend to exceed applicable position limits, it is possible that different clients managed by the investment manager or its affiliates may be aggregated for this purpose. The modification of investment decisions or the elimination of open positions, if it occurs, may adversely affect the profitability of the Fund.
Under the Dodd-Frank Act, a Fund also may be subject to additional recordkeeping and reporting requirements. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unclear under current law and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the IRS. Other future regulatory developments may also impact a Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which a Fund itself is regulated. The investment manager cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented or the ability of a Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
Emerging markets and less developed countries risk – Emerging market and less developed countries generally are located in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central and South America and Africa. Investments in, or exposure to, securities that are tied economically to emerging market and less developed countries are subject to all of the risks of investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities, generally to a greater extent than in developed markets, among other risks. Investments in securities that are tied economically to emerging markets involve greater risk from economic and political systems that typically are less developed, and likely to be less stable, than those in more advanced countries. The Fund also will be subject to the risk of adverse foreign currency rate fluctuations. Emerging market and less developed countries may also have economies that are predominantly based on only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities. There may be government policies that restrict investment by foreigners, greater government influence over the private sector, and a higher risk of a government taking private property in emerging and less developed countries. Moreover, economies of emerging market countries may be dependent upon international trade and may be adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. As a result of these risks, investments in securities tied economically to emerging markets tend to be more volatile than investments in securities of developed countries.
Underdeveloped securities exchanges and low or nonexistent trading volume in securities of issuers may result in a lack of liquidity and in price volatility. A fund may not be able to sell such securities in a timely manner, and may receive less than the currently available market price when selling such emerging market securities. Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and less reliable clearance and settlement, registration and custodial procedures, which could result in ownership registration being completely lost. Issuers in emerging markets typically are subject to greater risk of adverse changes in earnings and business prospects than are companies in developed markets. Loss may also result from the imposition of exchange controls, confiscations and other government restrictions, including confiscatory taxes on investment proceeds and other restrictions on the ability of foreign investors to withdraw their money at will, or from problems in security registration or settlement and custody. Investments in, or exposure to, emerging market securities may be more susceptible to investor sentiment than investments in developed countries. As a result, emerging market securities may be adversely affected by negative perceptions about an emerging market country’s stability and prospects for continued growth. The Fund will also be subject to the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations. Investments in, or exposure to, emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than investments in developed countries.
Frontier market countries are emerging market countries that are considered to have the smallest, least mature and least liquid securities markets. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. The
economies of frontier market countries are less correlated to global economic cycles than those of their more developed counterparts and their markets have low trading volumes, low security market capitalizations, and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further heightened by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the price of Fund shares. These factors make investing in frontier market countries significantly riskier than in other countries and any one of them could cause the price of the Fund’s shares to decline.
Equity securities risk – Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile, and equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed-income securities. The price of equity or equity-related securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equity or equity-related securities. The value of equity or equity-related securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in decline or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. They may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, they may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment.
Expense risk – Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated in the Fund’s Prospectus. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant.
Extension risk – When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, which may cause the value of those securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value.
Fixed-income risk – The price of fixed-income securities responds to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the credit risk of individual issuers. Rising interest rates generally will cause the price of bonds and other fixed-income debt securities to fall. In addition, falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity fixed-income securities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity fixed-income securities. Bonds and other fixed-income debt securities are subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a fixed income security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates in periods of historically low rates.
Foreign regulatory risk – The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential plc, a publicly traded company incorporated in the United Kingdom and is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America. Through its ownership structure, the Adviser has a number of global financial industry affiliates. As a result of this structure, and the asset management and financial industry business activities of the Adviser and its affiliates, the Adviser and the Fund may be prohibited or limited in effecting transactions in certain securities. Additionally, the Adviser and the Fund may encounter trading limitations or restrictions because of aggregation issues or other foreign regulatory requirements.
Foreign regulators or foreign laws may impose position limits on securities held by the Fund, and the Fund may be limited as to which securities it may purchase or sell, as well as the timing of such purchases or sales. These foreign regulatory limits may increase the Fund’s expenses and may limit the Fund’s performance. In addition, foreign regulatory requirements may increase the cost of transactions in certain countries, and may increase Fund legal and compliance costs.
Foreign securities risk – Investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities involve risks not typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among others, adverse fluctuations in foreign currency values, possible imposition of foreign withholding or other taxes on income payable on the securities, as well as adverse political, social and economic developments, such as political upheaval, acts of terrorism, financial troubles, or natural disasters. Many foreign securities markets, especially those in emerging market countries, are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the costs of trading in those markets is often higher than in U.S. securities markets. There may also be less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities compared to issuers of U.S. securities and foreign issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial recordkeeping standards and requirements as domestic issuers. In addition, the economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to issues such as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Such factors may adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions.
Investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities could be affected by restrictions on receiving the investment proceeds from a foreign country, confiscatory foreign tax laws, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Transactions may be subject to less efficient settlement practices, including extended clearance and settlement periods. Foreign accounting may be less revealing than U.S. accounting practices and regulation may be inadequate or irregular. Investments in, or exposure to, emerging market countries and/or their securities markets may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political, technical and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed countries. In addition, the risks associated with investing in a narrowly defined geographic area are generally more pronounced with respect to investments in, or exposure to, emerging market countries.
Forward and futures contract risk– The successful use of forward and futures contracts draws upon the investment manager’s skill and experience with respect to such instruments and are subject to special risks including, but not limited to: (i) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the forward or futures contract; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward or futures contract and the resulting inability to close a forward or futures contract when desired; (iii) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (iv) the investment manager’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (v) the possibility that the counterparty, clearing member or clearinghouse will default in the performance of its obligations; and (vi) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
High-yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities risk – High-yield bonds, lower-rated bonds, and unrated securities are broadly referred to as “junk bonds,” and are considered below “investment-grade” by national ratings agencies. Junk bonds typically have a higher yield to compensate for a greater risk that the issuer might not make its interest and principal payments. As a result, an investment in junk bonds is considered speculative. An unanticipated default would result in a reduction in income and a decline in the market value of the related securities. During an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which could adversely affect their ability to service principal and interest payment obligations, to meet projected business goals and to obtain additional financing. The market prices of junk bonds are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic or political changes, or individual developments specific to the issuer. Periods of economic or political uncertainty and change can be expected to result in price volatility. High-yield bonds may be subject to liquidity risk, and the Fund may not be able to sell a high-yield bond at the price at which it is currently valued. The credit rating of a below investment grade security does not necessarily address its market value risk and may not reflect its actual credit risk. Ratings and market value may change from time to time, positively or negatively, to reflect new developments regarding the issuer.
Inflation-indexed securities risk – Inflation-indexed securities have a tendency to react to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates represent nominal (stated) interest rates lowered by the anticipated effect of inflation. In general, the price of an inflation-indexed security can decrease when real interest rates increase, and can increase when real interest rates decrease. Interest payments on inflation-indexed securities will fluctuate as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation and can be unpredictable. In periods of deflation, the Fund may not receive any income from such investments. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than normal interest rates, inflation-indexed securities may experience greater losses than other fixed-income securities with similar durations.
Interest rate risk – When interest rates increase, fixed-income securities generally will decline in value. Conversely, as interest rates decrease, the prices of fixed income securities tend to increase. In a low interest rate environment, an increase in interest rates could have a negative impact on the price of fixed income securities, and could negatively impact a Fund’s portfolio of fixed income securities. Long-term fixed income securities normally have more price volatility than short-term fixed income securities. The value of certain equity investments, such as utilities and real estate-related securities, may also be sensitive to interest rate changes. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Inflation-indexed securities, including TIPS, decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than normal interest rates, inflation-indexed securities may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.
Floating rate investments have adjustable interest rates and as a result, generally fluctuate less in response to interest rate changes than will fixed-rate investments. However, because floating rates generally only reset periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates may cause a fluctuation in a Fund’s value. In addition, extreme increases in prevailing interest rates may cause an increase in defaults on floating rate investments, which may cause a further decline in a Fund’s value. Finally, a decrease in interest rates could adversely affect the income earned by the Fund from its floating rate debt securities.
At times, when interest rates in the United States are at or near historic lows, a Fund may face increased exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates.
Investment strategy risk – The investment manager uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the investment manager in accordance with these investment strategies may not produce the returns the investment manager expected, and may cause the Fund’s shares to decline in value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.
Issuer risk – The value of an individual security or particular type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the market as a whole. A security’s value may decline for reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, corporate governance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole. Certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, can have a dramatic adverse effect on the value of an issuer’s securities.
Large-capitalization investing risk – Large-capitalization stocks as a group could fall out of favor with the market, which may cause the Fund to underperform funds that focus on other types of stocks. In addition, larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and consumer preferences. Many larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Leverage risk – Certain transactions, such as reverse repurchase agreements, futures, forwards, swaps, or other derivative instruments, include the use of leverage and may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions at disadvantageous times to satisfy its obligations or to meet asset segregation requirements. Leverage, including borrowing, may cause the Fund to be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The effect of using leverage is to amplify the Fund’s gains and losses in comparison to the amount of the Fund’s assets (that is, assets other than borrowed assets) at risk, which may cause the Fund’s portfolio to be more volatile. If the Fund uses leverage, the Fund has the risk of capital losses that exceed the net assets of the Fund. To minimize these risks, the Fund attempts to segregate on its books (cover) liquid assets sufficient to cover the value of such transactions; however, such coverage techniques may not always be successful and the Funds could lose money.
Liquidity risk – Investments in securities that are difficult to purchase or sell (illiquid or thinly traded securities) may reduce returns if the Fund is unable to sell the securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. An “illiquid security” typically is defined as a security that cannot be sold or disposed of within seven (7) days, at a price or value at which it is carried by the Fund. Liquidity risk arises, for example, from small average trading volumes, trading restrictions, or temporary suspensions of trading. In times of market volatility, certain securities or classes of securities may become illiquid. Government or regulatory actions may decrease market liquidity, and the liquidity for certain securities. Small-capitalization companies and companies domiciled in emerging markets pose greater liquidity and price volatility risks. Certain securities that were liquid when purchased may later become illiquid or less liquid, particularly in times of overall economic distress. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value, may be required to be fair valued according to the valuation procedures approved by the Board, and may reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable securities for which a liquid market exists. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. In addition, although the fixed-income securities markets have grown significantly in the last few decades, regulations and business practices have led some financial intermediaries to curtail their capacity to engage in trading (i.e., “market making”) activities for certain debt securities. As a result, dealer inventories of fixed-income securities, which provide an indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to make markets in fixed-income securities, are at or near historic lows relative to market size. Because market makers help stabilize the market through their financial intermediary services, further reductions in dealer inventories could have the potential to decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed-income securities markets.
Managed portfolio risk – As an actively managed portfolio, the value of the Fund’s investments could decline because the financial condition of an issuer may change (due to such factors as management performance, reduced demand or overall market changes), financial markets may fluctuate or overall prices may decline, or the Fund’s manager’s investment techniques could fail to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, or may negatively affect the Fund’s investment performance, or legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the manager of the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.
Market risk – Stock market risk refers to the fact that stock (equity securities) prices typically fluctuate more than the values of other types of securities, typically in response to changes in the particular company’s financial condition and factors affecting the market in general. Over time, the stock market tends to move in cycles, with periods when stock prices rise, and periods when stock prices decline. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the price of the various stocks held by the Fund. Consequently, a broad-based market drop may also cause a stock’s price to fall.
Bond market risk generally refers to credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the actual or perceived risk that the issuer of the bond will not pay the interest and principal payments when due. Bond value typically declines if the issuer’s credit quality deteriorates. Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates will rise and the value of bonds will fall. A broad-based market drop may also cause a bond’s price to fall.
Portfolio securities may also decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or regulatory conditions, inflation, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment, or due to factors affecting particular industries represented in the securities markets, such as competitive conditions. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer can impact a market as a whole, and adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities. In addition, the markets may not favor a particular kind of security, including equity securities or bonds. The values of securities may fall due to factors affecting a particular issuer, industry or the securities market as a whole.
Mid-capitalization and small-capitalization investing risk – The securities of mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable a Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Both mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies often have narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s portfolio. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to conduct transactions at an advantageous time, or without a substantial drop in price. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks become.
Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities risk –The risk of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities include interest rate risk, extension risk, and prepayment (contraction) risk. With respect to extension risk, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, mortgage-related securities may exhibit increased volatility. With respect to default risk, rising interest rates and falling property prices may increase the likelihood that individuals and entities will fall behind or fail to make payments on their mortgages or other loans. When there are a number of mortgage defaults, the interest paid by mortgage-backed and mortgage-related securities may decline, or may not be paid. A number of mortgage defaults could lead to a decline in the value of mortgage-backed and mortgage-related securities. In addition, legal and documentation risk (incomplete mortgage information) related to mortgage defaults may exist. With respect to prepayment risk, borrowers may pay off their mortgages or other loans sooner than expected, which may result in contraction risk, whereby the Fund will have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates and, thus, may suffer an unexpected loss of interest income.
Investments in mortgage-backed securities entail the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows resulting from the rate of prepayments or defaults on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral. An increase or decrease in payment rates (resulting primarily from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates) will affect the yield, average life, and price. The prices of mortgage-backed securities, depending on their structure and the rate of payments, can be volatile. Some mortgage-backed securities may also not be as liquid as other securities. The value of these securities also may change because of changes in the market’s perception or the actual creditworthiness of the issuer. In addition, the mortgage-backed or other asset-backed securities market in general may be adversely affected by changes in governmental regulation, interest rates, tax policies, the real estate market, and/or the overall economy.
Non-diversification risk – The Fund is non-diversified. As such, the Fund may invest in a limited number of issuers. Under a definition provided by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), non-diversified funds may invest in fewer securities, or in larger proportions of the securities of single companies or industries. If these securities were to decline in value, there could be a substantial loss of the investment. In addition, because of the investment strategies, the Fund may hold a smaller number of issuers than if it were “diversified.” There is increased risk in investing in a smaller number of different issuers than there is in investing in a larger number of issuers since changes in the financial condition or market status of a single issuer may cause greater fluctuation in a non-diversified portfolio with respect to total return and share price.
Options risk–If a Fund buys an option, it buys a legal contract giving it the right to buy or sell a specific amount of the underlying instrument or futures contract on the underlying instrument at an agreed-upon price typically in exchange for a premium paid by a Fund. If a Fund sells an option, it sells to another person the right to buy from or sell to a Fund a specific amount of the underlying instrument or futures contract on the underlying instrument at an agreed upon price typically in exchange for a premium received by a Fund.
When options are purchased OTC, a Fund bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. OTC options may also be illiquid and a Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived option transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. The prices of options can be highly volatile and the use of options can lower total returns.
Portfolio turnover risk – The Fund may actively trade securities or instruments, including investments made on a shorter-term basis or in derivative instruments or in instruments with a maturity of one year or less at the time of acquisition, in seeking to achieve its objective. Doing so may increase transaction costs, which may reduce performance.
Prepayment risk – During periods of falling interest rates, there is the risk that a debt security with a high stated interest rate will be prepaid before its expected maturity date and that the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment that may have lower yields than the yield on the prepaid debt security. In addition, prepayment rates are difficult to predict and the potential impact of prepayment on the price of a debt instrument depends on the terms of the instrument.
Real estate investment risk – Real estate is affected by general economic conditions and legal, cultural or technological developments. When growth is slowing, demand for property decreases and prices may decline. Real estate company share prices may drop because of the failure of borrowers to pay their loans and poor management. Many real estate companies, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies, utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Financial covenants related to real estate company leveraging may affect the company’s ability to operate effectively. A real estate company may become liable for removal or other costs related to environmental contamination. Real estate companies tend to be small to medium-sized companies and share prices can be more volatile than, and perform differently from, larger company shares. The Fund could hold real estate directly if a company defaults on its debt securities. Direct ownership in real estate presents additional risks, including liquidity risks, declines in value of the properties, risks from general and local economic conditions, changes in the climate for real estate, increases in taxes, expenses and costs, changes in laws, casualty and condemnation losses, rent control limitations, increases in interest rates, and the risk of generating too much income that would not be “qualifying income” under Subchapter M of the Code.
In addition to the risks which are linked to the real estate sector in general, REITs are subject to additional risks. Investment in REITs may be affected by the management skill of the persons managing the REIT and are often not diversified, which will subject the Fund to more risk than would be associated with an investment in a diversified fund. Equity REITs, which invest a majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents and lease payments, may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trust. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income primarily from the collection of interest payments, may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and to defaults by borrowers or lessees. In addition, REITs possibly could fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. Certain REITs provide for a specified term of existence in their trust documents. Such REITs run the risk of liquidating at an economically disadvantageous time. The Fund will bear a proportional share of the REITs’ expenses.
Redemption risk – Large redemption activity could result in the Fund being forced to sell portfolio securities at a loss or before the Adviser or Sub-Adviser would otherwise decide to do so. Large redemption activity in the Fund may also result in increased expense ratios, higher levels of realized capital gains or losses with respect to the Fund's portfolio securities, higher brokerage commissions, and other transaction costs. It could be difficult for a Fund to meet large redemption requests where there is minimal liquidity in the Fund’s portfolio securities.
Regulatory investment limits risk– The U.S. “Federal Securities Laws” may limit the amount a Fund may invest in certain securities. These limits may be Fund specific or they may apply to the investment manager. As a result of these regulatory limitations under the Federal Securities Laws and the asset management and financial industry business activities of the investment manager and its affiliates, the investment manager and the Fund may be prohibited from or limited in effecting transactions in certain securities. The investment manager and the Fund may encounter trading limitations or restrictions because of aggregation issues or other regulatory requirements. The Federal Securities Laws may impose position limits on securities held by the Fund, and the Fund may be limited as to which securities it may purchase or sell, as well as the timing of such purchases or sales. These regulatory investment limits may increase the Funds’ expenses and may limit the Funds’ performance.
Sector risk – Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. Sector risk is the risk that securities of companies within specific sectors of the economy can perform differently than the overall market. For example, this may be due to changes in the regulatory or competitive environment, or changes in investor perceptions regarding a sector. Because the Fund may allocate relatively more assets to certain sectors than others, the Fund’s performance may be more susceptible to any developments which affect those sectors emphasized by the Fund. In addition, the Fund could underperform other funds investing in similar sectors or comparable benchmarks because of the portfolio managers’ choice of securities within such sector.
Air transportation sector risk –The air transportation sector can be significantly affected by competition within the industry, domestic and foreign economies, government regulation, labor relations, terrorism, and the price of fuel. Airline deregulation has substantially diminished the government’s role in the air transport sector while promoting an increased level
of competition. However, regulations and policies of various domestic and foreign governments can still affect the profitability of individual carriers as well as the entire industry.
Financial services sector risk – An investment in issuers in the financial services sector may be adversely affected by, among other things: (i) changes in the regulatory framework or interest rates that may negatively affect financial service businesses; (ii) exposure of a financial institution to a non diversified or concentrated loan portfolio; (iii) exposure to financial leverage and/or investments or agreements which, under certain circumstances, may lead to losses, for example sub-prime loans; and (iv) the risk that a market shock or other unexpected market, economic, political, regulatory, or other event might lead to a sudden decline in the values of most or all companies in the financial services sector.
Gold-mining companies sector risk – An investment in issuers in the gold-mining sector may be susceptible to financial, economic, political or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting the gold industry. Fluctuations in the price of gold often dramatically affect the profitability of companies in the gold-mining sector.
Health care sector risk – An investment in issuers in the health care sector may be adversely affected by government regulations and government health care programs and increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services. Health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of a patent may adversely affect their profitability. Health care companies are also subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Regulatory approvals are generally required before new drugs and medical devices or procedures may be introduced and before the acquisition of additional facilities by health care providers, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market. Health care companies are also subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Health care companies may also be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.
Infrastructure companies sector risk – Securities and instruments of infrastructure companies are more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting their industries. Infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Infrastructure companies may also be affected by or subject to: regulation by various government authorities; government regulation of rates charged to customers; service interruption due to environmental, operational or other mishaps; the imposition of special tariffs and changes in tax laws, regulatory policies and accounting standards; and general changes in market sentiment toward infrastructure and utilities assets. Other factors that may affect the operations of infrastructure-related companies include innovations in technology, significant changes to the number of ultimate end-users of a company’s products, increased susceptibility to terrorist acts or political actions, risks of environmental damage due, and general changes in market sentiment toward infrastructure and utilities assets.
Natural resource-related securities risk–An investment in natural resource-related securities may be subject to the risks associated with natural resource investments in addition to the general risk of the stock market. Such investments are more vulnerable to the price movements of natural resources and factors that particularly affect the oil, gas, mining, energy, chemicals, paper, steel or agriculture sectors. Such factors may include price fluctuations caused by real and perceived inflationary trends and political developments, the cost assumed by natural resource companies in complying with environmental and safety regulations, changes in supply of, or demand for, various natural resources, changes in energy prices, the success of exploration projects, changes in commodity prices, and special risks associated with natural or man-made disasters. A Fund that invests primarily in companies with natural resource assets is subject to the risk that it may perform poorly during a downturn in natural resource prices.
Precious metals-related securities risk – Prices of precious metals and of precious metals-related securities historically have been very volatile. The high volatility of precious metal prices may adversely affect the financial condition of companies involved with precious metals. The production and sale of precious metals by governments or central banks or other larger holders can be affected by various economic, financial, social and political factors, which may be unpredictable and may have a significant impact on the prices of precious metals. Other factors that may affect the prices of precious metals and securities related to them include changes in inflation, the outlook for inflation and changes in industrial and commercial demand for precious metals.
Utilities sector risk – Utility company securities are particularly sensitive to interest rate movements; when interest rates rise, the stock prices of these companies tend to fall. The continually changing regulatory environment, at both the state and federal level, has led to greater competition in the industry and the emergence of non-regulated providers as a significant part of the industry, which may make some companies less profitable. Companies in the utilities industry may: (i) be subject to
risks associated with the difficulty of obtaining adequate returns on invested capital in spite of frequent rate increases and of financing large construction programs during periods of inflation; (ii) face restrictions on operations and increased costs due to environmental and safety regulations, including increased fuel costs; (iii) find that existing plants and equipment or products have been rendered obsolete by technical innovations; (iv) confront challenging environmental conditions, including natural or man-made disasters; (v) tackle difficulties of the capital markets in absorbing utility debt and equity securities; (vi) incur risks associated with the operation of nuclear power plants; and (vii) face the effects of energy conservation and other factors affecting the level of demand for services. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. The deregulation of certain utility companies may eliminate restrictions on profits, but may also subject these companies to greater risks of loss. Adverse regulatory changes could prevent or delay utilities from passing along cost increases to customers, which could hinder a utility’s ability to meet its obligations to its suppliers. Furthermore, regulatory authorities, which may be subject to political and other pressures, may not grant future rate increases, or may impose accounting or operational policies, any of which could affect a company's profitability and the value of its securities. In addition, federal, state and municipal governmental authorities may review existing construction projects, and impose additional, regulations governing the licensing, construction and operation of power plants. Any of these factors could result in a material adverse impact on the Fund’s holdings and the performance of the Fund and, to the extent a Fund is concentrated in the utilities sector, any potential material adverse impact may be magnified.
Securities lending risk – The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. When the Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. The Fund will also bear the risk of any decline in value of securities acquired with cash collateral. The Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. See the “Lending of Portfolio Securities” section in this Prospectus.
Settlement risk – Settlement risk is the risk that a settlement in a transfer system does not take place as expected. Delayed settlement may affect a Fund’s liquidity due to the timing and receipt of the proceeds from the sale of that security. Loan transactions often settle on a delayed basis compared with securities and the Fund may not receive proceeds from the sale of a loan for a substantial period after the sale, potentially impacting the ability of the Fund to make additional investments or meet redemption obligations. In order to meet short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may draw on its cash or other short-term positions, maintain short-term or other liquid assets sufficient to meet reasonably anticipated redemptions, or maintain a credit facility.
Short sales risk – A short sale may be effected by selling a security that the Fund does not own. If the price of the security sold short increases, the Fund would incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a gain. The Fund may take a short position in securities or in a derivative instrument, such as a future, forward or swap. Short sales involve greater reliance on the investment manager’s ability to accurately anticipate the future value of an instrument, potentially higher transaction and other costs (that will reduce potential Fund gains and increase potential Fund losses), and imperfect correlation between the actual and desired level of exposure. Because the Fund’s potential loss on a short position arises from increases in the value of the asset sold short, the extent of such loss, like the price of the asset sold short, is theoretically unlimited. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Fund could be deemed to be employing a form of leverage, which creates special risks. The Fund’s long positions could decline in value at the same time that the value of the short positions increase, thereby increasing the Fund’s overall potential for loss to a greater extent than would occur without the use of leverage. Short positions typically involve increased liquidity risk and transaction costs, and the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms.
Small-capitalization investing risk – Investing in smaller companies, some of which may be newer companies or start-ups, generally involves greater risks than investing in larger, more established ones. The securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations often are less widely held and trade less frequently and in lesser quantities, and their market prices often fluctuate more, than the securities of companies with larger market capitalizations. In addition, such securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Small-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources, or may depend on the expertise of a few people, than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks become.
Sovereign debt risk – Investments issued by a governmental entity are subject to the risk that the governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt due to, among other things, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies. If a governmental entity defaults, it may ask for more time in which to pay its debt, request additional loans or otherwise restructure its debt. There is no
legal process for collecting sovereign debt that a government does not pay nor are there bankruptcy proceedings through which all or part of the sovereign debt may be collected.
Temporary defensive positions and large cash positions risk – In anticipation of, or in response to, adverse market or other conditions, or atypical circumstances such as unusually large cash inflows or redemptions, and Sub-Adviser transitions, and/or Fund mergers or rebalances, the Fund may temporarily hold all or a significant portion, without limitation, of its assets in cash, cash equivalents, affiliated and unaffiliated money market funds, or high-quality debt instruments. During periods in which the Fund employs such a temporary defensive strategy or holds large cash positions, it will not be pursuing, and will not achieve, its investment objective. Taking a defensive or large cash position may reduce the potential for appreciation of the portfolio and may affect performance.
TIPS and inflation-linked bonds risk– The value of inflation-protected securities generally fluctuates in response to changes in real interest rates, which are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. As a result, if inflation rates were to rise at a faster rate than nominal rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in the value of inflation-protected securities. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of inflation-protected securities. If the Fund purchases inflation-protected securities in the secondary market whose principal values have been adjusted upward due to inflation since issuance, the Fund may experience a loss if there is a subsequent period of deflation. The inflation-protected securities markets are generally much smaller and less liquid than the nominal bonds from the same issuers and, as such, can suffer from losses during time of economic stress or illiquidity.
Underlying funds risk – The risks associated with investing in the Fund are closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the Underlying Funds. The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part upon the allocations of investments in the Underlying Funds and their ability to achieve their investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Underlying Fund will be achieved. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the Fund correlates to those of a particular Underlying Fund will depend upon the extent to which the Fund’s assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Underlying Fund, which will vary. The Fund also will bear its pro-rata portion of the operating expenses of the Underlying Funds, including Management and Administrative Fees and 12b-1 fees.
U.S. Government securities risk – Obligations issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government vary in the level of support they receive from the U.S. Government. They may be: (i) supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, such as those of the Government National Mortgage Association; (ii) supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, such as those of the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”); (iii) supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the issuer’s obligations, such as those of the former Student Loan Marketing Association; or (iv) supported only by the credit of the issuer, such as those of the Federal Farm Credit Bureau. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to receive support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Although many types of U.S. Government securities may be purchased by the Funds, such as those issued by Fannie Mae, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), the Federal Home Loan Banks, and other entities chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The U.S. Government may choose not to provide financial support to U.S. Government sponsored agencies or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so, in which case, if the issuer defaulted, the holder of the securities of such issuer might not be able to recover its investment from the U.S. Government. In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Administration (“FHFA”) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be placed into conservatorship under FHFA. The ongoing effect that this conservatorship will continue to have on the entities’ debt and equities and on securities guaranteed by the entities is unclear. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives discussed above with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be successful. In addition, new accounting standards and future Congressional action may affect the value of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt.
S
TATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
June 18, 2018
JNL SERIES TRUST
JNL Real Assets Fund
(a series of Jackson Variable Series Trust)
(the “Acquired Fund”)
AND
JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund
(a series of JNL Series Trust)
(the “Acquiring Fund”)
1 Corporate Way
Lansing, Michigan 48951
(517) 381-5500
Acquisition of the assets and assumption of the liabilities of: | By and in exchange for shares of: |
JNL Real Assets Fund | JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund |
This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) relates specifically to the proposed reorganization of the Acquired Fund into the Acquiring Fund under which the Acquiring Fund would acquire all of the assets of the Acquired Fund in exchange solely for shares of the Acquiring Fund and that Acquiring Fund’s assumption of all of the Acquired Fund’s liabilities (the “Reorganization”). This SAI is available to separate accounts, registered investment companies, and non-qualified plans of Jackson National Life Insurance Company or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York with amounts allocated to the Acquired Fund and to other shareholders of the Acquired Fund as of May 18, 2018.
This SAI consists of the cover page, the information set forth below and the following described documents, each of which is incorporated by reference herein and accompanies this SAI:
(1) The Acquired Fund’s Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2018 [, as supplemented] (File Nos. 333-177369 and 811-22613);
(2) The Acquiring Fund’s Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2018 [, as supplemented] (File Nos. 033-87244 and 811-08894);
(3) The Annual Report to Shareholders of the Acquired Fund for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (File Nos. 333-177369 and 811-22613); and
(4) The Annual Report to Shareholders of the Acquiring Fund for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 (File Nos. 033-87244 and 811-08894).
This SAI is not a prospectus. A Proxy Statement and Prospectus dated June 18, 2018, relating to the Reorganization (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”) may be obtained, without charge, by writing to JNLST at 1 Corporate Way,
Lansing, Michigan 48951 or calling (517) 381-5500. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION
JNL Real Assets Fund merging into JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund
In accordance with the instructions to the Form N-14 proxy statement and prospectus, pro forma financial information for JNL Real Assets Fund (“Real Assets Fund”) and JNL/PIMCO Real Return Fund (“Real Return Fund”) after giving effect to the proposed Reorganization is not required to be included in this SAI because the net assets of the Real Assets Fund as of April 30, 2018, within 30 days prior to date of filing of the proxy statement and prospectus for the proposed Reorganization, are less than 10 percent of the net assets of the Real Return Fund.