Strategy. The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bonds and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to bonds. For purposes of this policy, bonds may include fixed income securities issued by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations (e.g., yankee bonds), the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or their agencies or instrumentalities (e.g., the Korean Development Bank) and supranational entities (e.g., the World Bank); inflation protected securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Series sells a mortgage-backed security and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities on a specified future date at a predetermined price. The mortgage and … Show more… The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bonds and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to bonds. For purposes of this policy, bonds may include fixed income securities issued by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations (e.g., yankee bonds), the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or their agencies or instrumentalities (e.g., the Korean Development Bank) and supranational entities (e.g., the World Bank); inflation protected securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Series sells a mortgage-backed security and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities on a specified future date at a predetermined price. The mortgage and asset-backed securities in which the Series principally invests are issued by U.S. Government agencies (such as Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC)) and private issuers and entitle the holders to a pro rata share of the cash flows generated by the instruments underlying the security (principally residential and commercial mortgages, credit card receivables and car loans). The Series may invest up to 50% of its assets in below investment grade securities (also referred to as high yield bonds or junk bonds) and may invest up to 50% of its assets in non- U.S. dollar denominated securities, including securities issued by companies located in emerging markets. The Series may invest portions of its assets in bank loans, which are, generally, non-investment grade floating rate investments, and preferred stock. The Series may buy and sell futures contracts based on investment grade and/or high yield credit securities to seek to hedge risk, enhance returns and/or manage cash flows. The Series may invest in interest rate futures (and options thereon) and interest rate swaps to manage its interest rate exposure, and may invest in credit default swaps and total return swaps to manage its exposure to certain instruments or markets. The Series may, but is not required to, invest in forward foreign currency contracts to hedge currency risks associated with the purchase of individual securities denominated in a foreign currency. The Series may purchase shares of ETFs, including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible. The Series employs an absolute return investment approach. This means that it seeks to achieve a positive total return across a variety of market environments, with lower correlations to the broad fixed income market over the long-term. Accordingly, the Series invests across the fixed income universe, and it is not constrained by any particular fixed income asset classes or benchmarks. Bond Selection Process When investing in fixed income securities, the Advisor attempts to identify sectors, as well as individual securities within those sectors, that offer yields and credit spreads sufficient to compensate the Series for the risks specific to a given sector or security. A credit spread is the difference between the yield of a U.S. Treasury security and the yield of another fixed income security with a similar maturity. When investing in mortgage- and asset-backed securities, the Advisor also considers the prepayment speeds of the securities. Prepayment speed is the estimated rate at which borrowers will pay off the underlying loans ahead of schedule. In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and/or individual securities, the Advisor considers: The relevant economic conditions and sector trends. The interest rate sensitivities of the particular sectors and securities. The yield differentials across sectors, credit qualities, mortgage- and asset-backed security types, and maturities. Bottom-up factors such as issuer-specific credit metrics for corporate bonds and scenario analysis, collateral-level analysis, and issuer/servicer analysis for mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Maturity and Portfolio Duration The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisors outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in longer-term duration fixed income securities when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in shorter-term duration fixed income securities when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a securitys price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter-term durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer-term durations. For example, a 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%. Credit Quality The Series may invest in investment grade securities, those securities rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moodys (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor) and may invest up to 50% of its assets in below investment grade securities, those rated below BBB-by S&P and those rated below Baa3 by Moodys (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor). The Series may invest in securities with any rating, including those that have defaulted, are not rated, or have had their rating withdrawn. Securities issued by governments and supranational entities may be sold to adjust the Series duration and/or yield curve positioning. Other securities may be sold for one or more of the following reasons: they no longer meet the selection criteria under which they were purchased; their relative value has declined (the spread has tightened such that they are no longer considered attractively priced); a more attractive investment opportunity is identified. Securities may also be sold based on the Advisors macroeconomic assessment of countries and currencies. There are no prescribed limits on the sector allocation of the Series investments and, from time to time, the Series may focus its investments in one or more sectors. Show less