Strategy. The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in "convertible securities" such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes, and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities. The balance of the Portfolio may be invested or held in non-convertible debt, equity securities that do not pay regular dividends, U.S. government securities, and cash or cash equivalents. Investment Process: The Portfolio takes a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities of a variety of companies and industries. The Portfolio invests in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities. … Show more… The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in "convertible securities" such as bonds, debentures, corporate notes, and preferred stocks or other securities that are convertible into common stock or the cash value of a stock or a basket or index of equity securities. The balance of the Portfolio may be invested or held in non-convertible debt, equity securities that do not pay regular dividends, U.S. government securities, and cash or cash equivalents. Investment Process: The Portfolio takes a flexible approach by investing in a broad range of securities of a variety of companies and industries. The Portfolio invests in investment grade and below investment grade debt securities. Below investment grade securities are generally securities that receive low ratings from a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent quality by MacKay Shields LLC, the Portfolio's Subadvisor. Securities that are rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies are commonly referred to as high-yield securities or "junk bonds." The Subadvisor may also invest without restriction in securities with lower ratings from a NRSRO. If NRSROs assign different ratings to the same security, the Portfolio will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security's credit quality. In selecting convertible securities for purchase or sale, the Subadvisor takes into account a variety of investment considerations, including the potential return of the common stock into which the convertible security is convertible, credit risk, projected interest return, and the premium for the convertible security relative to the underlying common stock. The Subadvisors investment process includes a risk analysis that gives consideration to a variety of security-specific risks, including but not limited to, environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks that may have a material impact on the performance of a security. In addition to proprietary research, the Subadvisor may use screening tools and, to the extent available, third party data to identify ESG risk factors that may not have been captured through its own research. The Subadvisors consideration of ESG risk is weighed against other criteria and no sectors or industries are explicitly excluded from the Portfolio. The Portfolio may also invest in "synthetic" convertible securities, which are derivative positions composed of two or more securities whose investment characteristics, taken together, resemble those of traditional convertible securities. Unlike traditional convertible securities whose conversion values are based on the common stock of the issuer of the convertible security, "synthetic" and "exchangeable" convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations of an issuer which are structured with an embedded equity component whose conversion value is based on the value of the common stocks of one or more different issuers or a particular benchmark (which may include indices, baskets of domestic stocks, commodities, a foreign issuer or basket of foreign stocks, or a company whose stock is not yet publicly traded). The value of a synthetic convertible is the sum of the values of its preferred stock or debt obligation component and its convertible component. The Portfolio may invest in foreign securities, which are securities issued by companies organized outside the United States or that trade primarily in non-U.S. securities markets. An issuer of a security is considered to be a U.S. or foreign issuer based on the issuer's "country of risk" (or similar designation) as determined by a third-party such as Bloomberg. The Subadvisor may sell a security if it believes the security will no longer contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Portfolio. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer's financial condition, changes in credit risk, and changes in projected interest return. Show less