Morningstar® Investment Profile™   Morningstar® Disclosure   Format for Print Franklin Strategic Income VIP 1 Release date as of 2024-10-31. Data on page is subject to change. Snapshot Ratings & Risk Portfolio Nuts & Bolts

Morningstar Report Overall Morningstar Rating™ What is this? As of 2024-10-31 Out of 325 Multisector Bond Funds Morningstar® Style Box™ What is this? As of 2024-10-31 Total Fund Assets ($ Mil) 282.02 View Historical Morningstar Star Ratings and Definitions

Investment Objective & Strategy   The investment seeks a high level of current income; long-term capital appreciation is the secondary objective. The fund invests its assets primarily to predominantly in U.S. and foreign debt securities, including those in emerging markets. It may invest up to 100% of its assets in high yield, lower-quality debt securities (also known as "junk bonds"). The fund may invest in many different securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by non-U.S. governments, or their respective agencies or instrumentalities, including mortgage-backed securities and inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Treasury.

Morningstar Category: Multisector Bond Multisector-bond portfolios seek income by diversifying their assets among several fixed-income sectors, usually U.S. government obligations, U.S. corporate bonds, foreign bonds, and high-yield U.S. debt securities. These portfolios typically hold 35% to 65% of bond assets in securities that are not rated or are rated by a major agency such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's at the level of BB (considered speculative for taxable bonds) and below.

Investment Risks There are no additional fund specific investment risks (e.g. liquidity risk, currency risk, foreign investment risk, etc.) associated with this fund beyond the normal risks generally associated with investing in a mutual fund.

Portfolio Profile Asset Allocation % of Net Assets U.S. Stocks 0.0 Non-U.S. Stocks 0.0 Bonds 110.4 Cash -11.0 Other 0.5 Total 100.0 Data through 2024-10-31 Morningstar Fixed-Income Sectors % Fund Government 22.85 Corporate 55.66 Securitized 15.93 Municipal 0.00 Cash & Equivalents 1.22 Derivative 4.33 Data through 2024-10-31 Credit Analysis % Bonds AAA 4.16 AA 35.62 A 9.27 BBB 21.54 BB 17.77 B 13.21 Below B 1.93 Not Rated -3.50 Data through 2024-10-31 Holding Status Total Number of Stock Holdings 2 Total Number of Bond Holdings 626 % of Net Assets in Top 10 Holdings 23.25 Turnover % (as of 2023-12-31) 59.05 30 Day SEC Yield % --- Top Holdings Maturity Date Shares Value $000 % of Net Assets United States Treasury Notes 4% 2026-02-15 11,200 11,263 3.99 5 Year Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-31 --- 10,086 3.57 United States Treasury Notes 1.5% 2025-02-15 9,800 9,745 3.45 Federal National Mortgage Association 2% --- 10,860 8,608 3.05 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. 4.5% 2052-08-01 5,565 5,308 1.88 Ultra 10 Year US Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-19 --- -4,500 1.59 10 Year Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-19 --- 4,354 1.54 United States Treasury Notes 3.875% 2027-11-30 4,000 4,036 1.43 Federal National Mortgage Association 5% --- 4,150 4,033 1.43 United States Treasury Notes 2.75% 2027-07-31 3,850 3,740 1.32 Data through 2024-10-31

Principal Risks    Lending, Credit and Counterparty, Inflation/Deflation, Currency, Emerging Markets, Foreign Securities, Loss of Money, Not FDIC Insured, Active Management, Income, Interest Rate, Market/Market Volatility, High-Yield Securities, Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities, Other, Restricted/Illiquid Securities, Derivatives, Sovereign Debt, Management, Portfolio Diversification, Structured Products, Variable-Rate Securities Show Risk Definitions

Other Information Inception Date: 1999-07-01 Portfolio Manager(s) Michael V. Salm   (2024-09-30) Mr. Salm is a Co-Head of Fixed Income, specializing in liquid markets and securitized strategies. In this role, he oversees investment strategies related to mortgage and securitized products, interest-rate and volatility derivatives, and money markets. In addition, he manages trading operations and Putnam's Fixed Income quantitative teams. He is a portfolio manager of core global, core plus, global government, fixed income global alpha, and dedicated mortgage strategies, as well as fixed income hedge funds. Mr. Salm joined Putnam in 1997 and has been in the investment industry since 1989. Previously at Putnam, he served as a Portfolio Manager responsible for mortgage strategies in fixed income portfolios. Prior to joining Putnam, Mr. Salm was a Mortgage Specialist at BlackRock Financal Management from 1996 to 1997, a Vice President and Trader at Nomura Securities from 1994 to 1996, a Vice President and Structurer at Nikko Securities from 1993 to 1994, and an Analyst at Fitch Investor Services from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Salm earned a B.S. from Cornell University. Patrick Klein   (2022-08-01) Patrick Klein, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager of Franklin Advisers. Dr. Patrick Klein is a senior vice president and portfolio manager for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income. He leads the team managing the multisector fixed-income strategies with a focus on portfolio construction and quantitative modelling. Prior to his current role, he was a portfolio manager and research analyst focusing on the securitized, inflations protected, and portfolio construction areas. Dr. Klein was a principal member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. Sonal Desai   (2018-12-31) Sonal Desai, PhD, EVP, is Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group’s Chief Investment Officer, a portfolio manager for several fixed income funds and a member of the firm's executive committee. Dr. Desai started her career in 1994 as a university academic, followed by six years at the International Monetary Fund after which she joined the private sector. She started working at Franklin Templeton in 2009. She holds a PhD(Econ) from Northwestern Univ. and a BA(Econ) from Delhi Univ. Benjamin B. Cryer   (2022-08-01) Mr. Cryer joined Franklin Templeton in 2006. Thomas Runkel   (2022-08-01) Tom Runkel is a vice president and portfolio manager for Franklin Templeton Investments. Mr. Runkel focuses on relative value security selection and allocation among the credit sectors for the multi-sector fixed income portfolios. He also serves as the director of portfolio strategies and the lead portfolio manager for the SMA Taxable Fixed Income strategies and supervises the Franklin SMA Taxable Fixed Income Portfolio Management team. Mr. Runkel joined Franklin in 1983 and served as a senior portfolio manager for Franklin's taxable money fund and investment grade fixed income assets as well as a trader for taxable fixed income and equity securities. Mr. Runkel founded Runkel Funds, Inc. in 2002 and managed a large-cap value fund until late 2005 before returning to Franklin in 2006. Mr. Runkel has an M.B.A. from the University of Santa Clara and earned a B.S. in political science from the University of California, Davis. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. Patricia O'Connor   (2016-02-01) Patricia O'Connor, CFA, VP, is a vice president and portfolio manager for the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in 1997, Ms. O'Connor worked for Morgan Stanley Asset Management. She holds a B.S. (Accounting, Lehigh Univ.) and an MBA (Univ. of Chicago). Ms. O'Connor holds a B.S. in accounting from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. in finance and economics from the University of Chicago. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, as well as a member of the CFA Society of San Francisco and CFA Institute. Investment Advisor(s) Franklin Advisers, Inc. Issuer Franklin Templeton Investments Subadvisor(s) ---

Show Data Definitions © Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Morningstar, the Morningstar logo, Morningstar.com, Morningstar Tools are either trademark or service marks of Morningstar, Inc. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or any losses arising from any use of information. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns will vary and shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when sold.



Morningstar® Investment Profile™   Morningstar® Disclosure   Format for Print Franklin Strategic Income VIP 1 Release date as of 2024-10-31. Data on page is subject to change. Snapshot Ratings & Risk Portfolio Nuts & Bolts

Morningstar Ratings Morningstar Return Morningstar Risk Morningstar Rating Number of Funds 3-Year Below Avg Average 325 5-Year Below Avg Average 270 10-Year Below Avg Average 189 Overall Below Avg Average 325 Morningstar Category: Multisector Bond | Number of Funds in Category: 325 Data through 2024-10-31

Ratings reflect risk-adjusted performance and are derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three, five and ten-year (if applicable) time periods.

Volatility Measurements Standard Deviation 6.45 Mean 0.37 Sharpe Ratio -0.54 Trailing 3-Yr as of 2024-10-31

Modern Portfolio Theory Statistics Best Fit Index Morningstar Con Tgt Risk TR USD R-Squared 94 Beta 0.70 Alpha -0.41 Trailing 3-Yr as of 2024-10-31

Principal Risks    Lending, Credit and Counterparty, Inflation/Deflation, Currency, Emerging Markets, Foreign Securities, Loss of Money, Not FDIC Insured, Active Management, Income, Interest Rate, Market/Market Volatility, High-Yield Securities, Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities, Other, Restricted/Illiquid Securities, Derivatives, Sovereign Debt, Management, Portfolio Diversification, Structured Products, Variable-Rate Securities Show Risk Definitions

Investment Risks There are no additional fund specific investment risks (e.g. liquidity risk, currency risk, foreign investment risk, etc.) associated with this fund beyond the normal risks generally associated with investing in a mutual fund.

Show Data Definitions © Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Morningstar, the Morningstar logo, Morningstar.com, Morningstar Tools are either trademark or service marks of Morningstar, Inc. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or any losses arising from any use of information. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns will vary and shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when sold.



Morningstar® Investment Profile™   Morningstar® Disclosure   Format for Print Franklin Strategic Income VIP 1 Release date as of 2024-10-31. Data on page is subject to change. Snapshot Ratings & Risk Portfolio Nuts & Bolts

Style Box Details for Bond Holdings Average Eff Duration 3.87 Yrs Average Eff Maturity 5.14 Yrs Average Wtd Coupon 4.82 Average Wtd Price 96.08 As of 2024-10-31 Data as of 2024-10-31

Asset Allocation % of Net Assets U.S. Stocks 0.0 Non-U.S. Stocks 0.0 Bonds 110.4 Cash -11.0 Other 0.5 Total 100.0 Data through 2024-10-31

Morningstar Fixed-Income Sectors % Fund Government 22.85 Corporate 55.66 Securitized 15.93 Municipal 0.00 Cash & Equivalents 1.22 Derivative 4.33 Data through 2024-10-31

Credit Analysis % Bonds AAA 4.16 AA 35.62 A 9.27 BBB 21.54 BB 17.77 B 13.21 Below B 1.93 Not Rated -3.50 Data through 2024-10-31

Top 25 Holdings Total Number of Stock Holdings 2 Total Number of Bond Holdings 626 % of Net Assets in Top 10 Holdings 23.25 Turnover % (as of 2023-12-31) 59.05 30 Day SEC Yield % --- Top 25 Holdings Maturity Date Shares Value $000 % of Net Assets United States Treasury Notes 4% 2026-02-15 11,200 11,263 3.99 5 Year Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-31 --- 10,086 3.57 United States Treasury Notes 1.5% 2025-02-15 9,800 9,745 3.45 Federal National Mortgage Association 2% --- 10,860 8,608 3.05 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. 4.5% 2052-08-01 5,565 5,308 1.88 Ultra 10 Year US Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-19 --- -4,500 1.59 10 Year Treasury Note Future Dec 24 2024-12-19 --- 4,354 1.54 United States Treasury Notes 3.875% 2027-11-30 4,000 4,036 1.43 Federal National Mortgage Association 5% --- 4,150 4,033 1.43 United States Treasury Notes 2.75% 2027-07-31 3,850 3,740 1.32 United States Treasury Notes 0.625% 2026-01-15 3,709 3,646 1.29 United States Treasury Notes 4.125% 2025-01-31 3,250 3,280 1.16 Government National Mortgage Association 5% --- 3,170 3,097 1.10 United States Treasury Notes 3.875% 2026-01-15 3,050 3,072 1.09 United States Treasury Notes 3.125% 2028-11-15 2,900 2,831 1.00 US Treasury Bond Future Dec 24 2024-12-19 --- -2,829 1.00 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. 2% 2052-03-01 3,529 2,812 1.00 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. 5.5% 2052-11-01 2,692 2,680 0.95 Federal National Mortgage Association 6% 2053-08-01 2,581 2,612 0.93 United States Treasury Notes 4.125% 2030-08-31 2,600 2,609 0.92 United States Treasury Notes 2.875% 2028-05-15 2,500 2,429 0.86 Dryden 75 Clo Ltd / Dryden 75 Clo Llc 5.95751% 2034-04-17 2,400 2,411 0.85 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. 4% 2052-06-01 2,419 2,246 0.80 United States Treasury Notes 3.5% 2030-01-31 1,750 1,710 0.61 Citigroup Inc. 5.61% 2026-09-29 1,600 1,617 0.57 Data through 2024-10-31

Show Data Definitions © Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Morningstar, the Morningstar logo, Morningstar.com, Morningstar Tools are either trademark or service marks of Morningstar, Inc. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or any losses arising from any use of information. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns will vary and shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when sold.



Morningstar® Investment Profile™   Morningstar® Disclosure   Format for Print Franklin Strategic Income VIP 1 Release date as of 2024-10-31. Data on page is subject to change. Snapshot Ratings & Risk Portfolio Nuts & Bolts

Fees and Expenses Taken from prospectus dated 2024-05-01   Maximum Fees Administrative 0.15% Management 0.63% 12b-1 --- Actual Fees 12b-1 --- Management 0.63% Expense Ratio 0.80% (taken from annual report dated 2024-06-30) Total Annual Operating Expense 0.89%

Waiver Data Type Date % ManagementFee Contractual --- 0.05

Management Inception Date: 1999-07-01

Mngr Name Michael V. Salm Mngr Start Date 2024-09-30 Biography Mr. Salm is a Co-Head of Fixed Income, specializing in liquid markets and securitized strategies. In this role, he oversees investment strategies related to mortgage and securitized products, interest-rate and volatility derivatives, and money markets. In addition, he manages trading operations and Putnam's Fixed Income quantitative teams. He is a portfolio manager of core global, core plus, global government, fixed income global alpha, and dedicated mortgage strategies, as well as fixed income hedge funds. Mr. Salm joined Putnam in 1997 and has been in the investment industry since 1989. Previously at Putnam, he served as a Portfolio Manager responsible for mortgage strategies in fixed income portfolios. Prior to joining Putnam, Mr. Salm was a Mortgage Specialist at BlackRock Financal Management from 1996 to 1997, a Vice President and Trader at Nomura Securities from 1994 to 1996, a Vice President and Structurer at Nikko Securities from 1993 to 1994, and an Analyst at Fitch Investor Services from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Salm earned a B.S. from Cornell University. Mngr Name Patrick Klein Mngr Start Date 2022-08-01 Biography Patrick Klein, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager of Franklin Advisers. Dr. Patrick Klein is a senior vice president and portfolio manager for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income. He leads the team managing the multisector fixed-income strategies with a focus on portfolio construction and quantitative modelling. Prior to his current role, he was a portfolio manager and research analyst focusing on the securitized, inflations protected, and portfolio construction areas. Dr. Klein was a principal member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. Mngr Name Sonal Desai Mngr Start Date 2018-12-31 Biography Sonal Desai, PhD, EVP, is Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group’s Chief Investment Officer, a portfolio manager for several fixed income funds and a member of the firm's executive committee. Dr. Desai started her career in 1994 as a university academic, followed by six years at the International Monetary Fund after which she joined the private sector. She started working at Franklin Templeton in 2009. She holds a PhD(Econ) from Northwestern Univ. and a BA(Econ) from Delhi Univ. Mngr Name Benjamin B. Cryer Mngr Start Date 2022-08-01 Biography Mr. Cryer joined Franklin Templeton in 2006. Mngr Name Thomas Runkel Mngr Start Date 2022-08-01 Biography Tom Runkel is a vice president and portfolio manager for Franklin Templeton Investments. Mr. Runkel focuses on relative value security selection and allocation among the credit sectors for the multi-sector fixed income portfolios. He also serves as the director of portfolio strategies and the lead portfolio manager for the SMA Taxable Fixed Income strategies and supervises the Franklin SMA Taxable Fixed Income Portfolio Management team. Mr. Runkel joined Franklin in 1983 and served as a senior portfolio manager for Franklin's taxable money fund and investment grade fixed income assets as well as a trader for taxable fixed income and equity securities. Mr. Runkel founded Runkel Funds, Inc. in 2002 and managed a large-cap value fund until late 2005 before returning to Franklin in 2006. Mr. Runkel has an M.B.A. from the University of Santa Clara and earned a B.S. in political science from the University of California, Davis. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. Mngr Name Patricia O'Connor Mngr Start Date 2016-02-01 Biography Patricia O'Connor, CFA, VP, is a vice president and portfolio manager for the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in 1997, Ms. O'Connor worked for Morgan Stanley Asset Management. She holds a B.S. (Accounting, Lehigh Univ.) and an MBA (Univ. of Chicago). Ms. O'Connor holds a B.S. in accounting from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. in finance and economics from the University of Chicago. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, as well as a member of the CFA Society of San Francisco and CFA Institute. Investment Advisor(s) Franklin Advisers, Inc. Web Site www.franklintempleton.com Issuer Franklin Templeton Investments Subadvisor(s) ---

Show Data Definitions © Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Morningstar, the Morningstar logo, Morningstar.com, Morningstar Tools are either trademark or service marks of Morningstar, Inc. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or any losses arising from any use of information. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns will vary and shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when sold.



Morningstar Investment Profilessm: Disclosure Statement

Morningstar Rating, Risk and Return

The Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

For private funds, the Morningstar Rating presented is hypothetical, because Morningstar does not independently analyze private funds. Rather, the rating is assigned as a means to compare these funds with the universe of mutual funds that Morningstar rates. The evaluation of this investment does not affect the retail mutual fund data published by Morningstar.

Overall ratings represent a weighted average of specific time period (3-, 5- and 10-year) ratings.

The Morningstar Return rates a fund's performance relative to other managed products in its Morningstar Category. It is an assessment of a product's excess return over a risk-free rate (the return of the 90-day Treasury Bill) in comparison with the products in its Morningstar category. In each Morningstar category, the top 10% of products earn a High Morningstar Return (High), the next 22.5% Above Average (+Avg), the middle 35% Average (Avg), the next 22.5% Below Average (-Avg), and the bottom 10% Low (Low). Morningstar Return is measured for up to three time periods (three, five, and 10 years). These separate measures are then weighted and averaged to produce an overall measure for the product. Products with less than three years of performance history are not rated.

Morningstar Risk evaluates a fund's downside volatility relative to that of other products in its Morningstar Category. It is an assessment of the variations in monthly returns, with an emphasis on downside variations, in comparison with the products in its Morningstar category. In each Morningstar category, the 10% of products with the lowest measured risk are described as Low Risk (Low), the next 22.5% Below Average (-Avg), the middle 35% Average (Avg), the next 22.5% Above Average (+Avg), and the top 10% High (High). Morningstar Risk is measured for up to three time periods (three, five, and 10 years). These separate measures are then weighted and averaged to produce an overall measure for the product. Products with less than three years of performance history are not rated.

Franklin Strategic Income VIP 1

Morningstar Ratings (Relative to Category)    Morningstar Return Morningstar Risk Morningstar Rating # of Funds 3-year Below Avg Average 325 5-year Below Avg Average 270 10-year Below Avg Average 189 Overall Below Avg Average 325 Morningstar Category : Multisector Bond | Number of Funds in Category: 325 Data through 2024-10-31

Risk Measures

R-squared reflects the percentage of an investment option's movements that are explained by movements in its benchmark index, showing the degree of correlation between the investment option and the benchmark.

Beta is a measure of an investment option's sensitivity to market movements. A portfolio with a beta greater than 1 is more volatile than the market, and a portfolio with a beta less than 1 is less volatile than the market. Alpha measures the difference between an investment option's actual returns and its expected performance, given its level of risk (as measured by beta).

The Sharpe ratio uses standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk.

Standard deviation is a statistical measure of the volatility of the investment option's returns.

Mean represents the annualized three-year geometric return.

Morningstar Style BoxTM

The Morningstar Style Box reveals a fund's investment strategy as of the date noted on this report.

For equity funds, the vertical axis shows the market capitalization of the long stocks owned, and the horizontal axis shows the investment style (value, blend, or growth). A darkened cell in the style box matrix indicates the weighted average style of the portfolio.

For portfolios holding fixed-income investments, a Fixed Income Style Box is calculated. The vertical axis shows the credit quality based on credit ratings and the horizontal axis shows interest-rate sensitivity as measured by effective duration. There are three credit categories - "High", "Medium", and "Low"; and there are three interest rate sensitivity categories - "Limited", "Moderate", and "Extensive"; resulting in nine possible combinations. As in the Equity Style Box, the combination of credit and interest rate sensitivity for a portfolio is represented by a darkened square in the matrix. Morningstar uses credit rating information from credit rating agencies (CRAs) that have been designated Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States. For a list of all NRSROs, please visit https://www.sec.gov/ocr/ocr-current-nrsros.html. Additionally, Morningstar will use credit ratings from CRAs which have been recognized by foreign regulatory institutions that are deemed the equivalent of the NRSRO designation. To determine the rating applicable to a holding and the subsequent holding weighted value of a portfolio two methods may be employed. First is a common methodology approach where if a case exists such that two CRAs have rated a holding, the lower rating of the two should be applied; if three or more CRAs have rated a holding, the median rating should be applied; and in cases where there are more than two ratings and a median rating cannot be determined, the lower of the two middle ratings should be applied. Alternatively, if there is more than one rating available an average can be calculated from all and applied. Please Note: Morningstar, Inc. is not an NRSRO nor does it issue a credit rating on the fund. Credit ratings for any security held in a portfolio can change over time.

Morningstar uses the credit rating information to calculate a weighted-average credit quality value for the portfolio. This value is based only upon those holdings which are considered to be classified as "fixed income", such a government, corporate, or securitized issues. Other types of holdings such as equities and many, though not all, types of derivatives are excluded. The weighted-average credit quality value is represented by a rating symbol which corresponds to the long-term rating symbol schemas employed by most CRAs. Note that this value is not explicitly published but instead serves as an input in the Style Box calculation. This symbol is then used to map to a Style Box credit quality category of "low," "medium," or "high". Funds with a "low" credit quality category are those whose weighted-average credit quality is determined to be equivalent to the commonly used High Yield classification, meaning a rating below "BBB", portfolios assigned to the "high" credit category have either a "AAA" or "AA+" average credit quality value, while "medium" are those with an average rating of "AA-" inclusive to "BBB-". It is expected and intended that the majority of portfolios will be assigned a credit category of "medium".

For assignment to an interest-rate sensitivity category, Morningstar uses the average effective duration of the portfolio. From this value there are three distinct methodologies employed to determine assignment to category. Portfolio which are assigned to Morningstar municipal-bond categories employ static breakpoints between categories. These breakpoints are: "Limited" equal to 4.5 years or less, "Moderate" equal to 4.5 years to less than 7 years; and "Extensive" equal to more than 7 years. For portfolios assigned to Morningstar categories other than U.S. Taxable, including all domiciled outside the United States, static duration breakpoints are also used: "Limited" equals less than or equal to 3.5 years, "Moderate" equals greater than 3.5 years but less than or equal to 6 years, and "Extensive" is assigned to portfolios with effective durations of more than 6 years.

Note: Interest-rate sensitivity for non-U.S. domiciled portfolios (excluding those in Morningstar convertible categories) may be assigned using average modified duration when average effective duration is not available.

For portfolios Morningstar classifies as U.S. Taxable Fixed-Income, interest-rate sensitivity category assignment is based on the effective duration of the Morningstar Core Bond Index (MCBI). The classification assignment is dynamically determined relative to the benchmark index value. A "Limited" category will be assigned to portfolios whose average effective duration is between 25% to 75% of MCBI average effective duration, where the average effective duration is between 75% to 125% of the MCBI the portfolio will be classified as "Moderate", and those portfolios with an average effective duration value 125% or greater of the average effective duration of the MCBI will be classified as "Extensive".

Investment Risk

Foreign Securities Investment Options:/Emerging Market Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest in foreign securities involve special additional risks. These risks include, but are not limited to, currency risk, political risk, and risk associated with varying accounting standards. Investing in emerging markets may accentuate these risks.

Sector Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest exclusively in one sector or industry involve additional risks. The lack of industry diversification subjects the investor to increased industry-specific risks.

Non-Diversified Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest more of their assets in a single issuer involve additional risks, including share price fluctuations, because of the increased concentration of investments.

Small Cap Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest in stocks of small companies involve additional risks. Smaller companies typically have a higher risk of failure, and are not as well established as larger blue-chip companies. Historically, smaller-company stocks have experienced a greater degree of market volatility than the overall market average.

Mid Cap Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest in companies with market capitalizations below $10 billion involve additional risks. The securities of these companies may be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of larger companies.

High-Yield Bond Investment Options: The investor should note that investment options that invest in lower-rated debt securities (commonly referred to as junk bonds) involve additional risks because of the lower credit quality of the securities in the portfolio. The investor should be aware of the possible higher level of volatility, and increased risk of default.

Yield

The yield of an investment option refers to the income generated by an investment in that investment option over an identified period of time. The SEC 30-day yield refers to the income generated by an investment over an identified 30-day period. The SEC 30-day yield is calculated by dividing: (I) the net investment income per share of the investment option earned over a 30-day period; by (II) the maximum offering price per share of the investment option on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized using semi-annual compounding. This means that the amount of income generated during the 30-day period is assumed to be generated each month over a 12-month period and is reinvested every six months. The yield does not necessarily reflect income actually earned by investing in the investment option because of certain adjustments required by the SEC and, therefore, may not correlate to the dividends or other distributions paid to shareholders.