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Valic Co. I, et al. – ‘485APOS’ on 2/22/24

On:  Thursday, 2/22/24, at 2:23pm ET   ·   Accession #:  1193125-24-42668   ·   File #s:  2-83631, 811-03738

Previous ‘485APOS’:  ‘485APOS’ on 7/26/23   ·   Latest ‘485APOS’:  This Filing   ·   45 References:   By:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 4/29/24 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘N-CSRS’ on 2/7/24 for 11/30/23 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/27/23 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘N-CSR’ on 8/8/23 for 5/31/23 To:  Valic Co. I – Previous ‘485APOS’ on 7/26/23 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 5/1/23 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/27/22 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 12/7/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/27/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 7/7/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 5/25/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 1/25/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 1/11/21 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 11/4/20 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/28/20 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 4/27/20 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/26/19 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/28/18 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 3/8/18 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/28/17 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/23/16 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/24/15 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/23/14 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘NSAR-A’ on 1/28/14 for 11/30/13 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/23/13 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 12/14/12 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘NSAR-A/A’ on 11/30/12 for 11/30/07 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/21/12 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/27/11 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/23/10 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485APOS’ on 7/26/10 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/22/09 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/22/08 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485APOS’ on 7/18/08 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 3/7/08 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485APOS’ on 10/2/07 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/17/07 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485APOS’ on 7/19/07 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/18/06 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485APOS’ on 9/20/05 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/13/05 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 12/20/04 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/22/04 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 3/8/02 To:  Valic Co. I – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/28/01 

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 2/22/24  Valic Co. I                       485APOS                7:2.2M                                   Donnelley … Solutions/FA
          → Core Bond Fund ⇒ VCBDX
          → Emerging Economies Fund ⇒ VCGEX
          → International Value Fund ⇒ VCFVX

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: 485APOS     Post-Effective Amendment of a Form N-1 or N-1A      HTML   1.96M 
                Registration                                                     
 2: EX-99.(A)(4)  Articles Supplementary to the Articles of         HTML     28K 
                Amendment and Restatement                                        
 3: EX-99.(D)(18)(K)  Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement Between     HTML     77K 
                Valic and T. Rowe Price Associates                               
 4: EX-99.(D)(20)(N)  Amendment No. 13 to Investment Sub-Advisory   HTML     16K 
                Agreement Between Valic                                          
 5: EX-99.(H)(4)(U)  Amended and Restated Advisory Fee Waiver       HTML     11K 
                Agreement Between Registrant                                     
 6: EX-99.(P)(2)  Code of Ethics - Allspring Global Investments     HTML     97K 
 7: EX-99.(Q)   Power of Attorney                                   HTML     11K 

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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 22, 2024

Securities Act File No. 002-83631

Investment Company Act File No. 811-03738

FORM N-1A

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

VALIC COMPANY I

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

2919 ALLEN PARKWAY

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77019

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(800) 445-7862

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code)

KATHLEEN D. FUENTES, ESQ.

30 HUDSON STREET 16^TH FLOOR

JERSEY CITY, NJ 07302

THE CORPORATION TRUST COMPANY

300 EAST LOMBARD ST.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21202

(Name and Address for Agent for Service)

Copy to:

DAVID M. LEAHY, ESQ.

SULLIVAN & WORCESTER LLP

1666 K STREET, N.W.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

If appropriate, check the following box:

This filing relates solely to Core Bond Fund, Emerging Economies Fund and International Value Fund.

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The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED February 22, 2024

VALIC Company I (“VC I”) is a mutual fund complex made up of 36 separate funds, three of which are described in this Prospectus (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). Each of the Funds has its own investment objective.

This Prospectus contains information you should know before investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities, nor has it determined that this Prospectus is accurate or complete. It is a criminal offense to state otherwise.

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The Funds’ investment objectives, principal investment strategies and principal risks are summarized in their respective Fund Summaries. In addition to the principal strategies summarized therein, a Fund may from time-to-time invest in other securities and use other investment techniques. A full description of the Funds’ principal investment strategies and principal risks is included below. The risk of these non-principal securities and other investment techniques, as well as a full description of a Funds’ principal risks, are included in the section “Investment Risks” below. In addition to the securities and investment techniques described in this Prospectus, there are other securities and investment techniques in which the Funds may invest in limited instances. These other securities and investment techniques are listed in the SAI, which you may obtain free of charge (see back cover).

From time to time, certain Funds may take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with their principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. There is no limit on a Fund’s investments in money market securities for temporary defensive purposes. If a Fund takes such a temporary defensive position, it may not achieve its investment objective.

The investment objective and principal strategies for each of the Funds in this Prospectus are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Directors of VALIC Company I (“VC I”) without investor approval. Investors will be given at least 60 days’ written notice in advance of any change to a Fund’s 80% policy. References to “net assets” in the Fund Summaries take into account any borrowings for investment purposes by a Fund. Unless stated otherwise, all percentages are calculated as of the time of purchase.

The Funds enter into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Funds’ investment adviser, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (“VALIC” or the “Adviser”), which provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third-party”) beneficiaries, of those contractual arrangements and those contractual arrangements cannot be enforced by shareholders.

This Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provide information concerning the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Funds. The Funds may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred by federal or state securities laws.

VALIC, as the investment adviser of the Funds, initially allocates the assets of certain Funds that have more than one Subadviser in a manner designed to maximize investment efficiency as well as properly reflect the investment style and provide complementary fit within the Funds. VALIC allocates subscriptions and redemptions equally among the multiple Subadvisers, unless VALIC determines that a different allocation of assets would be in the best interest of the respective Fund and its shareholders. VALIC periodically reviews the asset allocation in each Fund to determine the extent to which a portion of assets managed by a Subadviser differs from that portion initially allocated to the Subadviser. If VALIC determines that the difference is significant, VALIC may effect a re-balancing of a Fund’s assets and adjustment of the Fund’s allocation of cash flows among Subadvisers. However, VALIC reserves the right to reallocate assets from one Subadviser to another when it would be in the best interests of a Fund and its shareholders to do so. VALIC makes such determination based on a number of factors including to maintain a consistent investment style and to better reflect a Fund’s benchmark or its peers. In some instances, the effect of the reallocation will be to shift assets from a better performing Subadviser to a portion of the Fund with a relatively lower total return.

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The following Financial Highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the past 5 years, or, if shorter, the period of the Fund’s operations. With respect to the Core Bond Fund, the Financial Highlights information presented for the Fund prior to May 24, 2021 is the financial history of its Predecessor Fund. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in each table represent the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). Separate Account charges are not reflected in the total returns. If these amounts were reflected, returns would be less than those shown. This information has been audited by [     ], whose report, along with each Fund’s financial statements, is included in the VC I’s Annual Report to shareholders, which is available upon request. Per share data assumes that you held each share from the beginning to the end of each fiscal year. Total return assumes that you bought additional shares with dividends paid by the Fund.

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VALIC Company I

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The Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) incorporated by reference into this prospectus contains additional information about VC I’s operations.

Further information about the Funds’ investments is available in VC I’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. VC I’s annual report discusses market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance results during their last fiscal year.

The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (“VALIC”) can provide you with a free copy of these materials or other information about VC I. You may reach VALIC by calling 1-800-448-2542 or by writing to P.O. Box 15648, Amarillo, Texas 79105-5648. VC I’s prospectus, SAI, and shareholder reports are available online at https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/prospectus-and-reports/annuities#underlyingfunds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) maintains copies of these documents, which are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request a paper copy from the SEC electronically at publicinfo@sec.gov. A duplicating fee will be assessed for all copies provided by the SEC.

VALIC Company I

P.O. Box 3206

Houston, TX 77252-3206

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The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED February 22, 2024

VALIC Company I

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PART B

[ ], 2024

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and contains information in addition to that in the Prospectus for VALIC Company I (“VC I”). It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. The SAI relates to the Prospectus dated [ ], 2024. The audited financial statements of the Core Bond Fund, Emerging Economies Fund, and International Value Fund (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to its Annual Report dated May 31, 2023 and its unaudited financial statements are incorporated in this SAI by reference to its Semi-Annual Report dated November 30, 2023. For an individual interested in a variable annuity contract issued by The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (“VALIC”), a Prospectus may be obtained by visiting the Funds’ website at https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/prospectus-and-reports/annuities#underlyingfunds, or upon request by calling 1-800-448-2542, or writing a Fund at Document Control, P.O. Box 15648, Amarillo, Texas 79105-5648.

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GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY

VC I was incorporated in Maryland on December 7, 1984, and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end, management investment company. Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement with VC I and subject to the authority of VC I’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), VALIC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to each portfolio of VC I, including the Core Bond Fund, Emerging Economies Fund, and International Value Fund (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”), and conducts the business and affairs of VC I. Additionally, VALIC has engaged one or more investment subadvisers (each hereinafter referred to as a “Subadviser” and collectively as the “Subadvisers”) to provide investment subadvisory services for each Fund subject to VALIC’s oversight. VC I consists of separate investment portfolios, each of which is, in effect, a separate mutual fund, such as the Funds, issuing its own separate class of shares of common stock. Each of the Funds is “diversified” as the term is used in the 1940 Act.

VC I issues shares of common stock of each Fund to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (primarily, but not exclusively, governmental plans; collectively, the “Plans” and each, a “Plan”), individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) and registered and unregistered separate accounts of VALIC and its affiliates to fund variable annuity contracts or variable life policies (the “Contracts”).

VC I was originally named VALIC Series Portfolio Company. The name changed to American General Series Portfolio Company (“AGSPC”) on January 14, 1985, to North American Funds Variable Product Series I on October 1, 2000, and to VALIC Company I on December 31, 2001. The individual Fund names also changed on December 31, 2001, as noted below. On May 1, 2008, the name changed to AIG Retirement Company I; and it was renamed VALIC Company I on May 1, 2009.

The American General Core Bond Fund changed its name to the North American – AG Core Bond Fund on October 1, 2000. Effective December 31, 2001, the North American – AG Core Bond Fund changed its name to the Core Bond Fund.

Effective October 1, 2011, the Global Equity Fund changed its name to the Emerging Economies Fund. Effective September 10, 2018, the Foreign Value Fund changed its name to International Value Fund.

On May 24, 2021, the Core Bond Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Capital Conservation Fund, a series of VC I, and the Core Bond Fund, a series of VC II (the “Predecessor Fund”) (the “Reorganization”). The Predecessor Fund is considered the accounting and performance survivor of the Reorganization; accordingly, certain financial history presented in this SAI for the Core Bond Fund is that of the Predecessor Fund.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Funds have each adopted certain fundamental investment restrictions which, unlike the other investment objective(s), policies, and investment program of each Fund, may only be changed with the consent of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the particular Fund. The 1940 Act defines such a majority as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present in person or by proxy at a shareholders’ meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities.

The fundamental investment restrictions and operating policies of each Fund are listed below. The percentage limitations referenced in some of the restrictions are to be determined at the time of purchase. However, percentage limitations for illiquid investments and borrowings apply at all times. Calculation of each Fund’s total assets for compliance with any of the investment restrictions or any other restrictions will not include cash collateral held in connection with securities lending activities.

In applying the limitations on investments in any one industry (concentration), the Funds may use industry classifications based, where applicable, on industry classification guides such as Baseline, Bridge Information Systems, Reuters, or S&P Stock Guide, Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) information obtained from Bloomberg L.P. and Moody’s International, or Barra, and/or the industry classifications set forth in the prospectus of the issuing company of the investment. Further, regarding the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry: (i) there is no limitation with respect to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia or any of their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions and repurchase agreements secured by such instruments, (ii)

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wholly-owned finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents, (iii) utilities will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and gas, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry, and (iv) personal credit and business credit businesses will be considered separate industries.

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

Each Fund may not:

The Funds’ fundamental investment restrictions will be interpreted broadly. For example, the restrictions will be interpreted to refer to the 1940 Act and the related rules as they are in effect from time to time, and to interpretations and modifications of or relating to the 1940 Act by the SEC and others as they are given from time to time. When a policy provides that an investment practice may be conducted as permitted by the 1940 Act, the policy will be interpreted to mean either that the 1940 Act expressly permits the practice or that the 1940 Act does not prohibit the practice.

The following descriptions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above restrictions.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 1 above, the 1940 Act permits a Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to an additional 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires a Fund to maintain an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings (other than the 5% temporary borrowings); provided that in the event that the Fund’s asset coverage falls below 300%, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings so that it meets the 300% asset coverage threshold within three days (not including Sundays and holidays). Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Certain trading practices and investments may be considered to be borrowings and thus subject to the 1940 Act restrictions. The investment restriction will be interpreted to permit a Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowings to the extent consistent with the 1940 Act and applicable SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions and guidance. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending are not considered to be borrowings under the restriction. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the restriction to the extent consistent with applicable SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions and guidance.

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With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 2 above, the 1940 Act permits a Fund to engage in the underwriting business or underwrite the securities of other issuers within certain limits. A Fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Under the 1933 Act, an underwriter may be liable for material omissions or misstatements in an issuer’s registration statement or prospectus. Securities purchased from an issuer and not registered for sale under the 1933 Act are considered restricted securities. There may be a limited market for these securities. If these securities are registered under the 1933 Act, they may then be eligible for sale but participating in the sale may subject the seller to underwriter liability. These risks could apply to a Fund if it invests in restricted securities. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause a Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, investment restriction number 2 above will be interpreted not to prevent a Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 3 above, the 1940 Act permits a Fund to make loans within certain limits. The fundamental investment restriction permits a Fund to engage in securities lending, enter into repurchase agreements, acquire debt and other securities (to the extent deemed lending) and allows the Fund to lend money and other assets, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by the 1940 Act. SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending portfolio securities of more than one-third of their total assets. The fundamental investment restriction will be interpreted not to prevent a Fund from purchasing or investing in debt obligations and loans. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments, as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans under the restriction.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 4, the 1940 Act prohibits a Fund from issuing “senior securities,” which are defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets, except that a Fund may borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose. A Fund also may borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes, and these borrowings are not considered senior securities. The issuance of senior securities by a Fund can increase the speculative character of the Fund’s outstanding shares through leveraging. Leveraging of the Fund through the issuance of senior securities magnifies the potential for gain or loss on monies, because even though the Fund’s net assets remain the same, the total risk to investors is increased to the extent of the Fund’s gross assets. The fundamental investment restriction will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 5, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a Fund from owning real estate; however, a Fund is limited in the amount of illiquid investments it may purchase (real estate is generally considered illiquid). Investing in real estate may involve risks, including that real estate is generally considered illiquid and may be difficult to value and sell. Owners of real estate may be subject to various liabilities, including environmental liabilities. To the extent that investments in real estate are considered illiquid, the Liquidity Rule limits a Fund’s acquisition of any illiquid investment, if at any time, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. The restriction will be interpreted to permit a Fund to invest in real estate-related companies, companies whose businesses consist in whole or in part of investing in real estate, instruments (like mortgages) that are secured by real estate or interests therein, or real estate investment trust securities.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 6, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a Fund from owning commodities, whether physical commodities or contracts related to physical commodities (such as oil or grains and related futures contracts), or financial commodities and contracts related to financial commodities (such as currencies). However, a Fund is limited in the amount of illiquid investments it may purchase. To the extent that investments in commodities are considered illiquid, the Liquidity Rule limits a Fund’s acquisition of any illiquid investment, if at any time, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. If a Fund were to invest in a physical commodity or a physical commodity-related instrument, the Fund would be subject to the additional risks of the particular physical commodity and its related market. The value of commodities and commodity-related instruments may be extremely volatile and may be affected either directly or indirectly by a variety of factors. There also may be storage charges and risks of loss associated with physical commodities. The restriction will be interpreted to permit investments in exchange-traded funds that invest in physical and/or financial commodities.

With respect to fundamental investment restriction number 7, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of

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concentration could change in the future. A fund that invests a significant percentage of its total assets in a single industry may be particularly susceptible to adverse events affecting that industry and may be more risky than a fund that does not concentrate in an industry. The fundamental investment restriction will be interpreted to refer to concentration as it may be determined from time to time. The fundamental investment restriction also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions (other than private activity municipal debt securities whose principal and interest payments are derived principally from the revenues and the assets of a non-governmental user); and repurchase agreements collateralized by any of such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. Finally, the restriction will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Funds as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

Operating Policies

Asset-Backed Securities

A Fund will only invest in fixed-income asset-backed securities rated, at the time of purchase, in the same quality range as its other permissible investments.

Single Investment Companies

Unless otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act, no Fund may invest more than 5% of its total assets in a single investment company.

Total Investment Company Investment

Unless otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act, no Fund may invest more than 10% of its total assets in investment company securities.

Single Investment Company Voting Securities

Unless otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act, no Fund may invest more than 3% of its total assets in the voting securities of a single investment company.

Certificates of Deposit and Bankers Acceptances

The Funds limit investments in U.S. certificates of deposit and bankers acceptances to obligations of U.S. banks (including foreign branches) that have more than $1 billion in total assets at the time of investment and are members of the Federal Reserve System or are examined by the Comptroller of the Currency or where deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). A Fund may also invest in certificates of deposit of savings and loan associations (federally or state chartered and federally insured) having total assets in excess of $1 billion.

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”)

The Core Bond Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in lower-quality fixed-income securities (“junk bonds”), including “sub-prime mortgages,” which are considered below investment-grade. The Core Bond Fund expects to invest no more than 10% of its assets in “sub-prime” mortgage-related securities at the time of purchase.

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INVESTMENT PRACTICES

The Funds may assume temporary defensive positions in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. The Funds may invest up to 100% of their total assets in high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments for this purpose. These short-term debt securities and money market instruments include: shares of money market mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements. When a Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective is limited. To the extent a Fund invests in money market mutual funds when in a defensive position, you will indirectly bear the cost of the money market funds’ advisory fees and operational fees.

For ease of reference, a table reflecting the investment practices in which the Funds may engage is located in Appendix B. Only information that is clearly identified as being applicable to the Funds is considered to form a part of the Funds’ SAI. Information that is not applicable to the Funds does not form a part of this SAI and therefore should not be relied on by investors in the applicable Fund.

In the event of any discrepancy between Appendix B and the disclosure contained in the Prospectus and SAI, the latter shall control.

Adjustable Rate Instruments

Each Fund may invest in adjustable rate money market instruments. Adjustable rate instruments (i.e., variable rate and floating rate instruments) are instruments that have interest rates that are adjusted periodically, according to a set formula. The maturity of some adjustable rate instruments may be shortened under certain special conditions described more fully below.

Variable rate instruments are obligations (usually certificates of deposit) that provide for the adjustment of their interest rates on predetermined dates or whenever a specific interest rate changes. A variable rate instrument whose principal amount is scheduled to be paid in 13 months or less is considered to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate. Many variable rate instruments are subject to demand features which entitle the purchaser to resell such securities to the issuer or another designated party, either (i) at any time upon notice of usually 30 days or less, or (ii) at specified intervals, not exceeding 13 months, and upon 30 days’ notice. A variable rate instrument subject to a demand feature is considered to have a maturity equal to the longer of the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.

Floating rate instruments (generally corporate notes, bank notes, or Eurodollar certificates of deposit) have interest rate reset provisions similar to those for variable rate instruments and may be subject to demand features like those for variable rate instruments. The maturity of a floating rate instrument is considered to be the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.

In the case of adjustable rate instruments that are not subject to a demand feature, a Fund is reliant on the secondary market for liquidity. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the market price of an instrument and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular issues when necessary to meet a Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. As a result of possible extended settlement periods, a Fund may be required to sell other investments or temporarily borrow to meet its cash needs, including satisfying redemption requests.

In certain circumstances, some adjustable rate instruments may not be deemed to be securities, and in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by an issuer, purchasers of these types of instruments, such as a Fund, will not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, as would be the case for bonds or stocks. Instead, in such cases, purchasers generally must rely on the contractual provisions in the instrument itself and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.

Asset-Backed Securities

Each Fund, except the International Value Fund, may invest in asset-backed securities (unrelated to first mortgage loans) that represent fractional interests in pools of retail installment loans, both secured (such as certificates for automobile receivables) and unsecured, and leases, or revolving credit receivables both secured and unsecured (such as credit card receivable securities). These assets are generally held by a trust and payments of principal and interest, or interest only are passed through monthly or quarterly to certificate holders and may be guaranteed up to certain amounts by letters of credit issued by a financial institution affiliated or unaffiliated with the trustee or originator of the trust.

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Underlying automobile sales contracts, leases or credit card receivables are subject to prepayment, which may reduce the overall return to certificate holders. Nevertheless, principal repayment rates tend not to vary much with interest rates and the short-term nature of the underlying loans, leases, or receivables tends to dampen the impact of any change in the prepayment level. Certificate holders may also experience delays in payment on the certificates if the full amounts due on underlying loans, leases or receivables are not realized by the trust because of unanticipated legal or administrative costs of enforcing the contracts or because of depreciation or damage to the collateral (usually automobiles) securing certain contracts, or other factors. If consistent with its investment objective(s) and policies, a Fund may invest in other asset-backed securities that may be developed in the future.

Each of the Funds listed above may invest in certain asset-backed securities known as structured investment vehicles (“SIVs”). SIVs are legal entities that are sponsored by banks, broker-dealers or other financial firms specifically created for the purpose of issuing particular securities or instruments. A SIV purchases mostly highly rated medium- and long-term, fixed income assets and issues shorter-term, highly rated commercial paper and medium-term notes at lower rates to investors. SIVs typically purchase finance company debt which is focused in large banks and may also include exposure to investment banks, insurance, and other finance companies. SIVs also invest in credit card, residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, and asset-backed securities. SIVs are often leveraged and securities issued by SIVs may have differing credit ratings. Investments in SIVs present issuer risks, although they may be subject to a guarantee or other financial support by the sponsoring entity. Investments in SIVs may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than other types of investments. Because SIVs depend on short-term funding through the issuance of new debt, if there is a slowdown in issuing new debt or if a demand for the new debt declines significantly, the SIVs may have to liquidate assets at a loss. Also, to the extent that SIVs’ assets represent investments in finance companies, a Fund may have significant exposure to the financial services market and disruptions in that market could result in lower valuations of the Fund’s holdings of SIV securities.

Bank Obligations

Each Fund may invest in bank obligations. Bank obligations in which the Funds may invest include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, and fixed time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits. A Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which (1) are not subject to prepayment or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and other illiquid investments.

The Funds limit investments in United States bank obligations to obligations of United States banks (including foreign branches) which have more than $1 billion in total assets at the time of investment and are members of the Federal Reserve System or are examined by the Comptroller of the Currency or whose deposits are insured by the FDIC. A Fund also may invest in certificates of deposit of savings and loan associations (federally or state chartered and federally insured) having total assets in excess of $1 billion.

The Funds limit investments in foreign bank obligations to United States dollar- or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including United States branches of foreign banks) which at the time of investment (i) have more than $10 billion, or the equivalent in other currencies, in total assets; (ii) in terms of assets are among the 75 largest foreign banks in the world; (iii) have branches or agencies (limited purpose offices which do not offer all banking services) in the United States; and (iv) in the opinion of a Subadviser, are of an investment quality comparable to obligations of United States banks in which the Funds may invest. Subject to a Fund’s limitation on concentration in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, there is no limitation on the amount of a Fund’s assets which may be invested in obligations of foreign banks which meet the conditions set forth herein.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of United States banks, including the possibility that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of United States banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available

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information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to United States banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

Borrowing

All of the Funds are authorized to borrow money to the extent permitted by applicable law. The 1940 Act permits each Fund to borrow up to 33 1/3% of its total assets from banks for any purpose. In addition, each Fund may borrow up to 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes. In seeking to enhance performance, a Fund may borrow for investment purposes and may pledge assets to secure such borrowings.

To the extent a Fund borrows for investment purposes, borrowing creates leverage which is a speculative characteristic. This practice may help increase the net asset value of the assets allocated to these Funds in an amount greater than would otherwise be the case when the market values of the securities purchased through borrowing increase. In the event the return on an investment of borrowed monies does not fully recover the costs of such borrowing, the value of the Fund’s assets would be reduced by a greater amount than would otherwise be the case. The effect of leverage will therefore tend to magnify the gains or losses to the Fund as a result of investing the borrowed monies. During periods of substantial borrowings, the value of the Fund’s assets would be reduced due to the added expense of interest on borrowed monies. Each of such Funds is authorized to borrow, and to pledge assets to secure such borrowings, up to the maximum extent permissible under the 1940 Act (i.e., presently 50% of net assets). The time and extent to which the Funds may employ leverage will be determined by the respective Subadviser in light of changing facts and circumstances, including general economic and market conditions, and will be subject to applicable lending regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board.

Any such borrowing will be made pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act and, unless the loan is for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of total assets, will be made only to the extent that the value of each Fund’s assets less its liabilities, other than borrowings, is equal to at least 300% of all borrowings including the proposed borrowing. If the value of a Fund’s assets, so computed, should fail to meet the 300% asset coverage requirement, the Fund is required, within three business days, to reduce its bank debt to the extent necessary to meet such requirement and may have to sell a portion of its investments at a time when independent investment judgment would not dictate such sale. Interest on money borrowed is an expense the Fund would not otherwise incur, so that it may have little or no net investment income during periods of substantial borrowings. Since substantially all of a Fund’s assets fluctuate in value, but borrowing obligations are fixed when the Fund has outstanding borrowings, the net asset value of a Fund correspondingly will tend to increase and decrease more when the Fund’s assets increase or decrease in value than would otherwise be the case. A Fund’s policy regarding use of leverage is a fundamental policy, which may not be changed without approval of the shareholders of the Fund.

Brady Bonds

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment objective(s), policies and investment program, may invest in “Brady Bonds.” Brady Bonds are debt securities, generally denominated in U.S. dollars, issued under the framework of the “Brady Plan.” This was an initiative announced by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady in 1989 as a mechanism for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external commercial bank indebtedness. The Brady Plan framework, as it has developed, contemplates the exchange of external commercial bank debt for newly issued bonds (Brady Bonds). Brady Bonds may also be issued in respect of new money being advanced by existing lenders in connection with the debt restructuring. Brady Bonds generally have maturities of between 15 and 30 years from the date of issuance and have traded at a deep discount from their face value. In addition to Brady Bonds, a Fund may invest in emerging market governmental obligations issued as a result of debt restructuring agreements outside of the scope of the Brady Plan.

Agreements implemented under the Brady Plan have been designed to achieve debt and debt service reduction through specific options negotiated by a debtor nation with its creditors. As a result, the financial packages offered by each country differ. The types of options have included the exchange of outstanding commercial bank debt for bonds issued at 100% of face value of such debt which carry a below-market stated rate of interest (generally known as par bonds), bonds issued at a discount from the face value of such debt (generally known as discount bonds), bonds bearing an interest rate which increases over time and bonds issued in exchange for the advancement of new money by existing lenders. Brady Bonds have typically traded at a deep discount from their face value. Certain sovereign bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Certain Brady Bonds have been collateralized as to principal due at maturity (typically 15 to 30 years from the date of issuance) by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds with a maturity equal to the final maturity of such Brady Bonds, although the collateral is not available to investors until the final maturity of the Brady Bonds. Collateral purchases are financed

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by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the debtor nations’ reserves. In addition, interest payments on certain types of Brady Bonds may be collateralized by cash or high-grade securities in amounts that typically represent between 12 and 18 months of interest accruals on these instruments with the balance of the interest accruals being uncollateralized. A Fund may purchase Brady Bonds with no or limited collateralization, and would be relying for payment of interest and (except in the case of principal collateralized Brady Bonds) principal primarily on the willingness and ability of the foreign government to make payment in accordance with the terms of the Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds issued to date are purchased and sold in secondary markets through U.S. securities dealers and other financial institutions and are generally maintained through European transnational securities depositories.

Catastrophe Bonds

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment objective(s), policies and investment program, may invest in “catastrophe bonds.” Catastrophe bonds are fixed-income securities, for which the return of principal and payment of interest is contingent on the non-occurrence of a specific “trigger” catastrophic event, such as a hurricane or an earthquake, or other occurrence that leads to physical or economic loss. They may be issued by government agencies, insurance companies, reinsurers, special purpose corporations or other on-shore or off-shore entities. If a trigger event causes losses exceeding a specific amount in the geographic region and time period specified in a bond, a Fund investing in the bond may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond. If no trigger event occurs, the Fund will recover its principal plus interest. For some catastrophe bonds, the trigger event or losses may be based on company-wide losses, index-portfolio losses, industry indices, or readings of scientific instruments rather than specified actual losses. Often the catastrophe bonds provide for extensions of maturity that are mandatory or optional at the discretion of the issuer, in order to process and audit loss claims in those cases where a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. In addition to the specified trigger events, catastrophe bonds may also expose the Fund to certain unanticipated risks, including, but not limited to, issuer (credit) default, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations, and adverse tax consequences.

Catastrophe bonds may expose a Fund to liquidity risk. See “Illiquid Investments” below for more information with respect to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Lack of a liquid market may impose the risk of higher transaction costs and the possibility that a Fund may be forced to liquidate positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. Catastrophe bonds are typically rated, and a Fund will only invest in catastrophe bonds that meet the credit quality requirements for the Fund.

Collateralized Bond Obligations, Collateralized Loan Obligations and Other Collateralized Debt Obligations

Certain Funds may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust that is often backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. The collateral can be from many different types of fixed income securities such as high-yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust preferred securities and emerging market debt. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.

For CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche, which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CBO trust, CLO trust or trust of another CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, and market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO, CLO or other CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which a Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may lack liquidity. However, an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Funds’ Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the risk that Funds may invest in CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

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Convertible Securities

Each Fund may invest in convertible securities of foreign or domestic issuers. A convertible security is a security (a bond or preferred stock) which may be converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a certain quantity of the common stock of the same or a different issuer. Convertible securities are senior to common stocks in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to similar nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities provide, through their conversion feature, an opportunity to participate in capital appreciation resulting from a market price advance in a convertible security’s underlying common stock. The price of a convertible security is influenced by the market value of the underlying common stock and tends to increase as the market value of the underlying stock rises, whereas it tends to decrease as the market value of the underlying stock declines.

A Fund may be required to permit the issuer of a convertible security to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party. Thus, a Fund may not be able to control whether the issuer of a convertible security chooses to convert that security. If the issuer chooses to do so, this action could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective(s).

In keeping with the objectives of the Core Bond Fund, convertible bonds will be treated as equity securities for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions.

Corporate Actions

From time to time, the issuer of a security held in a Fund’s portfolio may initiate a corporate action relating to that security. Corporate actions may be mandatory (e.g., calls, cash dividends, exchanges, mergers, spin-offs, stock dividends and stock splits) or voluntary (e.g., rights offerings, exchange offerings, and tender offers). Corporate actions may cause a decline in market value or credit quality of the issuer’s stocks or bonds due to factors including an unfavorable market response or a resulting increase in the issuer’s debt. Added debt may significantly reduce the credit quality and market value of an issuer’s bonds.

In the event of a mandatory corporate action, a Fund will not actively add to its position and generally will dispose of the securities as soon as reasonably practicable. These securities may be brand new and as a result might fail certain screens or even investment strategy restrictions (such as not being in the right index, etc). In circumstances in which a Fund elects to participate in a voluntarily corporate action, such actions may enhance the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio. In cases where the Adviser or Subadviser receives sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, it will exercise its discretion, in good faith, to determine whether the Fund will participate in that corporate action. If it does not receive sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Fund may not be able to timely elect to participate in that corporate action. Participation or lack of participation in a voluntary corporate action may result in a negative impact on the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio.

Credit Risk Transfer Securities

Credit risk transfer securities are investments with returns based on the performance of a specified pool of mortgage loans and can be in the form of fixed- or floating-rate notes issued by or structured products (e.g., credit linked notes) sponsored by the Freddie Mac, the Fannie Mae or other mortgage market participants. Typically, such securities are issued at par and have stated final maturities. The securities are structured so that their interest and principal payments depend on the principal payments and default performance of a specific reference pool of residential mortgage loans acquired by the sponsoring entity (“Reference Obligations”). The sponsor selects the pool of Reference Obligations based on certain eligibility criteria, which will directly affect the performance of the securities. Such securities are issued in tranches to which are allocated certain principal repayments and credit losses corresponding to the seniority of the particular tranche. Each tranche of securities will have credit exposure to the Reference Obligations and the yield to maturity will be directly related to the amount and timing of certain defined credit events on the Reference Obligations, any prepayments by borrowers and any removals of a Reference Obligation from the pool.

The risks associated with an investment in credit risk transfer securities will be different than the risks associated with an investment in mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or other government-sponsored enterprises. Credit risk transfer securities are not secured by the Reference Obligation or the mortgaged properties. The securities may be considered high risk and complex securities.

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Cyber Security Risk

With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Funds are susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting VALIC or a Subadviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund investors to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which a Fund invests, counterparties with which a Fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for fund shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. Although service providers typically have business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, a Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders. A Fund and its investors could be negatively impacted as a result.

Depositary Receipts

Each Fund may invest in Depositary Receipts. depositary receipts include ADRs, European Depositary receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) or other similar securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. ADRs are certificates issued by a United States bank or trust company and represent the right to receive securities of a foreign issuer deposited in a domestic bank or foreign branch of a United States bank and traded on a United States exchange or in an over-the-counter (“OTC”) market. GDRs, EDRs and other types of depositary receipts are typically issued by foreign depositaries, although they may also be issued by U.S. depositaries, and evidence ownership interests in a security or pool of securities issued by either a foreign or a U.S. corporation. Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted.

Investment in ADRs has certain advantages over direct investment in the underlying foreign securities since: (i) ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated investments that are easily transferable and for which market quotations are readily available, and (ii) issuers whose securities are represented by ADRs are generally subject to auditing, accounting and financial reporting standards similar to those applied to domestic issuers. This limits the Funds’ exposure to foreign exchange risk.

Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. A sponsored depositary receipt is issued by a depositary that has an exclusive relationship with the issuer of the underlying security. Generally, depositary receipts in registered form are designed for use in the U.S. securities market and depositary receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs associated with establishing the unsponsored depositary receipt. The depositary of unsponsored depositary receipts is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the underlying issuer or to pass through to the holders of the unsponsored depositary receipt voting rights with respect to the deposited securities or pool of securities. For purposes of a Fund’s investment policies, its investments in depositary receipts will be deemed to be investments in the underlying securities.

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Derivatives

A derivative is any financial instrument whose value is derived from the value of other assets (such as stocks), reference rates or indices. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 18f-4” or the “Derivatives Rule”) regulates the ability of a Fund to enter into derivative transactions and other leveraged transactions. Derivative transactions are defined by Rule 18f-4 to include (i) any swap, security-based swap, futures contract, forward contract, option, any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which a Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (ii) any short sale borrowing; (iii) any reverse repurchase agreement or similar financing transaction, if a Fund elects to treat them as derivatives transactions; and (iv) when-issued or forward-settling securities and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless such transactions meet certain requirements.

Unless a fund qualifies as a Limited Derivatives User (defined below), Rule 18f-4 requires the fund to establish a derivatives risk management program, appoint a derivatives risk manager, and carry out enhanced reporting to the Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the public regarding the fund’s derivatives activities. In addition, the Derivatives Rule establishes limits on the derivatives transactions that a fund may enter into based on the value-at-risk (“VaR”) of the fund inclusive of derivatives. A fund will generally satisfy the limits under the Derivatives Rule if the VaR of its portfolio (inclusive of derivatives transactions) does not exceed 200% of the VaR of its “designated reference portfolio.” The “designated reference portfolio” is a representative unleveraged index or a fund’s own portfolio absent derivatives holdings, as determined by the fund’s derivatives risk manager. This limits test is referred to as the “Relative VaR Test.” If a fund determines that the Relative VaR Test is not appropriate for it in light of its strategy, subject to specified conditions, the fund may instead comply with the “Absolute VaR Test.” A fund will satisfy the Absolute VaR Test if the VaR of its portfolio does not exceed 20% of the value of the fund’s net assets.

A fund is not required to comply with the above requirements if it adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage the fund’s derivatives risk and its derivatives exposure does not exceed 10 percent of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) (a “Limited Derivatives User”). Each Fund is classified as a Limited Derivatives User under Rule 18f-4.

Equity Securities

Each of the Funds may invest in equity securities. Equity securities include common stock, preferred stock, securities convertible into common or preferred stock, warrants or rights to acquire common stock, including options, and depositary receipts. Equity securities are subject to financial and market risks and can be expected to fluctuate in value.

Preferred Securities. There are two basic types of preferred securities, traditional and hybrid-preferred securities. Traditional preferred securities consist of preferred stock issued by an entity taxable as a corporation. Preferred stocks, which may offer fixed or floating rate dividends, are perpetual instruments and considered equity securities. Preferred securities are subordinated to senior debt instruments in a company’s capital structure, in terms of priority to corporate income and claim to corporate assets, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than debt instruments. Alternatively, hybrid-preferred securities may be issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated trust or partnership of the corporation, generally in the form of preferred interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The hybrid-preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates. Hybrid-preferred securities are considered debt securities. Due to their similar attributes, the Adviser also considers senior debt perpetual issues, certain securities with convertible features as well as exchange-listed senior debt issues that trade with attributes of exchange-listed perpetual and hybrid-preferred securities to be part of the broader preferred securities market.

Eurodollar Obligations

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment objective(s), policies, and investment program, may invest in Eurodollar obligations, including Eurodollar bonds and Eurodollar certificates of deposit. A Eurodollar obligation is a security denominated in U.S. dollars and originated principally in Europe, giving rise to the term Eurodollar.

Such securities are not registered with the SEC and generally may only be sold to U.S. investors after the initial offering and cooling-off periods. The market for Eurodollar securities is dominated by foreign-based investors and the primary trading market for these securities is London.

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Eurodollar obligations, including Eurodollar bonds and Eurodollar certificates of deposit, are principally obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks. These instruments represent the loan of funds actually on deposit in the U.S. VC I believes that the U.S. bank would be liable in the event that its foreign branch failed to pay on its U.S. dollar denominated obligations. Nevertheless, the assets supporting the liability could be expropriated or otherwise restricted if located outside the U.S. Exchange controls, taxes, or political and economic developments also could affect liquidity or repayment. Due to possibly conflicting laws or regulations, the foreign branch of the U.S. bank could maintain and prevail in the view that the liability is solely its own, thus exposing a Fund to a possible loss. Such U.S. dollar denominated obligations of foreign branches of FDIC member U.S. banks are not covered by the FDIC’s standard insurance limit if they are payable only at an office of such a bank located outside the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.

Moreover, there may be less publicly available information about foreign issuers whose securities are not registered with the SEC and such foreign issuers may not be subject to the accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers registered domestically. In addition, foreign issuers, stock exchanges, and brokers generally are subject to less government regulation. There are, however, no risks of currency fluctuation since the obligations are U.S. dollar denominated.

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment objective(s), policies and investment program, may purchase and sell Eurodollar futures contracts, which enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. A Fund might use Eurodollar futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in a foreign prime lending interest rate to which many interest swaps and fixed-income securities are linked.

Fixed-Income Securities

Each Fund may invest in fixed-income securities, also referred to as debt securities. Fixed-income securities may be considered high-quality if they are rated at least Aa by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or its equivalent by any other Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated, are determined to be of equivalent investment quality. High-quality fixed-income securities are considered to have a very strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Fixed-income securities are considered investment grade if they are rated, for example, at least Baa3 by Moody’s or BBB- by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, or, if not rated, are determined to be of equivalent investment quality. Investment grade fixed-income securities are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay principal and interest. Lower-medium and lower-quality securities that do not meet the credit quality standards of an investment grade security (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are regarded on balance as high risk and predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. The Subadvisers will not necessarily dispose of an investment grade security that has been downgraded to below investment grade. See Appendix A regarding “Description of Credit Rating Symbols and Definitions” for a description of each rating category and a more complete description of lower-medium and lower-quality fixed-income securities and their risks.

The maturity of fixed-income securities may be considered long- (ten plus years), intermediate- (one to ten years), or short-term (thirteen months or less). In general, the principal values of longer-term securities fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than those of shorter-term securities, providing greater opportunity for capital gain or risk of capital loss. A decline in interest rates usually produces an increase in the value of fixed-income securities, while an increase in interest rates generally reduces their value.

Inflation-Indexed Bonds

The Core Bond Fund and the International Value Fund, in accordance with their investment objectives, policies and investment programs, may invest in inflation-indexed bonds. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities whose principal values are periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Interest payments are made to bondholders semi-annually and are made up of two components: a fixed “real coupon” or spread, and a variable coupon linked to an inflation index. Accordingly, payments will increase or decrease each period as a result of changes in the inflation index. In a period of deflation payments may decrease to zero, but in any event will not be less than zero. Inflation-indexed bonds generally are issued at an interest rate lower than typical bonds, but are expected to retain their principal value over time. The interest rate on these bonds is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond this interest may be paid on an increasing principal value, which has been adjusted for inflation.

Inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of five, ten or thirty years, although it is anticipated that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. For example, if a Fund purchased an inflation-indexed bond with a par value of $1,000 and a 3% real rate of return coupon (payable 1.5% semi-annually), and inflation over the first six months was 1%, the mid-year par value of

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the bond would be $1,010 and the first semi-annual interest payment would be $15.15 ($1,010 times 1.5%). If inflation during the second half of the year reached 3%, the end-of-year par value of the bond would be $1,030 and the second semi-annual interest payment would be $15.45 ($1,030 times 1.5%).

If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. The Funds may also invest in other inflation-related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, then real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds.

While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), then investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Lower Rated Fixed-Income Securities (“Junk Bonds”)

Each Fund may invest in below investment grade fixed-income securities. Issuers of lower rated securities (or, if unrated, securities that are determined to be of equivalent investment quality) (“high yield” securities, commonly known as “junk bonds”) may be highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally are greater than is the case with higher rated securities. For example, during an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, issuers of high yield securities may be more likely to experience financial stress, especially if such issuers are highly leveraged. During such periods, such issuers may not have sufficient revenues to meet their interest payment obligations. The issuer’s ability to service its debt obligations also may be adversely affected by specific issuer developments, or the issuer’s inability to meet specific projected business forecasts, or the unavailability of additional financing. The risk of loss due to default by the issuer is significantly greater for the holders of lower-rated securities because such securities may be unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors of the issuer.

Lower-rated, fixed income securities frequently have call or redemption features which would permit an issuer to repurchase the security from a Fund. If a call were exercised by the issuer during a period of declining interest rates, a Fund likely would have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security, thus decreasing the net investment income to the Fund and dividends to shareholders.

A Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain lower-rated, fixed income securities because there may be a thin trading market for such securities. The secondary trading market for high-yield securities is generally not as liquid as the secondary market for higher-rated securities. Reduced secondary market liquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular issues when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer.

Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, which may not be based on fundamental analysis, also may decrease the value and liquidity of lower-rated, fixed income securities, particularly in a thinly traded market. Factors adversely affecting the market value of

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lower-rated, fixed income securities are likely to adversely affect a Fund’s NAV. In addition, a Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon the default of a portfolio holding or to participate in the restructuring of the obligation.

There are risks involved in applying credit ratings as a method for evaluating lower-rated, fixed income securities. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market risks involved in lower-rated, fixed income securities. Since credit rating agencies may fail to change the credit ratings in a timely manner to reflect subsequent events, the Adviser or a Subadviser will monitor the issuers of lower-rated, fixed income securities in a Fund to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to assure the debt securities’ liquidity stays within the parameters of the Portfolio’s investment policies. The Subadviser will not necessarily dispose of a portfolio security when its ratings have been changed.

Investments in already defaulted securities pose an additional risk of loss, should nonpayment of principal and interest continue, in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery of a Fund’s initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, a Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. A Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy annual distribution obligations of the Fund in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though such Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.

The Core Bond Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in junk bonds, including subprime auto asset-backed securities and “sub-prime mortgages,” which are considered below investment-grade.

Foreign Currency Exchange Transactions and Forward Contracts

Each Fund may enter into forward contracts. Forward contracts involve bilateral obligations of one party to purchase, and another party to sell, a specific currency at a future date (which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties), at a price set at the time the contract is entered into.

Forward contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. Institutions that deal in forward currency contracts, however, are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. No price is paid or received upon the purchase or sale of a forward contract. Funds may use forward contracts to reduce certain risks of their respective investments and/or to attempt to enhance return. Each of the Funds may invest in forward contracts consistent with their respective investment goals and investment strategies. To the extent that a substantial portion of a Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”), which is described below, includes forward foreign exchange transactions (but not bona fide spot foreign exchange transactions) in the definition of “swap” and therefore contemplates that certain of these contracts may be exchange-traded, cleared by a clearinghouse and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). A limited category of forward foreign exchange transactions was excluded from certain of the Dodd-Frank regulations, as permitted thereunder, by the Secretary of the United States Department of the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury”) and therefore that class of forward foreign currency contracts as well as bona fide spot foreign exchange transactions, which are settled through delivery of the foreign currency, will not be subject to full regulation by the CFTC, public reporting or to mandatory margining by counterparties and the Trust under regulations of the CFTC and the regulators of U.S. banks, bank holding companies and other regulated depository institutions (the “Prudential Regulators”). As a result, a Fund may not receive certain of the benefits of CFTC regulation or of mandatory bilateral margining for certain of its trading activities, including certain forward contracts although such forward contracts will be subject to the limits set forth in the Derivatives Rule.

Forward contracts are generally used to protect against uncertainty in the level of future exchange rates, although they may be used to enhance returns. The use of forward contracts does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities a Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does fix a rate of exchange in advance. In addition, although forward contracts limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, at the same time they limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currencies increase. Moreover, costs involved in entering into forward contracts will reduce the benefit of such contracts.

Forward contracts may also be entered into with respect to specific transactions. For example, when a Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in (or affected by fluctuations in, in the case of American Depositary Receipts

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(“ADRs”)) a foreign currency, or when a Fund anticipates receipt of dividend payments in a foreign currency, the Fund may desire to “lock-in” the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such payment by entering into a forward contract, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars per unit of foreign currency. Entry into a forward contract or a spot contract may also be used to facilitate the purchase or sale of the underlying foreign security or to close-out an existing forward contract. A Fund will thereby be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the currency exchange rates during the period between: the date on which the security is purchased and the date it is sold; the date on which a purchase is planned and the date it is effected; the date on which a dividend payment is declared and the date on which such payment is made or received; and the date on which a hedging transaction is entered into and the date it is terminated.

Forward contracts are also used to lock in the U.S. dollar value of portfolio positions (“position hedge”). In a position hedge, for example, when a Fund believes that a particular foreign currency may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell an amount of that foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of the portfolio securities denominated in (or affected by fluctuations in, in the case of ADRs) such foreign currency, or when a Fund believes that the U.S. dollar may suffer a substantial decline against a foreign currency, it may enter into a forward contract to buy that foreign currency for a fixed dollar amount in exchange for U.S. dollars. In this situation, a Fund may, in the alternative, enter into a forward contract to sell a different foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount where the Fund believes that the U.S. dollar value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward contract will fall whenever there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which portfolio securities of the Fund are denominated (“cross-hedging”). Another example of a cross-hedge may involve a Fund entering into a forward contract to sell a fixed Euro amount and to enter into a forward contract to buy a fixed amount of a different currency. A Fund may also hedge investments denominated in a foreign currency by entering into forward currency contracts with respect to a foreign currency that is expected to correlate to the currency in which the investments are denominated (“proxy hedging”).

The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of these securities between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it is sold. Accordingly, it may be necessary for a Fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot (i.e., cash) market (and bear the expense of such purchase), if the market value of the security is less than the amount of foreign currency a Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the foreign currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency received upon the sale of the portfolio security if its market value exceeds the amount of foreign currency a Fund is obligated to deliver. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. Forward contracts involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted, causing a Fund to sustain losses on these contracts and transaction costs.

At or before the maturity of a forward contract requiring a Fund to sell a currency, the Fund may either sell a portfolio security and use the sale proceeds to make delivery of the currency or retain the security and offset its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing a second contract pursuant to which the Fund will obtain, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency that it is obligated to deliver. Similarly, a Fund may close out a forward contract requiring it to purchase a specified currency by entering into a second contract entitling it to sell the same amount of the same currency on the maturity date of the first contract. A Fund would realize a gain or loss as a result of entering into such an offsetting forward contract under either circumstance to the extent the exchange rate or rates between the currencies involved moved between the execution dates of the first contract and offsetting contract, net of related transaction costs.

The cost to a Fund of engaging in forward contracts varies with factors such as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward contracts are usually entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved, but transaction costs are charged through a spread. Because such contracts are not traded on an exchange, a Fund must evaluate the credit and performance risk of each particular counterparty under a forward contract as well as the pricing or spread offered.

Although a Fund values its assets daily in terms of U.S. dollars, it does not intend to convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars on a daily basis. A Fund may convert foreign currency from time to time, and investors should be aware of the costs of currency conversion. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, but they do seek to realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

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Foreign Securities

Each Fund may invest in foreign securities. Foreign securities are securities of issuers that are economically tied to a non-U.S. country. Except as otherwise described in a Fund’s principal investment strategies or as determined by a Fund’s subadviser, a Fund will consider an issuer to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country by looking at a number of factors, including the domicile of the issuer’s senior management, the primary stock exchange on which the issuer’s security trades, the country from which the issuer produced the largest portion of its revenue, and its reporting currency. A foreign security includes corporate debt securities of foreign issuers (including preferred or preference stock), certain foreign bank obligations and U.S. dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities. Supranational entities include international organizations designated or supported by governmental entities to promote economic reconstruction or development and of international banking institutions and related government agencies. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Coal and Steel Community, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. In addition, each Fund may invest in non-U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities, in accordance with its specific investment objective(s), investment programs, policies, and restrictions. Investing in foreign securities may involve advantages and disadvantages not present in domestic investments. There may be less publicly available information about securities not registered domestically, or their issuers, than is available about domestic issuers or their domestically registered securities. Stock markets outside the U.S. may not be as developed as domestic markets, and there may also be less government supervision of foreign exchanges and brokers. Foreign securities may be less liquid or more volatile than U.S. securities. Trade settlements may be slower and could possibly be subject to failure. In addition, brokerage commissions and custodial costs with respect to foreign securities may be higher than those for domestic investments. Accounting, auditing, financial reporting and disclosure standards for foreign issuers may be different than those applicable to domestic issuers. Non-U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage) and a Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. Foreign securities may also involve risks due to changes in the political or economic conditions of such foreign countries, the possibility of expropriation of assets or nationalization, and possible difficulty in obtaining and enforcing judgments against foreign entities.

The Emerging Economies Fund focuses on the equity securities of emerging market companies and other investments that are tied economically to emerging markets.

See “Recent Market Events” below for more information with respect to the risks associated with foreign securities.

Emerging Markets

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment objective(s), policies and investment programs, may make investments in companies located in emerging market countries. Investments in companies domiciled in emerging market countries may be subject to additional risks. Specifically, volatile social, political and economic conditions may expose investments in emerging or developing markets to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature. Emerging market countries may have less stable political systems than those of more developed countries. As a result, it is possible that recent favorable economic developments in certain emerging market countries may be suddenly slowed or reversed by unanticipated political or social events in such countries. Moreover, the economies of individual emerging market countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as the rate of growth in gross domestic product, the rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.

Another risk is that the small current size of the markets for such securities and the currently low or nonexistent volume of trading can result in a lack of liquidity and in greater price volatility. In addition, there may be an absence of a capital market structure or market-oriented economy in certain emerging market countries. If a Fund’s securities will generally be denominated in foreign currencies, the value of such securities to the Fund will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates and in exchange control regulations. A change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of a Fund’s securities. In addition, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain emerging market currencies may not be internationally traded. Certain of these currencies have experienced a steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

A further risk is that the existence of national policies may restrict a Fund’s investment opportunities and may include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. Also, some emerging market countries may not have developed structures governing private or foreign investment and may not allow for judicial redress for injury to private property.

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Chinese Securities

A Fund may invest in securities of companies domiciled in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”). Investing in these securities involves special risks, including, but not limited to, an authoritarian government, less developed or less efficient trading markets, nationalization of assets, currency fluctuations or blockage, and restrictions on the repatriation of invested capital. In addition, there is no guarantee that the current rapid growth rate of the Chinese economy will continue, and the trend toward economic liberalization and disparities in wealth may result in social disorder. China is considered to be an emerging market and therefore carries high levels of risk associated with emerging markets. China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations, as well as major health crises. These health crises include, but are not limited to, the rapid and pandemic spread of novel viruses commonly known as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Such health crises could exacerbate political, social and economic risks previously mentioned. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

Stock Connect. A Fund may invest in local equity Chinese securities (“China A-Shares”) of certain Chinese-domiciled companies listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program and on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (each, a “Stock Connect” and collectively, “Stock Connects”) or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time. Each Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing links program developed by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (“HKEX”), the SSE or SZSE, as applicable, and the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CDCC”) that, among other things, permits foreign investment in the PRC via brokers in Hong Kong.

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in November 2014 and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program launched in December 2016, and there is no certainty as to how the regulations governing them will be applied or interpreted. Significant risks exist with respect to investing in China A-Shares through a Stock Connect. China A-Shares may only be bought from, or sold to, a Fund when both the PRC and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Accordingly, if one or both markets are closed on a U.S. trading day, a Fund may not be able to dispose of its shares in a timely manner and this could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. The China A-Shares market has a higher propensity for trading suspensions than many other global equity markets. Trading suspensions in certain stocks could lead to greater market execution risk and costs for a Fund. In addition, same day trading is not permitted on the China A-Shares market, which may inhibit a Fund’s ability to enter into or exit trades on a timely basis. PRC regulations require the pre-delivery of cash or securities to a broker before the market opens on the day of selling. If the cash or securities are not in the broker’s possession before the market opens on that day, the sell order will be rejected, which may limit a Fund’s ability to dispose of its China A-Shares purchased through a Stock Connect in a timely manner.

Although no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connects, trading through a Stock Connect’s northbound trading link is subject to daily investment quota limitations, which may change. Once these quota limitations are reached, buy orders for China A-Shares through a Stock Connect will be rejected, which could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategy. China A-Shares purchased through a Stock Connect may only be sold through a Stock Connect and are not otherwise transferrable. Although China A-Shares must be designated as eligible to be traded on a Stock Connect, such shares may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they may be sold but cannot be purchased through a Stock Connect. Moreover, since all trades of eligible China A-Shares through a Stock Connect must be settled in Renminbi (“RMB”), a Fund must have timely access to a reliable supply of offshore RMB, which cannot be guaranteed. Notably, different fees, costs and taxes are imposed on foreign investors acquiring China A-Shares obtained through a Stock Connect, and these fees, costs and taxes may be higher than comparable fees, costs and taxes imposed on owners of other securities providing similar investment exposure. There is also no assurance that RMB will not be subject to devaluation. Any devaluation of RMB could adversely affect a Fund’s investments. If a Fund holds a class of shares denominated in a local currency other than RMB, the Fund will be exposed to currency exchange risk if the Fund converts the local currency into RMB for investments in China A-shares. A Fund may also incur conversion costs.

A Fund’s China A-Shares are held in an omnibus account and registered in nominee name, with Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”) (a clearing house operated by HKEX) serving as nominee for the Fund. The exact nature and rights of a Fund as the beneficial owner of shares through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under PRC law, and the exact nature and enforcement methods of those rights under PRC law are also unclear. As a result, the title to these shares, or the rights associated with them (i.e., participation in corporate actions, shareholder meetings, etc.) cannot be assured.

Variable Interest Entities. Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures to raise capital from non-Chinese investors, even though such arrangements are not formally recognized under Chinese law, because of Chinese government limitations or prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries, such as restrictions on foreign ownership of

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telecommunications companies and prohibitions on ownership of educational institutions. In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into between a holding company domiciled outside of China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to mimic direct ownership in the operating company, but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding company, which is not a Chinese operating company but is a holding company formed outside of China and the U.S., then issues exchange-traded shares sold to the public, including non-Chinese investors (such as a Fund). Shares of the offshore entity purchased by a Fund would not be equity ownership interests in the Chinese operating company.

Through these structures, the China-based issuer can consolidate the Chinese operating company in its financial statements, although whether the China-based issuer maintains legal control of the Chinese operating company is a matter of Chinese law. Under this structure, the Chinese operating company, in which the China-based issuer cannot hold an equity interest, typically holds licenses and other assets that the China-based issuer cannot hold directly.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) released the “Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies” (the “Trial Measures”). The Trial Measures require Chinese companies that pursue listings outside of mainland China, including those that do so using the VIE structure, to make a filing with the CSRC. The Trial Measures suggest that companies already listed using an existing VIE structure will be grandfathered. While the Trial Measures do not prohibit the use of VIE structures, this does not serve as a formal endorsement either.

The offshore entity’s control over the Chinese operating company is predicated entirely on contracts with the Chinese operating company, not equity ownership. As a result, the VIE structure may not be as effective as direct ownership in controlling entities organized in China, which often hold the licenses necessary to conduct the company’s business in China. Additionally, evolving laws and regulations and inconsistent enforcement, application or interpretation thereof could lead to the VIE’s failure to obtain or maintain licenses and permits to do business in China. There is a risk that the offshore company or the VIE (i) may be unable to receive or maintain any required governmental permissions or approvals or (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required and that applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and these entities are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future. The VIE structures used by Chinese operating companies pose risks to investors that are not present in other organizational structures. For example, exerting control through contractual arrangements may be less effective than direct equity ownership, and a company may incur substantial costs to enforce the terms of the arrangements, including those relating to the distribution of funds among the entities, because of, among other things, legal uncertainties and jurisdictional limits. Control over, and funds due from, the VIE may be jeopardized if the natural person or persons that hold the equity interest in the VIE breach the terms of the agreement. As a result, the U.S. listed offshore entity could have limited control and lose any control over the VIE.

A Fund’s interest would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with a Chinese operating company’s use of the VIE structure. Although the CSRC currently does not object to the use of VIE structures, at any time, the Chinese government could determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or regulations could change or be interpreted differently in the future, and the Chinese government may otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE structures or the related Chinese operating companies. Further, the Chinese government could determine that the agreements establishing the VIE structure do not comply with Chinese law and regulations, including those related to restrictions on foreign ownership, which could subject a China-based issuer to penalties, revocation of business and operating licenses, or forfeiture of ownership interests. A China-based issuer’s control over a VIE may also be jeopardized if a natural person who holds the equity interest in the VIE breaches the terms of the agreements, is subject to legal proceedings, or if any physical instruments, such as chops and seals, are used without the China-based issuer’s authorization to enter into contractual arrangements in China. Additionally, Chinese tax authorities may disregard the VIE structure, resulting in increased tax liabilities.

If any of these or similar risks or developments materialize, a Fund’s investment in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or become worthless because of, among other things, difficulty enforcing (or mobility to enforce) the contractual arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinese operating company’s performance. A Fund could experience significant losses with no recourse available in these circumstances.

Russian Securities

In response to political and military actions, including state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments, undertaken by Russia, the United States, the European Union and the regulatory bodies of certain other countries have instituted numerous sanctions against certain Russian individuals and Russian entities. These sanctions, and other intergovernmental actions that may be undertaken against Russia in the future, may result in the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the

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country’s credit rating, and a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian stocks. These sanctions could result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, including securities in the form of ADRs, impairing the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities. Retaliatory action by the Russian government could involve the seizure of U.S. and/or European residents’ assets and any such actions are likely to impair the value and liquidity of such assets. Any or all of these potential results could push Russia’s economy into a recession. These sanctions, and the continued disruption of the Russian economy, could have a negative effect on the performance of funds that have significant exposure to Russia, including a Fund.

Money Market Securities of Foreign Issuers

Each Fund may also, in accordance with its specific investment objective(s) and investment program, policies and restrictions, purchase U.S. dollar-denominated money market securities of foreign issuers. Such money market securities may be registered domestically and traded on domestic exchanges or in the OTC market (e.g., Yankee securities) or may be (i) registered abroad and traded exclusively in foreign markets or (ii) registered domestically and issued in foreign markets (e.g., Eurodollar securities).

Foreign money market instruments utilized by the Funds will be limited to: (i) obligations of, or guaranteed by, a foreign government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (ii) certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, short-term notes, negotiable time deposits and other obligations of the ten largest banks in each foreign country, measured in terms of net assets; and (iii) other short-term unsecured corporate obligations (usually 1 to 270 day commercial paper) of foreign companies. For temporary purposes or in light of adverse foreign political or economic conditions, the Funds may invest in short-term high quality foreign money market securities without limitation.

Hybrid Instruments

Hybrid instruments, including indexed and structured securities, combine the elements of derivatives, including futures contracts or options, with those of debt, preferred equity or a depository instrument (each, a “Hybrid Instrument” and collectively, “Hybrid Instruments”). Each of the Funds may invest in Hybrid Instruments (such as notes, bonds and debentures), up to 10% of its total assets. Generally, a Hybrid Instrument will be a debt security, preferred stock, depository share, trust certificate, certificate of deposit or other evidence of indebtedness on which a portion of or all interest payments, and/or the principal or stated amount payable at maturity, redemption or retirement, is determined by reference to prices, changes in prices, or differences between prices of securities, currencies, intangibles, goods, articles or commodities (collectively, “Underlying Assets”) or by another objective index, economic factor or other measure, such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, commodity indices, and securities indices (collectively, “Benchmarks”). Thus, Hybrid Instruments may take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, debt instruments with interest or principal payments or redemption terms determined by reference to the value of a currency or commodity or securities index at a future point in time, preferred stock with dividend rates determined by reference to the value of a currency, or convertible securities with the conversion terms related to a particular commodity.

Hybrid Instruments may be an efficient means of creating exposure to a particular market, or segment of a market, with the objective of enhancing total return. For example, a Fund may wish to take advantage of expected declines in interest rates in several European countries, but avoid the transaction costs associated with buying and currency-hedging the foreign bond positions. One solution would be to purchase a U.S. dollar-denominated Hybrid Instrument whose redemption price is linked to the average three-year interest rate in a designated group of countries. The redemption price formula would provide for payoffs of greater than par if the average interest rate was lower than a specified level, and payoffs of less than par if rates were above the specified level. Furthermore, the Fund could limit the downside risk of the security by establishing a minimum redemption price so that the principal paid at maturity could not be below a predetermined minimum level if interest rates were to rise significantly. The purpose of this arrangement, known as a structured security with an embedded put option, would be to give the Fund the desired European bond exposure while avoiding currency risk, limiting downside market risk, and lowering transaction costs. Of course, there is no guarantee that the strategy will be successful and the Fund could lose money if, for example, interest rates do not move as anticipated or credit problems develop with the issuer of the Hybrid Instrument.

The risks of investing in Hybrid Instruments reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. Thus, an investment in a Hybrid Instrument may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt instrument that has a fixed principal amount, is denominated in U.S. dollars or bears interest either at a fixed rate or a floating rate determined by reference to a common, nationally published Benchmark. The risks of a particular Hybrid Instrument will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include, without limitation, the possibility of significant changes in the Benchmarks or the prices of Underlying Assets to which the instrument is linked. Such risks generally depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the Hybrid Instrument, which may not be readily foreseen by the purchaser, such as economic and

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political events, the supply and demand for the Underlying Assets and interest rate movements. In recent years, various Benchmarks and prices for Underlying Assets have been highly volatile, and such volatility may be expected in the future. Reference is also made to the discussion of futures, options, and forward contracts herein for a discussion of the risks associated with such investments.

Hybrid Instruments are potentially more volatile and carry greater market risks than traditional debt instruments. Depending on the structure of the particular Hybrid Instrument, changes in a Benchmark may be magnified by the terms of the Hybrid Instrument and have an even more dramatic and substantial effect upon the value of the Hybrid Instrument. Also, the prices of the Hybrid Instrument and the Benchmark or Underlying Asset may not move in the same direction or at the same time.

Hybrid Instruments may bear interest or pay preferred dividends at below market (or even relatively nominal) rates. Alternatively, Hybrid Instruments may bear interest at above market rates but bear an increased risk of principal loss (or gain). The latter scenario may result if “leverage” is used to structure the Hybrid Instrument. Leverage risk occurs when the Hybrid Instrument is structured so that a given change in a Benchmark or Underlying Asset is multiplied to produce a greater value change in the Hybrid Instrument, thereby magnifying the risk of loss as well as the potential for gain.

Hybrid Instruments may also carry illiquidity risk since the instruments are often “customized” to meet the portfolio needs of a particular investor, and therefore, the number of investors that are willing and able to buy such instruments in the secondary market may be smaller than that for more traditional debt securities. Under certain conditions, the redemption (or sale) value of such an investment could be zero. In addition, because the purchase and sale of Hybrid Instruments could take place in an OTC market without the guarantee of a central clearing organization or in a transaction between a Fund and the issuer of the Hybrid Instrument, the creditworthiness of the counterparty or issuer of the Hybrid Instrument would be an additional risk factor the Fund would have to consider and monitor. Hybrid Instruments also may not be subject to regulation by the CFTC (which generally regulates the trading of commodity interests by U.S. persons), the SEC (which regulates the offer and sale of securities by and to U.S. persons), or any other governmental regulatory authority.

The various risks discussed above, particularly the market risk of such instruments, may in turn cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of a Fund. Accordingly, a Fund that so invests will limit its investments in Hybrid Instruments to 10% of its total assets.

Hybrid instruments include “market access products,” which are often referred to as equity-linked notes. A market access product is a derivative security with synthetic exposure to an underlying local foreign stock. They include, for example, warrants, zero strike options, and total return swaps. Market access products are subject to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers. If the underlying stock decreases in value, the market access product will decrease commensurately. In addition, market access products are subject to counterparty risk due to the fact that the security is issued by a broker. If the broker suffers a significant credit event and cannot perform under the terms of the agreement, an access product may lose value regardless of the strength of the underlying stock. Hybrid Instruments also include Participation Notes and Participatory Notes (“P-notes”). P-notes are participation interest notes that are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to a particular underlying equity, debt, currency or market. If the P-note were held to maturity, the issuer would pay to, or receive from, the purchaser the difference between the nominal value of the underlying instrument at the time of purchase and that instrument’s value at maturity. The holder of a P-note that is linked to a particular underlying security or instrument may be entitled to receive any dividends paid in connection with that underlying security or instrument, but typically does not receive voting rights as it would if it directly owned the underlying security or instrument. P-notes involve transaction costs. Investments in P-notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying securities, instruments or markets that they seek to replicate. In addition, there can be no assurance that there will be a trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the underlying value of the security, instrument or market that it seeks to replicate. Due to liquidity and transfer restrictions, the secondary markets on which a P-note is traded may be less liquid than the market for other securities, or may be completely illiquid, which may also affect the ability of a Fund to accurately value a P-note. P-notes typically constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, which subjects a Fund that holds them to counterparty risk (and this risk may be amplified if a Fund purchases P-notes from only a small number of issuers).

Hybrid Instruments also include structured investments, which are securities having a return tied to an underlying index or other security or asset. Structured investments are organized and operated to restructure the investment characteristics of the underlying security. This type of restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a corporation or trust, of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans) and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities (“Structured Securities”) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued Structured Securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of the payments made with respect to Structured Securities is dependent

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on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments. Because Structured Securities typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. The Funds may invest in classes of Structured Securities that are either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated Structured Securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated Structured Securities. Structured Securities are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for Structured Securities. Investments in government and government-related and restructured debt instruments are subject to special risks, including the inability or unwillingness to repay principal and interest, requests to reschedule or restructure outstanding debt and requests to extend additional loan amounts. Certain issuers of structured securities may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Funds’ investments in these structured securities may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. Contingent convertible securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) are a type of hybrid security that under certain circumstances either (i) converts into common shares of the issuer or (ii) undergoes a principal write-down. The mandatory conversion/write-down provision might relate, for instance, to maintenance of a capital minimum, whereby falling below the minimum would trigger the automatic conversion. Since the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in these instruments could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero; and conversion would deepen the subordination of the investor, hence worsening standing in a bankruptcy. Should an instrument undergo a write-down, investors may lose some or all of their original investment.

Illiquid Investments

Under the Liquidity Rule (as defined below), no more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets may be invested in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets, the Liquidity Rule and the Liquidity Program (as defined below) require that certain remedial actions be taken. Investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Fund’s operations require cash, such as when the Fund redeems shares or pays dividends, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments.

Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”)

The Emerging Economies Fund and the International Value Fund may invest in IPOs. As such, a portion of each Fund’s returns may be attributable to the Fund’s investments in IPOs. There is no guarantee that as a Fund’s assets grow it will be able to experience significant improvement in performance by investing in IPOs.

A Fund’s purchase of shares issued as part of, or a short period after, companies’ IPOs, exposes it to the risks associated with companies that have little operating history as public companies, as well as to the risks inherent in those sectors of the market where these new issuers operate. The market for IPO issuers has been volatile, and share prices of newly-public companies have fluctuated in significant amounts over short periods of time.

Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program

VC I has received exemptive relief from the SEC which permits a Fund to participate in an interfund lending program among investment companies advised by VALIC or an affiliate. The interfund lending program allows the participating f to borrow money from and loan money to each other for temporary or emergency purposes. The program is subject to a number of conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of participating funds, including the requirement that no fund may borrow from the program unless it receives a more favorable interest rate than would be available to any of the participating funds from a typical bank for a comparable transaction. In addition, a Fund may participate in the program only if and to the extent that such participation is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. Interfund loans and borrowings may extend overnight but could have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one business day’s notice. A Fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional costs. The program is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board of the participating funds. To the extent a Fund is actually engaged in borrowing through the interfund lending program, the Fund will comply with its investment policy or restriction on borrowing.

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International Bonds

Each Fund, in accordance with its investment practices and policies, may invest in international bonds, which include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign corporations for which the primary trading market is in the United States (“Yankee Bonds”), or for which the primary trading market is abroad (“Euro Bonds”). International bonds may involve special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies, including differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a country); and political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries. Additionally, dispositions of foreign securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including withholding taxes. Foreign securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and, therefore, may exhibit greater price volatility. A Fund’s investment in international bonds also may be affected either unfavorably or favorably by fluctuations in the relative rates of exchange between currencies of different nations, by exchange control regulations and by indigenous economic and political developments.

Lending Portfolio Securities

Each Fund (a “Lending Fund”) may make secured loans of its portfolio securities in amounts up to 30% of its total assets in accordance with its investment practices and policies. The lending of portfolio securities may increase the average annual return to shareholders. Lending of portfolio securities also involves certain risks to the Lending Funds.

Collateral Requirements. Securities loans are made to broker-dealers and other financial institutions approved by the Custodian and pursuant to agreements requiring that the loans be continuously secured by collateral at least equal at all times to the loaned securities marked to market value on a daily basis. These loans of portfolio securities will be made only when the Custodian considers the borrowing broker-dealers or financial institutions to be creditworthy and of good standing and the interest and/or fees earned from such loans to justify the attendant risks. These loans of portfolio securities will be made only when the Custodian considers the borrowing broker-dealers or financial institutions to be creditworthy and of good standing and the interest earned from such loans to justify the attendant risks. The collateral received will consist of cash, U.S. Government securities, letters of credit or such other collateral as permitted by interpretations or rules of the SEC and agreed upon by the Lending Fund and the Custodian. The initial collateral received shall have a value of 102% or 105% of the market value of the loaned securities for domestic securities and non-domestic securities, respectively. There will be a daily procedure to ensure that the pledged collateral is equal in value to at least 100% of the value of the securities loaned. Under such procedure, the value of the collateral pledged by the borrower as of any particular business day will be determined on the next succeeding business day. If such value is less than 100% of the value of the securities loaned, the borrower will be required to pledge additional collateral. A Lending Fund may suffer losses if the value of the securities in which cash collateral is invested declines.

Rights with Respect to Loaned Securities. While the securities are on loan, the Lending Funds will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the securities, as well as interest on the investment of the cash collateral or a fee from the borrower.

Any loan of portfolio securities by any Lending Fund will be callable at any time by the Lending Fund upon notice of five business days and returned to the Lending Fund within a period of time specified in the respective securities loan agreement and in no event later than the end of the customary settlement period for such loaned securities. When voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Lending Fund may call the loan, in whole or in part as appropriate, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on that Lending Fund’s investment in the securities being loaned. Although the Lending Funds’ programs allow for the recall of securities for any reason, VALIC may determine not to vote securities on loan and it may not always be possible for securities on loan to be recalled in time to be voted.

Termination of Loans. If the borrower fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the loan will automatically terminate and the Lending Fund will be permitted to use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in receiving additional collateral or in the recovery of the securities or, in some cases, even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially.

On termination of the loan, the borrower will be required to return the securities to the Lending Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan would inure to the Lending Fund. The Lending Fund may pay reasonable finders, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan of its securities. There can be no assurance that the risks described above will not adversely affect the Lending Fund.

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Securities Lending Agreement. VC I, on behalf of each Lending Fund, has entered into a Securities Lending Authorization Agreement (the “Securities Lending Agreement”) with State Street (the “securities lending agent”) pursuant to which the securities lending agent implements and administers the Lending Funds’ securities lending program. Under the Securities Lending Agreement, the securities lending agent provides the following services, among others: (i) selects borrowers from its list of approved borrowers and executes a securities loan agreement as agent on behalf of each Lending Fund with each such borrower; (ii) negotiates the terms of securities loan agreements and certain individual securities loans, including fees; (iii) directs the delivery of loaned securities; (iv) monitors and credits to a Lending Fund distributions on loaned securities (e.g., interest and dividends); (v) receives and holds, on behalf of a Lending Fund, collateral from borrowers, monitors the daily value of loaned securities and directs the payment of additional collateral or the return of excess collateral, as required; (vi) invests cash collateral in connection with any loaned securities; (vii) establishes and maintains records with respect to securities lending activities; and (viii) terminates securities loans and arranges for the return of loaned securities to a Lending Fund at loan termination.

The following table shows the dollar amounts of income and fees/compensation related to the securities lending activities of each Lending Fund for the year ended May 31, 2023:

Risks of Lending Portfolio Securities. Securities lending involves exposure to other risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. In the event a borrower does not return a Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities.

A Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral or the value of investments made with cash collateral falls. To the extent that the value of a Fund’s investments of the cash collateral declines below the amount owed to a borrower, the Fund may incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security.

There is also a risk that when lending portfolio securities, the securities may not be available to a Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may, therefore, lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. In addition, engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the market risk, credit risk and other risks associated with investments in a Fund.

LIBOR Risk

A Fund’s investments, payment obligations and financing terms may be based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, ceased publishing most LIBOR settings (including some U.S. LIBOR settings) in 2021 and the remaining (and most widely used) U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings as of June 30, 2023. The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, will permit the use of synthetic U.S. Dollar LIBOR rates for non-U.S. contracts through September 30, 2024, but any such rates would be considered non-representative of the underlying market.

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Since 2018, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which has been adopted under U.S. federal legislation as the replacement for U.S. Dollar LIBOR, with certain adjustments, for certain existing contracts that do not already provide for the use of a clearly defined or practicable replacement benchmark rate. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market. There is no assurance that the composition or characteristics of SOFR or any alternative reference rate will be similar to or produce the same value or economic equivalence as LIBOR or that the market for SOFR-linked financial instruments will have the same volume or liquidity as did the market for LIBOR-linked financial instruments prior to LIBOR’s discontinuance or unavailability. Neither the long-term effects of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Liquidity Risk Management

Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Liquidity Rule”), requires open-end funds, such as the Funds, to establish a liquidity risk management program and enhance disclosures regarding fund liquidity. As required by the Liquidity Rule, each Fund has implemented its liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Program”), and the Board has appointed VALIC as the liquidity risk program administrator of the Liquidity Program. Under the Liquidity Program, VALIC assesses, manages, and periodically reviews each Fund’s liquidity risk and classifies each investment held by a Fund as a “highly liquid investment,” “moderately liquid investment,” “less liquid investment” or “illiquid investment.” The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that a Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The liquidity of a Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the Liquidity Program. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, the Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.

Loan Participations and Assignments

Each Fund, except the International Value Fund, may invest in loan participations and assignments. Loan participations include investments in fixed and floating rate loans (“Loans”) arranged through private negotiations between an issuer of sovereign or corporate debt obligations and one or more financial institutions (“Lenders”). Investments in Loans are expected in most instances to be in the form of participations in Loans (“Participations”) and assignments of all or a portion of Loans (“Assignments”) from third parties. In the case of Participations, a Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the Lender selling the Participation and only upon receipt by the Lender of the payments from the borrower. In the event of the insolvency of the Lender selling the Participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the Lender and the borrower. A Fund will acquire Participations only if the Lender interposed between the Fund and the borrower is determined by the Subadviser to be creditworthy. When a Fund purchases Assignments from Lenders it will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the Loan. Because Assignments are arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, however, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an Assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning Lender. Because there is no liquid market for such securities, the Fund anticipates that such securities could be sold only to a limited number of institutional investors. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular Assignments or Participations when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid secondary market for Assignments and Participations also may make it more difficult for a Fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund and calculating its net asset value.

The highly leveraged nature of many such Loans may make such Loans especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. Assignments, Participations and other direct investments may not be in the form of securities or may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and there may be no liquid market for such securities as described above. Participations and Assignments may be considered liquid, as determined by a Fund’s Subadviser.

In certain circumstances, Loans may not be deemed to be securities, and in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by a borrower or an arranger, Lenders and purchasers of interests in Loans, such as the Fund, will not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, as would be the case for bonds or stocks, and there may be less publicly available information about Loans than about securities. Instead, in such cases, Lenders generally rely on the contractual provisions in the Loan agreement itself and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.

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Master Limited Partnerships

Each of the Funds that may invest in equity securities may also invest in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) or limited partnerships. Certain companies are organized as master limited partnerships in which ownership interests are publicly traded. MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. Limited partners (including a Fund if it invests in an MLP) are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership. They are allocated income and capital gains associated with the partnership project in accordance with the terms established in the partnership agreement.

Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and on or before December 31, 2025, individuals and certain other non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, may claim a deduction for 20% of “qualified publicly traded partnership income,” such as income from MLPs. However, the new law does not include any provision for a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified publicly traded partnership income through to its shareholders. As a result, an investor who invests directly in MLPs will be able to receive the benefit of that deduction, while a shareholder in a Portfolio will not.

The risks of investing in an MLP are generally those inherent in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be less protections afforded investors in an MLP than investors in a corporation. Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP are risks associated with the specific industry or industries in which the partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or the oil and gas industries.

Mortgage-Related Securities

Each Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities to the extent such investments are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies. Mortgage-related securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations.

Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities include, but are not limited to, securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae” or “GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae” or “FNMA”), and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac” or “FHLMC”). These securities represent ownership in a pool of mortgage loans. They differ from conventional bonds in that principal is paid back to the investor as payments are made on the underlying mortgages in the pool. Accordingly, a Fund receives monthly scheduled payments of principal and interest along with any unscheduled principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages. Because these scheduled and unscheduled principal payments must be reinvested at prevailing interest rates, mortgage-backed securities do not provide an effective means of locking in long-term interest rates for the investor.

Like other fixed income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of mortgage-backed securities with prepayment features will generally decline. In addition, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-backed securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The weighted average life of such securities is likely to be substantially shorter than the stated final maturity as a result of scheduled principal payments and unscheduled principal prepayments.

Ginnie Mae is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are each a government-sponsored enterprise. Both issue mortgage-related securities that contain guarantees as to timely payment of interest and principal but that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities

Interests in pools of mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of fixed income securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or

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guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may have the effect of shortening or extending the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. To the extent that unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of such security can be expected to increase.

The principal governmental guarantors of mortgage-related securities are GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC. GNMA is a wholly owned United States Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the United States Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the “FHA”), or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).

Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”) which represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMC’s national portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.

Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets VC I’s investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. Certain Funds may buy mortgage-related securities without insurance or guarantees if, through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originator/servicers and poolers, a Subadviser determines that the securities meet VC I’s quality standards. Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.

Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions, set forth above under “Investment Restrictions,” by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. In the case of privately issued mortgage-related securities, the Funds take the position that mortgage-related securities do not represent interests in any particular “industry” or group of industries. The assets underlying such securities may be represented by a portfolio of first lien residential mortgages (including both whole mortgage loans and mortgage participation interests) or portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities issued or guaranteed by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC. Mortgage loans underlying a mortgage-related security may in turn be insured or guaranteed by the FHA or the VA. In the case of private issue mortgage-related securities whose underlying assets are neither U.S. Government securities nor U.S. Government-insured mortgages, to the extent that real properties securing such assets may be located in the same geographical region, the security may be subject to a greater risk of default than other comparable securities in the event of adverse economic, political or business developments that may affect such region and, ultimately, the ability of residential homeowners to make payments of principal and interest on the underlying mortgages.

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Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)

Each Fund may invest in CMOs. A CMO is a hybrid between a mortgage-backed bond and a mortgage pass-through security. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, monthly. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC, or FNMA, and their income streams.

CMOs are structured in multiple classes, each bearing a different stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payment of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to investors holding the shortest maturity class. Investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. An investor is partially guarded against a sooner than desired return of principal because of the sequential payments.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

Commercial mortgage-backed securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

Additional Information about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers.

In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury agreed to purchase 1,000 shares of senior preferred stock with an initial liquidation preference of $1 billion and obtained warrants and options for the purchase of common stock of each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Under the SPAs as currently amended, the U.S. Treasury has pledged to provide financial support to a GSE in any quarter in which the GSE has a net worth deficit as defined in the respective SPA. The SPAs contain various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations.

The conditions attached to entering into the SPAs place significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the U.S. Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions are placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s respective portfolios of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the U.S. Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any mortgage-backed security guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such mortgage-backed security held by a Fund.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The SPAs are intended to enhance each of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s ability to meet its obligations. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed. The FHFA recently announced plans to consider taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship. Should

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear whether the U.S. Treasury would continue to enforce its rights or perform its obligations under the SPAs. It is also unclear how the capital structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be constructed post-conservatorship, and what effects, if any, the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will have on their creditworthiness and guarantees of certain mortgage-backed securities. Accordingly, should the FHFA take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship, there could be an adverse impact on the value of their securities, which could cause a Fund’s investments to lose value.

Other Mortgage-Related Securities

Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including CMO residuals, mortgage dollar rolls or stripped mortgage-backed securities. Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or fixed income securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

CMO residuals

CMO residuals are mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

The cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs and second to pay the related administrative expenses of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the prepayment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to prepayments on the related underlying mortgage assets, in the same manner as an interest-only (“IO”) class of stripped mortgage-backed securities. See “Mortgage-Related Securities – Other Mortgage-Related Securities – Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities.” In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances a Fund may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.

CMO residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. Transactions in CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may or, pursuant to an exemption there from, may not have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to a Fund’s limitations on investments in illiquid investments.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls

Each Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls. In a “dollar roll” transaction, a Fund sells a mortgage-related security, such as a security issued by GNMA, to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a similar security (but not the same security) in the future at a pre-determined price. A “dollar roll” can be viewed as a collateralized borrowing in which a Fund pledges a mortgage-related security to a dealer to obtain cash. The dealer with which a Fund enters into a dollar roll transaction is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund, but only securities which are “substantially identical.” To be considered “substantially identical,” the securities returned to a Fund generally must: (i) be collateralized by the same types of underlying mortgages; (ii) be issued by the same agency and be part of the same program; (iii) have a similar original stated maturity; (iv) have identical net coupon rates; (v) have similar market yields (and therefore price); and (vi) satisfy “good delivery” requirements, meaning that the aggregate principal amounts of the securities delivered and received must be within 1.0% of the initial amount delivered.

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Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities (“SMBSs”)

Each Fund may invest in SMBSs to the extent such investments are consistent with a Fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies.

SMBSs are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBSs may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

SMBSs are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBSs will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the “IO” class), while the other class will receive the entire principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Fund may fail to recoup some or all of its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories.

While IOs and POs are generally regarded as being illiquid, such securities may be deemed to be liquid if they can be disposed of promptly in the ordinary course of business at a value reasonably close to that used in the calculation of a Fund’s net asset value per share. Only government IOs and POs backed by fixed-rate mortgages and determined to be liquid under established guidelines and standards may be considered liquid securities not subject to a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid investments.

Options and Futures Contracts

Each Fund may invest in options and futures contracts as described in more detail herein. Options and futures are contracts involving the right to receive or the obligation to deliver assets or money depending on the performance of one or more underlying assets or a market or economic index. An option gives its owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy (“call”) or sell (“put”) a specified amount of a security or other assets at a specified price within a specified time period. A futures contract is an exchange-traded legal contract to buy or sell a standard quantity and quality of a commodity, financial instrument, index, or security or basket of securities at a specified future date and price. Options and Futures (defined below) are generally used for either hedging or income enhancement purposes. Funds may also use options and Futures for other purposes, including, without limitation, to facilitate trading, to increase or decrease a Fund’s market exposure, to seek higher investment returns, to seek protection against a decline in the value of a Fund’s securities or an increase in prices of securities that may be purchased, or to generate income.

Options on securities may be traded on a national securities exchange or in the OTC market, options on futures contracts may be traded only on a CFTC-regulated designated contract market and options on commodities and currencies are generally traded in the OTC market. Each Fund may use OTC options.

Risks to the Funds of entering into option contracts include market risk, assignment risk (i.e., the risk that a clearinghouse will assign an exercise notice to an option writer which will require the holder to settle the option rather than allowing the option to expire while retaining the premium) and, with respect to OTC options, illiquidity risk and counterparty risk. Counterparty risk arises from the potential inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund’s loss will consist of the net amount of contractual payments that the Fund has not yet received. Market risk is the risk that there will be an unfavorable change in the value of the underlying securities. There is also the risk the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. In addition, unlisted options are not traded on an exchange and may not be as actively traded as listed options, making the valuation of such securities more difficult. An unlisted option also entails a greater risk that the party on the other side of the option transaction may default, which would make it impossible to close out an unlisted option position in some cases, and profits related to the transaction lost thereby.

Options can be either purchased or written (i.e., sold). A call option written by a Fund obligates the Fund to sell specified securities, commodities, or other assets to the holder of the option at a specified price or to deliver a net cash settlement amount equal to the difference between specified prices if the option is exercised at any time before expiration. One purpose of writing covered call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, in writing covered call options for additional income, a Fund may forgo the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.

As a matter of operating policy, the Science & Technology Fund will not write a covered option if, as a result, the aggregate market value of all portfolio securities or currencies covering put or call options exceeds 25% of the market value of that Fund’s net assets.

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A put option written by a Fund obligates a Fund to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price or to deliver a net cash settlement amount equal to the difference between specified prices if the option is exercised at any time before expiration. One purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for a Fund through the premiums received. However, in return for the option premium, a Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities’ market value at the time of purchase.

The following is more detailed information concerning options on securities, commodity options, futures and options on futures:

Options on Securities. When a Fund writes (i.e., sells) a call option (“call”) on a security it receives a premium and, if the option is physically settled, agrees to sell the underlying security or basket of securities to a purchaser of a corresponding call on the same security during the call period (usually not more than nine months) at a fixed price (which may differ from the market price of the underlying security), regardless of market price changes during the call period. A Fund may also write call options that are cash settled. Under cash settlement, instead of purchasing the underlying security or basket of securities upon exercise, the Fund is required to pay the holder cash equal to the intrinsic profit embedded in the option based on the difference between specified prices. In both cases, a Fund has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security or of the basket of securities decline during the call period, which may be offset to some extent by the premium.

To terminate its obligation on a call it has written, a Fund may sell its position or may purchase a corresponding call in a “closing purchase transaction.” A profit or loss will be realized, depending upon whether the net of the amount of the option transaction costs and the premium received on the call written was more or less than the price of the call subsequently purchased. A profit may also be realized if the call expires unexercised, because a Fund retains the premium received (and, if the option was “covered,” the Fund would also retain the underlying security). If a Fund could not effect a closing purchase transaction due to lack of a market, it may be required to hold the callable securities until the call expired or was exercised. In the case of OTC options, the options writer may be able to negotiate a termination of the option contract.

When a Fund purchases a call (other than in a closing purchase transaction), it pays a premium and has the right to buy the underlying investment from a seller of a corresponding call on the same investment during the call period at a fixed exercise price or, if the call is cash settled, to receive the intrinsic profit (which is often measured based on the difference between the strike price and the market price of the underlying security or basket on the exercise date). A Fund generally benefits only if the call is sold at a profit or if, during the call period, the market price of the underlying investment is above the sum of the call price plus the transaction costs and the premium paid and the call is exercised. If the call is not exercised or sold (whether or not at a profit), it will become worthless at its expiration date and a Fund will lose its premium payment and the right to purchase the underlying investment. In some cases, however, a call option can serve as a hedge for other securities or trading strategies held by the Fund. For example, if a Fund enters into a short sale on securities, a long call option that references those securities can protect the Fund against losses in closing out the short position by establishing a fixed purchase price.

A put option on securities gives the purchaser the right to sell, and the writer the obligation to buy, the underlying investment at the exercise price during the option period or, if the option is cash settled, an obligation to settle by paying the intrinsic profit. The premium a Fund receives from writing a put option represents a profit as long as the price of the underlying investment remains above the exercise price (or, if the option is cash settled, the difference between the specified prices does not exceed the specified difference). However, a Fund has also assumed the obligation during the option period to buy the underlying investment from the buyer of the put at the exercise price (or, if cash settled, to pay the intrinsic profit), even though the value of the investment may fall below the exercise price. If the put expires unexercised, a Fund (as the writer of the put) realizes a gain in the amount of the premium. If the put is exercised, a Fund must fulfill its obligation to purchase the underlying investment at the exercise price, which will usually exceed the market value of the investment at that time. In that case, a Fund may incur a loss equal to the sum of the sale price of the underlying investment and the premium received minus the sum of the exercise price and any transaction costs incurred. A put option may be used to hedge other securities or trading strategies. For example, like a long call option, a cash-settled put option can protect the Fund against losses in closing out a short position in the referenced securities.

A Fund may sell or effect a closing purchase transaction to realize a profit on an outstanding put option it has written or to prevent an underlying security from being put. In the case of an OTC put option, the Fund may be able to negotiate a termination. A Fund will realize a profit or loss from sale, a termination or a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less or more than the premium received from writing the option.

When a Fund purchases a put, it pays a premium and has the right to sell the underlying investment to a seller of a corresponding put on the same investment during the put period at a fixed exercise price (or, if cash settled, to receive a cash payment equal to the

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intrinsic profit). Buying a put on an investment a Fund owns enables the Fund to protect itself during the put period against a decline in the value of the underlying investment below the exercise price by selling such underlying investment at the exercise price to a seller of a corresponding put. If the market price of the underlying investment is equal to or above the exercise price and as a result the put is not exercised or resold, the put will become worthless at its expiration date, and the Fund will lose its premium payment and the right to sell the underlying investment pursuant to the put. The put may, however, be sold prior to expiration (whether or not at a profit). A long put option is often used as a hedge against depreciation in the value of securities held by a Fund.

Buying a put on an investment a Fund does not own permits the Fund either to resell the put or buy the underlying investment and sell it at the exercise price. The resale price of the put generally will vary inversely with the price of the underlying investment. If the market price of the underlying investment is above the exercise price and as a result the put is not exercised, the put will become worthless on its expiration date. In the event of a decline in the stock market, a Fund could exercise or sell the put at a profit to attempt to offset some or all of its loss on its portfolio securities. Under Rule 18f-4, a Fund is limited in the positions in options that it is authorized to enter into and, assuming the Fund is not a Limited Derivatives User, the Fund is required to implement a derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager to oversee its entry into derivatives, including options.

In the case of a listed put option, as long as the obligation of a Fund as the put writer continues, it may be assigned an exercise notice by the broker-dealer through whom such option was sold, requiring a Fund to take delivery of the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. If the Fund writes an OTC put option, it will be responsible for purchasing the underlying security from the option counterparty (or paying the counterparty the intrinsic profit, for a cash-settled put option) upon exercise. A Fund has no control over when it may be required to purchase the underlying security, since the owner of the put option determines if and when to exercise the option. This obligation terminates upon expiration of the put, or such earlier time at which a Fund sells the option, negotiates a termination of an OTC option or effects a closing purchase transaction by purchasing a put of the same series as that previously sold. Once a Fund has been assigned an exercise notice for a listed option, it is thereafter not allowed to effect a closing purchase transaction.

The purchase of a spread option on a security gives a Fund the right to put, or sell, a security at a fixed dollar spread or fixed yield spread in relationship to another security. Covered options spread is a strategy sometimes used by one or more Funds. Under a covered options spread, the Fund owns the securities referenced by two call options sold by the Fund or two put options purchased by the Fund at different strike price levels. The risk to a Fund in purchasing covered spread options is the cost of the premium paid for the spread option and any transaction costs. Similarly, the risk to a Fund in selling covered spread options is that the Fund may be required to sell the securities under both options, and the cost of doing so may be greater than the premium received. In addition, there is no assurance that closing transactions will be available. The purchase of spread options will be used to protect a Fund against adverse changes in prevailing credit quality spreads (i.e., the yield spread between high quality and lower quality securities). Such protection is provided only during the life of the spread option.

Options on Foreign Currencies. Puts and calls are also written and purchased on foreign currencies in an attempt to protect against declines in the U.S. dollar value of foreign portfolio securities and against increases in the U.S. dollar cost of foreign securities to be acquired. Most currency options are entered into on an OTC basis.

As with other kinds of option transactions, the writing of an option on currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. A Fund could be required to purchase or sell currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to a Fund’s position, the Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs.

The Emerging Economies Fund and the International Value Fund may purchase put options on foreign currencies that correlate with the Fund’s portfolio securities in order to minimize or hedge against anticipated declines in the exchange rate of the currencies in which the Fund’s securities are denominated and may purchase call options on foreign currencies that correlate with its portfolio securities to take advantage of anticipated increases in exchange rates.

The Emerging Economies Fund and the International Value Fund may write covered call and put options on foreign currencies that correlate with its portfolio securities in order to earn additional income or in the case of call options written to minimize or hedge against anticipated declines in the exchange rate of the currencies in which the Fund’s securities are denominated.

Options on Securities Indices. Puts and calls on broad-based securities indices are similar to puts and calls on securities except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question (and thus on price movements in the securities market generally) rather than on price movements in individual securities or Futures (as defined below). When a Fund buys a call on a

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securities index, it pays a premium. During the call period, upon exercise of a call by a Fund, a seller of a corresponding call on the same investment will pay the Fund an amount of cash to settle the call if the closing level of the securities index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. That cash payment is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (the “multiplier”) which determines the total dollar value for each point of difference. When a Fund buys a put on a securities index, it pays a premium and has the right during the put period to require a seller of a corresponding put, upon the Fund’s exercise of its put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash to settle the put if the closing level of the securities index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put. That cash payment is determined by the multiplier, in the same manner as described above as to calls.

The use of options subjects a Fund to a number of risks, including market risk and, in the case of OTC options, counterparty risk. In addition, options may not succeed depending upon market conditions. For example, if a Subadviser’s predictions of future movements in the securities markets do not materialize, the use of options may exacerbate the adverse consequences to the Fund (e.g., by reducing available cash available for distribution or reinvestment) and may leave the Fund in a worse position than if options had not been used. Other risks of using options include contractions and unexpected movements in the prices of the assets underlying the options and bankruptcy of the counterparty.

Yield Curve Options. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent not anticipated. Yield curve options are traded OTC and because they have been only recently introduced, established trading markets for these securities have not yet developed.

Reset Options. Reset options are options on U.S. Treasury securities that provide for periodic adjustment of the strike price and may also provide for the periodic adjustment of the premium during the term of each such option. Like other types of options, these transactions, which may be referred to as “reset” options or “adjustable strike” options grant the purchaser the right to purchase (in the case of a call) or sell (in the case of a put), a specified type of U.S. Treasury security at any time up to a stated expiration date (or, in certain instances, on such date). In contrast to other types of options, however, the price at which the underlying security may be purchased or sold under a “reset” option is determined at various intervals during the term of the option, and such price fluctuates from interval to interval based on changes in the market value of the underlying security. As a result, the strike price of a “reset” option, at the time of exercise, may be less advantageous than if the strike price had been fixed at the initiation of the option. In addition, the premium paid for the purchase of the option may be determined at the termination, rather than the initiation, of the option. If the premium for a reset option written by the Fund is paid at termination, the Fund assumes the risk that (i) the premium may be less than the premium that would otherwise have been received at the initiation of the option because of such factors as the volatility in yield of the underlying Treasury security over the term of the option and adjustments made to the strike price of the option, and (ii) the option purchaser may default on its obligation to pay the premium at the termination of the option. Conversely, where the Fund purchases a reset option, it could be required to pay a higher premium than would have been the case at the initiation of the option.

Options on securities are subject to position limits and exercise limits established by the exchanges, the Options Clearing Corporation and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), which restrict the size of the positions that a Fund may enter into or exercise.

Futures. Each Fund in accordance with its investment objective, investment program, policies, and restrictions may enter into futures contracts for various purposes including to increase or decrease exposure to equity or bond markets, to hedge against changes in interest rates, prices of stocks, bonds or other instruments, or rates to manage duration and yield curve positioning, or to enhance income or total return. The Emerging Economies Fund and the International Value Fund may utilize currency futures contracts and both listed and unlisted futures contracts and options thereon.

Interest rate futures contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and stock and bond index futures contracts, including futures on U.S. Government securities (together, “Futures”) are used primarily for hedging purposes, and from time to time for return enhancement. Futures are also often used to adjust exposure to various equity or fixed income markets or as a substitute for investments in underlying securities markets, referred to as the “cash” markets. Upon entering into a Futures transaction, a Fund is required to deposit initial margin equal to a percentage (generally less than 10%) of the contract value with a futures commission merchant (the “futures broker”) for posting with the applicable clearinghouse. As the Future is marked to market to reflect changes in its market value, exchanges of margin, known as “variation margin,” are made or received by the Fund as a result of changes in the value of the contract and/or changes in the value of the initial margin requirement. Prior to expiration of the Future, if a Fund elects to close out its position by taking an opposite position, a final determination of variation margin is made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund, and any loss or gain is realized for tax purposes. All Futures transactions are effected through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on

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which the Futures are traded. Some Futures are physically-settled, which means that, unless the Future is closed out prior to the maturity date, the Fund would be required to deliver or take delivery of the referenced asset. Other Futures are cash-settled, which means that the Fund would be required to pay or receive cash equal to the intrinsic profit in the contract.

The primary risk to the Funds of entering into Futures is market risk. Market risk is the risk that there will be an unfavorable change in the interest rate, value or currency rate of the underlying securities. Futures involve, to varying degrees, risk of loss in excess of the variation margin as disclosed on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. There may also be trading restrictions or limitations imposed by an exchange, and government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts. There may not always be a liquid secondary market for Futures and, as a result, a Fund may be unable to close out its contracts at a time that is advantageous or as necessary to avoid physical settlement. In addition, if a Fund has insufficient cash to meet margin requirements, the Fund may need to sell other investments, including at disadvantageous times. The Fund may enter into arrangements with futures brokers to take on for the Fund physical settlement obligations in the event that the Fund fails to close out a position prior to the maturity date.

Interest rate futures contracts are purchased or sold generally to manage duration and yield curve positioning and for hedging purposes to attempt to protect against the effects of interest rate changes on a Fund’s current or intended investments in fixed income securities, as well as for other purposes. For example, if a Fund owned long-term bonds and interest rates were expected to increase, that Fund might sell interest rate futures contracts. Such a sale would have much the same effect as selling some of the long-term bonds in that Fund’s portfolio. However, since the Futures market is more liquid than the underlying bond or “cash” market, the use of interest rate futures contracts as a hedging technique allows a Fund to hedge its interest rate risk without having to sell its portfolio securities. If interest rates did increase, the value of the debt securities in the portfolio would decline, but the value of that Fund’s interest rate futures contracts would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate, thereby keeping the net asset value of that Fund from declining as much as it otherwise would have. On the other hand, if interest rates were expected to decline, interest rate futures contracts may be purchased to hedge in anticipation of subsequent purchases of long-term bonds at higher prices. Since the fluctuations in the value of the interest rate futures contracts should be similar to that of long-term bonds, a Fund could protect itself against the effects of the anticipated rise in the value of long-term bonds without actually buying them until the necessary cash became available or the market had stabilized. At that time, the interest rate futures contracts could be liquidated and that Fund’s cash reserves could then be used to buy long-term bonds on the cash market.

The structure of swap futures blends certain characteristics of existing OTC swaps and futures products. Unlike most swaps traded in the OTC market that are so-called “par” swaps with a fixed market value trading on a rate basis, swap futures have fixed notional coupons and trade on a price basis. In addition, swap futures are constant maturity products that will not mature like OTC swaps, but rather represent a series of 10-year instruments expiring quarterly. Because swap futures are traded on an exchange, there is no counterparty or default risk, although, like all futures contracts, a Fund could experience delays and/or losses associated with the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages in futures transactions. Investing in swap futures is subject to the same risks of investing in futures, which is described above.

Purchases or sales of stock or bond index futures contracts are used for hedging purposes to attempt to protect a Fund’s current or intended investments from broad fluctuations in stock or bond prices. For example, a Fund may sell stock or bond index futures contracts in anticipation of or during a market decline to attempt to offset the decrease in market value of the Fund’s securities portfolio that might otherwise result. If such decline occurs, the loss in value of portfolio securities may be offset, in whole or in part, by gains on the Futures position. When a Fund is not fully invested in the securities market and anticipates a significant market advance, it may purchase stock or bond index futures contracts in order to gain rapid market exposure that may, in part or entirely, offset increases in the cost of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. As such purchases are made, the corresponding positions in stock or bond index futures contracts will be closed out.

Foreign currency futures contracts are generally entered into for hedging or income enhancement purposes to attempt to protect a Fund’s current or intended investments from fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Such fluctuations could reduce the dollar value of portfolio securities denominated in foreign currencies, or increase the cost of foreign-denominated securities to be acquired, even if the value of such securities in the currencies in which they are denominated remains constant. For example, a Fund may sell futures contracts on a foreign currency when it holds securities denominated in such currency and it anticipates a decline in the value of such currency relative to the dollar. In the event such decline occurs, the resulting adverse effect on the value of foreign-denominated securities may be offset, in whole or in part, by gains on the Futures contracts. However, if the value of the foreign currency increases relative to the dollar, the Fund’s loss on the foreign currency futures contract may or may not be offset by an increase in the value of the securities since a decline in the price of the security stated in terms of the foreign currency may be greater than the increase in value as a result of the change in exchange rates.

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Conversely, a Fund could protect against a rise in the dollar cost of foreign-denominated securities to be acquired by purchasing Futures contracts on the relevant currency, which could offset, in whole or in part, the increased cost of such securities resulting from a rise in the dollar value of the underlying currencies. When a Fund purchases futures contracts under such circumstances, however, and the price of securities to be acquired instead declines as a result of appreciation of the dollar, the Fund will sustain losses on its futures position, which could reduce or eliminate the benefits of the reduced cost of portfolio securities to be acquired.

Foreign currency futures contracts provide similar economics to forward contracts except they are generally not physically-settled, require mandatory margining and trade on an exchange.

Unlisted Futures contracts, which may be purchased or sold only by the Emerging Economies Fund and the International Value Fund, like unlisted options, are not traded on an exchange and, generally, are not as actively traded as listed Futures contracts or listed securities. Such Futures contracts generally do not have the following elements: standardized contract terms, margin requirements relating to price movements, clearing organizations that guarantee counterparty performance, open and competitive trading in centralized markets, and public price dissemination. These elements in listed instruments serve to facilitate their trading and accurate valuation. As a result, the accurate valuation of unlisted Futures contracts may be difficult. In addition, it may be difficult or even impossible, in some cases, to close out an unlisted Futures contract, which may, in turn, result in significant losses to the Fund. Such unlisted Futures contracts will be considered by the Fund to be illiquid investments and together with other illiquid investments will be limited to no more than 15% of the value of such Fund’s total assets. In making such determination, the value of unlisted Futures contracts will be based upon the “face amount” of such contracts.

Options on Futures. Options on Futures include options on interest rate futures contracts, stock and bond index futures contracts and foreign currency futures contracts. Each Fund may also purchase call and put options on Futures contracts and write call options on Futures contracts of the type which the particular Fund is authorized to enter into. Each Fund may also write covered put options on stock index futures contracts.

The writing of a call option on a long Futures contract on a securities index may be used as a partial hedge against declining prices of the securities in the portfolio that are correlated to the referenced index. Similar to a covered call on a security, if the Futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the portfolio holdings. Similarly, the writing of a put option on a Futures contract on a securities index may be used as a partial hedge against increasing prices of securities held by the Fund that are correlated with the index referenced under the terms of the Futures contract. If the Futures price at expiration of the put option is higher than the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium that provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call option a Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss, which will be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives.

A Fund may purchase options on Futures for hedging purposes, instead of purchasing or selling the underlying Futures contract. For example, where a decrease in the value of portfolio securities is anticipated as a result of a projected market-wide decline or changes in interest or exchange rates, a Fund could, in lieu of selling a Futures contract, purchase put options thereon. In the event that such decrease occurs, it may be offset, in whole or part, by a profit on the option. If the market decline does not occur, the Fund will suffer a loss equal to the price of the put. Where it is projected that the value of securities to be acquired by a Fund will increase prior to acquisition, due to a market advance or changes in interest or exchange rates, a Fund could purchase call options on Futures, rather than purchasing the underlying Futures contract. If the market advances, the increased cost of securities to be purchased may be offset by a profit on the call. However, if the market declines, the Fund will suffer a loss equal to the price of the call but the securities the Fund intends to purchase may be less expensive.

Limitations on entering into Futures Contracts and Options on Futures. Transactions in options on Futures by a Fund are subject to limitations established by the CFTC and each of the exchanges governing the maximum number of options that may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options were written or purchased on the same or different exchanges or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more exchanges or brokers. Thus, the number of options a Fund may write or hold may be affected by options written or held by other entities, including other investment companies having the same or an affiliated investment adviser. Position limits also apply to Futures contracts. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of those limits and may impose certain other sanctions.

No Fund will enter into any Futures contract or purchase any option thereon if immediately thereafter the total amount of its assets required to be on deposit as initial margin to secure its obligations under such futures contracts, plus the amount of premiums paid by it for outstanding options to purchase futures contracts, exceeds 5% of the market value of its net assets; provided, however, that in the

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case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount may be excluded in calculating the 5% limitation. This is a policy of each Fund that is permitted to use options and futures contracts. Further, each Fund has an operating policy which provides that it will not enter into custodial arrangements with respect to initial or variation margin deposits or marked-to-market amounts unless the custody of such initial and variation margin deposits and marked-to-market amounts are in compliance with current SEC or CFTC staff interpretive positions or no-action letters or rules adopted by the SEC.

Commodity Exchange Act Regulation. Each Fund is operated by persons who have claimed an exclusion, granted to operators of registered investment companies like the Funds, from registration as a “commodity pool operator” with respect to each Fund under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”), and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulation with respect to the Fund under the CEA. As a result, each Fund is limited in its ability to use Futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes and interest rate futures) or options on Futures, engage in certain swaps transactions or make certain other investments (whether directly or indirectly through investments in other investment vehicles) for purposes other than “bona fide hedging,” as defined in the rules of the CFTC. With respect to transactions other than for bona fide hedging purposes, either: (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Fund’s positions in such investments may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of its portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments and calculated in accordance with CFTC Rule 4.5); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of its portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, a Fund is also subject to certain marketing limitations imposed by CFTC Rule 4.5.

Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), up to the maximum extent permissible under the 1940 Act. Investments in other investment companies are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act. Except for investments in money market funds permitted by Rule 12d1-1, Section 12(d) of the 1940 Act prohibits a Fund from acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and prohibits more than 5% of a Fund’s total assets being invested in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets being invested in securities of all investment companies, unless the Fund is able to rely on and meet the requirements of one or more rules under the 1940 Act that permit investments in other investment companies in excess of these limits. In addition, to the extent a Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company in reliance on the provisions of paragraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, the Fund will not acquire shares of other affiliated or unaffiliated registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on paragraph (F) or (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies. Investments in other investment companies are subject to market and selection risk.

An ETF trades like common stock. ETFs are typically designed to represent a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market index. ETFs may be passively- or actively-managed. Funds purchase an ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. or a foreign market while awaiting purchase of underlying securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities.

Holding Company Depositary Receipts (“HOLDRs”) are securities that represent ownership in the common stock or ADRs of specified companies in a particular industry, sector, or group. HOLDRs involve risks similar to the risks of investing in common stock. Each HOLDR initially owns 20 stocks, but they are unmanaged, and so can become more concentrated due to mergers, or the disparate performance of their holdings. The composition of a HOLDR does not change after issue, except in special cases like corporate mergers, acquisitions or other specified events. Because HOLDRs are not subject to concentration limits, the relative weight of an individual stock may increase substantially, causing the HOLDRs to be less diverse and creating more risk.

iShares are shares of an investment company that invests substantially all of its assets in securities included in specified indices, including the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) indices or various countries and regions. iShares are managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors and are listed on the New York Stock Exchange Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market prices of iShares are expected to fluctuate in accordance with both changes in the net asset values of their underlying indices and supply and demand of iShares on the NYSE Arca. iShares have traded at relatively modest discounts and premiums to their net asset values. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting iShares should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of the Fund’s shares could also be substantially and adversely affected. If such disruptions were to occur, the Fund could be required to reconsider the use of iShares as part of its investment strategy.

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Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipts (“SPDRs”) are NYSE Arca-traded securities that represent ownership in the SPDR Trust, a trust established to accumulate and hold a portfolio of common stocks intended to track the price performance and dividend yield of the S&P 500^® Index. SPDRs may be used for several reasons, including but not limited to facilitating the handling of cash flows or trading, or reducing transaction costs. The use of SPDRs would introduce additional risk, as the price movement of the instrument does not perfectly correlate with the price action of the underlying index. SPDRs are investment companies and investments in SPDRs are subject to the Fund’s limitations on investment company holdings.

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). PFICs are any foreign corporations which generate certain amounts of passive income or hold certain amounts of assets for the production of passive income. Passive income includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents and annuities. To avoid taxes and interest that the Funds must pay if these investments are profitable, the Funds may make various elections permitted by the tax laws. These elections could require that the Funds recognize taxable income, which in turn must be distributed, before the securities are sold and before cash is received to pay the distributions.

Private Investments in Public Equity. Private Investments in Public Equity (“PIPEs”) are equity securities issued in a private placement by companies that have outstanding, publicly traded equity securities of the same class. Shares in PIPEs generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. PIPE transactions will generally result in the Fund acquiring either restricted stock or an instrument convertible into restricted stock. As with investments in other types of restricted securities, such an investment may be illiquid. A Fund’s ability to dispose of securities acquired in PIPE transactions may depend upon the registration of such securities for resale. Any number of factors may prevent or delay a proposed registration. Alternatively, it may be possible for securities acquired in a PIPE transaction to be resold in transactions exempt from registration in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or otherwise under the federal securities laws. There is no guarantee, however, that an active trading market for the securities will exist at the time of disposition of the securities, and the lack of such a market could hurt the market value of the Fund’s investments. As a result, even if a Fund is able to have securities acquired in a PIPE transaction registered or sell such securities through an exempt transaction, the Fund may not be able to sell all the securities on short notice, and the sale of the securities could lower the market price of the securities. PIPEs may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.

Privately Placed Securities

Each of the Funds may invest in privately placed securities, to the extent consistent with their investment objectives, which are subject to resale restrictions and may additionally be limited by restrictions on investments in illiquid investments or Rule 144A securities.

Real Estate Securities and Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)

Each Fund may invest in real estate securities. Real estate securities are equity securities consisting of (i) common stocks, (ii) rights or warrants to purchase common stocks, (iii) securities convertible into common stocks and (iv) preferred stocks issued by real estate companies. A real estate company is one that derives at least 50% of its revenues from the ownership, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate or that has at least 50% of its assets invested in real estate. Each Fund may also invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income producing real estate or real estate related loans or interest. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or hybrid REITs which combine the characteristics of equity and mortgage REITs (hybrid REITs). Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. REITs can be listed and traded on national securities exchanges or can be traded privately between individual owners. A Fund may invest in both publicly and privately traded REITs. Like regulated investment companies such as the Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund.

Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by such REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon

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management skills, are not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibilities of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Code and failing to maintain their exemptions from the 1940 Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.

Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and a regulated investment company paying dividends attributable to such income (reduced by allocable expenses) may pass through this special treatment to its shareholders, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by a Fund and the shareholders.

Recent Market Events

In the past decade, the U.S. and global financial markets have experienced depressed valuations, decreased liquidity, unprecedented volatility and heighted uncertainty. These conditions may continue, recur, worsen or spread. Those events that have contributed to these market conditions include, but are not limited to, geopolitical events (including terrorism and war); infectious disease epidemics and pandemics; natural disasters; measures to address budget deficits; changes in oil and commodity prices; and public sentiment. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, have taken numerous steps to support financial markets, including, but not limited to, providing liquidity in fixed income, commercial paper and other markets, implementing stimulus packages and providing tax breaks. The withdrawal or reduction of this support or failure of efforts to respond to a crisis could negatively affect financial markets, as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, this support and other government intervention may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results. The current market environment could make identifying and assessing investment risks and opportunities in connection with the management of the Funds’ portfolios more challenging.

A number of countries have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non-governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and many financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread. Responses to the financial problems by governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

Brexit/European Union

On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom (the “UK”) notified the European Council, in accordance with Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the European Union, an event widely referred to as “Brexit.” On January 31, 2020, the UK formally withdrew from the European Union. This historic event has had, and is expected to continue to have, consequences that are both profound and uncertain for the economic and political future of the UK and the European Union, and those consequences include significant legal and business uncertainties pertaining to an investment in a Fund. The full scope and nature of the consequences are not at this time known and are unlikely to be known for a significant period of time. At the same time, it is reasonable to assume that the significant uncertainty in the business, legal and political environment engendered by this event has resulted in immediate and longer term risks that would not have been applicable had the UK not sought to withdraw from the European Union.

Other countries may seek to withdraw from the European Union and/or abandon the euro, the common currency of the European Union. A number of countries in Europe have suffered terror attacks, and additional attacks may occur in the future. The Ukraine has experienced ongoing military conflict; this conflict may expand, and military attacks could occur elsewhere in Europe. Europe has also been struggling with mass migration from the Middle East and Africa. The ultimate effects of these events and other socio-political or geographical issues, such as the conflict in Israel and Gaza, are not known but could profoundly affect global economies and markets.

COVID-19

An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, known as “COVID-19,” was first detected in China in December 2019. It has since been detected internationally and the World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in closed borders and travel restrictions, shelter in place orders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation

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and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, and reduced or suspended production, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused volatility in the global financial markets. The impact of COVID-19, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the financial markets in general in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.

In addition, the impact of infectious diseases in developing or emerging market countries may be greater due to less established health care systems. Health crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. The impact of the outbreak may last for a prolonged period of time.

Notwithstanding business continuity planning and other controls that are designed to mitigate operational risks related to significant business disruptions, there is no guarantee that the COVID-19 pandemic and/or other epidemics or pandemics will not disrupt the operations of a Fund and its service providers. These disruptions could adversely affect a Fund and its shareholders.

Whether or not a Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political, financial and/or social difficulties, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements typically obligate a seller, at the time it sells securities to a Fund, to repurchase the securities at a specific future time and price. The price for which the Fund resells the securities is calculated to exceed the price the Fund initially paid for the same securities, thereby determining the yield during the Fund’s holding period. This results in a fixed market rate of interest, agreed upon by that Fund and the seller, which is accrued as ordinary income. Most repurchase agreements mature within seven days although some may have a longer duration. The underlying securities constitute collateral for these repurchase agreements, which are considered loans under the 1940 Act.

Each Fund may hold commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and government obligations (including government guaranteed obligations) subject to repurchase agreements with certain well established domestic banks and certain broker-dealers, including primary government securities dealers, approved as creditworthy by the Subadvisers pursuant to guidelines and procedures established by VC I’s Board. Unless the Fund participates in a joint repurchase transaction, the underlying security must be a high-quality domestic money market security (unless the Fund’s investment objective(s), policies and investment program permit the use of foreign money market securities), and the seller must be a well-established securities dealer or bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System. To the extent a Fund participates in a joint repurchase transaction, the collateral will consist solely of U.S. Government obligations. Repurchase agreements are generally for short periods, usually less than a week.

The Funds may not sell the underlying securities subject to a repurchase agreement (except to the seller upon maturity of the agreement). During the term of the repurchase agreement, the Funds (i) retain the securities subject to the repurchase agreement as collateral securing the seller’s obligation to repurchase the securities, (ii) monitor on a daily basis the market value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreement, and (iii) require the seller to deposit with VC I’s Custodian collateral equal to any amount by which the market value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreement falls below the resale amount provided under the repurchase agreement. In the event that a seller defaults on its obligation to repurchase the securities, the Funds must hold the securities until they mature or may sell them on the open market, either of which may result in a loss to a Fund if, and to the extent that, the values of the securities decline. Additionally, the Funds may incur disposition expenses when selling the securities. Bankruptcy proceedings by the seller may also limit or delay realization and liquidation of the collateral by a Fund and may result in a loss to that Fund. The Subadvisers will evaluate the creditworthiness of all banks and broker-dealers with which VC I proposes to enter into repurchase agreements. The Funds will not invest in repurchase agreements that do not mature within seven days if any such investment, together with any illiquid investments held by a Fund, exceeds 15% of the value of that Fund’s total assets.

Restricted Securities

Securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act, are referred to as “private placements” or “restricted securities” and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Mutual funds do not typically hold a significant amount of these restricted securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and a mutual fund might be unable to dispose of restricted securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within seven days. A mutual fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. There will generally be a lapse of time between a mutual fund’s decision to sell an unregistered security and the registration of such security promoting the sale. Adverse market conditions could impede a public offering of such securities. When purchasing unregistered securities, a Fund will generally seek to obtain the right of registration at the expense of the issuer (except in the case of Rule 144A securities, discussed below).

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A large institutional market has developed for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act, including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer’s ability to honor a demand for repayment. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments.

Commercial paper issues in which a Fund’s net assets may be invested include securities issued by major corporations without registration under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from such registration afforded by Section 3(a)(3) thereof, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the so-called private placement exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act (“Section 4(a)(2) paper”). Section 4(a)(2) paper is restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws in that any resale must similarly be made in an exempt transaction. Section 4(a)(2) paper is normally resold to other institutional investors through or with the assistance of investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(a)(2) paper, thus providing liquidity. Section 4(a)(2) paper issued by a company that files reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is generally eligible to be sold in reliance on the safe harbor of Rule 144A described above.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund, in accordance with its individual investment practices and policies, may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements may be entered into with brokers, dealers, domestic and foreign banks or other financial institutions that have been determined by the Adviser or a Subadviser to be creditworthy. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells a security and agrees to repurchase it at a mutually agreed upon date and price, reflecting the interest rate effective for the term of the agreement. It may also be viewed as the borrowing of money by the Fund. The Fund’s investment of the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement is the speculative factor known as leverage. A Fund will enter into a reverse repurchase agreement only if the interest income from investment of the proceeds is expected to be greater than the interest expense of the transaction and the proceeds are invested for a period no longer than the term of the agreement. In the event that the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s repurchase obligation, and the Fund’s use of proceeds of the agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision. See “Investment Restrictions.”

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided the Fund either complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate or treats such transactions as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4. See “Derivatives” and “Investment Restrictions” above.

Short Sales

Short sales in equity securities are effected by selling a security that a Fund does not own but which it borrows. To complete a short sale, a Fund must: (1) borrow the security to deliver it to the purchaser and (2) buy that same security in the market to return it to the lender. When a Fund makes a short sale, the proceeds it receives from the sale will be held on behalf of a broker until the Fund replaces the borrowed securities. A Fund may have to pay a premium to borrow the securities and must pay any dividends or interest payable on the securities until they are replaced.

Short sales by the Fund involve certain risks and special considerations. Possible losses from short sales differ from losses that could be incurred from a purchase of a security, because losses from short sales may be unlimited, whereas losses from purchases can equal only the total amount invested.

Short sales in debt securities are generally effected through reverse repurchase transactions. Under a reverse repurchase transaction, a Fund would sell a bond to a counterparty for cash and an agreement to resell the bond to the Fund at an agreed price. Reverse repurchase transactions subject Funds to substantially the same risks as short sales of equity securities.

Each Fund, other than the International Value Fund, may engage in short sales “against the box.” A short sale is “against the box” to the extent that a Fund contemporaneously owns, or has the right to obtain without payment, securities identical to those sold short. A short sale against the box of an “appreciated financial position” (e.g., appreciated stock) is generally treated as a sale by the Fund for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A Fund will generally recognize any gain (but not loss) for U.S. federal income tax purposes at the time that it makes a short sale against the box.

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The Core Bond Fund may also engage in “short sales other than against the box.” In short sales other than against the box, a Fund sells a security it does not own to a purchaser at a specified price. To complete short sales other than against the box, a Fund must: (1) borrow the security to deliver it to the purchaser and (2) buy that same security in the market to return it to the lender. Each Fund will engage in short sales other than against the box when its portfolio manager anticipates that the security’s market purchase price will be less than its borrowing price. Short sales other than against the box involve the same fundamental risk as short sales against the box, as described above. In addition, short sales other than against the box carry risks of loss if the value of a security sold short increases prior to the scheduled delivery date and a Fund must pay more for the security than it has received from the purchaser in the short sale. Each Fund will limit the total market value of short sales other than against the box to 5% of its assets with no more than 1% of its assets in any single issuer.

The Derivatives Rule treats short sales of securities as derivatives and subjects such transactions to the VaR limits, unless a Fund entering into such transactions is a Limited Derivatives User. In addition, the Derivatives Rule treats certain securities lending transactions entered into by a Fund to facilitate short sales, fails or similar transactions by third parties as transactions that are similar to reverse repurchase transactions and as senior securities, as described in Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Rule 18f-4 limits the ability of Funds to enter into short selling transactions and may limit their ability to lend portfolio securities, unless the collateral for such transactions was limited to cash and cash equivalents.

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. Certain Funds may invest in stock, warrants, and other securities of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) or similar special purpose entities that pool funds to seek potential acquisition opportunities. A SPAC is typically a publicly traded company that raises funds through an IPO for the purpose of acquiring or merging with another company to be identified subsequent to the SPAC’s IPO. The securities of a SPAC are often issued in “units” that include one share of common stock and one right or warrant (or partial right or warrant) conveying the right to purchase additional shares or partial shares. Unless and until a transaction is completed, a SPAC generally invests its assets (less a portion retained to cover expenses) in U.S. government securities, money market funds and similar investments. If an acquisition or merger that meets the requirements for the SPAC is not completed within a pre-established period of time, the invested funds are returned to the SPAC’s shareholders, less certain permitted expenses, and any rights or warrants issued by the SPAC will expire worthless.

Because SPACs and similar entities are in essence blank check companies without operating history or ongoing business other than seeking acquisitions, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. An investment in a SPAC is subject to a variety of risks, including that (i) a portion of the monies raised by the SPAC for the purpose of effecting an acquisition or merger may be expended prior to the transaction for payment of taxes and other expenses; (ii) prior to any acquisition or merger, a SPAC’s assets are typically invested in U.S. government securities, money market funds and similar investments whose returns or yields may be significantly lower than those of a Fund’s other investments; (iii) a Fund generally will not receive significant income from its investments in SPACs (both prior to and after any acquisition or merger) and, therefore, the Fund’s investments in SPACs will not significantly contribute to the Fund’s distributions to shareholders; (iv) attractive acquisition or merger targets may become scarce if the number of SPACs seeking to acquire operating businesses increases; (v) an attractive acquisition or merger target may not be identified at all, in which case the SPAC will be required to return any remaining monies to shareholders; (vi) if an acquisition or merger target is identified, a Fund may elect not to participate in, or vote to approve, the proposed transaction or the Fund may be required to divest its interests in the SPAC, due to regulatory or other considerations, in which case the Fund may not reap any resulting benefits; (vii) the warrants or other rights with respect to the SPAC held by a Fund may expire worthless or may be redeemed by the SPAC at an unfavorable price; (viii) any proposed merger or acquisition may be unable to obtain the requisite approval, if any, of SPAC shareholders and/or antitrust and securities regulators; (ix) under any circumstances in which a Fund receives a refund of all or a portion of its original investment (which typically represents a pro rata share of the proceeds of the SPAC’s assets, less any applicable taxes), the returns on that investment may be negligible, and the Fund may be subject to opportunity costs to the extent that alternative investments would have produced higher returns; (x) to the extent an acquisition or merger is announced or completed, shareholders who redeem their shares prior to that time may not reap any resulting benefits; (xi) a Fund may be delayed in receiving any redemption or liquidation proceeds from a SPAC to which it is entitled; (xii) an acquisition or merger once effected may prove unsuccessful and an investment in the SPAC may lose value; (xiii) an investment in a SPAC may be diluted by additional later offerings of interests in the SPAC or by other investors exercising existing rights to purchase shares of the SPAC; (xiv) only a thinly traded market for shares of or interests in a SPAC may develop, or there may be no market at all, leaving a Fund unable to sell its interest in a SPAC or to sell its interest only at a price below what the Fund believes is the SPAC interest’s intrinsic value; and (xv) the values of investments in SPACs may be highly volatile and may depreciate significantly over time.

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In addition, from time to time, a Fund may serve as an “anchor” investor by purchasing a significant portion of the units offered in a SPAC’s IPO. A Fund may also purchase private warrants from a SPAC and/or enter into a forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement through which the Fund makes a non-binding commitment to purchase additional units of the SPAC in the future. In exchange, the Fund receives certain private rights and other interests issued by a SPAC (commonly referred to as “founder shares”). Founder shares are generally subject to all of the risks described above (including the risk that the founder shares will expire worthless to the extent an acquisition or merger is not completed). Founder shares are also subject to restrictions on transferability, which significantly reduces their liquidity. In addition, a Fund may be required to forfeit all or a portion of any founder shares it holds, including, for example, (i) if the Fund does not purchase additional units of the SPAC pursuant to the terms of any forward purchase agreement it enters into, (ii) if the Fund sells shares that it purchased in the IPO prior to the SPAC effecting a merger or acquisition or (iii) if the SPAC’s sponsor forfeits its founders shares to effect a merger or acquisition.

Structured Notes

Subject to its individual investment practices and policies, each Fund may purchase structured notes. Structured notes are derivative fixed-income securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. To the extent a Fund invests in these securities, however, a Subadviser will analyze these securities in its overall assessment of the effective duration of the Fund’s portfolio in an effort to monitor the Fund’s interest rate risk.

Swap Agreements

The Core Bond Fund and the Emerging Economies Fund may enter into interest rate, index and currency exchange rate swap agreements in accordance with their individual investment strategies. A Fund will not enter into a swap agreement with any single counterparty if the net amount owed or to be received under existing contracts with that party would exceed 5% of the Fund’s assets.

Generally, a swap contract is a privately negotiated agreement between a Fund and a counterparty to exchange or swap investment cash flows, assets, foreign currencies or market-linked returns at specified, future intervals. As a result of regulation implemented pursuant to Title VII of Dodd-Frank, these transactions are characterized as “swaps” and “security-based swaps.” Swaps are regulated by the CFTC and include swaps referencing any commodity, broad-based index (including indices of credit default swaps), treasury securities, and currency. Security-based swaps are treated as securities for purposes of the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are regulated by the SEC, and include swaps on single securities (other than treasury securities), baskets of securities and narrow indices of securities, single name credit default swaps and narrow indices of credit default swaps, and loans.

Swaps and security-based swaps are often traded in the OTC market but, in some cases, as a result of CFTC regulations implementing provisions in Title VII of Dodd-Frank, certain interest rate swaps and swaps on broad-based indices of credit default swaps must be traded on a swap execution facility and cleared through a CFTC-regulated clearinghouse. OTC swap contracts are typically marked-to-market daily based upon quotations from market makers or are calculated using standard models and current market data. Although some swaps are reset daily, for many swaps any change in market value is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss and the Fund and counterparty would not exchange such gains or losses until a predetermined quarterly or other periodic reset date. In connection with these contracts, specified types of securities and cash are required to be posted daily as variation margin for all swaps and for those security-based swaps traded in the OTC market with swap dealers regulated by the Prudential Regulators. Initial margin is currently required to be posted by the Funds for swaps.

The SEC has adopted margin requirements for security-based swaps, which went effective October 2021.

Under internal policies, the Funds will not enter into any mortgage swap, interest-rate swap, cap or floor transaction unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt, or the claims paying ability of the other party thereto is rated either AA or A-1 or better by S&P or Aa or P-1 or better by Moody’s, or is determined to be of equivalent quality by the applicable Subadviser.

Credit Default Swap Agreement

The Core Bond Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements (“credit default swaps”) for various purposes, including managing credit risk (i.e., hedging), enhancing returns, obtaining synthetic long or short exposure to fixed income instruments through a more liquid investment vehicle or speculation.

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Credit default swaps are bilateral contracts in which one party makes periodic fixed-rate payments or a one-time premium payment (referred to as the buyer of protection) to another party (the seller of protection) in exchange for the right to receive a specified payment in the event of a default or other credit event occurring with respect to a referenced issuer, obligation or index. As a seller of protection on a credit default swap, a Fund will generally receive from the buyer of protection a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap unless or until there is a credit event with respect to the referenced issuer, obligation or index. As the seller, a Fund would agree to pay to the buyer a cash amount reflecting the value of the referenced issuer, obligation or index upon the occurrence of a credit event affecting such issuer, obligation or index, in exchange for a stream of fixed rate payments or a specified single payment. Although credit default swaps were historically settled physically through delivery of specified securities, they are now generally cash settled in an amount established by an auction process operated by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. Credit default swaps on a single instrument or issuer are treated as security-based swaps and regulated by the SEC. Referenced instruments may include any type of fixed income security, including sovereign securities, corporate securities and asset-backed securities.

Credit default swaps on credit indices are bilateral contracts in which the buyer of protection makes periodic fixed-rate payments or a one-time premium payment to the seller of protection in exchange for the right to receive a specified payment in the event of a write-down, principal shortfall, interest shortfall or default of all or part of the referenced entities comprising the credit index. A credit index is a list of a basket of credit instruments or exposures designed to be representative of some part of the credit market as a whole. These indices are made up of reference credits that are judged by a poll of dealers to be the most liquid entities in the credit default swap market based on the sector of the index. Components of the indices may include, but are not limited to, investment grade securities, high yield securities, asset-backed securities, emerging markets, and/or various credit ratings within each sector. Credit indices are traded using credit default swaps with standardized terms including a fixed spread and standard maturity dates. Credit indices are typically broad-based indices and, as a result, these swaps are treated as swaps subject to CFTC regulation. An index credit default swap references all the names in the index, and if there is a default, the credit event is settled based on that name’s weight in the index. The composition of the indices changes periodically, usually every six months, and for most indices each name has an equal weight in the index. A Fund may use credit default swaps on credit indices to hedge a portfolio of credit default swaps or bonds which is less expensive than it would be to enter into many credit default swaps to achieve a similar effect. Credit-default swaps on indices are used for protecting investors owning bonds against default, and also to speculate on changes in credit quality.

Credit default swap agreements on credit indices (“CDXs”) are indices of credit default swaps designed to track segments of the credit default swap market and provide investors with exposure to specific reference baskets of issuers of bonds or loans. The CDX reference baskets are priced daily and rebalanced every six months in conjunction with leading market makers in the credit industry. While investing in CDXs will increase the universe of bonds and loans to which a Fund is exposed, such investments entail risks that are not typically associated with investments in other debt instruments. The liquidity of the market for CDXs will be subject to liquidity in the secured loan and credit derivatives markets. CDXs are regulated as swaps by the CFTC.

Implied credit spreads, represented in absolute terms, utilized in determining the market value of credit default swaps on corporate issues or sovereign issues of an emerging country as of period end, serve as an indicator of the current status of the payment/performance risk and represent the likelihood or risk of default for the credit derivative. The implied credit spread of a particular referenced entity reflects the cost of buying/selling protection and may include upfront payments required to be made to enter into the agreement. For credit default swaps on asset-based securities and credit indices, the quoted market prices and resulting values serve as the indicator of the current status of the payment/performance risk. Wider credit spreads and increasing market values, in absolute terms when compared to the notional amount of the swap, represent a deterioration of the referenced entity’s credit soundness and a greater likelihood or risk of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement.

The maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) that a Fund as a seller of protection could be required to make under a credit default swap would be an amount equal to the notional amount of the agreement, valued based on an auction process. Notional amounts of credit default swaps are partially offset by upfront payments received upon entering into the agreement, or net amounts received from the settlement of protection credit default swaps entered into by a Fund for the same referenced entity or entities.

Cross-Currency Swap. A cross-currency swap is an interest rate swap agreement where the two instruments are denominated in two different currencies. Each agreement comprises both long and short exposures based on the reference legs of the swap. Cross-currency swaps are always long one currency and short another (non-base) currency simultaneously. These instruments are generally considered to be swaps regulated by the CFTC.

Currency Swaps. Currency swaps involve two parties exchanging two different currencies with an agreement to reverse the exchange at a later date at specified exchange rates. The exchange of currencies at the inception date of the contract takes place at the current spot rate. The re-exchange at maturity may take place at the same exchange rate, a specified rate, or the then current spot rate.

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Interest payments, if applicable, are made between the parties based on interest rates available in the two currencies at the inception of the contract. The terms of currency swap contracts may extend for many years. Currency swaps are usually negotiated with commercial and investment banks. Some currency swaps may not provide for exchanging principal cash flows, but only for exchanging interest cash flows. These instruments generally are considered to be swaps regulated by the CFTC.

Equity Swaps Agreements. Each Fund may enter into equity swap agreements (“equity swaps”) for various purposes, including to hedge exposure to market risk or to gain exposure to a security, basket or narrow-based index (e.g., generally nine or fewer securities). Equity swaps, a type of total return swap, are security-based swaps that are securities, regulated by the SEC that are typically entered into for the purpose of investing in a security, basket or narrow-based index without owning or taking physical custody of securities. Counterparties to the Fund on equity swaps on single name securities, baskets or narrow-based indices are required to be registered as security-based swap dealers.

An equity swap on a broad based index is a swap that is regulated by the CFTC. As is required with respect to dealers in all swaps, counterparties doing business as a dealer must be registered with the CFTC as a swaps dealer.

Equity swaps may be structured in different ways. The counterparty will generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any equity swap should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Fund may agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks).

A Fund will generally enter into equity swaps only on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an equity swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payment that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. The Fund currently is required to post variation margin to and collect variation margin from counterparties to equity swaps that are CFTC regulated or entered into with a swap dealer subject to regulation by the Prudential Regulators. In addition, securities-based swaps that are equity swaps and that are entered into with non-bank counterparties are subject to posting and collection of variation margin. Equity swaps are also subject to initial margining requirements.

Inflation Swaps. Inflation swap agreements are contracts, regulated as swaps by the CFTC, in which one party agrees to pay the cumulative percentage increase in a price index, such as the CPI, over the term of the swap (with some lag on the referenced inflation index), and the other pays a compounded fixed rate. Inflation swap agreements may be used to protect net asset value of the Fund against an unexpected change in the rate of inflation measured by an inflation index. Inflation swap agreements entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. The Fund will enter into inflation swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out at maturity with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments).

The value of inflation swap agreements are expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of an inflation swap agreement. Additionally, payments received by the Fund from swap transactions, such as inflation swap agreements and other types of swaps discussed below, will result in taxable income, either as ordinary income or capital gains, rather than tax-exempt income, which will increase the amount of taxable distributions received by shareholders.

Interest Rate Caps, Collars and Floors. Certain Funds may invest in interest rate caps, collars and floors. These transactions are regulated by the CFTC as swaps. Generally, entering into interest rate caps, collars and floors is often done to protect against interest rate fluctuations and hedge against fluctuations in the fixed income market. The purchase of an interest-rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest-rate cap. The purchase of an interest-rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. An interest-rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates. Since interest rate caps, floors and collars are individually negotiated, each Fund expects to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its swap, cap, floor and collar positions.

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Interest Rate Swap Agreements. Certain Funds may enter into interest rate swap agreements (“interest rate swaps”) for various purposes, including managing exposure to fluctuations in interest rates or for speculation. Interest rate swaps are CFTC regulated swaps and involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest with respect to the notional amount of principal. Funds will enter into interest rate swaps only on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Funds receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate swaps do not involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate swaps is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net discounted amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. Certain interest rate swaps are required to be traded on a swap execution facility and centrally cleared.

Mortgage Swaps. A specific type of interest rate swap in which certain Funds may invest is a mortgage swap. Mortgage swaps are regulated by the CFTC as swaps and are similar to interest-rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. In a mortgage swap, cash flows based on a group of mortgage pools are exchanged for cash flows based on a floating interest rate. The return on a mortgage swap is affected by changes in interest rates, which affect the prepayment rate of the underlying mortgages upon which the mortgage swap is based.

Options on Swaps. Certain Funds may enter into swaptions. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms. swaptions are regulated by the CFTC as swaps.

Total Return Swaps. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for the payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index or an index component. To the extent the total return of the security or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, a Fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty. Total return swap agreements on commodities are regulated by the CFTC as swaps and involve commitments where cash flows are exchanged based on the price of a commodity and based on a fixed or variable rate. One party would receive payments based on the market value of the commodity involved and pay a fixed amount. Total return swap agreements on indices involve commitments to pay interest in exchange for a market-linked return. One counterparty pays out the total return of a specific reference asset, which may be an equity, index, or bond, and in return receives a regular stream of payments. To the extent the total return of the security or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, a Fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty.

Risks of Entering into Swap Agreements. Risks to the Funds of entering into swap agreements include credit risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk and documentation risk. By entering into swap agreements, the Funds may be exposed to risk of potential loss due to unfavorable changes in interest rates, the price of the underlying security or index, or the underlying referenced asset’s perceived or actual credit, that the counterparty may default on its obligation to perform, the possibility that there is no liquid market for these agreements and the possibility that swaps entered into as hedging transactions will not effectively hedge the risk sought to be hedged. There is also the risk that the parties may disagree as to the meaning of contractual terms in the swap agreement. In addition, to the extent that the Subadviser does not accurately analyze and predict the underlying economic factors influencing the value of the swap, the Fund may suffer a loss.

Regulations enacted by the CFTC under Dodd-Frank require the Fund to clear certain interest rate and credit default index swaps through a clearinghouse or central counterparty (a “CCP”). To clear a swap with the CCP, the Fund will submit the swap to, and post collateral with a futures broker that is a clearinghouse member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a swap dealer other than the futures broker (the “Executing Dealer”) and arrange for the swap to be transferred to the futures broker for clearing. It may also enter into the swap with the futures broker itself. The CCP, the futures broker and the Executing Dealer are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. A default or failure by a CCP or a futures broker, or the failure of a swap to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the futures broker for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the Fund from entering or exiting swap positions, accessing collateral, or fully implementing its investment strategies.

Index swaps involve the exchange of value based on changes in an index, such as the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”), that could provide inflation protection or provide a hedge to such inflation-indexed securities.

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Unseasoned Issuers

Each Fund may invest in unseasoned issuers. Unseasoned issuers are companies that have (together with their predecessors) generally operated for less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned issuers are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.

U.S. Government Obligations

Each Fund may invest in a variety of debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These securities include a variety of Treasury securities that differ primarily in their interest rates, the length of their maturities and dates of issuance. Treasury bills are obligations issued with maturities of one year or less. Treasury notes are generally issued with maturities from one to ten years. Treasury bonds are generally issued with maturities of more than ten years. Obligations issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, which may be purchased by each Fund, also vary in terms of their maturities at the time of issuance.

U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and are generally considered to have minimal credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the FHLMC, the FNMA and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

Variable Rate Demand Notes (“VRDNs”)

Each Fund may invest in VRDNs. VRDNs are either taxable or tax-exempt obligations containing a floating or variable interest rate adjustment formula, together with an unconditional right to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest upon a short notice period, generally not to exceed seven days.

Warrants and Rights

All Funds may invest in or acquire warrants or rights offerings to purchase equity or fixed income securities. Bonds with warrants attached to purchase equity securities have many characteristics of convertible bonds and their prices may, to some degree, reflect the performance of the underlying stock. Bonds also may be issued with warrants attached to purchase additional fixed-income securities at the same coupon rate. A decline in interest rates would permit a Fund to buy additional bonds at the favorable rate or to sell the warrants at a profit. If interest rates rise, the warrants would generally expire with no value. Warrants do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. In addition, the value of warrants does not, necessarily, in all cases change to the same extent as the value of the underlying securities to which they relate. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments. Rights represent a preemptive right of stockholders to purchase additional shares of a stock at the time of a new issuance before the stock is offered to the general public, sometimes as a result of a corporate action. Subscription rights normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of rights or warrants involves the risk that a Fund could lose the purchase value of a right or warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the rights’ and warrants’ expiration. Also, the purchase of rights and/or warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the right and/or warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Securities

Each Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis beyond the customary settlement time. These transactions involve a commitment by a Portfolio to purchase or sell securities at a future date. The price of the underlying securities (usually expressed in terms of yield) and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for (the settlement date) are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. When-issued and delayed-delivery purchases and forward commitment transactions are negotiated directly with the other party, and such commitments are not traded on exchanges. The Funds will generally purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis only with the intention of completing the transaction and actually purchasing or selling the securities. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or negotiate a commitment after entering into it. The Funds may realize capital gains or

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losses in connection with these transactions. Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward commitment basis involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date.

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Portfolio to enter into when-issued or forward-settling securities and non-standard settlement cycles securities notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided such transactions meet certain Rule 18f-4 requirements. See “Derivatives” above and “Investment Restrictions” below.

Zero Coupon Securities

In accordance with its investment practices and policies, each Fund may invest in zero coupon securities, which are debt obligations that do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or that specify a future date when the securities begin to pay current interest.

Zero coupon securities are issued and traded at a discount from their face amount or par value. This discount varies depending on prevailing interest rates, the time remaining until cash payments begin, the liquidity of the security, and the perceived credit quality of the issuer.

The discount on zero coupon securities (“original issue discount”) must be taken into income ratably by a Fund prior to the receipt of any actual payments. Because the Fund must distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders each year for income and excise tax purposes, the Fund may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash, or may be required to borrow, to satisfy its distribution requirements.

The market prices of zero coupon securities generally are more volatile than the prices of securities that pay interest periodically. Zero coupon securities are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than other types of debt securities having a similar maturity and credit quality.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ABOUT DERIVATIVES AND THEIR USE

Each Fund’s custodian, State Street Bank (“State Street”), or a securities depository acting for the custodian, will act as each Fund’s escrow agent, through the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”), as to the securities on which the Fund has written listed options on securities or as to other acceptable escrow securities, so that no margin will be required for such transaction. OCC will release the securities on the expiration of the option or upon a Fund’s entering into a closing transaction.

A listed securities option position may be closed out only on a market that provides secondary trading for options of the same series and there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. A Fund’s option activities may affect its turnover rate and brokerage commissions. The exercise by a Fund of puts on securities will result in the sale of related investments, increasing Fund turnover. Although such exercise is within a Fund’s control, holding a put might cause the Fund to sell the related investments for reasons that would not exist in the absence of the put. A Fund will pay a brokerage commission each time it buys a put or call, sells a call, or buys or sells an underlying investment in connection with the exercise of a put or call. Such commissions may be higher than those that would apply to direct purchases or sales of such underlying investments. Premiums paid for options are small in relation to the market value of the related investments, and consequently, put and call options offer large amounts of leverage. The leverage offered by trading in options could result in a Fund’s net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the underlying investments. Listed securities options are subject to position limits established by the applicable exchanges, with respect to listed options, and by FINRA, with respect to OTC options.

Transactions in listed options on futures by a Fund are subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges and, in some cases, the CFTC governing the maximum number of options that may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options were written or purchased on the same or different exchanges or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more exchanges or brokers. Thus, the number of options a Fund may write or hold may be affected by options written or held by other entities, including other investment companies having the same or an affiliated investment adviser. Position limits also apply to Futures. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of those limits and may impose certain other sanctions.

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Dodd-Frank, enacted in July 2010, includes provisions that comprehensively regulate OTC derivatives, such as OTC foreign currency transactions (subject to exemption from the Treasury of physically-settled forward contracts from many of the requirements), interest rate swaps, Swaptions, mortgage swaps, caps, collars and floors, and other OTC derivatives that a Fund may employ in the future. Dodd-Frank authorizes the SEC and the CFTC to mandate that a substantial portion of derivatives be executed through regulated markets or facilities, and/or be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses (as discussed below, the CFTC has mandated that certain interest rate swaps and index-based credit default swaps must be centrally cleared and traded through a regulated market or facility). Derivatives submitted for central clearing will be subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse. The CFTC and Prudential Regulators also have imposed variation margin requirements on non-cleared OTC derivatives. The SEC finalized non-cleared margin requirements for security-based swaps that became effective in October 2021. OTC derivatives intermediaries typically demand the unilateral ability to increase a counterparty’s collateral requirements for cleared OTC derivatives beyond any regulatory and clearinghouse minimums. These requirements may increase the amount of collateral a Fund is required to provide and the costs associated with OTC derivatives transactions.

In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as a Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing derivatives agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, along with implementation of initial margin posting and additional regulations under Dodd-Frank regarding clearing, mandatory trading and reporting of derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to a Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund.

As discussed above, OTC derivatives are subject to counterparty risk, whereas the exposure to default for cleared derivatives is assumed by the exchange’s clearinghouse. However, a Fund will not face a clearinghouse directly but rather through an OTC derivatives intermediary that is registered with the CFTC and/or SEC to act as a clearing member. The Fund may therefore face the indirect risk of the failure of another clearing member customer to meet its obligations to its clearing member. Such scenario could arise due to a default by the clearing member on its obligations to the clearinghouse, triggered by a customer’s failure to meet its obligations to the clearing member.

The SEC and CFTC also have required, or may in the future require, a substantial portion of derivative transactions that are currently executed on a bilateral basis in the OTC markets to be executed through a regulated securities, futures, or swap exchange or execution facility. Certain CFTC-regulated derivatives are already subject to these rules and the CFTC expects to subject additional OTC derivatives to such trade execution rules in the future. The SEC has adopted similar requirements on the OTC derivatives that it regulates. Such requirements may make it more difficult and costly for a Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions. They may also render certain strategies in which a Fund might otherwise engage impossible or so costly that they will no longer be economical to implement. If a Fund decides to become a direct member of one or more of these exchanges or execution facilities, the Fund will be subject to all of the rules of the exchange or execution facility, which would bring additional risks and liabilities, and potential additional regulatory requirements.

OTC derivatives dealers are currently required to register with the CFTC and, with respect to security-based swaps, are required to register with the SEC. Dealers are subject to new minimum capital and margin requirements, business conduct standards, disclosure requirements, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, transparency requirements, position limits, limitations on conflicts of interest, and other regulatory burdens. These requirements further increase the overall costs for OTC derivatives dealers, which costs may be passed along to the Funds as market changes continue to be implemented.

In addition, the CFTC and the United States commodities exchanges impose limits referred to as “speculative position limits” on the maximum net long or net short speculative positions that any person may hold or control in any particular futures or options contracts traded on United States commodities exchanges. For example, the CFTC currently imposes speculative position limits on a number of agricultural commodities (e.g., corn, oats, wheat, soybeans and cotton) and United States commodities exchanges currently impose speculative position limits on many other commodities. In October 2020, the CFTC adopted new rules regarding speculative position limits. These rules impose position limits on certain futures and options on futures contracts, as well as physical commodity swaps that are “economically equivalent” to such contracts. A Fund could be required to liquidate positions it holds in order to comply with such limits, or may not be able to fully implement trading instructions generated by its trading models, in order to comply with such limits. Any such liquidation or limited implementation could result in substantial costs to a Fund.

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As noted above in “Derivatives,” the Derivatives Rule imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a Fund may enter into, treats derivatives as senior securities, and requires Funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

Recently, the CFTC adopted final amendments to Part 190 of its regulations, which govern bankruptcy proceedings for futures brokers and derivatives clearing organizations. The amendments enhance protections available to Each Fund and shareholders of the Funds upon the bankruptcy of such intermediaries, who act in respect to cleared derivatives.

All of these regulations have enhanced the protections available to funds engaged in derivatives transactions but have also increased the costs of engaging in such transactions.

Possible Risk Factors in Derivatives. Participation in the options or Futures markets and in currency exchange transactions involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. If an Adviser’s or Subadviser’s predictions of movements in the direction of the securities, foreign currency and interest rate markets are inaccurate, the adverse consequences to a Fund may leave the Fund in a worse position than if such strategies were not used. There is also a risk in using short hedging by selling Futures to attempt to protect against decline in value of the Fund securities (due to an increase in interest rates) that the prices of such Futures will correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash (i.e., market value) prices of the Fund’s securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and Futures markets are subject to distortions due to differences in the natures of those markets. First, all participants in the Futures markets are subject to initial and variation margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close Futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and Futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the Futures markets depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the Futures markets could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the Futures markets are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities markets. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the Futures markets may cause temporary price distortions.

If a Fund establishes a position in the debt securities markets as a temporary substitute for the purchase of individual debt securities (long hedging) by buying Futures and/or calls on such Futures or on debt securities, it is possible that the market may decline; if a Subadviser then determines not to invest in such securities at that time because of concerns as to possible further market decline or for other reasons, the Fund will realize a loss that is not offset by a reduction in the price of the debt securities purchased.

INVESTMENT ADVISER

VALIC serves as the investment adviser to each of the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) dated January 1, 2002 that was last approved by the Board on August 1-2, 2023. Under the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays VALIC an annual fee, payable monthly, based on its average daily net assets.

VALIC is a stock life insurance company organized on August 20, 1968, under the Texas Insurance Code as a successor to The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company of America, a District of Columbia insurance company organized in 1955. VALIC’s sole business consists of offering fixed and variable (and combinations thereof) retirement annuity contracts, IRAs and Plans. VALIC is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Corebridge Financial, Inc. (“Corebridge”), which is a majority-owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (“AIG”). AIG is a holding company which through its subsidiaries is engaged in a broad range of insurance and insurance related activities and financial services in the United States and abroad.

AIG, the parent of Corebridge, has announced its intention to sell all of its interest in Corebridge over time (such divestment, the “Separation Plan”). On September 19, 2022, AIG sold a portion of its interest in Corebridge in an initial public offering of Corebridge common stock, following which AIG’s interest in Corebridge was approximately 78%. While AIG and Corebridge believe that Corebridge’s initial public offering did not result in a transfer of a controlling block of outstanding voting securities of VALIC, SunAmerica Asset Management, LLC (“SunAmerica”) or Corebridge (“a Change of Control Event”), it is anticipated that one or more of the transactions contemplated by the Separation Plan will ultimately be deemed a Change of Control Event resulting in the assignment and automatic termination of the current Advisory Agreement. To ensure that VALIC may continue to provide advisory services to the Funds without interruption, at meetings held on August 2-3, 2022, the Board approved a new investment advisory agreement with VALIC, in connection with the Separation Plan. The Board also agreed to call and hold a joint meeting of shareholders on October 14, 2022, for shareholders of each Fund to (1) approve the new investment advisory agreement with VALIC that would be effective after

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the first Change of Control Event, and (2) approve any future investment advisory agreements approved by the Board and that have terms not materially different from the current agreement, in the event there are subsequent Change of Control Events arising from completion of the Separation Plan that terminate the investment advisory agreement after the first Change of Control Event. Approval of a future investment advisory agreement means that shareholders may not have another opportunity to vote on a new agreement with VALIC even upon a change of control, as long as no single person or group of persons acting together gains “control” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of VALIC. At the October 14, 2022 meeting, shareholders of the Funds approved the new and future investment advisory agreements.

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, VC I retains VALIC to manage each Fund’s day-to-day operations, to prepare the various reports and statements required by law, and to conduct any other recurring or nonrecurring activity which a Fund may need to continue operations. As permitted by the Advisory Agreement, VALIC has entered into subadvisory agreements with various Subadvisers, which agreements provide that the Subadviser will be responsible for the investment and reinvestment of the assets of a Fund, maintaining a trading desk, and placing orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Advisory Agreement provides that VC I pay all expenses not specifically assumed by VALIC under the Advisory Agreement. Examples of the expenses paid by VC I include, but are not limited to, transfer agency fees, custodial fees, the fees of outside legal and auditing firms, the costs of reports to shareholders, and expenses of servicing shareholder accounts (e.g., daily calculation of the net asset value).

VC I pays VALIC a monthly fee calculated daily at the following annual percentages of each Fund’s assets:

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The below table sets forth the total advisory fees received by VALIC from each Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement for the last three fiscal years. The percentages and amounts shown in the table do not reflect any fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

The below table sets forth the advisory fees retained by VALIC with respect to the Funds after paying all subadvisory fees to the Subadvisers of the Funds for the past three fiscal years. The percentages and amounts shown in the table do not reflect any fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

For the fiscal years ended May 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, with respect to the Funds, VALIC waived advisory fees or reimbursed (or recouped) pursuant to contractual expense caps in the following amounts:

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The Advisory Agreement requires that VALIC’s advisory fee be reduced by any commissions, tender and exchange offer solicitation fees and other fees, or similar payments (less any direct expenses incurred) received by VALIC or its affiliates in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio investments of the Funds. In this regard, the Advisory Agreement requires VALIC to use its best efforts to recapture tender and exchange solicitation offer fees for each Fund’s benefit, and to advise VC I’s Board of any other fees, or similar payments that it (or any of its affiliates) may receive in connection with each Fund’s portfolio transactions or of other arrangements that may benefit any of the Funds or VC I.

Code of Ethics

VC I and VALIC have adopted an Investment Company and Investment Adviser Code of Ethics (the “VALIC Code”), which prescribes general rules of conduct and sets forth guidelines with respect to personal securities trading by “Access Persons” thereof. An Access Person as defined in the VALIC Code generally is (1) any trustee, director, officer, general partner or advisory person of VC I or VALIC, (2) any trustee, director, officer or general partner of the underwriter, Corebridge Capital Services, Inc. (“CCS”) (formerly known as AIG Capital Services, Inc.), who in the ordinary course of business makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of securities for VC I or whose functions or duties as part of the ordinary course of business relate to the making of any recommendation to VC I regarding the purchase or sale of securities, (3) any Supervised Person, as defined below, who has access to non-public information to VALIC’s purchase or sale of securities, or non-public information regarding the portfolio holdings of the Funds, (4) any Supervised Person who is involved in making securities recommendations to the Funds, or has access to such recommendations that are non-public, and (5) any other persons designated by the Review Officer (as defined in the VALIC Code) as having access to current trading information. A “Supervised Person” means VALIC’s partners, officers, directors and employees, and any other person who provide advice on behalf of VALIC and is subject to VALIC’s supervision and control. The guidelines on personal securities trading relate to: (i) securities being considered for purchase or sale, or purchased or sold, by any investment company advised by VALIC; (ii) initial public offerings; (iii) private placements; (iv) blackout periods; (v) short-term trading profits; and (vi) involvement in outside activities, including but not limited to board memberships of publicly traded companies. Subject to certain restrictions, Access Persons may invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds. These guidelines are substantially similar to those contained in the Report of the Advisory Group on Personal Investing issued by the Investment Company Institute’s Advisory Panel. VALIC reports to the Board on a quarterly basis, as to whether there were any violations of the VALIC Code by Access Persons of VC I or any material violations by the Subadvisers’ access persons involved with the Funds.

Each of the Subadvisers has adopted a code of ethics. Provisions of a Subadviser’s code of ethics are applicable to persons who, in connection with their regular functions or duties as employees of the Subadviser, make, participate in, or obtain information regarding the purchase or sale of a security, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendation with respect to such purchase or sale by the Fund managed by such Subadviser. Such provisions may be more restrictive than the provision set forth in the VALIC Code. Material violations of a Subadviser’s code of ethics by such Subadviser’s access persons who are involved with the Fund will be reported to VC I’s Board.

The VALIC Code is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request paper copies from the SEC electronically at publicinfo@sec.gov. A duplicating fee will be assessed for all copies provided by the SEC.

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INVESTMENT SUBADVISERS

Subject to the control, supervision and direction of VALIC, subadvisory services are provided as follows:

BlackRock is a subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., a global investment manager. Columbia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. GSAM is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. JPMIM is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Pursuant to the subadvisory agreements VALIC has with each Subadviser and subject to VALIC’s oversight, the Subadviser will manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the applicable Fund, including the evaluation of pertinent economic, statistical, financial and other data, and the determination of industries and companies to be represented in the Fund. Further, each Subadviser will maintain a trading desk and place orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio investments for the applicable Fund, establish accounts with brokers and dealers selected by the Subadviser, or arrange for any other entity to provide a trading desk and to place orders with brokers and dealers selected by the Subadviser and VALIC.

VALIC may terminate any subadvisory agreement with a Subadviser without shareholder approval. Moreover, VC I relies upon an exemptive order from the SEC that permits VALIC, subject to certain conditions, to enter into subadvisory agreements relating to the Funds with unaffiliated subadvisers approved by the Board without obtaining shareholder approval. The exemptive order permits VALIC, subject to the approval of the Board but without shareholder approval, to employ unaffiliated subadvisers for new or existing funds, change the terms of subadvisory agreements with unaffiliated subadvisers or continue the employment of existing unaffiliated subadvisers after events that would otherwise cause an automatic termination of a subadvisory agreement. Shareholders will be notified of any changes that are made pursuant to the exemptive order within 60 days of hiring a new subadviser or making a material change to an existing subadvisory agreement. The order also permits the Funds to disclose fees paid to subadvisers on an aggregate, rather than individual, basis. In addition, pursuant to no-action relief, the SEC Staff has extended multi-manager relief to any affiliated subadviser, provided certain conditions are met. The Funds’ shareholders have approved the Funds’ reliance on the no-action relief. VALIC will determine if and when a Fund should rely on the no-action relief.

VALIC pays each Subadviser a monthly fee with respect to each Fund for which such Subadviser performs services, computed on average daily net assets. VALIC relies on an exemptive order that, among other things, permits VC I to disclose to shareholders the Subadvisers’ fees only in the aggregate for each Fund. The aggregate annual rates, as a percentage of daily net assets, of the fees payable by VALIC to the Subadviser for each Fund may vary according to the level of assets of each Fund.

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The following table sets forth the aggregate subadvisory fees paid to the Subadvisers of the Funds by VALIC for the past three fiscal years:

SERVICE AGREEMENTS

Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement

VC I has entered into an Amended and Restated Administrative Services Agreement (“Administrative Services Agreement”) with SunAmerica (the “Administrator”) on behalf of all Funds to provide certain accounting and administrative services to the Funds. Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement, the Administrator provides administrative services to the Board, regulatory reporting, internal legal and compliance services, fund accounting and related portfolio accounting services, all necessary office space, equipment, personnel, compensation and facilities for handling the affairs of the Funds and other services. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrator (or its appointed service provider): assists with the preparation of prospectuses, statements of additional information, registration statements, and proxy materials; develops and prepares communications to shareholders, including the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders; coordinates and supervises the preparation and filing of Fund tax returns; assists with the design, development, and operation of the Funds; prepares the Funds’ financial statements; determines the net asset value of the Funds’ shares; supervises the Funds’ transfer agent with respect to the payment of dividends and other distributions to shareholders; and calculates performance data of the Funds.

Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement, VC I pays the Administrator an annual fee of 0.06% based on average daily net assets plus an accounting basis point fee.¹ These fees are paid directly by the Funds. For the fiscal years ended May 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Funds paid the Administrator the following administrative services fees under the Administrative Services Agreement:

† Accounting Basis Point Fee is calculated based upon all assets in all registered management investment companies managed and/or administered by the Administrator and VALIC, other than “Funds-of-Funds” and “Feeder Funds.”

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Master Transfer Agency and Service Agreement

VC I has entered into a Transfer Agency Agreement (the “TA Agreement”) with VALIC Retirement Services Company (“VRSCO”), an affiliate of VALIC located at 2929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas 77019, pursuant to which VRSCO provides transfer agency services to the Funds, including shareholder servicing and dividend disbursement services.

For the fiscal years ended May 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Funds paid VRSCO the following transfer agency fees under the TA Agreement:

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

Other Accounts

The portfolio managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds, as provided in the Prospectus (“Portfolio Managers”), are often engaged in the management of various other accounts. The total number of other accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager (whether managed as part of a team or individually) and the total assets in those accounts, as of May 31, 2023, is provided in the table below. If applicable, the total number of accounts and total assets in accounts that have an advisory fee which is all or partly based on the account’s performance is provided in parentheses or in a footnote.

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Potential Conflicts of Interest

As shown in the table above, the Portfolio Managers are responsible for managing other accounts for multiple clients, including affiliated clients (“Other Client Accounts”), in addition to the Funds. In certain instances, conflicts may arise in their management of a Fund and such Other Client Accounts. The Portfolio Managers aim to conduct their activities in such a manner that permits them to deal fairly with each of their clients on an overall basis in accordance with applicable securities laws and fiduciary obligations.

Other than the conflicts described, above and in the sections below VC I is not aware of any material conflicts that may arise in the connection with each Portfolio Manager’s management of the Funds’ investments and such Other Accounts. We believe the Subadvisers have adopted procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the Portfolio Managers meet their fiduciary obligations to the Funds for whom they serve as Portfolio Managers and treat every Fund they subadvise fairly and equitably over time.

Compensation of Portfolio Managers

Pursuant to the Subadvisory Agreements, each Subadviser is responsible for paying its own expenses in connection with the management of the Funds, including the compensation of its Portfolio Managers. The structure and method of compensation of the Portfolio Managers, organized by Subadviser, is described below.

BlackRock

Compensation.

The discussion below describes the portfolio managers’ compensation as of May 31, 2023.

BlackRock’s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock.

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Base Compensation. Generally, portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.

Discretionary Incentive Compensation.Generally, discretionary incentive compensation for Fundamental Equities portfolio managers is based on a formulaic compensation program. BlackRock’s formulaic portfolio manager compensation program is based on team revenue and pre-tax investment performance relative to appropriate competitors or benchmarks over 1-, 3- and 5-year performance periods, as applicable. In most cases, these benchmarks are the same as the benchmark or benchmarks against which the performance of the Funds or other accounts managed by the portfolio managers are measured. BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officers determine the benchmarks or rankings against which the performance of funds and other accounts managed by each portfolio management team is compared and the period of time over which performance is evaluated. With respect to these portfolio managers, such benchmarks for the Funds and other accounts are:

A smaller element of portfolio manager discretionary compensation may include consideration of: financial results, expense control, profit margins, strategic planning and implementation, quality of client service, market share, corporate reputation, capital allocation, compliance and risk control, leadership, technology and innovation. These factors are considered collectively by BlackRock management and the relevant Chief Investment Officers.

Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash, deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards, and/or deferred cash awards that notionally track the return of certain BlackRock investment products.

Portfolio managers receive their annual discretionary incentive compensation in the form of cash. Portfolio managers whose total compensation is above a specified threshold also receive deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards annually as part of their discretionary incentive compensation. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in the form of deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock’s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance. Deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable plan and, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. With the exception of Ms. Tall, the portfolio managers of these Funds have deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards.

For certain portfolio managers, a portion of the discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in the form of deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage, which provides direct alignment of portfolio manager discretionary incentive compensation with investment product results. Deferred cash awards vest ratably over a number of years and, once vested, settle in the form of cash. Only portfolio managers who manage specified products and whose total compensation is above a specified threshold are eligible to participate in the deferred cash award program.

Other Compensation Benefits. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:

Incentive Savings Plans—BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), and the BlackRock Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the Internal Revenue Service limit ($330,000 for 2023). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds managed by the firm. BlackRock contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into a target date fund

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that corresponds to, or is closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the purchase date. All of the eligible portfolio managers are eligible to participate in these plans.

Conflicts of Interest.

BlackRock has built a professional working environment, firm-wide compliance culture and compliance procedures and systems designed to protect against potential incentives that may favor one account over another. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures that address the allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions, personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Nevertheless, BlackRock furnishes investment management and advisory services to numerous clients in addition to the Fund, and BlackRock may, consistent with applicable law, make investment recommendations to other clients or accounts (including accounts which are hedge funds or have performance or higher fees paid to BlackRock, or in which portfolio managers have a personal interest in the receipt of such fees), which may be the same as or different from those made to the Fund. In addition, BlackRock, its affiliates and significant shareholders and any officer, director, shareholder or employee may or may not have an interest in the securities whose purchase and sale BlackRock recommends to the Fund. BlackRock, or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders, or any officer, director, shareholder, employee or any member of their families may take different actions than those recommended to the Fund by BlackRock with respect to the same securities. Moreover, BlackRock may refrain from rendering any advice or services concerning securities of companies of which any of BlackRock’s (or its affiliates’ or significant shareholders’) officers, directors or employees are directors or officers, or companies as to which BlackRock or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders or the officers, directors and employees of any of them has any substantial economic interest or possesses material non-public information. Certain portfolio managers also may manage accounts whose investment strategies may at times be opposed to the strategy utilized for the Fund. It should also be noted that a portfolio manager may be managing hedge fund and/or long only accounts, or may be part of a team managing hedge fund and/or long only accounts, subject to incentive fees. Such portfolio managers may therefore be entitled to receive a portion of any incentive fees earned on such accounts. Currently, the portfolio managers of these funds are not entitled to receive a portion of incentive fees of other accounts.

As a fiduciary, BlackRock owes a duty of loyalty to its clients and must treat each client fairly. When BlackRock purchases or sells securities for more than one account, the trades must be allocated in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties. BlackRock attempts to allocate investments in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, with no account receiving preferential treatment. To this end, BlackRock has adopted policies that are intended to ensure reasonable efficiency in client transactions and provide BlackRock with sufficient flexibility to allocate investments in a manner that is consistent with the particular investment discipline and client base, as appropriate.

Columbia.

Compensation.

Portfolio manager direct compensation is typically comprised of a base salary, and an annual incentive award that is paid either in the form of a cash bonus if the size of the award is under a specified threshold, or, if the size of the award is over a specified threshold, the award is paid in a combination of a cash bonus, an equity incentive award, and deferred compensation. Equity incentive awards are made in the form of Ameriprise Financial restricted stock or, for more senior employees, both Ameriprise Financial restricted stock and stock options. The investment return credited on deferred compensation is based on the performance of specified funds advised by Columbia (“Columbia Funds”), in most cases including the Columbia Funds the portfolio manager manages.

Base salary is typically determined based on market data relevant to the employee’s position, as well as other factors including internal equity. Base salaries are reviewed annually, and increases are typically given as promotional increases, internal equity adjustments, or market adjustments.

Under the Columbia Management annual incentive plan for investment professionals, awards are discretionary, and the amount of incentive awards for investment team members is variable based on (1) an evaluation of the investment performance of the investment team of which the investment professional is a member, reflecting the performance (and client experience) of the funds or accounts the investment professional manages and, if applicable, reflecting the individual’s work as an investment research analyst, (2) the results of a peer and/or management review of the individual, taking into account attributes such as team participation, investment process followed, communications, and leadership, and (3) the amount of aggregate funding of the plan determined by senior management of

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Columbia Threadneedle Investments and Ameriprise Financial, which takes into account Columbia Threadneedle Investments revenues and profitability, as well as Ameriprise Financial profitability, historical plan funding levels and other factors. Columbia Threadneedle Investments revenues and profitability are largely determined by assets under management. In determining the allocation of incentive compensation to investment teams, the amount of assets and related revenues managed by the team is also considered, alongside investment performance. Individual awards are subject to a comprehensive risk adjustment review process to ensure proper reflection in remuneration of adherence to our controls and Code of Conduct.

Investment performance for a fund or other account is measured using a scorecard that compares account performance against benchmarks, custom indexes and/or peer groups. Account performance may also be compared to unaffiliated passively managed ETFs, taking into consideration the management fees of comparable passively managed ETFs, when available and as determined by Columbia. Consideration is given to relative performance over the one-, three and five-year periods, with the largest weighting on the three-year comparison. For individuals and teams that manage multiple strategies and accounts, relative asset size is a key determinant in calculating the aggregate score, with weighting typically proportionate to actual assets. For investment leaders who have group management responsibilities, another factor in their evaluation is an assessment of the group’s overall investment performance. Exceptions to this general approach to bonuses exist for certain teams and individuals.

The benchmark for the International Value Fund is the MSCI EAFE Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) Index.

Equity incentive awards are designed to align participants’ interests with those of the shareholders of Ameriprise Financial. Equity incentive awards vest over multiple years, so they help retain employees.

Deferred compensation awards are designed to align participants’ interests with the investors in the Columbia Funds and other accounts they manage. The value of the deferral account is based on the performance of Columbia Funds. Employees have the option of selecting from various Columbia Funds for their deferral account, however portfolio managers must (other than by strict exception) allocate a minimum of 25% of their incentive awarded through the deferral program to the Columbia Fund(s) they manage. Deferrals vest over multiple years, so they help retain employees.

For all employees the benefit programs generally are the same and are competitive within the financial services industry. Employees participate in a wide variety of plans, including options in Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Care and Dependent Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Long Term Disability Insurance, 401(k), and a cash balance pension plan.

Conflicts of Interest.

Like other investment professionals with multiple clients, the Fund’s portfolio manager(s) may face certain potential conflicts of interest in connection with managing both the Fund and other accounts at the same time. Columbia has adopted compliance policies and procedures that attempt to address certain of the potential conflicts that portfolio managers face in this regard. Certain of these conflicts of interest are summarized below.

The management of accounts with different advisory fee rates and/or fee structures, including accounts that pay advisory fees based on account performance (performance fee accounts), may raise potential conflicts of interest for a portfolio manager by creating an incentive to favor accounts that pay higher fees, including performance fee accounts, such that the portfolio manager may have an incentive to allocate attractive investments disproportionately to performance fee accounts.

Potential conflicts of interest also may arise when a portfolio manager has personal investments in other accounts that may create an incentive to favor those accounts. When Columbia determines it necessary or appropriate in order to ensure compliance with restrictions on joint transactions under the 1940 Act, the fund may not be able to invest in privately placed securities in which other accounts advised by Columbia using a similar style, including performance fee accounts, are able to invest, even when Columbia believes such securities would otherwise represent attractive investment opportunities. As a general matter and subject to Columbia’s Code of Ethics and certain limited exceptions, Columbia’s investment professionals do not have the opportunity to invest in client accounts, other than the funds advised by Columbia.

A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts managed by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

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A portfolio manager may be able to select or influence the selection of the broker/dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the Fund. A portfolio manager’s decision as to the selection of broker/dealers could produce disproportionate costs and benefits among the Fund and the other accounts the portfolio manager manages.

A potential conflict of interest may arise when a portfolio manager buys or sells the same securities for the Fund and other accounts. On occasions when a portfolio manager considers the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as other accounts, Columbia’s trading desk may, to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations, aggregate the securities to be sold or bought in order to obtain the best execution and lower brokerage commissions, if any. Aggregation of trades may create the potential for unfairness to the Fund or another account if a portfolio manager favors one account over another in allocating the securities bought or sold. Columbia and its investment advisory affiliates (“Participating Affiliates”) may coordinate their trading operations for certain types of securities and transactions pursuant to personnel-sharing agreements or similar intercompany arrangements. However, typically Columbia does not coordinate trading activities with a Participating Affiliate with respect to accounts of that Participating Affiliate unless such Participating Affiliate is also providing trading services for accounts managed by Columbia. Similarly, a Participating Affiliate typically does not coordinate trading activities with Columbia with respect to accounts of Columbia unless Columbia is also providing trading services for accounts managed by such Participating Affiliate. As a result, it is possible that Columbia and its Participating Affiliates may trade in the same instruments at the same time, in the same or opposite direction or in different sequence, which could negatively impact the prices paid by the Fund on such instruments. Additionally, in circumstances where trading services are being provided on a coordinated basis for Columbia’s accounts (including the Fund) and the accounts of one or more Participating Affiliates in accordance with applicable law, it is possible that the allocation opportunities available to the Fund may be decreased, especially for less actively traded securities, or orders may take longer to execute, which may negatively impact Fund performance.

“Cross trades,” in which a portfolio manager sells a particular security held by the Fund to another account (potentially saving transaction costs for both accounts), could involve a potential conflict of interest if, for example, a portfolio manager is permitted to sell a security from one account to another account at a higher price than an independent third party would pay. Columbia has adopted compliance procedures that provide that any transactions between the Fund and another account managed by Columbia are to be made at a current market price, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

Another potential conflict of interest may arise based on the different investment objectives and strategies of the Fund and other accounts managed by its portfolio managers. Depending on another account’s objectives and other factors, a portfolio manager may give advice to and make decisions for the Fund that may differ from advice given, or the timing or nature of decisions made, with respect to another account. A portfolio manager’s investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular account involved. Thus, a portfolio manager may buy or sell a particular security for certain accounts, and not for the Fund, even though it could have been bought or sold for the Fund at the same time. A portfolio manager also may buy a particular security for one or more accounts when one or more other accounts are selling the security (including short sales). There may be circumstances when a portfolio manager’s purchases or sales of portfolio securities for one or more accounts may have an adverse effect on other accounts, including the Fund.

The Fund’s portfolio managers also may have other potential conflicts of interest in managing the Fund, and the description above is not a complete description of every conflict that could exist in managing the Fund and other accounts. Many of the potential conflicts of interest to which Columbia’s portfolio managers are subject are essentially the same or similar to the potential conflicts of interest related to the investment management activities of Columbia and its affiliates.

In addition, a portfolio manager’s responsibilities may include working as a securities analyst. This dual role may give rise to conflicts with respect to making investment decisions for accounts that he/she manages versus communicating his/her analyses to other portfolio managers concerning securities that he/she follows as an analyst.

GSAM. Compensation for GSAM Portfolio Managers is comprised of a base salary and year-end discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each Portfolio Manager’s individual performance; his or her contribution to the overall team performance; the performance of GSAM and Goldman Sachs; the team’s net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance-based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio Managers are rewarded in part for their delivery of investment performance, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: excess return over an applicable benchmark, peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over one-, three- and five-year time horizons.

For compensation purposes, the benchmark for the International Value Fund is the MSCI EAFE Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) Index.

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The discretionary variable compensation for Portfolio Managers is also significantly influenced by various factors, including: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameters and investment objectives of the Portfolio. Other factors may also be considered including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership.

As part of their year-end discretionary variable compensation and subject to certain eligibility requirements, Portfolio Managers may receive deferred equity-based and similar awards, in the form of: (1) shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (restricted stock units); and, (2) for certain Portfolio Managers, performance-tracking (or “phantom”) shares of the GSAM mutual funds that they oversee or service. Performance-tracking shares are designed to provide a rate of return (net of fees) equal to that of the fund(s) that a Portfolio Manager manages, or one or more other eligible funds, as determined by senior management, thereby aligning portfolio manager compensation with fund shareholder interests. The awards are subject to vesting requirements, deferred payment and clawback and forfeiture provisions. GSAM, Goldman Sachs or their affiliates expect, but are not required to, hedge the exposure of the performance-tracking shares of a fund by, among other things, purchasing shares of the relevant fund(s).

Other Compensation. In addition to base salary and year-end discretionary variable compensation, the firm has a number of additional benefits in place including (1) a 401k program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their base salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.

Conflicts of Interest.

GSAM is part of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (together with its affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees, “Goldman Sachs”), a financial holding company. The involvement of GSAM, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs will present conflicts of interest with respect to the Fund and will, under certain circumstances, limit the Fund’s investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Goldman Sachs acts as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, investment banker, underwriter, research provider, administrator, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, derivatives dealer, clearing agent, lender, counterparty, agent, principal, distributor, investor or in other commercial capacities for accounts or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds (including pooled investment vehicles and private funds). In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates advise and deal with clients and third parties in all markets and transactions and purchase, sell, hold and recommend a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for their own accounts or for the accounts of their customers and have other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans and other markets and the securities and issuers in which the Fund may directly and indirectly invest. Thus, it is expected that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates perform or seek to perform investment banking or other services.

As a manager of the Fund, GSAM receives management fees from the Fund. In addition, GSAM’s affiliates may earn fees from relationships with the Fund.

Although these fees are generally based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and Goldman Sachs would still receive significant compensation from the Fund even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund. The results of the Fund’s investment activities, therefore, will likely differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates, and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, the Fund may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or their other clients have an adverse interest. For example, your Fund may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or other accounts managed by GSAM or its affiliates take a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs-advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate, adversely impact the Fund. In some cases, such adverse impacts may result from differences in timing of transactions by accounts relative to when the Fund executes transactions in the same securities. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs advised clients or GSAM may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.

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The Fund’s activities will, under certain circumstances, be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions.

As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates also provide a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it are expected to create markets or specialize in, have positions in and/or effect transactions in, securities of issuers held by the Fund, and will likely also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for one or more of those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates are expected to have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund.

For a more detailed description of potential conflicts of interest, please refer to the language from GSAM’s ADV Part 2.

JPMIM

Compensation.

JPMIM’s compensation programs are designed to align the behavior of employees with the achievement of its short- and long-term strategic goals, which revolve around client investment objectives. This is accomplished in part, through a balanced performance assessment process and total compensation program, as well as a clearly defined culture that rigorously and consistently promotes adherence to the highest ethical standards.

The compensation framework for JPMIM Portfolio Managers participating in public market investing activities is based on several factors that drive alignment with client objectives, the primary of which is investment performance, alongside of the firm-wide performance dimensions. The framework focuses on Total Compensation – base salary and variable compensation. Variable compensation is in the form of cash incentives, and/or long-term incentives in the form of fund-tracking incentives (referred to as the “Mandatory Investment Plan” or “MIP”) and/or equity-based JPMorgan Chase Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) with defined vesting schedules and corresponding terms and conditions. Long-term incentive awards may comprise up to 60% of overall incentive compensation, depending on an employee’s pay level.

The performance dimensions for Portfolio Managers are evaluated annually based on several factors that drive investment outcomes and value—aligned with client objectives—including, but not limited to:

In addition to the above performance dimensions, the firm-wide pay-for-per performance framework is integrated into the final assessment of incentive compensation for an individual Portfolio Manager. Feedback from JPMorgan’s risk and control professionals is considered in assessing performance and compensation.

The benchmark for the Core Bond Fund is the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

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Portfolio Managers are subject to a mandatory deferral of long-term incentive compensation under JPMorgan’s “MIP”. In general, the MIP provides for a rate of return equal to that of the particular fund(s), thereby aligning the Portfolio Manager’s pay with that of the client’s experience/return.

For Portfolio Managers participating in public market investing activities, 50% of their long-term incentives are subject to a mandatory deferral in the MIP, and the remaining 50% can be granted in the form of RSUs or additional participation in MIP at the election of the Portfolio Manager.

For the portion of long-term incentives subject to mandatory deferral in the MIP (50%), the incentives are allocated to the fund(s) the Portfolio Manager manages, as determined by the employee’s respective manager and reviewed by senior management).

In addition, named Portfolio Managers on a sustainable fund(s) are required to allocate at least 25% of their mandatory deferral in at least one dedicated sustainable fund(s).

To hold individuals responsible for taking risks inconsistent with JPMorgan’s risk appetite and to discourage future imprudent behavior, we have policies and procedures that enable us to take prompt and proportionate actions with respect to accountable individuals, including:

The precise actions we take with respect to accountable individuals are based on circumstances, including the nature of their involvement, the magnitude of the event and the impact on JPMorgan.

Conflicts of Interest.

The potential for conflicts of interest exists when portfolio managers manage other accounts with similar investment objectives and strategies as the Fund (“Similar Accounts”). Potential conflicts may include, for example, conflicts between investment strategies and conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities. Responsibility for managing JPMIM’s and its affiliates’ clients’ portfolios is organized according to investment strategies within asset classes. Generally, client portfolios with similar strategies are managed by portfolio managers in the same portfolio management group using the same objectives, approach and philosophy. Underlying sectors or strategy allocations within a larger portfolio are likewise managed by portfolio managers who use the same approach and philosophy as similarly managed portfolios. Therefore, portfolio holdings, relative position sizes and industry and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios and strategies, which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.

JPMIM and/or its affiliates perform investment services, including rendering investment advice, to varied clients. JPMIM and/or its affiliates and its or their directors, officers, agents, and/or employees may render similar or differing investment advisory services to clients and may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to any of its other clients that differs from the advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to another client or group of clients. It is JPMIM’s policy, to the extent practicable, to allocate, within its reasonable discretion, investment opportunities among clients over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis. One or more of JPMIM’s other client accounts may at any time hold, acquire, increase, decrease, dispose, or otherwise deal with positions in investments in which another client account may have an interest from time-to-time.

JPMIM and/or its affiliates, and any of its or their directors, partners, officers, agents or employees, may also buy, sell, or trade securities for their own accounts or the proprietary accounts of JPMIM and/or its affiliates, within their discretion, may make different investment decisions and other actions with respect to their own proprietary accounts than those made for client accounts, including the timing or nature of such investment decisions or actions. Further, JPMIM is not required to purchase or sell for any client account securities that it, and/or its affiliates, and any of its or their employees, principals, or agents may purchase or sell for their own accounts or the proprietary accounts of JPMIM and/or its affiliates or its clients.

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JPMIM and/or its affiliates may receive more compensation with respect to certain Similar Accounts than that received with respect to the Fund or may receive compensation based in part on the performance of certain Similar Accounts. This may create a potential conflict of interest for JPMIM and its affiliates or the portfolio managers by providing an incentive to favor these Similar Accounts when, for example, placing securities transactions. In addition, JPMIM or its affiliates could be viewed as having a conflict of interest to the extent that JPMIM or an affiliate has a proprietary investment in Similar Accounts, the portfolio managers have personal investments in Similar Accounts or the Similar Accounts are investment options in JPMIM’s or its affiliates’ employee benefit plans. Potential conflicts of interest may arise with both the aggregation and allocation of securities transactions and allocation of investment opportunities because of market factors or investment restrictions imposed upon JPMIM and its affiliates by law, regulation, contract or internal policies. Allocations of aggregated trades, particularly trade orders that were only partially completed due to limited availability and allocation of investment opportunities generally, could raise a potential conflict of interest, as JPMIM or its affiliates may have an incentive to allocate securities that are expected to increase in value to favored accounts. Initial public offerings, in particular, are frequently of very limited availability. JPMIM and its affiliates may be perceived as causing accounts they manage to participate in an offering to increase JPMIM’s and its affiliates’ overall allocation of securities in that offering. A potential conflict of interest also may be perceived to arise if transactions in one account closely follow related transactions in a different account, such as when a purchase increases the value of securities previously purchased by another account, or when a sale in one account lowers the sale price received in a sale by a second account. If JPMIM or its affiliates manage accounts that engage in short sales of securities of the type in which the Fund invests, JPMIM or its affiliates could be seen as harming the performance of the Fund for the benefit of the accounts engaging in short sales if the short sales cause the market value of the securities to fall.

As an internal policy matter, JPMIM or its affiliates may from time to time maintain certain overall investment limitations on the securities positions or positions in other financial instruments JPMIM or its affiliates will take on behalf of its various clients due to, among other things, liquidity concerns and regulatory restrictions. Such policies may preclude the Fund from purchasing particular securities or financial instruments, even if such securities or financial instruments would otherwise meet the Fund’s objectives.

The goal of JPMIM and its affiliates is to meet their fiduciary obligation with respect to all clients. JPMIM and its affiliates have policies and procedures that seek to manage conflicts. JPMIM and its affiliates monitor a variety of areas, including compliance with fund guidelines, review of allocation decisions and compliance with JPMIM’s Codes of Ethics and JPMorgan Chase and Co.’s Code of Conduct. With respect to the allocation of investment opportunities, JPMIM and its affiliates also have certain policies designed to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among its clients over time. For example: Orders for the same equity security traded through a single trading desk or system are aggregated on a continual basis throughout each trading day consistent with JPMIM’s and its affiliates’ duty of best execution for their clients. If aggregated trades are fully executed, accounts participating in the trade will be allocated their pro rata share on an average price basis. Partially completed orders generally will be allocated among the participating accounts on a pro-rata average price basis, subject to certain limited exceptions. For example, accounts that would receive a de minimis allocation relative to their size may be excluded from the order. Another exception may occur when thin markets or price volatility require that an aggregated order be completed in multiple executions over several days. If partial completion of the order would result in an uneconomic allocation to an account due to fixed transaction or custody costs, JPMIM and its affiliates may exclude small orders until 50% of the total order is completed. Then the small orders will be executed. Following this procedure, small orders will lag in the early execution of the order, but will be completed before completion of the total order.

Purchases of money market instruments and fixed income securities cannot always be allocated pro-rata across the accounts with the same investment strategy and objective. However, the Adviser and its affiliates attempt to mitigate any potential unfairness by basing non-pro rata allocations traded through a single trading desk or system upon objective predetermined criteria for the selection of investments and a disciplined process for allocating securities with similar duration, credit quality and liquidity in the good faith judgment of the Adviser or its affiliates so that fair and equitable allocation will occur over time.

PineBridge

Compensation

Compensation for all PineBridge Investments portfolio managers consists of both a salary and a bonus component. The Salary component is a fixed base salary, and does not vary based on a portfolio manager’s performance. Generally, salary is based upon several factors, including experience and market levels of salary for such position. The bonus component is generally discretionarily determined based both on a portfolio manager’s individual performance and the overall performance of PineBridge Investments. In assessing individual performance of portfolio managers, both qualitative performance measures and also quantitative performance measures assessing the management of a portfolio manager’s funds are considered. A portfolio manager may also receive a long-term compensation component, either in the form of a partnership interest in the firm or as a cash-based award the ultimate value of which would depend upon financial performance of the firm.

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The benchmark for the Core Bond Fund is the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

Conflicts of Interest

PineBridge recognizes that it may be subject to a conflict of interest with respect to allocations of investment opportunities and transactions among its clients. To mitigate these conflicts, PineBridge’s policies and procedures seek to provide that investment decisions are made in accordance with the fiduciary duties owed to such accounts and without consideration of PineBridge’s economic, investment or other financial interests. Personal securities transactions by an employee may raise a potential conflict of interest when an employee trades in a security that is considered for purchase or sale by a client, or recommended for purchase or sale by an employee to a client, in that the employee may be able to personally benefit from prior knowledge of transactions for a client by trading in a personal account. PineBridge has policies to address potential conflicts of interest when its employees buy or sell securities also bought or sold for clients. Under certain circumstances, conflicts may arise in cases where different clients of PineBridge invest in different parts of a single issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more PineBridge clients may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other PineBridge clients may own public securities of the same issuer. Such conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis and will take into consideration the interest of the relevant clients, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, and applicable regulations.

Ownership of Portfolio Managers

[As of the date of this SAI, none of the Portfolio Managers who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds had any ownership interest in a Fund that they managed.]

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

VALIC utilizes the assistance of Subadvisers in selecting brokers or dealers to handle transactions for the Funds. The Subadvisers may employ affiliated brokers for portfolio transactions under circumstances described in the Prospectus.

Virtually all of the OTC transactions by the Core Bond Fund are principal transactions with issuers and dealers at net prices which entail no brokerage commissions. VC I, including the Core Bond Fund, normally enters into principal transactions directly with the issuer or the market-maker.

When a Fund purchases or sells securities or futures contracts on an exchange, it pays a commission to any FCM or broker executing the transaction. When a Fund purchases securities from the issuer, an underwriter usually receives a commission or “concession” paid by the issuer. When a Fund purchases securities from a market-maker, it pays no commission, but the price includes a “spread” or “mark-up” (between the bid and asked price) earned by the market-making dealer on the transaction.

In the OTC market, securities are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principals for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of a security usually includes a profit to the dealer. The Funds may, however, effect certain “riskless principal transactions” in the OTC market with a stated commission. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price, which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. On occasion, certain money market instruments may be purchased directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

In purchasing and selling each Fund’s portfolio securities, it is the policy of the Subadvisers to seek the best execution at the most favorable price through responsible broker-dealers and, in the case of agency transactions, at competitive commission rates. When selecting brokers or dealers, and in negotiating prices and commissions, the Subadvisers consider such factors as: the broker or dealer’s reliability; the quality of the broker or dealer’s execution services on a continuing basis; the rate of the commission; the size and difficulty of the order and the timeliness of execution; and the reliability, integrity, financial condition, general execution, and operational capabilities of that firm and competing broker-dealers. In OTC transactions, the Subadvisers place orders directly with the principal market-maker unless they believe a Fund can obtain a better price (or receive better execution of orders) from a broker on an agency basis. In transactions executed on securities or commodities exchanges, the Subadvisers seek the best overall price and execution at the most favorable commission rate (except when higher brokerage commissions are paid to obtain brokerage and research services, as explained below). When the Subadvisers believe that more than one firm meets these criteria the Subadvisers may prefer brokers who provide the Subadvisers or a Fund with brokerage and research services, described below.

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Commission Recapture Program: A commission recapture arrangement includes those arrangements under which products or services (other than execution of securities transactions) or commissions are recaptured for a client from or through a broker-dealer, in exchange for directing the client’s brokerage transactions to that broker-dealer. VC I’s Board has determined that a commission recapture arrangement with Capital Institutional Services, Inc. is in the best interest of each Fund and its shareholders and, therefore, has conveyed the information to the Subadvisers. A Fund may participate in a commission recapture arrangement, provided the portfolio manager can still obtain the best price and execution for trades. Thus, a Fund may benefit from the products or services or recaptured commissions obtained through the commission recapture arrangement, although there may be other transaction costs, greater spreads, or less favorable net prices on transactions. As long as the trader executing the transaction for a Fund indicates that it is a directed brokerage transaction, the Fund will get a percentage of commissions paid on either domestic trades or international trades credited back to the Fund. The brokerage of one Fund will not be used to help pay the expenses of any other Fund. VALIC will continue to waive its fees or reimburse expenses for any Fund for which it has agreed to do so. All expenses paid through the commission recapture arrangement will be over and above such waivers and/or reimbursements, so that VALIC will not receive any direct or indirect economic benefit from the commission recapture arrangement.

The following chart reflects the commission recapture activity for the last three fiscal years ended May 31.

Research Services: The Subadvisers may cause a Fund to pay a broker-dealer a commission (for executing a securities transaction) that is greater than the commission another broker-dealer would have received for executing the same transaction, if the Subadvisers determine in good faith that the greater commission paid to the first broker-dealer is reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage and research services provided to the Subadvisers viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Subadvisers. The Subadvisers receive a wide range of research services from broker-dealers, including: information on securities markets, the economy and individual companies; statistical information; accounting and tax law interpretations; technical market action; pricing and appraisal services; and credit analyses.

The Subadvisers evaluate whether such research services provide lawful and appropriate assistance to them in the performance of their investment decision-making responsibilities for a Fund. The Subadvisers will not cause a Fund to pay higher commissions without first determining, in good faith, that the cost is reasonable considering the brokerage and research services provided, with respect to either the particular transaction or the Subadvisers’ overall responsibilities with respect to accounts for which they exercise investment discretion. The Subadvisers receive research services at no cost and cannot assign any specific monetary value to them; nevertheless, the Subadvisers believe these supplemental investment research services are essential to the Subadvisers’ ability to provide high quality portfolio management to the Funds. Research services furnished by broker-dealers through whom a Fund affects securities transactions may be used by the Subadvisers in servicing other clients as well as the Funds, and the Subadvisers may not use all such services in managing the Funds. The Funds may benefit from research services obtained through securities transactions effected by the Subadvisers on behalf of their other clients.

Certain Funds’ Subadvisers may obtain research from brokers or non-broker-dealers by entering into commission sharing arrangements (“CSAs”). Under a CSA, the executing broker agrees that part of the commissions it earns on certain equity trades will be allocated to one or more research providers as payment for research. CSAs allow a Subadviser to direct brokers to pool commissions that are generated from orders executed at that broker (for equity transactions on behalf of a Fund and other client accounts), and then periodically direct the broker to pay third-party research providers for research. The use of CSAs by a Subadviser is subject to the Subadviser’s best execution obligations to a Fund.

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The amount of brokerage commissions paid, the quality of execution, the nature and quality of research services provided, and the amount of commissions paid to firms providing research services are reviewed quarterly by VC I’s Board.

The following tables list brokerage commissions paid by each Fund on portfolio transactions for the fiscal years ended May 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Unless otherwise noted, the Funds paid no brokerage commissions to brokers for research services provided to the Subadvisers or to VALIC.

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2023 Brokerage Commissions

2022 Brokerage Commissions

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2021 Brokerage Commissions

In addition, for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, the Funds directed the following amounts of portfolio securities transactions, and commissions paid thereon, to broker-dealers which provided research services to the Funds’ Subadvisers:

The following table sets forth the value of the Funds’ holdings of securities of VC I’s regular brokers and dealers (as defined under Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act) and their parents as of May 31, 2023.