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AZL Gateway Fund
AZL® Gateway Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to capture the majority of the returns associated with equity market investments, while exposing investors to less risk than other equity investments.
Fees and Expenses

Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.  The Fund is offered exclusively as an investment option for certain Contracts.  The table below reflects only Fund expenses and does not reflect Contract fees and expenses.  Please refer to the Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
AZL Gateway Fund
Management Fee 0.80%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees 0.25%
Other Expenses 0.09%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [1] 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.15%
[1] Because Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not included in the Fund's Financial Highlights, the Fund's total annual fund operating expenses do not correlate to the ratios of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights table.
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, and that you reinvest all dividends and distributions. It does not reflect any Contract fees. If Contract fees were included, the costs shown would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example, No Redemption (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
AZL Gateway Fund
117 365 633 1,398
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in a broadly diversified portfolio of common stocks, while also selling index call options. The Fund also buys index put options, which can protect the Fund from a significant market decline that may occur over a short period of time. The combination of the diversified stock portfolio, the cash flow from the sale of index call options and the downside protection from index put options is intended to provide the Fund with the majority of the returns associated with equity market investments while exposing investors to less risk than other equity investments. The Fund may invest in companies with small, medium or large market capitalizations. Equity securities purchased by the Fund may include U.S.-exchange-listed common stocks, American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), and interests in real estate investment trusts (REITs).

From time to time, the Fund may reduce its holdings of put options, resulting in an increased exposure to a market decline. The Fund may invest in foreign securities traded in U.S. markets (through ADRs or stocks traded in U.S. dollars). The Fund may also invest in other investment companies, including money market funds, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements and/or hold cash and cash equivalents. The Fund may purchase U.S. government securities, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, bankers’ acceptance, and/or repurchase agreements or hold cash (U.S. Dollars, foreign currencies or multinational currency units) for temporary defensive purposes in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, or, under normal circumstances, for purposes of liquidity. These investments may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.

The Fund not only strives for the majority of the returns associated with equity market investments, but also returns in excess of those available from other investments comparable in volatility. With its core investment in equities, the Fund is significantly less vulnerable to fluctuations in value caused by interest rate volatility, a risk factor present in both fixed income and hybrid investments, although the Fund expects to generally have lower long-term returns than a portfolio consisting solely of equity securities. The Fund intends that its index option-based risk management strategy will limit the volatility inherent in equities while sacrificing less of the higher equity returns than hybrid investments.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The price per share of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of the investments held by the Fund. You may lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective.

The following is a summary of the principal risks to which the Fund’s portfolio as a whole is subject.  As changes occur in a Fund’s portfolio holdings, the extent to which the portfolio is subject to each of these risks may also change.
  • Market Risk  The market value of portfolio securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably.
  • Issuer Risk  The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer of the security.
  • Selection Risk  Because this Fund is actively managed, there can be no guarantee that investment decisions made for the Fund will produce the desired results.
  • Correlation Risk  The effectiveness of the Fund’s index option-based risk management strategy may be reduced if the performance of the Fund’s equity portfolio does not correlate to the index underlying its option positions.
  • Foreign Risk  Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves a number of risks, such as fluctuations in currency values, adverse political, social or economic developments, and differences in social and economic developments or policies.
  • Options Risk  The value of the Fund’s positions in index options fluctuates in response to changes in the value of the underlying index. Writing index call options reduces the risk of owning stocks, but it limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash at the time of selling the call option. The Fund also risks losing all or part of the cash paid for purchasing index put options. Unusual market conditions or the lack of a ready market for any particular option at a specific time may reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s option strategies, and for these and other reasons the Fund’s option strategies may not reduce the Fund’s volatility to the extent desired. From time to time, the Fund may reduce its holdings of put options, resulting in an increased exposure to a market decline.
  • Real Estate Investments Risk  The performance of investments in real estate depends on the overall strength of the real estate market, the management of real estate investments trusts (REITs), and property management, all of which can be affected by a variety of factors, including national and regional economic conditions.
Performance Information
The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for one year and since its inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Both the bar chart and the table assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions.

The performance of the Fund will vary from year to year. The Fund’s performance does not reflect the cost of insurance and separate account charges which are imposed under your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy. If they were included, performance would be reduced. Past performance does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Performance Bar Chart and Table

Calendar Year Total Return
Annual Return %
Bar Chart
Highest and Lowest Quarter Returns (for periods shown in the bar chart)

Highest (Q4, 2011)                                                                                                                               5.45%
Lowest (Q3, 2011)                                                                                                                              -4.62%
Average Annual Total Returns
Average Annual Total Returns
One Year Ended December 31, 2012
Since Inception
Inception Date
AZL Gateway Fund
4.15% 3.44% Apr. 30, 2010
AZL Gateway Fund S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
16.00% 9.48% Apr. 30, 2010