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Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio
Charter℠ Small Cap Value Portfolio1 – Class A, B and K Shares  1 Shareholders of the Portfolio have been asked to approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination, whereby, effective early to mid-June 2020, the Portfolio would be merged into the 1290 VT Small Cap Value Portfolio, a series of EQ Advisors Trust, also managed by FMG LLC.
Investment Objective:
Seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses associated with variable life insurance contracts and variable annuity certificates and contracts (“Contracts”), which would increase overall fees and expenses. See the Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio - USD ($)
Class A Shares
Class B Shares
Class K Shares
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses - Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio
Class A Shares
Class B Shares
Class K Shares
Management fee 0.15% 0.15% 0.15%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.25% none
Other expenses 0.20% 0.20% 0.20% [1]
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying portfolios) 0.87% 0.87% 0.87% [1]
Total annual portfolio operating expenses 1.47% 1.47% 1.22%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement [2] (0.02%) (0.02%) (0.02%)
Total annual portfolio operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement 1.45% 1.45% 1.20%
[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Pursuant to a contract, AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”) has agreed to make payments or waive its management, administrative and other fees to limit the expenses of the Portfolio through April 30, 2021 (unless the Board of Trustees consents to an earlier revision or termination of the arrangement) (“Expense Limitation Arrangement”) so that the annual operating expenses (including Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) of the Portfolio (exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, capitalized expenses and extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Portfolio’s business) do not exceed 1.45% for Class A and Class B shares and 1.20% for Class K shares of the Portfolio. The Expense Limitation Arrangement may be terminated by the Adviser at any time after April 30, 2021. The Adviser may be reimbursed the amount of any such payments or waivers in the future provided that the payments or waivers are reimbursed within three years of the payments or waivers being recorded and the Portfolio’s expense ratio, after the reimbursement is taken into account, does not exceed the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the waiver or the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the reimbursement, whichever is lower.
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other portfolios. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same, and that the Expense Limitation Arrangement is not renewed. This example does not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses, including redemption fees (if any) at the Contract level. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the total expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you redeem or hold your shares, your costs would be:
Expense Example - Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares 148 463 801 1,756
Class B Shares 148 463 801 1,756
Class K Shares 122 385 668 1,476
Expense Example, No Redemption - Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares 148 463 801 1,756
Class B Shares 148 463 801 1,756
Class K Shares 122 385 668 1,476
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
As a fund of funds, the Portfolio will not incur transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells shares of the Underlying Portfolios, but it will incur transaction costs when it buys and sells other types of securities (including exchange traded securities of Underlying ETFs) directly (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 Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s turnover rate was 6% of the average value of the Portfolio.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS, AND PERFORMANCE Principal Investment Strategies of the Portfolio
The Portfolio pursues its investment objective by investing in other mutual funds managed by AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC (“FMG LLC” or “Adviser”) and in investment companies managed by investment managers other than FMG LLC (affiliated and unaffiliated “Underlying Portfolios”) and in exchange traded securities of other investment companies or investment vehicles (“Underlying ETFs”) comprising various asset categories and strategies. The Portfolio will invest in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs such that at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in equity securities of small-capitalization companies (which may include derivatives exposure to equity securities of small capitalization companies). For purposes of this Portfolio, small capitalization companies are companies with a market capitalization that is similar to or below the highest market capitalization range of the Russell 2000® Index at the time of investment (approximately $8.3 billion as of December 31, 2019).

The Portfolio allocates its assets to Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs that invest among various asset categories. The asset categories and strategies of the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs in which the Portfolio invests are as follows:

Domestic Small Cap Equity
Domestic Micro Cap Equity
 
Emerging Markets Small Cap
Equity International/Global Small Cap Equity

The Portfolio may invest in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs that, from time to time, employ a value style to select investments. In addition, the Portfolio may invest in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs that employ derivatives (including futures contracts) for a variety of purposes, including to reduce risk, to seek enhanced returns from certain asset classes, and to leverage exposure to certain asset classes.

The Adviser selects the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs in which to invest the Portfolio’s assets. In selecting Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs, the Adviser will utilize a proprietary investment process that may take into consideration a number of factors including, as appropriate and applicable, fund performance, management team, investment style, correlations, asset class exposure, industry classification, benchmark, risk adjusted return, volatility, expense ratio, asset size and portfolio turnover. For purposes of complying with the 80% policy identified above, the Adviser will identify Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs in which to invest by reference to such Underlying Portfolio’s or Underlying ETF’s name and investment policies at the time of investment. An Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF that changes its name or investment policies subsequent to the time of the Portfolio’s investment may continue to be considered an appropriate investment for purposes of the 80% policy. For purposes of asset category target allocations, where an Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF could be assigned to more than one asset category, the Adviser may, in its discretion, assign an Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF to one or more asset categories.

The Adviser may add new Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs or replace or eliminate existing Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs without shareholder approval. The Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs have been selected to represent a reasonable spectrum of investment options for the Portfolio. The Adviser may sell the Portfolio’s holdings for a variety of reasons, including to invest in an Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF believed to offer superior investment opportunities.
The Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio
An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

The Portfolio is also subject to the risks associated with the Underlying Portfolios’ and Underlying ETFs’ investments; please see the “Information Regarding the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs” section of the Portfolio’s Prospectus and the Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information for the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs for additional information about these risks.

The following risks can negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance. The most significant risks are presented first, followed by additional principal risks in alphabetical order. In this section, the term “Portfolio” may include the Portfolio, an Underlying Portfolio, an Underlying ETF, or all of the above.
  • Equity Risk — In general, the values of stocks and other equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to changes in a company’s financial condition as well as general market, economic, and political conditions and other factors.
  • Risks Related to Investments in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs — The Portfolio’s shareholders will indirectly bear the fees and expenses paid by the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs in which it invests, in addition to the Portfolio’s direct fees and expenses. The cost of investing in the Portfolio, therefore, may be higher than the cost of investing in a mutual fund that invests directly in individual stocks and bonds. The Portfolio’s performance depends upon a favorable allocation by the Adviser among the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs, as well as the ability of the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs to generate favorable performance. The Underlying Portfolios’ and Underlying ETFs’ investment programs may not be complementary, which could adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance. The Portfolio’s net asset value is subject to fluctuations in the net asset values of the Underlying Portfolios and the market values of the Underlying ETFs in which it invests. The Portfolio is also subject to the risks associated with the securities or other investments in which the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs invest, and the ability of the Portfolio to meet its investment objective will directly depend on the ability of the Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs to meet their investment objectives. An index-based ETF’s performance may not match that of the index it seeks to track. An actively managed ETF’s performance will reflect its adviser’s ability to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving the ETF’s investment objective. It is also possible that an active trading market for an Underlying ETF may not develop or be maintained, in which case the liquidity and value of the Portfolio’s investment in the Underlying ETF could be substantially and adversely affected. The extent to which the investment performance and risks associated with the Portfolio correlate to those of a particular Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF will depend upon the extent to which the Portfolio’s assets are allocated from time to time for investment in the Underlying Portfolio or Underlying ETF, which will vary.
  • Small-Cap and Micro-Cap Company Risk — Small-cap and micro-cap companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. The shares of smaller companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the Portfolio’s ability to purchase or sell these securities. In general, these risks are greater for micro-cap companies than for small-cap companies.
  • Investment Style Risk — The Portfolio may invest in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs that, from time to time, employ a particular style or set of styles — in this case, a “value” style — to select investments. A particular style may be out of favor or may not produce the best results over short or longer time periods. Value stocks are subject to the risks that, notwithstanding that a stock is selling at a discount to its perceived true worth, the stock’s intrinsic value may never be fully recognized or realized by the market, or its price may go down. In addition, there is the risk that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually have been appropriately priced at the time of investment.
  • Portfolio Management Risk — The Portfolio is subject to the risk that strategies used by an investment manager and its securities selections fail to produce the intended results. An investment manager’s judgments or decisions about the quality, relative yield or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security or issuer, industry, sector, region or market segment, or about the economy or interest rates, may be incorrect or otherwise may not produce the intended results, which may result in losses to the Portfolio. In addition, many processes used in Portfolio management, including security selection, rely, in whole or in part, on the use of various technologies. The Portfolio may suffer losses if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the quantitative, analytic or other tools, resources, information and data used, or the analyses employed or relied on, by an investment manager, or if such tools, resources, information or data are used incorrectly, fail to produce the desired results, or otherwise do not work as intended. There can be no assurance that the use of these technologies will result in effective investment decisions for the Portfolio.
  • Affiliated Portfolio Risk — The Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Portfolio’s assets among Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs because it (and in certain cases its affiliates) earn fees for managing and administering the affiliated Underlying Portfolios, but not the unaffiliated Underlying Portfolios or Underlying ETFs. In addition, the Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Portfolio’s assets among the various affiliated Underlying Portfolios because the revenue it receives from some of the affiliated Underlying Portfolios is higher than the revenue it receives from other affiliated Underlying Portfolios and because the Adviser is also responsible for managing, administering, and with respect to certain affiliated Underlying Portfolios, its affiliates are responsible for sub-advising, the affiliated Underlying Portfolios.
  • Alternative Investment Risk — To the extent the Portfolio invests in Underlying Portfolios and Underlying ETFs that invest in alternative investments, it will be subject to the risks associated with such investments. Alternative investments may involve a different approach to investing than do traditional investments (such as equity or fixed income investments) and the performance of alternative investments is not expected to correlate closely with more traditional investments; however, it is possible that alternative investments will decline in value along with equity or fixed income markets, or both, or that they may not otherwise perform as expected. Alternative investments may have different characteristics and risks than do traditional investments, can be highly volatile, may be less liquid, particularly in periods of stress, and may be more complex and less transparent than traditional investments. Alternative investments also may have more complicated tax considerations than traditional investments. The use of alternative investments may not achieve the desired effect and may result in losses to the Portfolio.
  • Derivatives Risk — The Portfolio’s investments in derivatives may rise or fall in value more rapidly than other investments and may reduce the Portfolio’s returns and increase the volatility of the Portfolio’s net asset value. Investing in derivatives involves investment techniques and risk analyses different from, and risks in some respects greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives may be leveraged such that a small investment can have a significant impact on the Portfolio’s exposure to stock market values, interest rates, or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivatives contract may cause an immediate and substantial loss, and the Portfolio could lose more than the amount it invested. Some derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses. In addition, it may be difficult or impossible for the Portfolio to purchase or sell certain derivatives in sufficient amounts to achieve the desired level of exposure, or to terminate or offset existing arrangements, which may result in a loss or may be costly to the Portfolio. Some derivatives are more sensitive to market price fluctuations and to interest rate changes than other investments. Derivatives may not behave as anticipated by the Adviser, and derivatives strategies that are successful under certain market conditions may be less successful or unsuccessful under other market conditions. The Portfolio also may be exposed to losses if the counterparty in the transaction is unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation. In certain cases, the Portfolio may be hindered or delayed in exercising remedies against or closing out derivatives with a counterparty, resulting in additional losses. Derivatives also may be subject to the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Derivatives can be difficult to value, and valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. Changing regulation may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability, impact the Portfolio’s ability to maintain its investments in derivatives, disrupt markets, or otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.
  • Foreign Securities Risk — Investments in foreign securities involve risks in addition to those associated with investments in U.S. securities. Foreign markets may be less liquid, more volatile and subject to less government supervision and regulation than U.S. markets, and it may take more time to clear and settle trades involving foreign securities, which could negatively impact the Portfolio’s investments and cause it to lose money. Security values also may be negatively affected by changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Differences between U.S. and foreign legal, political and economic systems, regulatory regimes and market practices, as well as trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.), governmental instability, or other political or economic actions, also may adversely impact security values. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. Events and evolving conditions in certain economies or markets may alter the risks associated with investments tied to countries or regions that historically were perceived as comparatively stable and make such investments riskier and more volatile. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be significantly affected by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.
    Currency Risk — Investments that are denominated in or that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Any such decline may erode or reverse any potential gains from an investment in securities denominated in foreign currency or may widen existing loss. In the case of hedging positions, there is the risk that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.

    Emerging Markets Risk — Investments in emerging market countries are more susceptible to loss than investments in more developed foreign countries and may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political, technical and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in more developed foreign countries. Emerging market countries may be more likely to experience rapid and significant adverse developments in their political or economic structures, restrict foreign investments, impose high withholding or other taxes on foreign investments, impose restrictive exchange control regulations, or nationalize or expropriate the assets of private companies, which may have negative impacts on transaction costs, market price, investment returns and the legal rights and remedies of the Portfolio. In addition, the securities markets of emerging market countries generally are smaller, less liquid and more volatile than those of more developed foreign countries, and emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and less reliable clearance and settlement, registration and custodial procedures. Securities of issuers traded on foreign exchanges may be suspended. The likelihood of such suspensions may be higher for securities of issuers in emerging market countries than in countries with more developed markets.
  • Futures Contract Risk — The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Portfolio and the price of the futures contract; (b) liquidity risks, including the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses (potentially unlimited) caused by unanticipated market movements; (d) an investment manager’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (e) the possibility that a counterparty, clearing member or clearinghouse will default in the performance of its obligations; (f) if the Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Portfolio may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so; and (g) transaction costs associated with investments in futures contracts may be significant, which could cause or increase losses or reduce gains. Futures contracts are also subject to the same risks as the underlying investments to which they provide exposure. In addition, futures contracts may subject the Portfolio to leveraging risk.
  • Leveraging Risk — When the Portfolio leverages its holdings, the value of an investment in the Portfolio will be more volatile and all other risks will tend to be compounded. Investments that create leverage can result in losses to the Portfolio that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rate of losses (some of which may be sudden or substantial). For certain investments that create leverage, relatively small market fluctuations can result in large changes in the value of such investments. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio’s use of any leverage will be successful.
  • Market Risk — The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the securities markets will move down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions and other factors, which may negatively affect Portfolio performance. Securities markets also may experience long periods of decline in value. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer can impact a market as a whole. Geo-political risks, including terrorism, tensions or open conflict between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are major players on the world stage, may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. Events such as natural disasters or pandemics, and governments’ reactions to such events, could cause uncertainty in the markets and may adversely affect the performance of the global economy. In addition, markets and market participants are increasingly reliant on information data systems. Inaccurate data, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at-large.
Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the past one, five and ten years through December 31, 2019 compared to the returns of a broad-based securities market index.

Past performance is not an indication of future performance. This may be particularly true for this Portfolio because prior to April 18, 2014 (the “Conversion Date”) the Portfolio was not a fund-of-funds, had different investment policies, was managed by multiple advisers and, under normal circumstances, approximately 50% of the Portfolio’s net assets were actively managed and approximately 50% of the Portfolio’s net assets were managed to track the performance (before fees and expenses) of a particular index. Following the conversion of the Portfolio to a fund-of-funds, the Portfolio pursues its investment objective through investments in underlying proprietary and unaffiliated mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. The underlying proprietary and unaffiliated mutual funds and exchange-traded funds in which the Portfolio invests incur their own operating costs and expenses, including management fees payable to their investment advisers, and the Portfolio’s performance, following the conversion of the Portfolio to a fund-of-funds, reflects the impact of these operating costs and expenses. If the Portfolio had historically been managed as a fund-of-funds using its current investment strategies and policies, the performance of the Portfolio may have been different.

Performance information for Class K shares is not available because the Class K shares were fully redeemed on April 17, 2014 and were not operational as of the date of this prospectus. Performance information is shown for Class B shares. Class B share performance reflects the effect of 12b-1 fees not payable by Class K shares.

The performance results do not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.
Calendar Year Annual Total Returns — Class B
Bar Chart
Best quarter (% and time period)      Worst quarter (% and time period)
17.78% (2019 1st Quarter)      –23.51% (2011 3rd Quarter)
Average Annual Total Returns
Average Annual Total Returns - Charter Small Cap Value Portfolio
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
Class A Shares 24.65% 5.60% 8.99%
Class B Shares 24.63% 5.59% 8.93%
Russell 2000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 22.39% 6.99% 10.56%