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Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund
FUND SUMMARY – DONOGHUE FORLINES DIVIDEND VIT FUND
Investment Objective:

The Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund’s (the “Fund”) primary investment objective is total return from dividend income and capital appreciation.

Capital preservation is a secondary objective of the Fund.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

The following table describes the annual operating expenses that you pay indirectly if you invest in the Fund through your retirement plan or if you allocate your insurance contract premiums or payments to the Fund. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not described in this Prospectus. If the fees and expenses of your insurance contract or separate account were included in this table, your overall expenses would be higher. You should review the insurance contract prospectus for a complete description of 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 - Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund Class 1 shares
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund Class 2 shares
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.50%
Other Expenses 1.29% 1.29%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [1] 0.02% 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses [2] 2.56% 2.81%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (0.54%) (0.29%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 2.02% 2.52%
[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Portfolio’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Portfolio.
[2] The Fund’s adviser has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or to make payments to limit Fund expenses, at least until October 31, 2024, so that the total annual operating expenses (exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred loads; brokerage fees and commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses; fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example option and swap fees and expenses); borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short); taxes; and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees, contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than the adviser)) of the Fund do not exceed 2.00% and 2.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to the Fund’s Class 1 Shares & Class 2 Shares, respectively. Any waiver or reimbursement by the adviser is subject to repayment by the Fund within the three years from the date the adviser waived any payment or reimbursed any expense, if the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the current expense limitation in place at the time of waiver or the current expense limitation and the repayment is approved by the Board of Trustees. This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. You would pay the same expenses if you did not redeem your shares. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not included in the Example. If these fees and expenses were included in the Example, your overall expenses would be higher. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example - Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund - USD ($)
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund Class 1 shares 205 745 1,312 2,855
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund Class 2 shares 255 844 1,458 3,117
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 183% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The Fund’s investment adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives by seeking to track the FCF Risk Managed Sector Neutral Dividend Index. (the “Dividend Index”) that provides a formulaic methodology for allocating investment between securities of issuers who demonstrate higher free cash flow and dividend yield and short-term treasuries (maturity of 1 to 3 years).

 

The methodology of the Dividend Index is designed to convey the benefits of high free cash flow and dividend yield, sector diversification and equal weighting. In seeking to track the Dividend Index, the adviser buys equity securities in the Fund as described below when the index’s indicators are positive and sells them when its indicators are significantly negative. As described below, the Fund will invest in as many as 50 equity securities.

 

The Dividend Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly during March, June, September, and December. The Dividend Index establishes an equity portfolio consisting of up to 50 equity securities based on a combined profitability rank (measured by free cash flow over total equity) and dividend yield rank (measured by dividend over market capitalization) from the constituents of the Russell 1000 Value Index and a U.S. Treasury portfolio consisting of short-term treasury ETFs. Free cash flow is the amount of cash a company produces after paying for operating and capital expenses. Only companies with positive free cash flow, payment of cash dividends for the previous four consecutive quarters, and meeting an average daily traded volume minimum over the previous six months are eligible for inclusion in the Dividend Index. Upon selection each security will receive an equal weighting with sector weightings based on the current FactSet RBICS sector weights of the Russell 1000 Value Index. If there are not enough eligible securities within a sector, inclusion will be stopped for that sector at the number of eligible securities.

 

The Dividend Index then applies the Adviser’s defensive tactical overlays as described below. The adviser buys equity securities when its indicators are positive and sells them when its indicators are significantly negative.

 

In following the Dividend Index’s methodology, the Fund will allocate its assets based on two separate exponential moving average indicators (one shorter-term and one longer-term):

 

Exponential Moving Average Indicators – An index’s exponential moving average value is the weighted average of its value over a certain period of time (e.g., 50 days). An exponential moving average gives more weighting to more recent values for the relevant time period.

 

The Dividend Index and the Fund will allocate 100% to the equity portfolio when the shorter-term exponential moving average indicator is in a bullish position. When the shorter-term exponential moving average indicator is in a defensive position, the Dividend Index and the Fund will allocate 50% of assets to U.S. Treasury portfolio. When both the shorter-term and longer-term exponential moving average indicators are in a defensive position, the Dividend Index and the Fund will allocate 100% to the U.S Treasury portfolio.

 

From time to time, the adviser anticipates that its defensive tactical overlay may trigger multiple “positive” or “negative” indicators over a period of several days. In such cases, the adviser, in an effort to avoid incurring additional brokerage costs to the Fund, may choose not to implement a particular “buy” or “sell” signal at the time of the trigger. Absent such circumstances, the Fund will not be actively managed and will seek to track the Dividend Index’s methodology.

 

While the Fund is a diversified fund, it may invest in fewer securities that other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds. In seeking to track the methodology of the Dividend Index, the Fund may engage in frequent buying and selling of portfolio securities resulting in a higher turnover rate.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in dividend producing securities. The Fund will invest in as many as 50 common stocks from the universe of stocks represented in the Russell 1000 Value Index. If the Fund holds an investment in common stock of a company that is removed from the Dividend Index, that position will be sold.

Principal Investment Risks:

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. Many factors affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and performance.

 

The following risks apply to the Fund:

 

Credit Risk. There is a risk that issuers will not make payments on fixed income securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. The issuer of a fixed income security may also default on its obligations.

 

Equity Risk. The NAV the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests equity prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

 

ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to investment advisory fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and other mutual funds and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in equity and fixed income securities. Each ETF and mutual fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. ETF shares may trade at a discount to or a premium above net asset value if there is a limited market in such shares. ETFs and index-tracking mutual funds in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track. ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund.

 

Hedging Risk. Hedging strategies may not perform as anticipated by the adviser and the Fund could suffer losses by hedging with underlying money market funds if stock prices do not decline.

 

Index Construction Risk. The Dividend Index, and consequently the Fund, may not succeed in its objective and may not be optimal in its construction, causing losses to the Fund.

 

Index Tracking Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the securities in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index the Fund tracks because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by an index. Certain securities comprising the index tracked by the Fund may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the Fund’s ability to track an index.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income security prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities.

 

Large-Cap Risk. Large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

 

Management Risk. The adviser’s decision to seek to follow an index’s methodology in managing the Fund’s portfolio may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. Because the Fund seeks to track an index, the Fund may forego certain attractive investment opportunities available to an actively managed fund. In following the index’s methodology, the Fund may hold fewer securities than other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds.

 

Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may impact your Fund investment.
Sector Risk. The Fund’s investments may be focused in securities of a particular sector from time to time. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect the sector. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular sector or sectors.

 

Small and Mid-Cap Risk. The value of a small or mid-capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.

 

Turnover Risk. Higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional and brokerage costs, which can negatively impact Fund performance.

 

U.S. Treasury Risk. The Fund has investment exposure to short-term U.S. Treasury securities through its investment in short-term treasury exchange-traded funds. All money market instruments, including U.S. Treasury obligations, can change in value in response to changes in interest rates, and a major change in rates could cause the share price to change. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, an investment in the Fund is neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, U.S. government or any other government agency.

 

Performance:

The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in Class 1 shares of the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad-based securities market index and a supplemental index. Past performance does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.donoghueforlinesfunds.com or by calling 1-877-779-7462.

 

Donoghue Forlines LLC became the Fund’s Adviser on March 1, 2017. Effective with the change in Adviser, the Fund’s investment objective, investment strategy and benchmark index changed. The pre-March 1, 2017 performance results in the following charts do not reflect the Fund’s current strategy.

 

Performance Bar Chart For Calendar Years Ended December 31
Bar Chart
Best Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2020 16.20%
Worst Quarter: First Quarter 2020 (23.14)%

 

Performance Table Average Annual Total Returns (For year ended December 31, 2022)  
Average Annual Total Returns - Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund
Label
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund Class 1 shares Return before taxes (10.35%) (0.64%) 2.89% 3.08% May 01, 2007
Russell 1000 Value Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) [1],[2]   (7.54%) 6.67% 10.29% 6.30%  
[1] The Russell 1000 Value Total Return Index is a market-capitalization weighted index of those firms in the Russell 1000 with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 1000 includes the largest 1000 firms in the Russell 3000, which represents approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The returns for the index are total returns, which include reinvestment of dividends. Frank Russell Company reports its indexes as one-month total returns.
[2] Unlike mutual fund’s return, index returns do not reflect any trading costs, management fee expenses or other fees. An investor cannot invest directly in an index.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Risk Lose Money [Member]
As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Credit Risk
Credit Risk. There is a risk that issuers will not make payments on fixed income securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. The issuer of a fixed income security may also default on its obligations.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Equity Risk
Equity Risk. The NAV the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests equity prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | ETF and Mutual Fund Risk
ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to investment advisory fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and other mutual funds and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in equity and fixed income securities. Each ETF and mutual fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. ETF shares may trade at a discount to or a premium above net asset value if there is a limited market in such shares. ETFs and index-tracking mutual funds in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track. ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Hedging Risk
Hedging Risk. Hedging strategies may not perform as anticipated by the adviser and the Fund could suffer losses by hedging with underlying money market funds if stock prices do not decline.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Index Construction Risk
Index Construction Risk. The Dividend Index, and consequently the Fund, may not succeed in its objective and may not be optimal in its construction, causing losses to the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Index Tracking Risk
Index Tracking Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the securities in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index the Fund tracks because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by an index. Certain securities comprising the index tracked by the Fund may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the Fund’s ability to track an index.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Interest Rate Risk
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income security prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Large-Cap Risk
Large-Cap Risk. Large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Management Risk
Management Risk. The adviser’s decision to seek to follow an index’s methodology in managing the Fund’s portfolio may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. Because the Fund seeks to track an index, the Fund may forego certain attractive investment opportunities available to an actively managed fund. In following the index’s methodology, the Fund may hold fewer securities than other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Market and Geopolitical Risk
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may impact your Fund investment.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Sector Risk
Sector Risk. The Fund’s investments may be focused in securities of a particular sector from time to time. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect the sector. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular sector or sectors.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Small and Mid-Cap Risk
Small and Mid-Cap Risk. The value of a small or mid-capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | Turnover Risk
Turnover Risk. Higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional and brokerage costs, which can negatively impact Fund performance.
Donoghue Forlines Dividend VIT Fund | U.S. Treasury Risk
U.S. Treasury Risk. The Fund has investment exposure to short-term U.S. Treasury securities through its investment in short-term treasury exchange-traded funds. All money market instruments, including U.S. Treasury obligations, can change in value in response to changes in interest rates, and a major change in rates could cause the share price to change. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, an investment in the Fund is neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, U.S. government or any other government agency.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund
FUND SUMMARY – DONOGHUE FORLINES MOMENTUM VIT FUND
Investment Objective:

The Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund’s (the “Fund”) investment objective is capital growth

with a secondary objective of generating income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:

The following table describes the annual operating expenses that you pay indirectly if you invest in the Fund through your retirement plan or if you allocate your insurance contract premiums or payments to the Fund. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not described in this Prospectus. If the fees and expenses of your insurance contract or separate account were included in this table, your overall expenses would be higher. You should review the insurance contract prospectus for a complete description of 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 - Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund Class 1 shares
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund Class 2 shares
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.50%
Other Expenses 0.37% 0.37%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [1] 0.04% 0.04%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.66% 1.91%
[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Portfolio’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Portfolio.
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. You would pay the same expenses if you did not redeem your shares. However, each insurance contract and separate account involves fees and expenses that are not included in the Example. If these fees and expenses were included in the Example, your overall expenses would be higher. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example - Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund - USD ($)
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund Class 1 shares 169 523 902 1,965
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund Class 2 shares 194 600 1,032 2,233
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 308% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

The adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s objectives by seeking to track the FCF Risk Managed Sector Neutral Momentum Index (the “Momentum Index”) that provides a formulaic methodology for allocating investments between securities of issuers who demonstrate higher free cash flow and positive momentum and short-term treasuries (maturity of 1 to 3 years).

 

The methodology of the Momentum Index is designed to convey the benefits of high free cash flow and momentum, sector diversification and equal weighting. In seeking to track the Momentum Index, the adviser buys equity securities in the Fund as described below when the index’s indicators are positive and sells them when its indicators are significantly negative. As described below, the Fund will invest in as many as 50 equity securities.

 

The Momentum Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly during March, June, September, and December. The Momentum index establishes an equity portfolio consisting of up to 50 equity securities based on a combined profitability rank (measured by free cash flow over total equity) and momentum rank (measured by total return over standard deviation of weekly total return) from the constituents of the Russell 1000 Index and a U.S. Treasury portfolio consisting of short-term treasury ETFs. Free cash flow is the amount of cash a company produces after paying for operating and capital expenses. Only companies with positive free cash flow and meeting an average daily traded volume minimum over the previous six months are eligible for inclusion in the Momentum Index. Upon selection each security will receive an equal weighting with sector weightings based on the current FactSet RBICS sector weights of the Russell 1000 Index. If there are not enough eligible securities within a sector, inclusion will be stopped for that sector at the number of eligible securities.

The Momentum Index then applies the Adviser’s defensive tactical overlays as described below. The Momentum Index allocates to the equity portfolio when its indicators are positive and allocates to the U.S. Treasury portfolio when its indicators are significantly negative.

 

In following the Momentum Index’s methodology, the Fund will allocate its assets based on two separate exponential moving average indicators (one shorter-term and one longer-term):

 

Exponential Moving Average Indicators – An index’s exponential moving average value is the weighted average of its value over a certain period of time (e.g., 50 days). An exponential moving average gives more weighting to more recent values for the relevant time period.

 

The Momentum Index and the Fund will allocate 100% to the equity portfolio when the shorter-term exponential moving average indicator is in a bullish position. When the shorter-term exponential moving average indicator is in a defensive position, the Momentum Index and the Fund will allocate 50% of assets to U.S. Treasury portfolio. When both the shorter-term and longer-term exponential moving average indicators are in a defensive position, the Momentum Index and the Fund will allocate 100% to the U.S Treasury portfolio.

 

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets in the constituent securities that make up the Momentum Index.

 

From time to time, the adviser anticipates that its defensive tactical overlay may trigger multiple “positive” or “negative” indicators over a period of several days. In such cases, the adviser, in an effort to avoid incurring additional brokerage costs to the Fund, may choose not to implement a particular “buy” or “sell” signal at the time of the trigger. Absent such circumstances, the Fund will not be actively managed and will seek to track the Momentum Index’s methodology.

 

While the Fund is a diversified fund, it may invest in fewer securities than other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds.

 

The adviser may engage in frequent trading of the Fund’s portfolio, resulting in a higher portfolio turnover.

 

Principal Investment Risks:

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. Many factors affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and performance.

 

The following risks apply to the Fund:

 

Credit Risk. There is a risk that issuers will not make payments on fixed income securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. The issuer of a fixed income security may also default on its obligations.

 

Equity Risk. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests Equity prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

 

ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to investment advisory fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and other mutual funds and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in equity and fixed income securities. Each ETF and mutual fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. ETF shares may trade at a discount to or a premium above net asset value if there is a limited market in such shares. ETFs and index-tracking mutual funds in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track. ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund.

 

Hedging Risk. The Index’s defensive positioning may not effectively reduce the Fund’s downside risk. Hedging strategies may not perform as anticipated by the adviser and the Fund could suffer losses by hedging with underlying money market funds, short-term Treasury funds or Treasury ETFs if stock prices do not decline.

 

Index Construction Risk. The Momentum Index, and consequently the Fund, may not succeed in its objective and may not be optimal in its construction, causing losses to the Fund.
Index Tracking Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the securities in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index the Fund tracks because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by an index. Certain securities comprising the index tracked by the Fund may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the Fund’s ability to track an index.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income security prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities.

 

Large-Cap Risk. Large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

 

Management Risk. The adviser’s decision to seek to follow an index’s methodology in managing the Fund’s portfolio may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. Because the Fund seeks to track an index, the Fund may forego certain attractive investment opportunities available to an actively managed fund. In following the index’s methodology, the Fund may hold fewer securities than other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds.

 

Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may impact your Fund investment.

 

Sector Risk. The Fund’s investments may be focused in securities of a particular sector from time to time. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect the sector. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular sector or sectors.

 

Small and Mid-Cap Company Risk. The value of a small or mid-capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.

 

Turnover Risk. Higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional and brokerage costs. A high portfolio turnover can potentially increase taxes, which can negatively impact Fund performance.

 

U.S. Treasury Risk. The Fund has investment exposure to short-term U.S. Treasury securities through its investment in short-term treasury exchange-traded funds. All money market instruments, including U.S. Treasury obligations, can change in value in response to changes in interest rates, and a major change in rates could cause the share price to change. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, an investment in the Fund is neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, U.S. government or any other government agency.
Performance:

The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in Class 1 shares of the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad-based securities market index. Past performance does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.donoghueforlinesfunds.com or by calling 1-877-779-7462.

 

Donoghue Forlines LLC became the Fund’s adviser on March 1, 2017. Effective with the change in adviser, the Fund’s investment objective, investment strategy and benchmark index changed. The pre-March 1, 2017 performance results in the following charts do not reflect the Fund’s current strategy.

Performance Bar Chart For Calendar Years Ended December 31
Bar Chart
Best Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2020 17.01%
Worst Quarter: First Quarter 2020 (25.51)%

 

Performance Table Average Annual Total Returns (For year ended December 31, 2022)  
Average Annual Total Returns - Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund Class 1 shares (22.56%) 0.82% 6.81% 4.56% May 01, 2007
Russell 1000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) [1],[2] (19.13%) 9.13% 12.37% 8.39%  
[1] The Russell 1000 Total Return Index consists of the 1000 largest companies within the Russell 3000 Index. Also known as Market Oriented Index, because it represents the group of stocks from which most active money managers choose. The returns for the index are total returns, which include reinvestment of dividends. Frank Russell Company reports its indexes as one-month total returns.
[2] Unlike mutual fund’s return, index returns do not reflect any trading costs, management fee expenses or other fees. An investor cannot invest directly in an index.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Risk Lose Money [Member]
As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Credit Risk
Credit Risk. There is a risk that issuers will not make payments on fixed income securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. The issuer of a fixed income security may also default on its obligations.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Equity Risk
Equity Risk. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests Equity prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | ETF and Mutual Fund Risk
ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. ETFs and mutual funds are subject to investment advisory fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and other mutual funds and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in equity and fixed income securities. Each ETF and mutual fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the fund. ETF shares may trade at a discount to or a premium above net asset value if there is a limited market in such shares. ETFs and index-tracking mutual funds in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track. ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Hedging Risk
Hedging Risk. The Index’s defensive positioning may not effectively reduce the Fund’s downside risk. Hedging strategies may not perform as anticipated by the adviser and the Fund could suffer losses by hedging with underlying money market funds, short-term Treasury funds or Treasury ETFs if stock prices do not decline.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Index Construction Risk
Index Construction Risk. The Momentum Index, and consequently the Fund, may not succeed in its objective and may not be optimal in its construction, causing losses to the Fund.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Index Tracking Risk
Index Tracking Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the securities in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index the Fund tracks because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by an index. Certain securities comprising the index tracked by the Fund may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the Fund’s ability to track an index.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Interest Rate Risk
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income security prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund or an ETF in which the Fund invests, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Large-Cap Risk
Large-Cap Risk. Large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Management Risk
Management Risk. The adviser’s decision to seek to follow an index’s methodology in managing the Fund’s portfolio may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. Because the Fund seeks to track an index, the Fund may forego certain attractive investment opportunities available to an actively managed fund. In following the index’s methodology, the Fund may hold fewer securities than other diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund’s performance may be more sensitive to market changes than other diversified funds.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Market and Geopolitical Risk
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may impact your Fund investment.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Sector Risk
Sector Risk. The Fund’s investments may be focused in securities of a particular sector from time to time. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect the sector. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular sector or sectors.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Turnover Risk
Turnover Risk. Higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional and brokerage costs. A high portfolio turnover can potentially increase taxes, which can negatively impact Fund performance.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | U.S. Treasury Risk
U.S. Treasury Risk. The Fund has investment exposure to short-term U.S. Treasury securities through its investment in short-term treasury exchange-traded funds. All money market instruments, including U.S. Treasury obligations, can change in value in response to changes in interest rates, and a major change in rates could cause the share price to change. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, an investment in the Fund is neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, U.S. government or any other government agency.
Donoghue Forlines Momentum VIT Fund | Small and Mid-Cap Company Risk
Small and Mid-Cap Company Risk. The value of a small or mid-capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.