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SERIES X (STYLEPLUS - SMALL GROWTH SERIES)

Series X (StylePlus—Small Growth Series)

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Series X seeks long-term growth of capital.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE SERIES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. The table below does not take into account any of the expenses associated with an investment in variable insurance products offered by participating insurance companies. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the overall expenses would be higher.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees
SERIES X (STYLEPLUS - SMALL GROWTH SERIES)
A
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) none

ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
SERIES X (STYLEPLUS - SMALL GROWTH SERIES)
A
Management Fees 0.85%
Other Expenses 0.38%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.04%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement) 1.27%

EXAMPLE

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It does not reflect separate account or insurance contract fees and charges, which if reflected would increase expenses.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series for the time periods indicated and reflects expenses whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
5 YEARS
10 YEARS
SERIES X (STYLEPLUS - SMALL GROWTH SERIES) A
129 403 697 1,534

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Series 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 operating expenses or in the example, affect the Series’ performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Series’ portfolio turnover rate was 255% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Series X seeks to exceed the total return of the Russell 2000 Growth Index (the “Index”). The Series pursues its objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) equity securities issued by companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; (ii) investment vehicles that provide exposure to companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; and (iii) equity derivatives that, when purchased, provide exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) equity securities of companies with market capitalizations usually within the range of companies in the Index and equity derivatives based on small-capitalization indices, including small-capitalization growth indices deemed appropriate by Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the “Investment Manager”). The Series will usually also invest in fixed income securities and cash investments to collateralize derivatives positions and to increase investment return. As of March 31, 2014, the Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $34.1 million to $10.7 billion.

Equity securities in which the Series may invest include common stocks, rights and warrants, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Derivatives in which the Series may invest include options, futures contracts, swap agreements, and forward contracts. Fixed income securities and other securities in which the Series may invest include debt securities selected from a variety of sectors and credit qualities (principally, investment grade), principally, corporate bonds, participations in and assignments of syndicated bank loans, asset-backed securities (including mortgage-backed securities and structured finance investments), U.S. government and agency securities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), mezzanine and preferred securities, commercial paper, zero-coupon bonds, non-registered or restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S), step-up securities (such as step-up bonds) and convertible securities that Guggenheim Investments believes offer attractive yield and/or capital appreciation potential. The Series may invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries. The Series may hold securities of any duration or maturity. Fixed income securities in which the Series may invest may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. The Series may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.

Allocation decisions within the asset categories are at the discretion of the Investment Manager and are based on the Investment Manager’s judgment of the current investment environment (including market volatility), the attractiveness of each asset category, the correlations among Index components, individual positions or each asset category, and expected returns. In selecting investments for the Series, the Investment Manager uses quantitative analysis, credit research and due diligence on issuers, regions and sectors to select the Series’ investments and other proprietary strategies to identify securities and other assets that, in combination, are expected to contribute to exceeding the total return of the Index. Derivative instruments may be used extensively by the Investment Manager to maintain exposure to the equity and fixed income markets, to hedge the Series’ portfolio, or to increase returns. The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons including the following: (1) to meet redemption requests; (2) to close-out or unwind derivatives transactions; (3) to realize gains; or (4) if market conditions change.

Under certain circumstances, the Series may invest a substantial portion of its assets in other short-term fixed-income investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, for liquidity management purposes, including in order to increase yield on liquid investments used to collateralize derivatives positions. Investments in these investment companies will significantly increase the portfolio’s exposure to certain other asset categories, including: (i) a broad range of high yield, high risk debt securities rated below the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager, to be of comparable quality (also known as “junk bonds”); (ii) securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities; (iii) collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other asset-backed securities (including mortgage-backed securities) and similarly structured debt investments; and (iv) other short-term fixed income securities. Such investments will expose the Series to the risks of these asset categories and increases or decreases in the value of these investments may cause the Series to deviate from its investment objective.

Under adverse or unstable market conditions, the Series could invest some or all of its assets in cash, fixed income securities, government bonds, money market securities, or repurchase agreements. Although the Series would do this only in seeking to avoid losses, the Series may be unable to pursue its investment objective during that time, and it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

The value of an investment in the Series will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. The principal risks of investing in the Series are listed below.

Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities and structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their reaction to interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, making their prices very volatile and they are subject to liquidity risk.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk—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. The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. CLOs are subject to the risk of substantial losses due to actual defaults, decrease of market value due to collateral defaults and disappearance of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults, and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class. The risks of CLOs depend largely on the type of the underlying loans and the tranche of CLOs in which the Series invests. In addition, CLOs carry risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. Certain CLOs obtain their exposure through synthetic investments. These CLOs entail the risks of derivative instruments.

Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.

Credit Risk—The Series could lose money if the issuer of a bond or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable to repay interest and principal on time or defaults. The issuer of a bond could also suffer a decrease in quality rating, which would affect the volatility of the price and liquidity of the bond.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Series’ other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Series invests.

Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Series and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.

Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the Series may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Series or its Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Series’ strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Series’ NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.

Options Risk—Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Series or its Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Series’ strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity securities (and securities convertible into stocks), and the prices of equity securities fluctuate in value more than other investments. They reflect changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company. The Series may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock. Growth stocks may be more volatile than value stocks.

Foreign Securities Risk—Foreign securities carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.

Growth Stocks Risk—Growth stocks typically invest a high portion of their earnings back into their business and may lack the dividend yield that could cushion their decline in a market downturn. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing company.

High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—Higher yielding, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies.

 

Interest Rate Risk—Investments in fixed-income securities are subject to the possibility that interest rates could rise sharply, causing the value of the Series’ securities and share price to decline. Fixed-income securities with longer durations are subject to more volatility than those with shorter durations.

Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds, affiliated short-term fixed-income funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Series to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease. Moreover, the Series and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying investment vehicles’ expenses.

Investments in Loans Risk—Investments in loans involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk and prepayment risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often generally below investment grade and may be unrated. Loans may be difficult to value and some can be subject to liquidity risk.

Leverage Risk—The Series’ use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives, may cause the Series to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk—In certain circumstances, it may be difficult for the Series to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Series’ net asset value, causing the Series to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment.

Management Risk—The Series is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will be successful. Furthermore, active trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Series.

Market Risk—The market value of the securities held by the Series may fluctuate resulting from factors affecting the individual company or other factors such as changing economic, political or financial market conditions. Moreover, changing economic, political or financial market conditions in one country or geographic region could adversely impact the market value of the securities held by the Series in a different country or geographic region.

Preferred Securities Risk—A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

Prepayment Risk—Securities subject to prepayment risk generally offer less potential for gains when interest rates decline, because issuers of the securities may be able to prepay the principal due on the securities, and may offer a greater potential for income loss when interest rates rise.

Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and other regulators and governmental agencies may implement additional regulations and legislators may pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Series, the strategies used by the Series or the level of regulation applying to the Series (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives). These may impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Series.

Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Series.

Small-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Series is subject to the risk that small capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable than larger, more established organizations to adverse business or economic developments. Securities of small-capitalization companies may experience much more price volatility, greater spreads between their bid and ask prices, significantly lower trading volumes, and cyclical or static growth prospects. Small-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and may therefore be more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger capitalization companies.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series by showing changes in the Series’ share performance from year to year and by showing how the Series’ average annual returns for one, five, and ten years have compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Series will perform in the future.

 

The performance figures do not reflect fees and expenses associated with an investment in variable insurance products through which shares of the Series are purchased, and, if such fees and expenses were reflected, the performance figures would be lower.

Effective April 30, 2013, certain changes were made to the Series’ principal investment strategies.

Bar Chart

Highest Quarter Return

3Q 2009 19.22%

 

Lowest Quarter Return

4Q 2008 -25.31%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (For the periods ended December 31, 2013)

Average Annual Total Returns SERIES X (STYLEPLUS - SMALL GROWTH SERIES)
Label
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
A
  41.34% 22.15% 7.21%
Russell 2000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)
reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes 43.30% 22.58% 9.41%

Russell 2000 Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)