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VA Equity Allocation Portfolio
VA Equity Allocation Portfolio
Investment Objective
The investment objective of the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio is to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio. The expenses in the table do not include any fees or charges imposed by the variable insurance contract. If such fees and charges were included, the expenses would be higher.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
VA Equity Allocation Portfolio
Institutional Class
Management Fee 0.30%
Other Expenses 0.11% [1]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.26% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.67%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 0.27% [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 0.40%
[1] The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.
[2] The Advisor has agreed to waive certain fees and in certain instances, assume certain expenses of the Portfolio. The Fee Waiver and Expense Assumption Agreement for the Portfolio will remain in effect through February 28, 2019, and may only be terminated by the Fund's Board of Directors prior to that date. Under certain circumstances, the Advisor retains the right to seek reimbursement for any fees previously waived and/or expenses previously assumed up to thirty-six months after such fee waiver and/or expense assumption.
EXAMPLE
This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example does not included any fees or charges imposed by the variable insurance contract and it such fees were included, expenses would be higher. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. The costs for the Portfolio reflect the net expenses of the Portfolio that result from the contractual expense waiver in the first year only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
VA Equity Allocation Portfolio | Institutional Class | USD ($) 41 187
Expense Example, No Redemption
1 Year
3 Years
VA Equity Allocation Portfolio | Institutional Class | USD ($) 41 187
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. The transaction costs incurred by the Underlying Funds, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the period July 10, 2017 (commencement of operations) to October 31, 2017, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 9% based on the weighted average portfolio turnover rates of each of the Portfolio’s underlying investments.
Principal Investment Strategies
The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio is a “fund of funds,” which means the Portfolio generally allocates its assets among other funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”), although it has the ability to invest directly in securities and derivatives. The Portfolio seeks to provide investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of global equity securities. The Portfolio pursues its investment objective by investing substantially all of its assets in the following Underlying Funds: VA U.S. Large Value Portfolio, VA U.S. Targeted Value Portfolio, U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio, VA International Value Portfolio, VA International Small Portfolio, International Core Equity Portfolio, Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio, DFA Real Estate Securities Portfolio (each a series of DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc.) and U.S. Large Company Portfolio (a series of Dimensional Investment Group Inc.).

Generally, the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio invests its assets in the Underlying Funds to gain exposure to equity securities with an allocation of approximately 55% to 75% of the Portfolio’s assets in U.S. equity securities, 0-10% in U.S. real estate securities, 20-35% in international developed markets equity securities, and 0-15% in emerging markets equity securities. Periodically, the Advisor will review the allocations for the Portfolio in each Underlying Fund and may adjust allocations to the Underlying Funds or may add or remove Underlying Funds in the Portfolio without notice to shareholders.

As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio, through its investments in the Underlying Funds, will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities. The Portfolio and each Underlying Fund may invest in affiliated and unaffiliated registered and unregistered money market funds to manage its cash pending investment in other securities or to maintain liquidity for the payment of redemptions or other purposes. Investments in money market funds may involve a duplication of certain fees and expenses.

The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio and each Underlying Fund may gain exposure to companies associated with approved markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuer’s domicile country. The Portfolio and each Underlying Fund may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for equity securities and indices of its approved markets or other equity market securities or indices, including those of the United States, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. The Portfolio and Underlying Funds do not intend to establish short positions in individual securities or to use derivatives for purposes of speculation or leveraging investment returns.

The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio and Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.
Principal Risks
Because the value of your investment in the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money. An investment in the VA Equity Allocation 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 following is a description of principal risks of investing in the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio.

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of the Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When the Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. The risks of the Portfolio’s and Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

Equity Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, market, political, and issuer-specific conditions and events will cause the value of equity securities, and the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio or Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices.

Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar). The Underlying Funds do not hedge foreign currency risk.

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value-oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund, and therefore the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio, to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as futures and foreign currency forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered to carry more risk than other types of investments. When the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested.

Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio or an Underlying Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

Cyber Security Risk: The VA Equity Allocation Portfolio’s and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, amongst other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.
Performance
Performance information is not available for the VA Equity Allocation Portfolio because it has not yet completed a full calendar year of operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.