N-CSR 1 dncsr.htm NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL SERIES FUND, INC. Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

 

Investment Company Act file number 811-3990

 

 

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.


(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

720 East Wisconsin Avenue,

Milwaukee Wisconsin 53202


(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

Barbara E. Courtney, Controller, Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.


(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 414-271-1444

 

 

Date of fiscal year end: December 31

 

 

Date of reporting period: December 31, 2008

 

 

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

 

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 35


Item 1. Reports to Stockholders

 

[Attached EDGARIZED ANNUAL REPORT]

 


LOGO

 

Annual Report December 31, 2008

LOGO

 

 

 

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

 

A Series Fund Offering 27 Portfolios

 

  ·   Growth Stock Portfolio
  ·   Focused Appreciation Portfolio
  ·   Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio
  ·   Large Cap Blend Portfolio
  ·   Index 500 Stock Portfolio
  ·   Large Company Value Portfolio
  ·   Domestic Equity Portfolio
  ·   Equity Income Portfolio
  ·   Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio
  ·   Index 400 Stock Portfolio
  ·   Mid Cap Value Portfolio
  ·   Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio
  ·   Index 600 Stock Portfolio
  ·   Small Cap Value Portfolio
  ·   International Growth Portfolio
  ·   Research International Core Portfolio
  ·   International Equity Portfolio
  ·   Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio
  ·   Money Market Portfolio
  ·   Short-Term Bond Portfolio
  ·   Select Bond Portfolio
  ·   Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio
  ·   Inflation Protection Portfolio
  ·   High Yield Bond Portfolio
  ·   Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio
  ·   Balanced Portfolio
  ·   Asset Allocation Portfolio


Letter to Clients

December 31, 2008

 

Financial markets and economies around the world benefited in recent years from the confluence of two powerful currents—the ready acceptance of risk and an abundance of cheap, borrowed capital. The story of 2008 is the wrenching change brought about as these tides reversed. Consider the economic and financial distance we’ve covered as represented in these pairings—from record home ownership to record foreclosures; from record high commodity prices to the worst year in commodity market history; from easy credit to no credit; and from record low risk premiums to extreme risk aversion.

The tally in terms of financial loss is staggering. Looked at from the consumer’s viewpoint, the unprecedented decline in home prices is estimated to have erased $4 trillion in wealth. From the late-2007 peak to the November 2008 trough, stock market losses totaled roughly $10 trillion. For some context, the Federal Reserve’s latest estimate of total U.S. household net worth stands at a little more than $56 trillion.

You can assess the harm to Wall Street from the abuse of leverage in terms of institutions—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, insurer AIG, every one of the major independent U.S. investment banks, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, etc.—that were either taken over, bailed out, sold at steep discounts, or forced to alter their corporate structure to stay afloat. A measure of the magnitude of the crisis can be found in the government’s response—Congress passed a $700 billion bailout, while the Fed slashed interest rates to 0% and took dramatic steps to support banks and debt markets. As one industry analyst noted, it took the Fed 40 years to grow its balance sheet to $1 billion, but it ballooned from $1 to $2 trillion in one 30-day stretch in 2008.

Finally, look at the markets themselves: the S&P 500® Stock Index ended 2008 down about 37%, while the S&P MidCap 400 and SmallCap 600 Indices finished with losses of 36% and 31%, respectively. Nor did international markets provide solace. The MSCI EAFE Index fell 43%, as deleveraging and the resulting economic and financial stresses disabused investors of the notion of “decoupling”, often cited in the hope that international economies and markets could withstand a U.S. slowdown. In fixed income markets, the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index rose 7% for the year, driven entirely by gains in Treasury and government-backed agency and mortgage bonds; corporate securities actually had negative returns.

This breathtaking tally of loss begs the question: what sort of financial landscape can we expect in a world where access to credit is highly constrained? While the economic environment is challenging, we are hopeful about the role that massive fiscal stimulus and innovative Fed policies can

have in supporting the economy and returning financial markets to some semblance of normalcy. What’s more, there is considerable fuel for market gains—the Fed estimates U.S. consumers hold almost $9 trillion in cash in bank deposits and brokerage accounts, representing a record 75% of the total capitalization of the U.S. stock market.

We should close by saying a word about diversification. In a year when virtually every asset outside of Treasuries produced negative returns, there are those who argue that diversification did not work. But we must not mistake direction of market movement for magnitude. While all loss hurts, we continue to believe that it pays to attempt to minimize those losses through diversification. Diversification—that is, using a measured approach to spread your assets within and across asset classes—remains the best way we know to maximize risk-adjusted performance over time. And systematic rebalancing to established targets consistent with your investment goals and objectives enforces a disciplined buy low, sell high strategy that is central to a sound investment plan.

LOGO

LOGO

Patricia L. Van Kampen

President of Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Vice President of Mason Street Advisors, LLC

LOGO


 


Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

 

Table of Contents

 

Expense Examples

   i

Series Fund Overview and Schedules of Investments:

  

Growth Stock Portfolio

   1

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

   5

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

   8

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

   12

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

   16

Large Company Value Portfolio

   23

Domestic Equity Portfolio

   27

Equity Income Portfolio

   31

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   36

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

   40

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

   46

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   50

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

   55

Small Cap Value Portfolio

   63

International Growth Portfolio

   68

Research International Core Portfolio

   74

International Equity Portfolio

   78

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

   83

Money Market Portfolio

   88

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

   92

Select Bond Portfolio

   98

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

   112

Inflation Protection Portfolio

   119

High Yield Bond Portfolio

   125

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

   133

Balanced Portfolio

   143

Asset Allocation Portfolio

   166

Benchmark Definitions

   187

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

   190

Statements of Operations

   194

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

   198

Financial Highlights

   206

Notes to Financial Statements

   214

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   230

Proxy Voting and Portfolio Holdings

   231

Director and Officer Information

   232

Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements

   234

 

Mason Street Advisors, LLC, adviser to the Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.

 

The views expressed in the portfolio manager commentaries set forth in the following pages reflect those of the portfolio managers only through the end of the period covered by this report and do not necessarily represent the views of any affiliated organization. These views are subject to change at any time based upon market conditions or other events and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Mason Street Advisors, LLC, disclaims any responsibility to update these views.


Expense Examples

 

 

 

Example

As a shareholder of each Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other Portfolio expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolios and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period (July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008).

Actual Expenses

The first line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The second line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on each Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Portfolios’ actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in a Portfolio and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs or separate account charges. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs or separate account charges were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

      Beginning Account Value
July 1, 2008
   Ending Account Value
December 31, 2008
   Expenses Paid During
Period July 1, 2008 to
December 31, 2008*
   Annualized
Expense Ratio

Growth Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   $1,000.00    $   678.50    $1.86    0.44%

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.92    2.24    0.44   

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    597.86    3.17    0.79   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,021.17    4.01    0.79   

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    689.94    1.91    0.45   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.87    2.29    0.45   

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    694.36    3.62    0.85   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,020.86    4.32    0.85   

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    716.15    0.86    0.20   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,024.13    1.02    0.20   

 

i    Expense Examples      


Expense Examples

 

      Beginning Account Value
July 1, 2008
   Ending Account Value
December 31, 2008
   Expenses Paid During
Period July 1, 2008 to
December 31, 2008*
   Annualized
Expense Ratio

Large Company Value Portfolio

           

Actual

   $1,000.00    $   737.19    $3.49    0.80%

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,021.11    4.06    0.80   

Domestic Equity Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    751.09    2.55    0.58   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.22    2.95    0.58   

Equity Income Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    742.20    2.93    0.67   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,021.77    3.40    0.67   

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    667.86    2.22    0.53   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.47    2.69    0.53   

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    664.28    1.09    0.26   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.83    1.32    0.26   

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    692.57    3.79    0.89   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,020.66    4.52    0.89   

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    658.85    2.42    0.58   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.22    2.95    0.58   

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    740.11    1.53    0.35   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.38    1.78    0.35   

Small Cap Value Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    730.14    3.78    0.87   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,020.76    4.42    0.87   

International Growth Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    601.78    3.34    0.83   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,020.96    4.22    0.83   

Research International Core Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    635.96    4.73    1.15   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,019.36    5.84    1.15   

International Equity Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    656.60    2.75    0.66   

Hypothetical (5% return before
expenses)

   1,000.00    1,021.82    3.35    0.66   

 

      Expense Examples    ii


Expense Examples

 

      Beginning Account Value
July 1, 2008
   Ending Account Value
December 31, 2008
   Expenses Paid During
Period July 1, 2008 to
December 31, 2008*
   Annualized
Expense Ratio

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

           

Actual

   $1,000.00    $   491.66    $5.62    1.50%

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,017.60    7.61    1.50   

Money Market Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    1,011.68    1.67    0.33   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.48    1.68    0.33   

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    1,003.08    2.01    0.40   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.13    2.03    0.40   

Select Bond Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    1,015.98    1.52    0.30   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.63    1.53    0.30   

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond

Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    1,190.49    3.36    0.61   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.07    3.10    0.61   

Inflation Protection Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    955.84    3.05    0.62   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.02    3.15    0.62   

High Yield Bond Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    794.41    2.17    0.48   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.72    2.44    0.48   

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    945.79    4.30    0.88   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,020.71    4.47    0.88   

Balanced Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    815.32    1.37    0.30   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,023.63    1.53    0.30   

Asset Allocation Portfolio

           

Actual

   1,000.00    750.13    2.42    0.55   

Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)

   1,000.00    1,022.37    2.80    0.55   

* Expenses are equal to the Portfolio's annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/366 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

iii    Expense Examples      


Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Long-term growth of capital. Income is

a secondary objective.

   Invest in well-established companies with above-average potential for earnings growth.    $414 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Growth Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital with income as a secondary objective. The Portfolio seeks to achieve this objective by investing primarily in the equity securities of well-established, medium and large capitalization companies that are selected for their above-average earnings growth potential, with an emphasis on high quality companies that have strong financial characteristics. Companies are identified using a “top down” approach that involves considering the economic outlook, identifying growth-oriented industries based on that outlook, and evaluating individual companies considering factors such as management product outlook, global exposure, industry leadership position and financial characteristics.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as unemployment jumped above 7% and the economy entered its first recession since 2002. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Growth Stock Portfolio returned –38.86% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell 1000 Growth Index returned –38.44%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The Large-Cap Growth Funds peer group had an average return of –41.68%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. Despite the difficult investing climate, the Portfolio performed in line with its Index and held up better than many of its peers. We believe the Portfolio outperformed the peer group average return because it tended to be underrepresented in economically sensitive shares, and because our process favored reasonably priced growers, rather than pure growth and momentum names, which generally lagged.

Relative to the Index, stock selection in the Information Technology sector detracted most from relative results, led by positioning in the internet software and services, semiconductor and software industry segments. The largest detractor was MEMC Electronic Materials, which provides silicon wafers to computer chip makers and solar panel manufacturers. The dramatic downturn in economic growth in the second half of the year weighed heavily on demand and prices for its products.

Another source of weakness was positioning in the Industrials sector. The leading detractors were manufacturers and parts suppliers tied to the market for commercial airliners and business jets. These were Textron and Spirit AeroSystems Holdings. We liked the backlog and book of business these companies touted; nevertheless, investors worried that slower economic growth would throttle demand for commercial jets.

At the other end of the spectrum, our stock selection was most effective in the Health Care sector, behind positioning in the biotechnology segment. The leading contributors were Gilead Sciences and Celgene. Gilead is the dominant player in the market for AIDS drugs, while Celgene offers best-in-class cancer drugs gaining approval for new applications. Selection and allocation decisions in the health care providers and health care equipment industry segments were also key contributors to relative results.

In Energy, the Portfolio benefited from stock selection among oil, gas and consumable fuels names. The leading contributor was oil and gas exploration and production firm EOG Resources, which performed very well early in the year as energy prices surged to record highs. We traded out of that stock into Southwestern Energy—whose valuation, growth profile and balance sheet we liked better—which held up well.

 

      Growth Stock Portfolio    1


Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals matter again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, and it is difficult to see a quick rebound in growth and earnings. Nevertheless, there are reasons we believe large-cap growth shares are positioned to do reasonably well in 2009. First, growth-oriented shares have historically done better than value when investors desire earnings certainty, and large companies typically have more arms to their business and levers to pull to support earnings. Second, we find stocks attractive relative to bonds. Third, stocks typically rally before the economy turns. So given those factors, we are likely to add exposure to what we believe are the most attractive, highest quality early cycle companies with the most potential to benefit from an eventual recovery.

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Growth Stock Portfolio

   -38.86%    -3.42%    -2.07%

Russell 1000 Growth Index

   -38.44%    -3.42%    -4.27%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Large Cap Growth Funds
Average

   -41.68%    -3.80%    -2.66%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Microsoft Corp.

   3.0%

  Google, Inc. - Class A

   2.8%

  Hewlett-Packard Co.

   2.4%

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   2.3%

  Abbott Laboratories

   2.2%

  Cisco Systems, Inc.

   2.1%

  International Business Machines Corp.

   2.1%

  QUALCOMM, Inc.

   2.1%

  Intel Corp.

   1.9%

  Philip Morris International, Inc.

   1.9%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

2    Growth Stock Portfolio      


Growth Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (88.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.3%)

 

Abercrombie & Fitch
Co. - Class A

   63,000    1,453

*

 

Amazon.com, Inc.

   28,000    1,436
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   290,150    4,898
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   158,800    2,884

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   128,500    4,652
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   137,700    2,963
 

McDonald’s Corp.

   57,800    3,594
 

The McGraw-Hill Cos.,
Inc.

   129,200    2,996
 

NIKE, Inc. - Class B

   78,700    4,014
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   97,100    2,614
 

Target Corp.

   78,900    2,724
         
 

Total

      34,228
         
 

Consumer Staples (13.8%)

 

Avon Products, Inc.

   134,100    3,222
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   136,900    6,198
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   250,129    7,189

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   47,200    2,555

*

 

Hansen Natural Corp.

   125,500    4,208
 

The Kroger Co.

   212,000    5,599
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   122,900    6,731
 

Philip Morris
International, Inc.

   183,800    7,997
 

The Procter & Gamble
Co.

   62,400    3,858
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   172,300    9,659
         
 

Total

      57,216
         
 

Energy (8.1%)

*

 

Cameron International
Corp.

   59,800    1,226
 

Diamond Offshore
Drilling, Inc.

   32,500    1,916
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   82,734    6,605
 

Halliburton Co.

   117,000    2,127
 

Hess Corp.

   37,300    2,001

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco,
Inc.

   138,400    3,382
 

Occidental Petroleum
Corp.

   72,100    4,325

*

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

   25,400    156
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   102,400    4,335

*

 

Southwestern Energy
Co.

   89,300    2,587

*

 

Transocean, Ltd.

   27,600    1,304
 

XTO Energy, Inc.

   103,550    3,652
         
 

Total

      33,616
         
 

Financials (2.7%)

 

American Express Co.

   59,100    1,096
 

CME Group, Inc.

   7,000    1,457
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.

   19,800    1,671

 

 

Common Stocks (88.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   51,300    1,552
 

State Street Corp.

   85,500    3,363
 

T. Rowe Price Group,
Inc.

   54,013    1,914
         
 

Total

      11,053
         
 

Health Care (15.7%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   173,700    9,270
 

Allergan, Inc.

   83,200    3,355
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   143,800    7,706
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Co.

   39,600    921

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   114,100    6,307

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   53,500    4,436

*

 

Genzyme Corp.

   67,000    4,447

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   135,800    6,945
 

Johnson & Johnson

   44,300    2,651

*

 

Medco Health Solutions,
Inc.

   176,100    7,380

*

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

   69,200    2,281
 

Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Ltd., ADR

   113,300    4,823

*

 

Thermo Fisher
Scientific, Inc.

   53,000    1,806
 

UnitedHealth Group,
Inc.

   98,100    2,609
         
 

Total

      64,937
         
 

Industrials (9.6%)

 

Danaher Corp.

   69,100    3,912
 

Deere & Co.

   57,800    2,215
 

FedEx Corp.

   50,200    3,220

*

 

First Solar, Inc.

   17,600    2,428

*

 

Foster Wheeler, Ltd.

   78,600    1,838
 

Honeywell International,
Inc.

   138,300    4,540
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

   28,000    2,354
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.

   78,000    3,670
 

Raytheon Co.

   62,600    3,195

*

 

Spirit AeroSystems
Holdings, Inc. - Class A

   180,700    1,838
 

Textron, Inc.

   114,100    1,583
 

Union Pacific Corp.

   86,300    4,125
 

United Technologies
Corp.

   86,700    4,647
         
 

Total

      39,565
         
 

Information Technology (25.1%)

 

Accenture, Ltd. - Class A

   123,311    4,043

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   82,000    6,999
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   80,300    814

*

 

Broadcom Corp. - Class A

   174,650    2,964

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   540,100    8,804

 

 

Common Stocks (88.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

 

Corning, Inc.

   200,500    1,911

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   165,700    2,313

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   93,200    1,495

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   37,842    11,642
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   270,800    9,827
 

Intel Corp.

   546,000    8,004
 

International Business
Machines Corp.

   104,400    8,786
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   60,700    558
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   30,100    656
 

MasterCard, Inc.

   5,500    786

*

 

MEMC Electronic
Materials, Inc.

   85,800    1,225
 

Microsoft Corp.

   630,000    12,247

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   376,600    6,677
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   242,600    8,692

*

 

Research In Motion, Ltd.

   43,900    1,782

*

 

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates,
Inc.

   43,400    786
 

Visa, Inc. - Class A

   33,900    1,778

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   85,200    1,040
         
 

Total

      103,829
         
 

Materials (3.0%)

 

Ecolab, Inc.

   50,300    1,768
 

Freeport-McMoRan
Copper & Gold, Inc.

   55,500    1,356
 

Monsanto Co.

   92,300    6,493
 

Praxair, Inc.

   47,300    2,808
         
 

Total

      12,425
         
 

Telecommunication Services (1.3%)

*

 

American Tower Corp. -
Class A

   114,400    3,354

*

 

NII Holdings, Inc.

   120,000    2,182
         
 

Total

      5,536
         
 

Utilities (0.6%)

 

Exelon Corp.

   43,600    2,425
         
 

Total

      2,425
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $474,244)

   364,830
         
 

Short-Term Investments (10.0%)

 

Federal Government & Agencies (1.7%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.15%, 3/13/09

   1,000,000    1,000
 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.47%, 3/13/09

   2,000,000    2,000
 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.65%, 3/13/09

   4,000,000    4,000
         
 

Total

      7,000
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Growth Stock Portfolio    3


Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Short-Term

Investments (10.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Finance Services (7.2%)

 

Alpine Securitization
Corp., 1.25%, 1/8/09

   10,000,000    9,998
 

Ciesco LLC,
0.20%, 1/12/09

   10,000,000    9,999
 

Gemini Securitization
Corp. LLC,
0.70%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,997
         
 

Total

      29,994
         
 

Oil and Gas (1.1%)

 

Devon Energy Corp.,
1.15%, 1/2/09

   4,500,000    4,500
         
 

Total

      4,500
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $41,487)

   41,494
         
 

Total Investments (98.2%)
(Cost: $515,731)(a)

   406,324
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (1.8%)

   7,477
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   413,801
         

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $515,822 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $109,498 which is comprised of $21,055 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $130,553 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

S&P 500 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $37,875)

   166    3/09    $      (522)

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

4    Growth Stock Portfolio      


Focused Appreciation Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.    Invest in equity securities selected for their growth potential.    $172 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Focused Appreciation Portfolio, has engaged Janus Capital Management LLC to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital through investments in the equities of companies selected for their growth potential. The Portfolio is managed using a “bottom-up” approach, which means that the holdings are selected by examining individual securities, rather than focusing on broad economic trends or industry sectors. The Portfolio may invest in companies of any size, from large, well-established companies to smaller, emerging growth companies. Although the Portfolio is diversified, the Portfolio may hold larger positions in a smaller number of companies than more diversified funds.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. Looking at returns by style, value-oriented shares held up better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Performance

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Portfolio underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index. The Portfolio posted a return of –40.01%, compared with the –38.44% return of the benchmark. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, Large-Cap Growth Funds, was –41.68%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund rating agency.

Holdings within the Information Technology, consumer-related sectors and Financials were among the detractors during the year. In terms of contributors, stock selection within Health Care and Energy aided comparable results.

The Portfolio’s top individual detractor was Apple. The company declined in the period due to concerns that the economic slowdown would negatively impact sales of its key computer, iPhone and iPod products. While we recognized that sales could be impacted in the short term, we continued to hold the position, believing the continued success of the iPhone and further market share gains in its core computer division will be the key drivers of Apple’s future growth.

Lehman Brothers was a top detractor amid turmoil in the credit markets and a bankruptcy protection filing in September. Our thesis on Lehman centered on the premise that it had sufficient liquidity to weather the market storms. In fact, we evaluated the downside risk through multiple scenario analyses. Unfortunately, we did not appropriately anticipate the dramatic decline in the values of residential mortgages, commercial mortgages and whole loans would have on Lehman’s balance sheet. What we believe should have been a liquidity issue became a solvency issue and the company filed for bankruptcy protection. After an extremely frustrating turn of events, we exited the position.

One other notable detractor was Google. Concerns that advertising revenues could decline amid the economic slowdown provided a negative backdrop for the Internet company. However, we favored the company because we thought it had the potential to take market share in online search and in other areas given some of its new products. In addition, while we recognized its sensitivity to the economy, long term we found its potential in mobile search and international markets appealing.

At the other end of the spectrum, a number of the Portfolio’s leading contributors came from the Health Care sector. Gilead Sciences benefited from studies that showed better results for patients who began using its HIV drug, Truvada, earlier in treatment, suggesting a larger addressable market. Celgene received a mid-year boost from a strong European rollout of its cancer-fighting drug Revlimid. We think the company is on track to continue to dominate the multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) market with Revlimid.

Genentech was another top contributor during the period after receiving a takeout bid from Swiss-based Roche, which already owned a majority share of Genentech. We trimmed our position and used the shares as a source of cash.

Outlook

In terms of positioning, the Portfolio was overweight Health Care and Materials and underweight Energy and consumer-related sectors relative to the benchmark at the end of the period. Looking ahead, it is difficult to determine how deep or

 

      Focused Appreciation Portfolio    5


Focused Appreciation Portfolio

 

 

 

protracted this recession will be or the pace of the recovery. Credit availability, employment growth and the housing market represent major headwinds to a quick recovery in our view. Given the high degree of uncertainty in the markets at period end, we were favoring companies with recurring revenue streams that we think have great valuations and growth prospects. We want to own companies that can deliver solid results, even in a tough economy, and have the potential to gain market share from weaker competitors.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
 
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception
 
*

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

   -40.01%    2.25%    5.30%  

Russell 1000 Growth Index

   -38.44%    -3.42%    0.45%  

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Large Cap Growth Funds Average

   -41.68%    -3.80%    –      

*Inception date of 5/1/03

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 5/1/03 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

The Portfolio may hold fewer securities than other diversified portfolios because of its focused investment strategy. Holding fewer securities increases the risk that the value of the Portfolio could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment.

 

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Celgene Corp.

   9.4%

  Apple, Inc.

   8.3%

  Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   7.5%

  CVS Caremark Corp.

   5.3%

  Oracle Corp.

   5.0%

  Cisco Systems, Inc.

   4.4%

  Research In Motion, Ltd.

   4.1%

  Precision Castparts Corp.

   3.7%

  Monsanto Co.

   3.3%

  Google, Inc. - Class A

   3.1%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

6    Focused Appreciation Portfolio      


Focused Appreciation Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (82.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (2.1%)

 

Boyd Gaming Corp.

   210,825    997
 

News Corp. - Class A

   295,060    2,682
         
 

Total

      3,679
         
 

Consumer Staples (8.2%)

 

Bunge, Ltd.

   95,235    4,930
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   318,630    9,158
         
 

Total

      14,088
         
 

Financials (7.5%)

 

ACE, Ltd.

   27,365    1,448
 

CME Group, Inc.

   21,550    4,485
 

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

   15,015    1,267
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   120,845    3,810
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   60,510    1,784
         
 

Total

      12,794
         
 

Health Care (22.7%)

 

Alcon, Inc.

   37,845    3,375

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   292,870    16,190

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   18,095    1,500

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   251,930    12,884

*

 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

   16,660    2,116
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

   107,695    2,865
         
 

Total

      38,930
         
 

Industrials (5.0%)

 

Precision Castparts Corp.

   107,735    6,408
 

United Parcel Service, Inc.

- Class B

   40,215    2,218
         
 

Total

      8,626
         
 

Information Technology (28.5%)

*

 

Akamai Technologies, Inc.

   111,163    1,677

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   166,493    14,210

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   460,100    7,500
 

Corning, Inc.

   321,715    3,066

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   89,900    1,442

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   17,415    5,358

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   487,100    8,636

*

 

Research In Motion, Ltd.

   172,750    7,010
         
 

Total

      48,899
         
 

Materials (3.4%)

 

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, ADR

   23,980    291
 

Monsanto Co.

   79,265    5,576
         
 

Total

      5,867
         
 

Telecommunication Services (4.8%)

*

 

America Movil - ADR,
Series L

   132,270    4,099

*

 

Crown Castle International Corp.

   109,700    1,928
 

Common Stocks (82.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunication Services continued

*

 

tw telecom, Inc.

   256,385    2,172
         
 

Total

      8,199
         
 

Total Common Stocks (Cost: $184,325)

   141,082
         
 

Short-Term Investments (17.6%)

 

Aircraft (0.7%)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding Corp., 0.40%, 1/15/09

   1,200,000    1,200
         
 

Total

      1,200
         
 

Energy (0.7%)

     
 

Sempra Global, 1.50%, 1/13/09

   1,200,000    1,199
         
 

Total

      1,199
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (10.2%)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.07%, 1/22/09

   4,500,000    4,500
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.10%, 2/12/09

   3,600,000    3,600
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.10%, 2/13/09

   4,300,000    4,299
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.15%, 3/13/09

   1,900,000    1,899
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.28%, 1/16/09

   2,900,000    2,900
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.38%, 1/15/09

   100,000    100
         
 

Total

      17,298
         
 

Finance Lessors (0.7%)

 

Thunder Bay Funding LLC, 0.95%, 1/14/09

   1,200,000    1,200
         
 

Total

      1,200
         
 

Finance Services (2.9%)

 

Alpine Securitization Corp., 1.35%, 1/7/09

   1,200,000    1,200
 

Atlantic Asset Securitization LLC, 0.80%, 1/12/09

   1,400,000    1,399
 

Barton Capital LLC, 0.30%, 1/9/09

   1,200,000    1,200
 

Gemini Securitization
Corp. LLC,
1.50%, 1/20/09

   1,200,000    1,199
         
 

Total

      4,998
         
 

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institutions

(1.7%)

 

Duke Energy Corp., 4.00%, 1/5/09

   3,000,000    2,999
         
 

Total

      2,999
         
 

Short-Term Investments

(17.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Personal Credit Institutions (0.7%)

 

HSBC Finance Corp., 1.50%, 1/8/09

   1,200,000    1,200
         
 

Total

   1,200
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $30,093)

   30,094
         
 

Total Investments (99.8%)

(Cost: $214,418)(a)

   171,176
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.2%)

   375
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   171,551
         

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents

—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $216,074 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $44,898 which is comprised of $3,906 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $48,804 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $1,448 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Focused Appreciation Portfolio    7


Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital and income.    Invest primarily in equity securities of large U.S. companies.    $311 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and income. The Portfolio seeks to achieve these objectives primarily by investing in the equity securities of companies selected for their high quality and growth potential. The Portfolio’s holdings will consist primarily of equity securities of large companies that may include both “growth” and “value” stocks. The Portfolio’s strategy is to actively manage a portfolio of selected equity securities with a goal of outperforming the total return of the S&P 500® Index. The Portfolio attempts to reduce risk by investing in many different economic sectors, industries and companies. The Portfolio’s manager may underweight or overweight selected economic sectors against the sector weightings of the S&P 500® Index to seek to enhance the Portfolio’s total return or reduce fluctuations in market value relative to the S&P 500® Index.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio returned –38.74% for all of 2008. By comparison, the S&P 500® Index returned –37.00%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The Portfolio’s Large-Cap Core Funds peer group average return was –38.76%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. Relative to the benchmark, the Portfolio’s underperformance was driven by positioning in the Energy and Industrials sectors. The leading contribution to relative return by far came from positioning in the Health Care sector.

Relative to the benchmark, Energy shares detracted most, behind an underweight position in the big, integrated oil companies and an overweight to the equipment and services names. We favor the long-term industry dynamics and structural position of the service companies relative to the integrateds. Unfortunately, that positioning detracted during 2008, as the diversified oil companies held up better than the oil services firms. The leading detractors in this space were an underweight position in Exxon Mobil, and an overweight to equipment and services firm National Oilwell Varco.

Another source of weakness was positioning in the Industrials sector. The leading detractors were manufacturers and parts suppliers tied to the market for commercial airliners and business jets. These were Textron and Spirit AeroSystems Holdings. We liked the backlog and book of business these companies touted; nevertheless, investors worried that slower economic growth would throttle demand for commercial jets.

At the other end of the spectrum, our stock selection was most effective in the Health Care sector, behind positioning in the biotechnology segment. We favor biotechnology shares over big pharmaceutical names because biotech stocks tend not to have the same worries as pharma about patent expiries, generic competition, and modest new drug pipelines. The leading contributors in biotech were Gilead Sciences and Celgene. Gilead is the dominant player in the market for AIDS drugs, while Celgene offers best-in-class cancer drugs gaining approval for new applications.

However, performance in the Health Care sector would have been better but for our underweight to pharmaceutical shares. These stocks generally held up well in 2008 because many investors viewed them as large, liquid safe haven plays. Nevertheless, our stake in Teva Pharmaceutical—a leading generic provider that has the potential to benefit from the increasing importance of generics in the health care industry—was a key contributor for the year. Selection and allocation decisions also contributed to relative results in the Telecommunication Services, Utilities, and Materials sectors.

 

8    Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio      


Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals matter again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, and it is difficult to see a quick rebound in growth and earnings. Nevertheless, we believe the dramatic sell-off has created some tremendous investment opportunities. In that regard, we’re likely to trim our Health Care stake, which did relatively well, and look for opportunities to put that money to work in the most beaten-up segments of the market. We will continue to perform careful analysis and selectively add companies in out-of-favor sectors that we feel have the best potential to position the Portfolio to benefit from an eventual recovery.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

   -38.74%    -2.65%    -3.26%

S&P 500 Index

   -37.00%    -2.19%    -1.38%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Large Cap Core Funds
Average

   -38.76%    -2.79%    -1.46%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Exxon Mobil Corp.

   3.6%

  Microsoft Corp.

   2.3%

  Chevron Corp.

   2.1%

  AT&T, Inc.

   2.0%

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   1.9%

  Baxter International, Inc.

   1.9%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   1.8%

  General Electric Co.

   1.7%

  Wells Fargo & Co.

   1.7%

  CVS Caremark Corp.

   1.7%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio    9


Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (92.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.0%)

 

Abercrombie & Fitch
Co. - Class A

   37,500    865

*

 

Amazon.com, Inc.

   13,900    713
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   282,900    4,775
 

The Home Depot, Inc.

   31,500    725
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   88,400    1,605

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   102,000    3,692
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   120,900    2,602
 

McDonald’s Corp.

   27,700    1,723
 

The McGraw-Hill Cos.,
Inc.

   99,700    2,312
 

NIKE, Inc. - Class B

   54,700    2,790
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   65,800    1,771
 

Target Corp.

   34,400    1,188
         
 

Total

      24,761
         
 

Consumer Staples (12.7%)

 

Avon Products, Inc.

   105,800    2,542
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   73,200    3,314
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   185,522    5,332

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   37,500    2,030

*

 

Hansen Natural Corp.

   91,100    3,055
 

The Kroger Co.

   161,800    4,273
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   57,700    3,160
 

Philip Morris
International, Inc.

   115,500    5,026
 

The Procter & Gamble
Co.

   75,362    4,659
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   107,100    6,004
         
 

Total

      39,395
         
 

Energy (11.9%)

*

 

Cameron International
Corp.

   64,900    1,331
 

Chevron Corp.

   89,700    6,635
 

ConocoPhillips

   54,888    2,843
 

Diamond Offshore
Drilling, Inc.

   16,900    996
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   139,100    11,104
 

Halliburton Co.

   87,300    1,587
 

Hess Corp.

   19,900    1,068

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco,
Inc.

   86,700    2,119
 

Occidental Petroleum
Corp.

   22,000    1,320

*

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

   18,800    116
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   46,900    1,985

*

 

Southwestern Energy
Co.

   69,700    2,019

*

 

Transocean, Ltd.

   21,300    1,006
 

XTO Energy, Inc.

   82,650    2,915
         
 

Total

      37,044
         
 

Financials (10.9%)

 

American Express Co.

   53,900    1,000

 

 

Common Stocks (92.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Bank of America Corp.

   139,357    1,962
 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

   52,200    1,479
 

Citigroup, Inc.

   166,900    1,120
 

CME Group, Inc.

   7,200    1,498
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.

   15,300    1,291
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   180,296    5,684
 

Merrill Lynch & Co.,
Inc.

   154,800    1,802
 

National City Corp.

   671,700    1,216
 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   65,100    1,970
 

State Street Corp.

   76,500    3,009
 

T. Rowe Price Group,
Inc.

   49,400    1,751
 

The Travelers
Companies, Inc.

   107,800    4,872
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   181,000    5,336
         
 

Total

      33,990
         
 

Health Care (14.0%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   97,200    5,188
 

Aetna, Inc.

   63,800    1,818
 

Allergan, Inc.

   63,300    2,552
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   107,000    5,734
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Co.

   75,000    1,744
 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

   29,400    1,013

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   60,095    3,322

*

 

Express Scripts, Inc.

   27,700    1,523

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   10,900    904

*

 

Genzyme Corp.

   42,200    2,801

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   80,600    4,122
 

Johnson & Johnson

   74,400    4,451

*

 

Medco Health Solutions,
Inc.

   59,600    2,498
 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., ADR

   79,900    3,401
 

UnitedHealth Group,
Inc.

   88,100    2,344
         
 

Total

      43,415
         
 

Industrials (9.2%)

 

Danaher Corp.

   28,200    1,596
 

Deere & Co.

   34,300    1,314
 

FedEx Corp.

   26,800    1,719

*

 

Foster Wheeler, Ltd.

   62,500    1,461
 

General Electric Co.

   334,500    5,419
 

Honeywell International,
Inc.

   64,990    2,134
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

   13,100    1,102
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.

   60,200    2,833
 

Raytheon Co.

   49,200    2,511

*

 

Spirit AeroSystems
Holdings, Inc. - Class A

   138,800    1,412
 

Textron, Inc.

   52,300    725

 

 

Common Stocks (92.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Union Pacific Corp.

   67,100    3,207
 

United Parcel Service,
Inc. - Class B

   19,400    1,070
 

United Technologies
Corp.

   37,800    2,026
         
 

Total

      28,529
         
 

Information Technology (16.9%)

 

Accenture, Ltd. - Class
A

   52,600    1,725

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   38,600    3,295
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   49,300    499

*

 

Broadcom Corp. - Class
A

   100,350    1,703

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   245,900    4,008
 

Corning, Inc.

   134,600    1,283

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   64,400    1,033

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class
A

   14,400    4,430
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   140,900    5,113
 

Intel Corp.

   333,400    4,888
 

International Business Machines Corp.

   63,100    5,311
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   61,600    566

*

 

MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

   53,600    765
 

Microsoft Corp.

   366,300    7,121

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   269,700    4,782
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   128,500    4,604
 

Visa, Inc. - Class A

   25,900    1,358
         
 

Total

      52,484
         
 

Materials (2.2%)

 

Ecolab, Inc.

   40,700    1,431
 

Freeport-McMoRan
Copper & Gold, Inc.

   41,800    1,021
 

Monsanto Co.

   38,900    2,737
 

Praxair, Inc.

   25,300    1,502
         
 

Total

      6,691
         
 

Other Holdings (0.9%)

 

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund

   120,500    1,521
 

SPDR KBW Bank

   65,000    1,423
         
 

Total

      2,944
         
 

Telecommunication Services (4.0%)

*

 

American Tower Corp. - Class A

   75,600    2,217
 

AT&T, Inc.

   219,900    6,267
 

Verizon
Communications, Inc.

   118,600    4,020
         
 

Total

      12,504
         
 

Utilities (2.2%)

 

Exelon Corp.

   43,100    2,397

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

10    Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio      


Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

 

 

Common Stocks (92.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities continued

 

FPL Group, Inc.

   89,900    4,524
         
 

Total

      6,921
         
 

Total Common Stocks (Cost: $368,907)

      288,678
         
 

Short-Term Investments (7.0%)

 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.7%)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.15%, 3/13/09

   1,000,000    1,000

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.47%, 3/13/09

   1,000,000    1,000
         
 

Total

      2,000
         
 

Finance Services (3.2%)

 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 0.70%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,997
         
 

Total

      9,997
         
 

Oil and Gas (3.1%)

 

Devon Energy Corp., 0.95%, 1/2/09

   9,700,000    9,700
         
 

Total

      9,700
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $21,696)

   21,697
         
 

Total Investments (99.9%)

(Cost: $390,603)(a)

   310,375
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.1%)

   290
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   310,665
         

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $392,631 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $82,256 which is comprised of $18,466 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $100,722 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

S&P 500 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $10,724)

   47    3/09    $                (148)

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio    11


Large Cap Blend Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital and income.   

Invest primarily in equity and equity-related securities of

large U.S. companies.

   $29 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Large Cap Blend Portfolio, has engaged Capital Guardian Trust Company to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio objectives are long-term growth of capital and income. The Portfolio seeks to meet these objectives by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowing for investment purposes), in equity and equity-related securities of U.S. large-capitalization companies, defined as those with a market capitalization range, at the time of investment, equal to that of the Portfolio’s benchmark, the S&P 500® Index. In selecting investments, greater consideration is given to potential appreciation and future dividends than to current income. The Large Cap Blend portfolio uses a multiple portfolio manager system in managing the Fund’s assets. Under this approach, the Portfolio is divided into segments managed by individual managers. Each manager’s role is to decide how their respective segment will be invested by selecting securities within the limits of the Portfolio’s objectives and policies.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Large Cap Blend Portfolio returned –40.25% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the S&P 500® Index returned –37.00%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) According to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency, the average return of the Large-Cap Core Funds peer group was

–38.76%.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector managed positive results. Relative to the benchmark, the Portfolio’s underperformance was driven by positioning in the Financials and Consumer Discretionary sectors. The leading contribution to relative return came from the Health Care sector.

Stock choices in the Financials sector detracted most from relative results, as the Portfolio was hurt by exposure to a number of companies hit hard by the credit crisis. In past financial crises, high quality, large-cap financials earned their way out of challenging economic and credit environments, and our analysis of several financial companies suggested the same could happen this time. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate the depth and speed of the deterioration in fundamentals in the current crisis. As a result, four of the top five detractors from relative results were Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and Wachovia. On a positive note, a number of our stock picks in the sector worked well, as overweight positions in JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Hudson City Bancorp were all top ten contributors for the year.

Another source of weakness was stock selection in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Gaming stock Las Vegas Sands, media giant Gannett and fast food icon McDonald’s were leading detractors. It hurt to be underrepresented in shares of McDonald’s, which we thought were expensive; nevertheless, the company benefited as tough economic times sent more cost-conscious diners through its doors. Overweight positions in Las Vegas Sands and Gannett detracted largely because of worries about the effect of slower economic growth on revenues. Las Vegas Sands faced additional concerns that recent anti-gambling policies enacted by the Chinese government would hurt business at a key property.

The largest contribution to relative return came from an overweight position and stock selection in the Health Care sector, particularly biotechnology shares. We favored biotechnology companies because they tend to be dynamic and innovative with solid growth prospects, in contrast to big pharmaceutical firms, which often face worries about patent expirations and generic competition. Biotechnology shares benefited from takeover activity as pharmaceutical firms sought to bolster their new drug pipelines, which explains the outperformance of Genentech, ImClone Systems and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, which were all either acquired or the subject of buyout offers in 2008.

Outlook

We will continue our focus on leading large-cap companies demonstrating growth potential whose shares are trading at attractive valuations. One positive lesson from a very difficult 2008 is that we are now finding a great many high quality

12    Large Cap Blend Portfolio      


Large Cap Blend Portfolio

 

 

 

companies trading at compelling levels. And while it is impossible to know when economic and market conditions will turn, we are using this opportunity to attempt to position the Portfolio for outperformance by adding what we believe to be well-run, attractively valued companies at knock-down prices. Because the Portfolio is built from the bottom up, our sector and industry allocations reflect where we’re finding the best investment opportunities at a given time. As of December 31, 2008, the largest sector overweight was in Health Care, while the most notable sector underweight was in Energy.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year    Since

Inception*

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

   -40.25%    -29.42%

S&P 500 Index

   -37.00%    -23.95%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Large Cap Core Funds
Average

   -38.76%    –    
 

*Inception date of 4/30/07

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  General Electric Co.

   2.9%

  United Parcel Service, Inc. - Class B

   2.7%

  Google, Inc. - Class A

   2.7%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   2.6%

  PepsiCo, Inc.

   2.5%

  Baxter International, Inc.

   2.4%

  Genentech, Inc.

   2.3%

  Celgene Corp.

   2.3%

  Philip Morris International, Inc.

   2.2%

  Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class A

   2.2%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Large Cap Blend Portfolio    13


Large Cap Blend Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (11.6%)

*

 

Apollo Group, Inc. - Class
A

   2,800    215
 

Best Buy Co., Inc.

   5,100    143
 

Carnival Corp.

   6,100    148
 

CBS Corp. - Class B

   16,600    136

*

 

Coach, Inc.

   1,400    29
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   5,100    86
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   8,100    65

*

 

Hanesbrands, Inc.

   10,000    127
 

The Home Depot, Inc.

   5,500    127
 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.,
ADR

   6,100    130
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   3,500    64

*

 

Las Vegas Sands Corp.

   10,900    65
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   6,700    144
 

Nordstrom, Inc.

   8,300    110
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   11,200    302
 

Target Corp.

   18,700    646

*

 

Time Warner Cable, Inc. -
Class A

   8,300    178
 

Time Warner, Inc.

   7,700    77

*

 

Urban Outfitters, Inc.

   4,800    72

*

 

Viacom, Inc. -Class B

   5,500    105
 

The Walt Disney Co.

   15,900    361

*

 

Wynn Resorts, Ltd.

   1,800    76
         
 

Total

      3,406
         
 

Consumer Staples (11.8%)

     
 

Altria Group, Inc.

   17,500    264
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   3,382    153
 

Costco Wholesale Corp.

   1,800    95

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   800    43
 

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

   1,400    74
 

Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class A

   24,300    652
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   13,200    723
 

Philip Morris International,
Inc.

   15,100    657
 

Sara Lee Corp.

   46,100    451
 

Unilever NV

   3,900    96
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   4,300    241
         
 

Total

      3,449
         
 

Energy (6.7%)

     
 

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

   2,200    85
 

Baker Hughes, Inc.

   1,700    55
 

Chevron Corp.

   4,100    303
 

ConocoPhillips

   3,500    181
 

EOG Resources, Inc.

   800    53
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   3,400    271
 

Kinder Morgan
Management, LLC.

   1,532    61
 

Marathon Oil Corp.

   12,200    334
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class A, ADR

   3,300    175

 

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class B, ADR

   1,100    57
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   8,300    351
 

The Williams Companies, Inc.

   3,100    45
         
 

Total

      1,971
         
 

Financials (11.6%)

     
 

ACE, Ltd.

   1,700    90
 

Aflac, Inc.

   4,000    183
 

Astoria Financial Corp.

   4,500    74
 

Bank of America Corp.

   2,500    35

*

 

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. -
Class A

   2    193
 

The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc.

   7,300    616
 

Hudson City Bancorp, Inc.

   27,000    431
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   24,300    766
 

Mercury General Corp.

   400    19
 

The Progressive Corp.

   14,900    221
 

RenaissanceRe Holdings,
Ltd.

   700    36
 

SunTrust Banks, Inc.

   500    15
 

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

   2,200    78
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   21,900    646
         
 

Total

      3,403
         
 

Health Care (17.5%)

     
 

Abbott Laboratories

   9,100    486
 

Aetna, Inc.

   300    9
 

Allergan, Inc.

   10,300    415
 

AstraZeneca PLC, ADR

   4,400    181
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   13,300    713

*

 

BioMarin Pharmaceutical,
Inc.

   2,900    52
 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

   7,900    272

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   12,000    663

*

 

Cerner Corp.

   5,000    192

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   9,400    466

*

 

Forest Laboratories, Inc.

   5,100    130

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   8,300    688

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   2,500    128

*

 

Health Net, Inc.

   1,300    14
 

Medtronic, Inc.

   4,900    154
 

Pfizer, Inc.

   4,800    85
 

Sanofi-Aventis, ADR

   2,700    87
 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., ADR

   4,400    187
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

   8,700    231
         
 

Total

      5,153
         
 

Industrials (11.9%)

     
 

Cooper Industries, Ltd. -
Class A

   1,300    38
 

Danaher Corp.

   1,350    76
 

Emerson Electric Co.

   2,500    92

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

FedEx Corp.

   1,700    109

*

 

First Solar, Inc.

   1,200    166
 

Fluor Corp.

   9,100    408
 

General Electric Co.

   52,700    854
 

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

   7,300    256

*

 

Iron Mountain, Inc.

   2,000    49

*

 

Jacobs Engineering Group,
Inc.

   1,000    48

*

 

Monster Worldwide, Inc.

   6,200    75
 

Southwest Airlines Co.

   13,100    113
 

Union Pacific Corp.

   1,800    86
 

United Parcel Service, Inc.
- Class B

   14,400    794
 

United Technologies Corp.

   6,400    343
         
 

Total

      3,507
         
 

Information Technology (14.8%)

  

*

 

Adobe Systems, Inc.

   5,400    115

*

 

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

   7,400    116

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   2,800    239

*

 

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

   45,900    129

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   31,800    518

*

 

Cognizant Technology
Solutions Corp. - Class A

   4,100    74

*

 

Dell, Inc.

   7,300    75

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   4,400    61

*

 

Flextronics International,
Ltd.

   14,500    37

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   2,550    785
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   3,400    123
 

Intel Corp.

   4,800    70
 

International Business
Machines Corp.

   1,200    101
 

Jabil Circuit, Inc.

   20,100    136
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   7,000    153

*

 

Lam Research Corp.

   1,900    41
 

Microchip Technology, Inc.

   3,400    66
 

Microsoft Corp.

   13,600    264

*

 

NetApp, Inc.

   5,300    74
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd., ADR

   3,500    167

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   2,900    51
 

Paychex, Inc.

   10,100    265

*

 

Polycom, Inc.

   7,200    97
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   10,700    383
 

Visa, Inc. - Class A

   1,000    53

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   12,500    153
         
 

Total

      4,346
         
 

Materials (5.3%)

     
 

Allegheny Technologies,
Inc.

   7,700    196
 

Barrick Gold Corp.

   12,800    471
 

Celanese Corp.

   1,400    17
 

Cliffs Natural Resources,
Inc.

   4,500    115

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

14    Large Cap Blend Portfolio      


Large Cap Blend Portfolio

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

Ecolab, Inc.

   2,300    81
 

Monsanto Co.

   2,600    183
 

Nucor Corp.

   4,000    185
 

Potash Corp. of
Saskatchewan, Inc.

   1,800    132
 

Vulcan Materials Co.

   2,700    188
         
 

Total

      1,568
         
 

Other Holdings (1.0%)

     
 

SPDR Trust Series 1

   3,300    298
         
 

Total

      298
         
 

Telecommunication Services (3.1%)

     

*

 

American Tower Corp. -
Class A

   10,700    313
 

AT&T, Inc.

   18,000    513

*

 

tw telecom, Inc.

   8,000    68
         
 

Total

      894
         
 

Utilities (0.9%)

     
 

Allegheny Energy, Inc.

   1,100    37
 

American Water Works
Co., Inc.

   6,600    138
 

CMS Energy Corp.

   3,400    34
 

Edison International

   1,800    58
         
 

Total

      267
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $38,795)

   28,262
         
 

Preferred Stocks (0.4%)

 

Pharmaceutical Preparations (0.4%)

 

Schering-Plough Corp.,
6.00%, 8/13/10

   700    122
         
 

Total

      122
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $151)

   122
         
 

Short-Term Investments (3.4%)

 

Energy (3.4%)

 

Sempra Global,
1.00%, 1/2/09

   1,000,000    1,000
         
 

Total

      1,000
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $1,000)

      1,000
         
 

Total Investments (100.0%)

(Cost: $39,946)(a)

      29,384
         
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (0.0%)

      (2)
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      29,382
         

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents —American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $40,072 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $10,688 which is comprised of $319 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $11,007 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $90 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Large Cap Blend Portfolio    15


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Investment results that approximate the performance of the S&P 500® Index.    Invest in stocks included in the S&P 500® Index in approximately the same proportion as each stock’s weighting in the Index.    $1.2 billion

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Index 500 Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks investment results that approximate the performance of the S&P 500® Index. The S&P 500® Index is composed of 500 common stocks representing approximately three-fourths of the total market value of all publicly traded common stocks in the U.S. The Portfolio’s strategy is to capture broad market performance by investing in a portfolio modeled after a broadly based stock index. The Index 500 Stock Portfolio is not managed in the traditional sense using economic, financial and market analysis. The Portfolio invests in stocks included in the S&P 500® Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index, and may buy or sell securities after announced changes in the Index but before or after the effective date of the changes to attempt to achieve higher correlation with the Index. The Portfolio remains neutral relative to the benchmark in terms of economic sectors, market capitalization, and the growth and value styles of investing. The Portfolio will, to the extent feasible, remain fully invested, and may purchase Index futures contracts in an attempt to achieve full replication.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. Returns were negative across all market capitalization ranges, sectors, and investment styles. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.00%, –36.23% and –31.07%, as measured by the S&P 500®, MidCap 400® and SmallCap 600® Indices, respectively.

Large-cap stocks suffered most, largely as a result of the fallout from the financial crisis. Indeed, Financials were the poorest performing sector in the Index, down 57%, as large-cap financial shares were at the epicenter of the credit crisis. Every major investment bank, mortgage market players Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, insurance giant AIG, and such big lenders as Washington Mutual and Wachovia either failed, were seized by the government, sold at a steep discount, or fundamentally altered their corporate structure.

In addition, stocks faced worries about the dramatic global slowdown, weighing on economically sensitive shares. In that environment, Materials, Information Technology, Industrials, Energy and Consumer Discretionary shares fell 47%, 44%, 42%, 36% and 35%, respectively.

The shares that held up best were Consumer Staples names (–18%), whose earnings have historically been more resilient during difficult economic periods. Similarly, the traditionally defensive Utilities and Telecommunication Services segments did better than the Index, down 32% and 34%, respectively. Health Care shares deserve special mention, as these growth-oriented stocks managed the second-best return for the year, down 25%. Positive returns from biotechnology shares and a resilient performance from big pharmaceutical companies drove the sector’s performance.

Portfolio Results

The Portfolio had a sharply negative return in the worst year for equities since the Great Depression. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Portfolio had a total return of –36.94%, compared with –37.00% for the S&P 500® Index. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, S&P 500 Index Objective Funds, was –37.20%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

As we seek to track the performance and weightings of stocks in the S&P 500® Index, we make changes in the Portfolio’s holding as the Index changes. Standard & Poor’s changes the composition of the Index as companies go public or private, merge, divest or have major changes in market capitalization. Additionally, Standard & Poor’s adjusts the Index to better reflect the companies that are most representative of the composition of the U.S. economy. During 2008, 33 companies were added to the Index, with a like number eliminated during the year. We try to make these adjustments in the Portfolio in a way that minimizes the cost and market impact of our trading. For example, it is typical for stocks to rise temporarily when they are initially added to the Index as funds adjust their portfolios to reflect the new benchmark. We have been able to add these names to the Portfolio in a more efficient, cost-effective way by incorporating them after this temporary price increase subsides.

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals and diversification matter once again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, though we think it is reasonable to expect some sort of recovery based on the

 

16    Index 500 Stock Portfolio      


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

massive government stimulus likely to come early in the new year. Diversification, too, is likely to matter again, as we see greater differentiation in returns across and within asset classes. We continue to believe in the potential benefit of investing in a fund based on a broad market index, such as the Index 500 Stock Portfolio, which provides exposure to both growth and value styles of investing, as well stocks of companies across the economy.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

   -36.94%    -2.28%    -1.42%

S&P 500 Index

   -37.00%    -2.19%    -1.38%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) S&P 500 Index Objective
Funds Average

   -37.20%    -2.54%    -1.73%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

“Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P 500” and “Standard & Poor’s 500” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s, and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Exxon Mobil Corp.

   5.1%

  The Procter & Gamble Co.

   2.3%

  General Electric Co.

   2.1%

  AT&T, Inc.

   2.1%

  Johnson & Johnson

   2.1%

  Chevron Corp.

   1.9%

  Microsoft Corp.

   1.9%

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   1.6%

  Pfizer, Inc.

   1.5%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   1.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on equities.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Index 500 Stock Portfolio    17


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.2%)

 

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
- Class A

   13,300    307

*

 

Amazon.com, Inc.

   49,200    2,523

*

 

Apollo Group, Inc. -
Class A

   16,300    1,249

*

 

AutoNation, Inc.

   16,529    163

*

 

AutoZone, Inc.

   5,825    812

*

 

Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.

   39,800    1,012
 

Best Buy Co., Inc.

   51,675    1,453

*

 

Big Lots, Inc.

   12,600    183
 

The Black & Decker
Corp.

   9,200    385
 

Carnival Corp.

   66,909    1,627
 

CBS Corp. - Class B

   104,124    853
 

Centex Corp.

   19,000    202

*

 

Coach, Inc.

   50,100    1,041
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   440,905    7,442
 

D.R. Horton, Inc.

   42,200    298
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

   21,250    599

*

 

The DIRECTV Group,
Inc.

   83,600    1,915
 

Eastman Kodak Co.

   41,083    270

*

 

Expedia, Inc.

   32,100    264
 

Family Dollar Stores, Inc.

   21,400    558

*

 

Ford Motor Co.

   365,765    838
 

Fortune Brands, Inc.

   22,967    948

*

 

GameStop Corp. - Class
A

   25,100    544
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   34,950    280
 

The Gap, Inc.

   71,375    956
 

General Motors Corp.

   93,427    299
 

Genuine Parts Co.

   24,400    924

*

 

The Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co.

   36,900    220
 

H&R Block, Inc.

   51,900    1,179
 

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

   35,600    604
 

Harman International
Industries, Inc.

   9,000    151
 

Hasbro, Inc.

   18,925    552
 

The Home Depot, Inc.

   259,600    5,976
 

International Game
Technology

   45,100    536

*

 

The Interpublic Group of
Companies, Inc.

   73,000    289
 

J.C. Penney Co., Inc.

   34,050    671
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   91,000    1,653
 

Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

   12,800    75
 

KB Home

   11,500    157

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   46,667    1,689
 

Leggett & Platt, Inc.

   23,933    364
 

Lennar Corp. - Class A

   21,600    187
 

Limited Brands, Inc.

   41,387    416
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   224,400    4,829
 

Macy’s, Inc.

   64,346    666

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary continued

 

Marriott International,
Inc. - Class A

   44,900    873
 

Mattel, Inc.

   54,888    878
 

McDonald’s Corp.

   170,678    10,614
 

The McGraw-Hill Cos.,
Inc.

   48,120    1,116
 

Meredith Corp.

   5,500    94
 

The New York Times Co.
- Class A

   17,870    131
 

Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.

   42,492    416
 

News Corp. - Class A

   352,200    3,201
 

NIKE, Inc. - Class B

   60,100    3,065
 

Nordstrom, Inc.

   24,434    325

*

 

Office Depot, Inc.

   42,057    125
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   47,600    1,281
 

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.

   8,600    391
 

Pulte Homes, Inc.

   32,700    357
 

RadioShack Corp.

   19,200    229
 

Scripps Networks
Interactive - Class A

   13,800    304

*

 

Sears Holdings Corp.

   8,480    330
 

The Sherwin-Williams
Co.

   15,013    897
 

Snap-on, Inc.

   8,817    347
 

The Stanley Works

   12,050    411
 

Staples, Inc.

   109,250    1,958

*

 

Starbucks Corp.

   112,600    1,065
 

Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

   28,000    501
 

Target Corp.

   115,257    3,980
 

Tiffany & Co.

   18,867    446
 

Time Warner, Inc.

   549,300    5,526
 

The TJX Companies, Inc.

   63,700    1,310
 

VF Corp.

   13,457    737

*

 

Viacom, Inc. - Class B

   93,924    1,790
 

The Walt Disney Co.

   283,457    6,432
 

The Washington Post Co.
- Class B

   900    351
 

Whirlpool Corp.

   11,244    465
 

Wyndham Worldwide
Corp.

   27,186    178

*

 

Wynn Resorts, Ltd.

   9,400    397
 

Yum! Brands, Inc.

   70,860    2,232
         
 

Total

      100,912
         
 

Consumer Staples (12.6%)

 

Altria Group, Inc.

   315,522    4,752
 

Archer-Daniels-Midland
Co.

   98,203    2,831
 

Avon Products, Inc.

   65,300    1,569
 

Brown-Forman Corp. -
Class B

   15,022    773
 

Campbell Soup Co.

   31,522    946
 

The Clorox Co.

   21,250    1,181
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   304,675    13,793

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

 

Coca-Cola Enterprises,
Inc.

   48,600    585
 

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

   77,322    5,300
 

ConAgra Foods, Inc.

   68,467    1,130

*

 

Constellation Brands, Inc.
- Class A

   29,800    470
 

Costco Wholesale Corp.

   66,064    3,468
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   219,861    6,319

*

 

Dean Foods Co.

   23,600    424

*

 

Dr. Pepper Snapple
Group, Inc.

   38,800    630
 

The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. - Class A

   17,700    548
 

General Mills, Inc.

   51,167    3,108
 

H.J. Heinz Co.

   48,117    1,809
 

The Hershey Co.

   25,400    882
 

The J.M. Smucker Co.

   18,100    785
 

Kellogg Co.

   38,557    1,691
 

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

   63,356    3,341
 

Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class
A

   224,996    6,041
 

The Kroger Co.

   99,905    2,638
 

Lorillard, Inc.

   25,746    1,451
 

McCormick & Co., Inc.

   19,900    634
 

Molson Coors Brewing
Co. - Class B

   22,800    1,115
 

The Pepsi Bottling
Group, Inc.

   20,700    466
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   237,830    13,026
 

Philip Morris
International, Inc.

   309,722    13,476
 

The Procter & Gamble
Co.

   457,164    28,262
 

Reynolds American, Inc.

   25,900    1,044
 

Safeway, Inc.

   65,600    1,559
 

Sara Lee Corp.

   108,235    1,060
 

SUPERVALU, INC.

   32,470    474
 

Sysco Corp.

   91,725    2,104
 

Tyson Foods, Inc. - Class
A

   46,300    406
 

UST, Inc.

   22,767    1,580
 

Walgreen Co.

   151,546    3,739
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   342,300    19,189
 

Whole Foods Market,
Inc.

   21,500    203
         
 

Total

      154,802
         
 

Energy (13.0%)

 

Anadarko Petroleum
Corp.

   70,324    2,711
 

Apache Corp.

   51,246    3,819
 

Baker Hughes, Inc.

   47,130    1,511
 

BJ Services Co.

   44,700    522
 

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.

   15,800    411

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

18    Index 500 Stock Portfolio      


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

*

 

Cameron International
Corp.

   33,600    689
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp.

   82,800    1,339
 

Chevron Corp.

   311,114    23,013
 

ConocoPhillips

   228,238    11,823
 

CONSOL Energy, Inc.

   27,700    792
 

Devon Energy Corp.

   67,600    4,442
 

El Paso Corp.

   107,371    841
 

ENSCO International,
Inc.

   21,700    616
 

EOG Resources, Inc.

   38,220    2,545
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   778,856    62,176
 

Halliburton Co.

   136,838    2,488
 

Hess Corp.

   43,400    2,328
 

Marathon Oil Corp.

   108,066    2,957
 

Massey Energy Co.

   13,000    179
 

Murphy Oil Corp.

   29,200    1,295

*

 

Nabors Industries, Ltd.

   43,600    522

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco,
Inc.

   63,900    1,562
 

Noble Corp.

   40,400    892
 

Noble Energy, Inc.

   26,500    1,304
 

Occidental Petroleum
Corp.

   124,040    7,441
 

Peabody Energy Corp.

   40,800    928
 

Pioneer Natural
Resources Co.

   18,000    291
 

Range Resources Corp.

   23,800    818
 

Rowan Companies, Inc.

   17,350    276
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   183,134    7,752
 

Smith International, Inc.

   33,500    767

*

 

Southwestern Energy Co.

   52,600    1,524
 

Spectra Energy Corp.

   93,536    1,472
 

Sunoco, Inc.

   17,900    778
 

Tesoro Corp.

   21,200    279
 

Valero Energy Corp.

   79,000    1,710

*

 

Weatherford
International, Ltd.

   104,300    1,128
 

The Williams Companies,
Inc.

   88,600    1,283
 

XTO Energy, Inc.

   88,323    3,115
         
 

Total

      160,339
         
 

Financials (13.0%)

 

Aflac, Inc.

   71,350    3,271
 

The Allstate Corp.

   82,028    2,687
 

American Capital, Ltd.

   31,700    103
 

American Express Co.

   177,575    3,294
 

American International
Group, Inc.

   411,730    646
 

Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

   33,155    774
 

Aon Corp.

   41,300    1,887
 

Apartment Investment & Management Co. - Class
A

   15,546    180
 

Assurant, Inc.

   18,000    540
 

AvalonBay Communities,
Inc.

   11,800    715
 

Bank of America Corp.

   768,247    10,817

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

The Bank of New York
Mellon Corp.

   175,663    4,977
 

BB&T Corp.

   84,600    2,323
 

Boston Properties, Inc.

   18,500    1,017
 

Capital One Financial
Corp.

   59,929    1,911

*

 

CB Richard Ellis Group,
Inc.

   34,100    147
 

The Charles Schwab
Corp.

   143,311    2,317
 

The Chubb Corp.

   54,500    2,779
 

Cincinnati Financial
Corp.

   24,875    723
 

CIT Group, Inc.

   43,700    198
 

Citigroup, Inc.

   834,448    5,599
 

CME Group, Inc.

   10,300    2,144
 

Comerica, Inc.

   23,050    458
 

Developers Diversified
Realty Corp.

   18,400    90
 

Discover Financial
Services

   73,456    700

*

 

E*TRADE Financial
Corp.

   86,200    99
 

Equity Residential

   41,700    1,243
 

Federated Investors, Inc. -
Class B

   13,600    231
 

Fifth Third Bancorp

   88,434    730
 

First Horizon National
Corp.

   31,136    329
 

Franklin Resources, Inc.

   23,150    1,477
 

Genworth Financial, Inc.
- Class A

   66,300    188
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.

   67,700    5,713
 

The Hartford Financial
Services Group, Inc.

   46,150    758
 

HCP, Inc.

   38,700    1,075
 

Host Hotels & Resorts,
Inc.

   80,000    606
 

Hudson City Bancorp,
Inc.

   79,800    1,274
 

Huntington Bancshares,
Inc.

   56,042    429

*

 

IntercontinentalExchange,
Inc.

   11,100    915
 

Invesco, Ltd.

   58,900    851
 

Janus Capital Group, Inc.

   24,129    194
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   571,529    18,020
 

KeyCorp

   75,775    646
 

Kimco Realty Corp.

   35,100    642
 

Legg Mason, Inc.

   21,700    475
 

Leucadia National Corp.

   27,100    537
 

Lincoln National Corp.

   39,130    737
 

Loews Corp.

   55,421    1,566
 

M&T Bank Corp.

   11,800    677
 

Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc.

   78,680    1,910
 

Marshall & Ilsley Corp.

   39,900    544

*

 

MBIA, Inc.

   28,850    117
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

   245,200    2,854

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

MetLife, Inc.

   121,474    4,235
 

Moody’s Corp.

   29,750    598
 

Morgan Stanley

   162,613    2,608

*

 

The Nasdaq OMX Group,
Inc.

   20,800    514
 

National City Corp.

   311,797    564
 

Northern Trust Corp.

   34,150    1,781
 

NYSE Euronext

   40,600    1,112
 

People’s United Financial,
Inc.

   53,300    950
 

Plum Creek Timber Co.,
Inc.

   25,500    886
 

PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc.

   53,267    2,610
 

Principal Financial
Group, Inc.

   39,700    896
 

The Progressive Corp.

   103,500    1,533
 

ProLogis

   40,700    565
 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   64,900    1,964
 

Public Storage

   19,200    1,526
 

Regions Financial Corp.

   105,990    844
 

Simon Property Group,
Inc.

   34,600    1,838

*

 

SLM Corp.

   71,542    637

*

 

Sovereign Bancorp, Inc.

   83,380    248
 

State Street Corp.

   66,100    2,600
 

SunTrust Banks, Inc.

   54,233    1,602
 

T. Rowe Price Group,
Inc.

   39,600    1,403
 

Torchmark Corp.

   13,050    583
 

The Travelers
Companies, Inc.

   89,510    4,046
 

U.S. Bancorp

   268,621    6,718
 

Unum Group

   50,731    944
 

Vornado Realty Trust

   21,000    1,267
 

Wachovia Corp.

   330,847    1,833
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   580,260    17,106
 

XL Capital, Ltd. - Class
A

   50,600    187
 

Zions Bancorporation

   17,700    434
         
 

Total

      159,766
         
 

Health Care (14.5%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   237,550    12,678
 

Aetna, Inc.

   70,608    2,012
 

Allergan, Inc.

   47,134    1,900
 

AmerisourceBergen
Corp.

   23,900    852

*

 

Amgen, Inc.

   162,217    9,368
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   95,000    5,091
 

Becton, Dickinson and
Co.

   37,250    2,548

*

 

Biogen Idec, Inc.

   44,690    2,129

*

 

Boston Scientific Corp.

   229,922    1,780
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

   303,108    7,047
 

C.R. Bard, Inc.

   15,200    1,281
 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

   55,025    1,897

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   70,200    3,881

*

 

Cephalon, Inc.

   10,500    809
 

CIGNA Corp.

   42,087    709

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 500 Stock Portfolio    19


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

*

 

Coventry Health Care,
Inc.

   22,800    339
 

Covidien, Ltd.

   77,127    2,795

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   15,900    788
 

DENTSPLY
International, Inc.

   22,800    644
 

Eli Lilly and Co.

   153,206    6,170

*

 

Express Scripts, Inc.

   37,900    2,084

*

 

Forest Laboratories, Inc.

   46,166    1,176

*

 

Genzyme Corp.

   41,400    2,748

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   140,900    7,206

*

 

Hospira, Inc.

   24,465    656

*

 

Humana, Inc.

   25,800    962
 

IMS Health, Inc.

   27,867    422

*

 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

   6,000    762
 

Johnson & Johnson

   424,837    25,418

*

 

King Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.

   37,766    401

*

 

Laboratory Corp. of
America Holdings

   16,500    1,063

*

 

Life Technologies Corp.

   26,380    615
 

McKesson Corp.

   42,205    1,635

*

 

Medco Health Solutions,
Inc.

   76,244    3,195
 

Medtronic, Inc.

   171,200    5,379
 

Merck & Co., Inc.

   323,720    9,841

*

 

Millipore Corp.

   8,500    438

*

 

Mylan, Inc.

   46,700    462

*

 

Patterson Companies, Inc.

   14,000    262
 

PerkinElmer, Inc.

   18,100    252
 

Pfizer, Inc.

   1,032,434    18,284
 

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

   24,300    1,261
 

Schering-Plough Corp.

   248,950    4,240

*

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

   52,700    1,737
 

Stryker Corp.

   37,100    1,482

*

 

Tenet Healthcare Corp.

   63,550    73
 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., ADR

   10,348    440

*

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Inc.

   64,300    2,191
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

   184,944    4,919

*

 

Varian Medical Systems,
Inc.

   19,000    666

*

 

Waters Corp.

   15,100    553

*

 

Watson Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.

   16,000    425

*

 

WellPoint, Inc.

   77,900    3,282
 

Wyeth

   203,829    7,646

*

 

Zimmer Holdings, Inc.

   34,337    1,388
         
 

Total

      178,282
         
 

Industrials (10.8%)

 

3M Co.

   106,076    6,104
 

Avery Dennison Corp.

   16,250    532
 

The Boeing Co.

   112,176    4,787
 

Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Corp.

   42,985    3,254
 

C.H. Robinson
Worldwide, Inc.

   25,900    1,425
 

Caterpillar, Inc.

   92,376    4,126

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Cintas Corp.

   20,133    468
 

Cooper Industries, Ltd. -
Class A

   26,500    775
 

CSX Corp.

   60,400    1,961
 

Cummins, Inc.

   30,800    823
 

Danaher Corp.

   39,100    2,213
 

Deere & Co.

   65,420    2,507
 

Dover Corp.

   28,467    937
 

The Dun & Bradstreet
Corp.

   8,300    641
 

Eaton Corp.

   25,200    1,253
 

Emerson Electric Co.

   117,400    4,298
 

Equifax, Inc.

   19,300    512
 

Expeditors International
of Washington, Inc.

   32,500    1,081
 

Fastenal Co.

   19,800    690
 

FedEx Corp.

   47,620    3,055
 

Flowserve Corp.

   8,700    448
 

Fluor Corp.

   27,800    1,247
 

General Dynamics Corp.

   59,700    3,438
 

General Electric Co.

   1,608,206    26,053
 

Goodrich Corp.

   18,800    696
 

Honeywell International,
Inc.

   111,250    3,652
 

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

   60,300    2,114
 

Ingersoll-Rand Co., Ltd. -
Class A

   48,762    846
 

ITT Corp.

   27,800    1,279

*

 

Jacobs Engineering
Group, Inc.

   18,800    904
 

L-3 Communications
Holdings, Inc.

   18,300    1,350
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

   51,008    4,289
 

The Manitowoc Co., Inc.

   20,000    173
 

Masco Corp.

   55,100    613

*

 

Monster Worldwide, Inc.

   18,867    228
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.

   56,657    2,666
 

Northrop Grumman Corp.

   50,020    2,253
 

PACCAR, Inc.

   55,515    1,588
 

Pall Corp.

   18,050    513
 

Parker Hannifin Corp.

   24,712    1,051
 

Pitney Bowes, Inc.

   31,537    804
 

Precision Castparts Corp.

   21,300    1,267
 

R.R. Donnelley & Sons
Co.

   31,434    427
 

Raytheon Co.

   63,400    3,236
 

Republic Services, Inc.

   49,207    1,220
 

Robert Half International, Inc.

   23,740    494
 

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

   21,650    698
 

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

   24,250    948
 

Ryder System, Inc.

   8,500    330
 

Southwest Airlines Co.

   113,267    976

*

 

Stericycle, Inc.

   13,100    682
 

Textron, Inc.

   36,900    512
 

Tyco International, Ltd.

   72,427    1,564
 

Union Pacific Corp.

   77,520    3,705
 

United Parcel Service,
Inc. - Class B

   152,400    8,406

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

United Technologies
Corp.

   145,534    7,801
 

W.W. Grainger, Inc.

   9,900    781
 

Waste Management, Inc.

   75,085    2,488
         
 

Total

      133,182
         
 

Information Technology (14.9%)

*

 

Adobe Systems, Inc.

   81,250    1,730

*

 

Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc.

   93,200    201

*

 

Affiliated Computer
Services, Inc. - Class A

   14,900    685

*

 

Agilent Technologies,
Inc.

   53,637    838

*

 

Akamai Technologies,
Inc.

   25,900    391
 

Altera Corp.

   45,511    760
 

Amphenol Corp. - Class
A

   26,900    645
 

Analog Devices, Inc.

   44,557    847

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   136,100    11,616
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   205,400    2,081

*

 

Autodesk, Inc.

   34,668    681
 

Automatic Data
Processing, Inc.

   77,750    3,059

*

 

BMC Software, Inc.

   28,760    774

*

 

Broadcom Corp. - Class
A

   68,000    1,154
 

CA, Inc.

   60,292    1,117

*

 

Ciena Corp.

   13,785    92

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   896,500    14,613

*

 

Citrix Systems, Inc.

   27,820    656

*

 

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. - Class
A

   44,600    805

*

 

Computer Sciences Corp.

   23,150    813

*

 

Compuware Corp.

   37,757    255

*

 

Convergys Corp.

   18,650    120
 

Corning, Inc.

   238,000    2,268

*

 

Dell, Inc.

   264,933    2,713

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   164,200    2,292

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   49,100    788

*

 

EMC Corp.

   312,474    3,272
 

Fidelity National
Information Services,
Inc.

   29,100    473

*

 

Fiserv, Inc.

   24,525    892

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   36,600    11,260
 

Harris Corp.

   20,600    784
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   375,026    13,610
 

Intel Corp.

   851,663    12,485
 

International Business
Machines Corp.

   205,739    17,315

*

 

Intuit, Inc.

   49,000    1,166
 

Jabil Circuit, Inc.

   32,267    218

*

 

JDS Uniphase Corp.

   33,650    123

*

 

Juniper Networks, Inc.

   80,800    1,415
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   25,900    564

*

 

Lexmark International,
Inc. - Class A

   12,000    323

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

20    Index 500 Stock Portfolio      


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

 

Linear Technology Corp.

   33,950    751

*

 

LSI Corp.

   98,800    325
 

MasterCard, Inc.

   11,100    1,587

*

 

McAfee, Inc.

   23,400    809

*

 

MEMC Electronic
Materials, Inc.

   34,400    491
 

Microchip Technology,
Inc.

   27,900    545

*

 

Micron Technology, Inc.

   116,950    309
 

Microsoft Corp.

   1,171,392    22,772
 

Molex, Inc.

   21,550    312
 

Motorola, Inc.

   346,977    1,537
 

National Semiconductor
Corp.

   29,886    301

*

 

NetApp, Inc.

   50,600    707

*

 

Novell, Inc.

   52,900    206

*

 

Novellus Systems, Inc.

   15,000    185

*

 

NVIDIA Corp.

   82,250    664

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   599,825    10,635
 

Paychex, Inc.

   49,135    1,291

*

 

QLogic Corp.

   19,600    263
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   253,434    9,081

*

 

Salesforce.com, Inc.

   16,100    515

*

 

SanDisk Corp.

   34,600    332

*

 

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

   113,049    432

*

 

Symantec Corp.

   128,054    1,731

*

 

Tellabs, Inc.

   60,992    251

*

 

Teradata Corp.

   26,900    399

*

 

Teradyne, Inc.

   25,950    110
 

Texas Instruments, Inc.

   198,500    3,081
 

Total System Services,
Inc.

   30,178    422
 

Tyco Electronics, Ltd.

   70,027    1,135

*

 

VeriSign, Inc.

   29,700    567
 

Western Union Co.

   109,532    1,571
 

Xerox Corp.

   132,500    1,056
 

Xilinx, Inc.

   41,900    747

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   212,500    2,592
         
 

Total

      183,606
         
 

Materials (2.9%)

 

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

   32,067    1,612
 

AK Steel Holding Corp.

   17,200    160
 

Alcoa, Inc.

   122,507    1,379
 

Allegheny Technologies, Inc.

   14,717    376
 

Ball Corp.

   14,532    604
 

Bemis Co., Inc.

   15,300    362
 

CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

   8,700    428
 

The Dow Chemical Co.

   141,409    2,134
 

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.

   138,128    3,495
 

Eastman Chemical Co.

   11,125    353
 

Ecolab, Inc.

   25,700    903
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.

   57,788    1,412
 

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.

   12,000    357

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

International Paper Co.

   65,466    772
 

MeadWestvaco Corp.

   26,179    293
 

Monsanto Co.

   83,906    5,903
 

Newmont Mining Corp.

   69,580    2,832
 

Nucor Corp.

   48,032    2,219

*

 

Pactiv Corp.

   20,100    500
 

PPG Industries, Inc.

   25,167    1,068
 

Praxair, Inc.

   47,200    2,802
 

Rohm and Haas Co.

   19,080    1,179
 

Sealed Air Corp.

   24,142    361
 

Sigma-Aldrich Corp.

   19,200    811
 

Titanium Metals Corp.

   13,000    115
 

United States Steel Corp.

   17,850    664
 

Vulcan Materials Co.

   16,900    1,176
 

Weyerhaeuser Co.

   32,380    991
         
 

Total

      35,261
         
 

Telecommunication Services (3.7%)

*

 

American Tower Corp. -
Class A

   60,700    1,780
 

AT&T, Inc.

   902,275    25,715
 

CenturyTel, Inc.

   15,300    418
 

Embarq Corp.

   21,730    781
 

Frontier Communications Corp.

   47,700    417
 

Qwest Communications International, Inc.

   224,335    817

*

 

Sprint Nextel Corp.

   437,402    800
 

Verizon
Communications, Inc.

   434,942    14,745
 

Windstream Corp.

   67,292    619
         
 

Total

      46,092
         
 

Utilities (4.1%)

*

 

The AES Corp.

   103,000    849
 

Allegheny Energy, Inc.

   25,900    877
 

Ameren Corp.

   32,367    1,076
 

American Electric Power
Co., Inc.

   61,840    2,058
 

CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

   52,662    665
 

CMS Energy Corp.

   34,600    350
 

Consolidated Edison, Inc.

   41,850    1,629
 

Constellation Energy
Group, Inc.

   27,300    685
 

Dominion Resources, Inc.

   88,976    3,189
 

DTE Energy Co.

   24,950    890
 

Duke Energy Corp.

   193,773    2,909

*

 

Dynegy, Inc. - Class A

   77,400    155
 

Edison International

   49,920    1,603
 

Entergy Corp.

   29,009    2,411
 

Equitable Resources, Inc.

   20,000    671
 

Exelon Corp.

   100,724    5,601
 

FirstEnergy Corp.

   46,665    2,267
 

FPL Group, Inc.

   62,614    3,151
 

Integrys Energy Group,
Inc.

   11,732    504
 

Nicor, Inc.

   6,950    241
 

NiSource, Inc.

   41,973    460
 

Pepco Holdings, Inc.

   33,100    588

 

 

Common Stocks (97.7%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities continued

 

PG&E Corp.

  55,225   2,138
 

Pinnacle West Capital
Corp.

  15,400   495
 

PPL Corp.

  57,468   1,764
 

Progress Energy, Inc.

  40,292   1,606
 

Public Service Enterprise
Group, Inc.

  77,472   2,260
 

Questar Corp.

  26,600   870
 

Sempra Energy

  37,302   1,590
 

Southern Co.

  118,600   4,388
 

TECO Energy, Inc.

  32,600   403
 

Wisconsin Energy Corp.

  17,900   751
 

Xcel Energy, Inc.

  68,720   1,275
       
 

Total

    50,369
       
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $1,333,511)

  1,202,611
       
 

Short-Term Investments (2.1%)

 

Asset-Backed Securities (0.8%)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding Corp., 0.40%, 1/15/09

  10,000,000   9,998
       
 

Total

    9,998
       
 

Energy (0.3%)

 

Sempra Global, 1.00%, 1/2/09

  3,200,000   3,200
       
 

Total

    3,200
       
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.3%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.47%, 3/13/09

  5,000,000   5,000
       
 

Total

    5,000
       
 

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institutions

(0.5%)

 

Duke Energy Corp., 4.00%, 1/5/09

  6,100,000   6,097
       
 

Total

  6,097
       
 

Oil and Gas (0.2%)

   
 

Devon Energy Corp., 0.95%, 1/2/09

  2,100,000   2,100
       
 

Total

    2,100
       
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $26,391)

  26,395
       
 

Total Investments (99.8%)

(Cost: $1,359,902)(a)

  1,229,006
       
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.2%)

  2,604
       
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

  1,231,610
       

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 500 Stock Portfolio    21


Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $1,366,581 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $137,575 which is comprised of $265,810 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $403,385 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

S&P 500 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $27,108)

   119    3/09    $        (330)

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

22    Index 500 Stock Portfolio      


Large Company Value Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Long-term of capital growth. Income

is a secondary objective.

  

Invest primarily in equity securities of companies

comprising the Russell 1000 Index.

   $29 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Large Company Value Portfolio, has engaged American Century Investment Management, Inc. to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital growth with income as a secondary objective. The Portfolio invests primarily in large companies. Accordingly, the Portfolio will normally have at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of companies comprising the Russell 1000 Index. The Portfolio seeks to invest in stocks of companies that it believes are undervalued at the time of purchase. Companies may be undervalued due to market declines, poor economic conditions, actual or anticipated bad news regarding the issuer or its industry, or because they have been overlooked by the market. The Portfolio purchases the stocks of these undervalued companies and holds each stock until it has returned to favor in the market and the price has increased to, or is higher than, a level that is believed to more accurately reflect the fair value of the company.

Market Overview

Extraordinary, if not unprecedented, market conditions characterized the period. Few investors anticipated the scope of the credit crunch, which grew into a full-blown financial crisis. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve took extraordinary steps to provide support for the flagging financial system, with other governments and central banks following suit. In the stock market, volatility was extreme on a day-to-day basis as investors lost confidence in the financial system and worried about the government’s ability to remedy the situation. U.S. equity indexes were universally down for the twelve-month period, though value-oriented shares held up better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Large Company Value Portfolio returned –37.23% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell 1000 Value Index returned –36.85%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) According to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency, the average return of the Large-Cap Value Funds peer group was –37.09%.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. Relative to the benchmark, the Portfolio’s Financials stocks detracted most, while the key contribution to relative return came from positions in the Health Care and Information Technology sectors.

Despite an underweight position, the Financials sector was the Portfolio’s largest source of underperformance versus the benchmark. Although the management team sought to approach the sector with caution and selectivity, the best relative values were the most adversely affected by the financial crisis.

In particular, the Portfolio was hampered by its mix of insurance, mortgage finance and diversified financial services stocks. Three top detractors were financial giant Citigroup; life, property and casualty insurer Hartford Financial Services Group; and American International Group (AIG), the leading U.S.-based international insurer. Shares of Citigroup, which declined dramatically on worries that it had inadequate capital, stabilized only after the announcement of a U.S. government capital infusion. Hartford’s stock price fell on similar fears, while AIG’s shares lost significant value when the Federal Reserve had to rescue the company from bankruptcy. The Portfolio’s positions in Hartford and AIG have been eliminated.

An underweight in the Utilities sector also negatively impacted results. The Portfolio was underrepresented in these shares because the management team believed that Utilities were not reasonably valued. In particular, the Portfolio was hurt by its lack of multi-utility names. Security selection among electric utilities also diminished relative performance.

The Portfolio’s holdings in the Health Care sector contributed to results. During difficult economic times or periods of stock market turbulence, investors often regard Health Care stocks as lower risk, defensive investments because they provide essential services that are sought after regardless of the economic backdrop. Moreover, our preference for large industry leaders proved advantageous. A significant holding was Abbott Laboratories, which develops and manufactures laboratory diagnostics, medical devices and pharmaceutical therapies. Abbott reported strong sales across its entire product line, including Humira (a drug that treats autoimmune diseases).

The Portfolio also benefited from strong security selection in Information Technology, primarily from large leading software and technology companies. A notable contributor was Hewlett-Packard (HP), a computer and peripheral maker. HP’s acquisition of outsourcing giant Electronic Data Systems appeared to offer a competitive advantage that we believed could add value through reorganization and cost-cutting efforts.

The Portfolio’s position in the Materials sector boosted relative performance. For some time, the share prices of metals and mining firms have been momentum driven; many have not met the management team’s valuation criteria and thus have not merited sizeable exposure. This limited exposure was particularly beneficial when commodities prices fell during the final

 

      Large Company Value Portfolio    23


Large Company Value Portfolio

 

 

 

months of 2008. For example, the Portfolio did not hold Freeport McMoRan, which is engaged in copper, gold and silver mining and production. Its stock fell on news that the company would sharply curtail its mining operations.

Within the Consumer Discretionary sector, holding H&R Block helped relative returns as the company closed its subprime mortgage unit, allowing it to focus on its core tax-preparation services business which is generally perceived as less economically sensitive.

Outlook

Going forward, we will continue to look for large companies trading at a discount to our estimate of their worth. As a result of this process, our sector and industry allocations reflect where we are finding the best growth opportunities at a given time. As of December 31, 2008, some of our largest stakes were in Energy, Financials and Health Care.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

 
     1 Year    Since  
Inception
 
*

Large Company Value Portfolio

   -37.23%    -27.06%  

Russell 1000 Value Index

   -36.85%    -26.30%  

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Large Cap Value Funds
Average

   -37.09%    –        
*Inception date of 4/30/07      

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Exxon Mobil Corp.

   5.6%

  Chevron Corp.

   4.8%

  AT&T, Inc.

   4.2%

  General Electric Co.

   4.2%

  Pfizer, Inc.

   3.2%

  Johnson & Johnson

   3.0%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   3.0%

  ConocoPhillips

   3.0%

  Verizon Communications, Inc.

   2.6%

  Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A, ADR

   2.4%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

24    Large Company Value Portfolio      


Large Company Value Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (94.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.8%)

 

Best Buy Co., Inc.

   5,800    163
 

CBS Corp. - Class B

   15,600    128
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

   3,000    85
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   10,100    81
 

The Gap, Inc.

   10,600    142
 

H&R Block, Inc.

   11,300    257
 

The Home Depot, Inc.

   9,900    228

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   5,700    206
 

Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.

   14,900    146
 

Staples, Inc.

   11,700    210

*

 

Starbucks Corp.

   6,600    62
 

Time Warner, Inc.

   39,300    395
 

VF Corp.

   3,600    197

*

 

Viacom, Inc. - Class B

   11,400    217
         
 

Total

      2,517
         
 

Consumer Staples (7.3%)

 

Altria Group, Inc.

   10,600    160
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   9,800    444
 

The Kroger Co.

   8,900    235
 

Lorillard, Inc.

   3,400    191
 

The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.

   9,700    218
 

Unilever NV

   9,600    236
 

Walgreen Co.

   8,800    217
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   7,000    392
         
 

Total

      2,093
         
 

Energy (17.6%)

 

Apache Corp.

   2,000    149
 

Chevron Corp.

   18,700    1,383
 

ConocoPhillips

   16,300    844
 

Devon Energy Corp.

   2,100    138
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   20,100    1,604

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco,
Inc.

   5,800    142
 

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

   1,700    102
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A, ADR

   12,800    678
         
 

Total

      5,040
         
 

Financials (16.2%)

 

The Allstate Corp.

   10,500    344
 

Bank of America Corp.

   36,000    507
 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

   10,100    286
 

Citigroup, Inc.

   49,300    331
 

Developers Diversified Realty Corp.

   3,300    16

 

 

Common Stocks (94.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Discover Financial
Services

   7,300    70
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.

   3,000    253
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   27,200    858
 

Legg Mason, Inc.

   2,800    61
 

Loews Corp.

   4,300    122
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

   11,500    134
 

Morgan Stanley

   9,500    152
 

National City Corp.

   23,300    42
 

Torchmark Corp.

   4,300    192
 

The Travelers Companies, Inc.

   8,200    371
 

U.S. Bancorp

   9,200    230
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   22,700    669
         
 

Total

      4,638
         
 

Health Care (13.7%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   5,100    272

*

 

Amgen, Inc.

   6,300    364
 

Eli Lilly and Co.

   7,500    302
 

Johnson & Johnson

   14,400    861
 

Medtronic, Inc.

   5,700    179
 

Merck & Co., Inc.

   14,400    438
 

Pfizer, Inc.

   51,700    916
 

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

   3,100    161
 

Wyeth

   11,400    428
         
 

Total

      3,921
         
 

Industrials (10.4%)

 

Avery Dennison Corp.

   4,500    147
 

Caterpillar, Inc.

   5,300    237
 

Dover Corp.

   6,100    201
 

General Electric Co.

   74,200    1,202
 

Ingersoll-Rand Co., Ltd. - Class A

   8,500    147
 

Northrop Grumman Corp.

   7,100    320
 

Parker Hannifin Corp.

   3,700    157
 

Pitney Bowes, Inc.

   3,100    79
 

R.R. Donnelley & Sons
Co.

   10,000    136
 

Robert Half International, Inc.

   2,100    44
 

Tyco International, Ltd.

   5,000    108
 

Waste Management, Inc.

   5,900    196
         
 

Total

      2,974
         
 

Information Technology (5.8%)

 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   9,000    91

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   9,300    152

*

 

Fiserv, Inc.

   3,200    116

 

 

Common Stocks (94.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   7,000    254
 

Intel Corp.

   9,000    132
 

International Business Machines Corp.

   3,300    278
 

Microsoft Corp.

   12,000    233
 

Motorola, Inc.

   7,300    32

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   9,400    167
 

Texas Instruments, Inc.

   3,600    56
 

Xerox Corp.

   18,600    148
         
 

Total

      1,659
         
 

Materials (3.4%)

 

E.I. du Pont de Nemours
and Co.

   10,900    276
 

International Paper Co.

   4,900    58
 

Nucor Corp.

   4,900    226
 

PPG Industries, Inc.

   5,900    250
 

Weyerhaeuser Co.

   4,900    150
         
 

Total

      960
         
 

Telecommunication Services (7.5%)

 

AT&T, Inc.

   42,500    1,211
 

Embarq Corp.

   3,700    133

*

 

Sprint Nextel Corp.

   23,100    43
 

Verizon Communications,
Inc.

   21,800    739
         
 

Total

      2,126
         
 

Utilities (3.3%)

 

Exelon Corp.

   8,600    478

*

 

NRG Energy, Inc.

   4,600    107
 

PPL Corp.

   11,300    347
         
 

Total

      932
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $39,477)

   26,860
         
 

Preferred Stocks (0.1%)

 

Financials (0.1%)

 

Legg Mason, Inc., 7.00%, 6/30/11

   1,500    33
         
 

Total

      33
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $28)

   33
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Large Company Value Portfolio    25


Large Company Value Portfolio

 

 

Short-Term

Investments (5.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Other Holdings (5.6%)

(b)

 

J.P. Morgan Money Market Fund

   1,595,244    1,595
         
 

Total

      1,595
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $1,595)

   1,595
         
 

Total Investments (99.7%)

(Cost: $41,100)(a)

   28,488
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.3%)

   82
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   28,570
         

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $41,762 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $13,274 which is comprised of $123 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $13,397 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

S&P 500 Mini Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $1,085)

   24    3/09    $                (5)

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

26    Large Company Value Portfolio      


Domestic Equity Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital and income.   

Invest primarily in U.S. companies that are selling at

attractive prices relative to their market and peers.

   $282 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Domestic Equity Portfolio, has engaged Capital Guardian Trust Company to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and income. The Portfolio seeks to meet this objective by investing primarily in equity securities of U.S. issuers and securities whose principal markets are in the U.S., including American Depositary Receipts and other U.S.-registered securities. The companies in which the Portfolio invests will generally have a market capitalization of $1 billion or more at the time of purchase. The Portfolio focuses on companies selling at attractive prices relative to their market and peers. In selecting investments, the Portfolio stresses companies with below-market price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios and above-market dividend yields.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Domestic Equity Portfolio returned –38.49% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell 1000 Value Index returned –36.85%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) According to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency, the average return of the Large-Cap Value Funds peer group was

–37.09%.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector managed positive results. Relative to the benchmark, the Portfolio’s underperformance was driven by positioning in the Energy and Financials sectors. The key contribution to relative return came from selection in the Materials sector.

The leading source of underperformance relative to the Index was an underweight position and stock selection in the Energy sector. In particular, it hurt to be underrepresented in big integrated oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron. These large, liquid stocks were prized for their defensive characteristics and held up much better than the Index as a whole. While we agreed these were well-run companies with dominant market positions, they failed to clear our value hurdles—which include relative price-to-earnings, price-to-book and dividend yield measures—necessary for larger weightings in the Portfolio.

Financials was another key area of weakness. In past financial crises, high quality, large-cap financials earned their way out of challenging economic and credit environments, and our analysis of several financial companies suggested the same could happen this time. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate the depth and speed of the deterioration in fundamentals in the current crisis. As a result, four of our top five detractors for the year were thrift and mortgage companies Washington Mutual and Wachovia, insurer XL Capital and investment bank Lehman Brothers. On a positive note, a number of our stock picks in the sector worked well, as overweight positions in Hudson City Bancorp, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, and underweight positions in Citigroup and Bank of America were all top ten contributors to relative results for the year.

At the sector level, our stock selection was most effective in the Materials sector, where the leading contributors were steel maker Nucor and construction materials firm Vulcan Materials. These stocks were on a wild ride in 2008, surging early in the year along with commodity prices, then falling as prospects for global growth dimmed, and see-sawing once again in the final months on prospects for an economic stimulus plan. We tend to be long-term, buy-and-hold investors in shares whose valuations and business prospects we find compelling. But because of all the volatility in the share prices of these companies in 2008, these stocks vacillated from being fully valued to undervalued according to our metrics. As a result, we were selling these stocks near their highs and buying at their lows, which helped performance.

Outlook

Looking at the markets in 2008, it is surprising how little returns were differentiated by earnings quality—the entire market was painted with the same broad brush. That made for a frustrating year, because “good” and “bad” companies suffered alike. But the positive outcome is that we are now finding many high quality companies trading at very attractive levels. Indeed, we

 

      Domestic Equity Portfolio    27


Domestic Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

have been able to invest in what we believe to be industry-leading, high-quality companies such as United Parcel Service, Lowe’s and United Technologies—companies whose stocks almost never meet our value criteria. So while it is impossible to know when economic and market conditions will turn, we are using this opportunity to attempt to position the Portfolio for outperformance by adding what we believe to be well-run, attractively valued companies at knock-down prices. As of December 31, the largest sector overweight was Consumer Staples, while the most notable sector underweight was in Energy.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
 
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception
 
*

Domestic Equity Portfolio

   -38.49%    -3.25%    -1.74%  

Russell 1000 Value Index

   -36.85%    -0.79%    0.16%  

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Large Cap Value Funds Average

   -37.09%    -2.10%    –      
*Inception date of 7/31/01         

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 7/31/01 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class A

   4.3%

  AT&T, Inc.

   4.2%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   3.4%

  General Electric Co.

   3.3%

  Hudson City Bancorp, Inc.

   3.3%

  The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

   3.3%

  Nucor Corp.

   3.2%

  Wells Fargo & Co.

   3.0%

  United Technologies Corp.

   2.7%

  Sara Lee Corp.

   2.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

28    Domestic Equity Portfolio      


Domestic Equity Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (92.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.9%)

 

Carnival Corp.

   148,600    3,614
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   96,400    1,627
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   127,000    1,016
 

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

   84,600    1,436

*

 

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.

   82    0

*

 

Jarden Corp.

   30,400    350
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   205,500    4,422
 

Nordstrom, Inc.

   196,600    2,617
 

Target Corp.

   26,200    905

*

 

Time Warner Cable, Inc. - Class A

   123,900    2,658
 

Time Warner, Inc.

   310,400    3,123

*

 

Viacom, Inc. - Class B

   101,600    1,936
 

The Walt Disney Co.

   52,500    1,191
         
 

Total

      24,895
         
 

Consumer Staples (15.4%)

 

Altria Group, Inc.

   412,900    6,218
 

The Clorox Co.

   11,000    611
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   73,500    3,328

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   28,300    1,532
 

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

   65,600    3,460
 

Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class A

   446,357    11,985
 

Lorillard, Inc.

   33,100    1,865
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   10,300    564
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.

   65,800    2,863
 

Sara Lee Corp.

   731,900    7,165
 

Unilever NV

   158,300    3,886
         
 

Total

      43,477
         
 

Energy (11.0%)

 

Chevron Corp.

   75,846    5,610
 

ConocoPhillips

   122,200    6,330
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   26,700    2,131
 

Marathon Oil Corp.

   249,300    6,821
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A, ADR

   82,500    4,368
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class B, ADR

   21,028    1,082
 

Spectra Energy Corp.

   110,500    1,739

*

 

Transocean, Ltd.

   29,447    1,391
 

The Williams Companies, Inc.

   106,500    1,542
         
 

Total

      31,014
         
 

Financials (15.5%)

 

ACE, Ltd.

   44,000    2,328
 

East West Bancorp, Inc.

   39,900    637
 

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

   109,500    9,241
 

Hudson City Bancorp, Inc.

   583,900    9,319
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   307,200    9,686

 

 

Common Stocks (92.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Mercury General Corp.

   29,500    1,357
 

The Progressive Corp.

   126,900    1,879
 

SunTrust Banks, Inc.

   22,500    665
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   285,200    8,408
         
 

Total

      43,520
         
 

Health Care (9.0%)

 

Aetna, Inc.

   95,000    2,707
 

AstraZeneca PLC, ADR

   64,800    2,659
 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

   97,100    3,347

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   54,500    2,702
 

Merck & Co., Inc.

   75,600    2,298
 

Pfizer, Inc.

   293,400    5,196
 

Sanofi-Aventis, ADR

   198,700    6,390
         
 

Total

      25,299
         
 

Industrials (12.1%)

 

3M Co.

   27,300    1,571
 

Emerson Electric Co.

   46,600    1,706
 

FedEx Corp.

   34,300    2,200
 

General Electric Co.

   579,700    9,391
 

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

   106,700    3,740

*

 

Monster Worldwide, Inc.

   128,800    1,557
 

Parker Hannifin Corp.

   14,914    635
 

Southwest Airlines Co.

   204,800    1,765
 

Tyco International, Ltd.

   47,075    1,017
 

United Parcel Service, Inc.
- Class B

   53,800    2,968
 

United Technologies Corp.

   141,200    7,568
         
 

Total

      34,118
         
 

Information Technology (4.4%)

*

 

Affiliated Computer
Services, Inc. - Class A

   36,800    1,691
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   52,600    1,909
 

Intel Corp.

   78,800    1,155
 

Jabil Circuit, Inc.

   496,900    3,354
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   127,400    2,776
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd., ADR

   28,800    1,375
         
 

Total

      12,260
         
 

Materials (6.5%)

 

Allegheny Technologies,
Inc.

   142,700    3,643
 

The Dow Chemical Co.

   44,200    667
 

Nucor Corp.

   193,600    8,945
 

Vulcan Materials Co.

   73,700    5,128
         
 

Total

      18,383
         
 

Telecommunication Services (4.6%)

 

AT&T, Inc.

   410,300    11,694
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.

   38,000    1,288
         
 

Total

      12,982
         

 

 

Common Stocks (92.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities (5.0%)

 

American Water Works Co., Inc.

   181,400    3,788
 

CMS Energy Corp.

   178,200    1,802
 

Edison International

   113,900    3,658
 

Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

   83,600    2,686
 

Southern Co.

   59,800    2,212
         
 

Total

      14,146
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $325,417)

   260,094
         
   

Preferred Stocks (1.7%)

 

Metals/Mining (0.9%)

 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 6.75%, 5/1/10

   53,900    2,557
         
 

Total

      2,557
         
 

Pharmaceutical Preparations (0.8%)

 

Schering-Plough Corp., 6.00%, 8/13/10

   12,900    2,251
         
 

Total

      2,251
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $4,472)

   4,808
         
   

Convertible Corporate Bonds (0.2%)

 

Automobiles and Other Motor Vehicles

(0.2%)

 

Ford Motor Co., 4.25%, 12/15/36

   2,846,000    733
         
 

Total

      733
         
 

Total Convertible Corporate

Bonds

(Cost: $2,911)

   733
         
   

Short-Term Investments (5.5%)

 

Energy (1.1%)

 

Sempra Global, 4.50%, 1/5/09

   3,000,000    2,998
         
 

Total

      2,998
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (1.2%)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.28%, 1/16/09

   1,000,000    1,000
 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.10%, 2/13/09

   2,500,000    2,500
         
 

Total

      3,500
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Domestic Equity Portfolio    29


Domestic Equity Portfolio

 

 

Short-Term

Investments (5.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Finance Services (2.1%)

 

Atlantic Asset
Securitization LLC,
0.80%, 1/12/09

   3,000,000    2,999
 

Falcon Asset Securitization
Co. LLC, 0.20%, 1/27/09

   3,000,000    3,000
         
 

Total

      5,999
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (1.1%)

  
 

CVS Corp., 5.55%, 1/8/09

   3,000,000    2,997
         
 

Total

      2,997
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $15,494)

   15,494
         
 

Total Investments (99.8%)

(Cost: $348,294)(a)

   281,129
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.2%)

   427
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   281,556
         

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $348,857 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $67,728 which is comprised of $5,948 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $73,676 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $2,328 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(m) Securities showing zero value represent an amount less than one thousand.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

30    Domestic Equity Portfolio      


Equity Income Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital and income.   

Invests in commons stocks with a focus on established companies paying above-average dividends.

   $152 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Equity Income Portfolio, has engaged T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The objective of the Portfolio is long-term growth of capital and income. Management seeks to achieve this objective mainly through investment in common stocks with a focus on well-established companies paying above-average dividends. A value approach is used in selecting investments, with an effort made to identify companies that appear to be undervalued by various measures but have good prospects for capital appreciation and dividend growth. Management looks for characteristics such as an established operating history, above-average dividend yield, a low price/earnings ratio, sound financial condition and a low stock price relative to a company’s underlying value.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. Looking at returns by style, value-oriented shares held up better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices. No sector in the market provided positive returns. In the large-cap space, the traditionally defensive Consumer Staples and Health Care sectors held up best, while financials performed worst because these stocks were at the epicenter of the credit crisis.

Portfolio Results

The Equity Income Portfolio returned –35.81% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell 1000 Value Index returned –36.85%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return of the Equity Income Funds peer group was –35.83%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. Relative to the benchmark, the Portfolio’s outperformance was a result of positioning in the hard-hit Financials sector. At the other end of the spectrum, Consumer Discretionary shares were the leading detractors from relative results.

Looking at positive contributors to return relative to the benchmark, outperformance was driven by an underweight position in Financials. Among individual contributors, insurance broker Marsh & McLennan stands out for having shown improvement in its brokerage business and we believe also stands to benefit when property and casualty pricing stabilizes.

Stock selection made the Consumer Staples sector a leading source of relative strength. These traditionally defensive shares held up relatively well during an extremely volatile period, helped in part by mergers and acquisition activity. For example, Anheuser-Busch, which agreed to be acquired by European beverage giant InBev, performed well during the period. Names in the food products industry were key contributors, as General Mills was able to pass along higher prices to consumers, while Hershey benefited from discussions of a potential buyout.

At the other end of the spectrum, stock selection made Consumer Discretionary shares a leading detractor from relative performance. Some of the key detractors were in the media space, as the economic slowdown meant declining profits, write-downs and layoffs at newspaper and broadcasting company Gannett. In addition, casino operator MGM Mirage saw fewer patrons and poorer revenues in tough economic times, while tight credit markets meant increased borrowing costs, limiting its ability to fund planned capital expenditures.

It also hurt to be underrepresented in Energy shares, which benefited from the big run-up in energy prices through July 2008. A notable detractor was domestic oil company Murphy Oil, which was hurt in the second half of the year by tumbling prices for oil and gas, to which the stock was highly levered. Murphy was removed from the Russell 1000 Value Index during the June rebalancing, meaning the Index did not reflect the effect on Murphy’s share price of the precipitous decline in oil.

An overweight position made Information Technology stocks detractors from relative return for the year as these shares declined along with the outlook for growth and earnings. Telecommunication equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent was hurt by the global slowdown even as the company continued to work on its turnaround under new management.

 

Equity Income Portfolio   31


Equity Income Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

As we emerge from one of the most challenging market environments in history, we expect some improvement in economic fundamentals in 2009 and an eventual easing of the crisis of confidence and liquidity in the system. While it is not clear when markets will recover, we are reasonably optimistic about the prospects for equity returns as we look out over the next couple of years. In the meantime, we will continue to pursue companies that have good business models and strong balance sheets trading at what we believe are depressed levels. It is our belief that this approach remains valid and that the market will ultimately reward those willing to make investments in fundamentally sound companies during times of uncertainty and stress.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception*

Equity Income Portfolio

   -35.81%    -1.07%    2.83%

Russell 1000 Value Index

   -36.85%    -0.79%    3.39%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Equity Income Funds
Average

   -35.83%    -0.99%    -    

*Inception date of 5/1/03

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 5/1/03 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Exxon Mobil Corp.

   3.5%

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   3.3%

  Chevron Corp.

   3.2%

  General Electric Co.

   3.0%

  AT&T, Inc.

   2.5%

  Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A, ADR

   2.2%

  Wells Fargo & Co.

   2.0%

  The Hershey Co.

   1.8%

  The Home Depot, Inc.

   1.6%

  3M Co.

   1.6%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

32    Equity Income Portfolio      


Equity Income Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (95.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (14.3%)

*

 

Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.

   64,400    1,637
 

The Black & Decker Corp.

   14,300    598
 

Cablevision Systems Corp. -
Class A

   49,200    829
 

CBS Corp. - Class B

   37,050    304
 

D.R. Horton, Inc.

   32,000    226
 

Fortune Brands, Inc.

   48,700    2,010
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   23,800    190
 

Genuine Parts Co.

   25,600    969
 

H&R Block, Inc.

   43,800    995
 

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

   33,700    572
 

Harman International
Industries, Inc.

   17,500    293
 

The Home Depot, Inc.

   105,600    2,431
 

Macy’s, Inc.

   37,000    383
 

Marriott International, Inc. -
Class A

   34,700    675
 

Mattel, Inc.

   67,700    1,083
 

The McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.

   62,800    1,456

*

 

MGM MIRAGE

   44,700    615
 

The New York Times Co. -
Class A

   73,100    536
 

Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.

   75,800    741
 

Tiffany & Co.

   28,800    681
 

Time Warner, Inc.

   166,500    1,675
 

The Walt Disney Co.

   67,000    1,520
 

Whirlpool Corp.

   26,700    1,104
 

WPP PLC, ADR

   5,400    160
         
 

Total

      21,683
         
 

Consumer Staples (4.1%)

 

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

   2,700    185
 

The Estee Lauder Companies,
Inc. - Class A

   2,700    83
 

The Hershey Co.

   76,400    2,654
 

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

   21,400    1,129
 

Kraft Foods, Inc. - Class A

   48,700    1,308
 

McCormick & Co., Inc.

   20,900    666
 

Whole Foods Market, Inc.

   19,700    186
         
 

Total

      6,211
         
 

Energy (14.6%)

 

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

   32,000    1,233
 

BJ Services Co.

   30,900    361
 

BP PLC, ADR

   40,600    1,898
 

Chevron Corp.

   65,500    4,845
 

CONSOL Energy, Inc.

   15,900    454
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   65,500    5,229
 

Murphy Oil Corp.

   39,000    1,730
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class
A, ADR

   62,300    3,298
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   20,300    859
 

Spectra Energy Corp.

   37,350    588

 

 

Common Stocks (95.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

 

Sunoco, Inc.

   37,000    1,608
         
 

Total

      22,103
         
 

Financials (20.1%)

 

Allied Irish Banks PLC, ADR

   42,300    198
 

American Express Co.

   67,700    1,256
 

Bank of America Corp.

   74,571    1,050
 

The Bank of New York Mellon
Corp.

   69,900    1,980
 

Capital One Financial Corp.

   39,000    1,244
 

The Chubb Corp.

   16,800    857
 

Citigroup, Inc.

   62,800    421
 

Fifth Third Bancorp

   78,300    647
 

The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc.

   15,100    1,274
 

The Hartford Financial
Services Group, Inc.

   5,200    85
 

Janus Capital Group, Inc.

   34,500    277
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

   158,288    4,991
 

KeyCorp

   73,600    627
 

Legg Mason, Inc.

   10,600    232
 

Lincoln National Corp.

   47,376    893
 

Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc.

   92,000    2,233
 

Marshall & Ilsley Corp.

   32,800    447
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

   79,940    931

(p)

 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

   30,069    333
 

Och-Ziff Capital Management
Group - Class A

   29,600    152
 

The Progressive Corp.

   51,100    757

*

 

SLM Corp.

   106,800    951
 

SunTrust Banks, Inc.

   54,100    1,598
 

The Travelers Companies, Inc.

   21,927    991
 

U.S. Bancorp

   92,000    2,301

*

 

UBS AG

   48,015    687
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

   102,900    3,033
         
 

Total

      30,446
         
 

Health Care (8.9%)

*

 

Amgen, Inc.

   28,100    1,623
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

   65,500    1,523
 

Eli Lilly and Co.

   45,400    1,828
 

Johnson & Johnson

   27,300    1,633
 

Merck & Co., Inc.

   65,000    1,976
 

Pfizer, Inc.

   120,100    2,127

*

 

WellPoint, Inc.

   19,300    813
 

Wyeth

   51,900    1,947
         
 

Total

      13,470
         
 

Industrials (11.6%)

 

3M Co.

   40,900    2,353
 

Avery Dennison Corp.

   38,200    1,250
 

The Boeing Co.

   32,000    1,365

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Equity Income Portfolio    33


Equity Income Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (95.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Cooper Industries, Ltd. -
Class A

   25,100    734
 

Deere & Co.

   32,100    1,230
 

Eaton Corp.

   10,600    527
 

General Electric Co.

   278,400    4,510
 

Honeywell International, Inc.

   35,200    1,156
 

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

   51,900    1,819
 

Masco Corp.

   88,900    990
 

United Parcel Service, Inc. -
Class B

   27,300    1,506

*

 

USG Corp.

   29,900    240
         
 

Total

      17,680
         
 

Information Technology (5.8%)

*

 

Alcatel-Lucent, ADR

   54,800    118
 

Analog Devices, Inc.

   54,600    1,039
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   44,700    453

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   28,900    471

*

 

Computer Sciences Corp.

   32,800    1,153

*

 

Dell, Inc.

   81,200    831

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   46,000    642
 

Intel Corp.

   54,500    799
 

Microsoft Corp.

   98,300    1,911
 

Tyco Electronics, Ltd.

   28,400    460

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   76,400    932
         
 

Total

      8,809
         
 

Materials (5.7%)

 

Alcoa, Inc.

   56,700    638
 

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and
Co.

   48,500    1,227
 

International Flavors &
Fragrances, Inc.

   35,500    1,055
 

International Paper Co.

   105,000    1,239
 

MeadWestvaco Corp.

   48,900    547
 

Nucor Corp.

   39,300    1,816
 

Vulcan Materials Co.

   24,600    1,712
 

Weyerhaeuser Co.

   13,300    407
         
 

Total

      8,641
         
 

Telecommunication Services (4.5%)

 

AT&T, Inc.

   132,135    3,766
 

Qwest Communications
International, Inc.

   272,900    993

*

 

Sprint Nextel Corp.

   123,800    227
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.

   57,000    1,932
         
 

Total

      6,918
         
 

Utilities (5.9%)

 

Duke Energy Corp.

   74,600    1,120
 

Entergy Corp.

   12,900    1,072
 

FirstEnergy Corp.

   13,300    646
 

NiSource, Inc.

   101,700    1,116

*

 

NRG Energy, Inc.

   10,700    249
 

PG&E Corp.

   27,300    1,057
 

Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

   27,100    871
 

Progress Energy, Inc.

   32,500    1,295
 

TECO Energy, Inc.

   22,400    277

 

 

Common Stocks (95.5%)

        Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities continued

 

Xcel Energy, Inc.

      64,000    1,187
            
 

Total

         8,890
            
 

Total Common Stocks (Cost: $208,948)

   144,851
            
   

Foreign Common Stocks

(0.1%)

   Country          
 

Consumer Discretionary (0.1%)

 

WPP PLC

   United
Kingdom
   28,500    169
            
 

Total

         169
            
 

Financials (0.0%)

*

 

UBS AG

   Switzerland    3,700    53
            
 

Total

         53
            
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks

(Cost: $323)

   222
            
   

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

              
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.0%)

 

Federal National Mortgage
Association

      27,600    29
            
 

Total

         29
            
 

Total Preferred Stocks (Cost: $1,207)

         29
            
   

Convertible Coporate Bonds (0.1%)

              
 

Consumer Discretionary (0.1%)

 

Ford Motor Co., 4.25%,
12/15/36

      929,000    239
            
 

Total

         239
            
 

Total Convertible Corporate Bonds
(Cost: $467)

      239
            
   

Short-Term Investments (3.9%)

              
 

Other Holdings (3.9%)

 

T. Rowe Price Reserve

     Investment Fund

      5,910,788    5,911
            
 

Total

         5,911
            
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $5,911)

         5,911
            
 

Total Investments (99.7%)

(Cost: $216,856)(a)

         151,252
            
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (0.3%)

         389
            
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

         151,641
            

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

34    Equity Income Portfolio      


Equity Income Portfolio

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $218,157 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $66,905 which is comprised of $2,825 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $69,730 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $555 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(p) Restricted securities (excluding 144A issues) on December 31, 2008

 

Description    Acquistion Date    Cost (000’s)    Value (000’s)    Value as a
Percentage of
Net Assets

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

   7/29/08    $             832    $              333    0.22%

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

Equity Income Portfolio   35


Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.   

Invests in mid-sized companies with potential for

above-average growth.

   $696 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio. The investment objective of the Portfolio is long-term growth of capital. The Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio seeks growth companies in the middle-capitalization range, as measured by the Portfolio’s benchmark. The Portfolio’s focus in stock selection is on companies with above-average growth potential giving consideration to factors such as companies’ ability to generate revenue, expand profit margins and maintain solid balance sheets. Industry and sector selection is of secondary importance.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. Small-cap stocks held up best after lagging stocks of large- and mid-sized companies in 2007. That relative outperformance also reflected the fact that the Financial sector wreckage was concentrated in large-cap names. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

The Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio returned –40.08% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell MidCap Growth Index returned –44.32%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The Portfolio’s Mid-Cap Growth Funds peer group had an average return of –45.24%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. The biggest negative contribution came from Information Technology stocks. However, despite the difficult investing climate, the Portfolio held up better than the Index, benefiting from effective stock selection across a number of sectors, led by Industrials, Consumer Discretionary, and Health Care. At the other end of the spectrum, selection and allocation decisions made Consumer Staples shares the leading detractors from relative results.

Stock selection in the Industrial sector drove the Portfolio’s relative results, led by positioning in the road and rail, air freight and logistics, industrial conglomerate and commercial services industry segments. Key contributors Knight Transportation and J.B. Hunt Transport Services benefited from falling energy prices, which helped offset a slowdown in business resulting from the recession. Freight shipping logistics coordinator C.H. Robinson Worldwide benefited from rising demand for its services across a number of business units.

The Consumer Discretionary sector was home to the top two individual contributors to relative performance, Dollar Tree and DeVry. Discount retailer Dollar Tree saw more cost-conscious shoppers come through its doors. Adult and vocational education firm DeVry saw enrollment rise as the difficult job market put a premium on worker education and training. Health care providers Psychiatric Solutions and DaVita were other leading contributors for the year, enjoying steady demand for their treatment services.

An underweight position and stock selection made Consumer Staples shares the largest detractors from relative results. The key detractor was cosmetics firm Bare Escentuals, which reported disappointing profit growth and guided analysts’ expectations down for future quarters. It also hurt to be underrepresented in food products, tobacco, and household products companies, which held up better than the Index as a whole.

In terms of individual stocks, several of the leading detractors were shares of companies hit hard by the sharp downturn in the economy. Topping the list were online marketing and digital ad firms Focus Media Holdings and ValueClick. Similarly, payment processor VeriFone Holdings and chipmakers Intersil and NVIDIA were victims of the economic turmoil.

 

36    Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio      


Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

Going forward, we will continue to look for companies that we believe are well managed, have solid growth in revenue and earnings, and have strong financial characteristics. As a result of this process, our sector and industry allocations reflect where we are finding what we consider to be the best growth opportunities at a given time. As of December 31, 2008, some of our largest stakes were in Information Technology and Health Care shares. The most notable sector underweights were in Consumer Staples, Telecommunication Services, and Utilities stocks.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   -40.08%    -1.75%    0.97%

Russell MidCap Growth Index

   -44.32%    -2.33%    -0.19%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Mid Cap Growth Funds
Average

   -45.24%    -2.33%    0.76%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Investing in small and medium-sized companies involves a greater degree of risk than investing in large company stocks.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Immucor, Inc.

   3.1%

  Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

   3.0%

  DeVry, Inc.

   2.9%

  C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

   2.7%

  DaVita, Inc.

   2.6%

  Dollar Tree, Inc.

   2.6%

  McAfee, Inc.

   2.4%

  Alliance Data Systems Corp.

   2.4%

  Corrections Corp. of America

   2.4%

  Stericycle, Inc.

   2.3%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio    37


Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

    Common Stocks (93.6%)    Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (14.1%)

*

 

Collective Brands, Inc.

   1,115,200    13,070
 

DeVry, Inc.

   350,500    20,122

*

 

Dollar Tree, Inc.

   426,600    17,832

*

 

Focus Media Holding,
Ltd., ADR

   406,100    3,691

*

 

GameStop Corp. -
Class A

   731,800    15,851

*

 

Jack in the Box, Inc.

   542,400    11,982

*

 

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.

   305,560    9,393

*

 

Urban Outfitters, Inc.

   419,500    6,284
         
 

Total

      98,225
         
 

Energy (7.0%)

*

 

Cameron International
Corp.

   548,400    11,242
 

Diamond Offshore
Drilling, Inc.

   41,000    2,417

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco,
Inc.

   222,300    5,433
 

Range Resources Corp.

   329,800    11,342

*

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

   282,500    1,737
 

Smith International, Inc.

   216,500    4,956

*

 

Southwestern Energy Co.

   385,500    11,168
         
 

Total

      48,295
         
 

Financials (8.6%)

 

Assured Guaranty, Ltd.

   362,200    4,129

*

 

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.

   58,983    4,863

*

 

Investment Technology Group, Inc.

   367,040    8,339

*

 

MBIA, Inc.

   581,700    2,368
 

Northern Trust Corp.

   256,888    13,394
 

Raymond James
Financial, Inc.

   574,400    9,839
 

SEI Investments Co.

   356,600    5,602
 

Synovus Financial Corp.

   695,700    5,774
 

T. Rowe Price Group,
Inc.

   13,000    461
 

W.R. Berkley Corp.

   169,900    5,267
         
 

Total

      60,036
         
 

Health Care (16.1%)

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   262,600    14,517

*

 

Cerner Corp.

   274,300    10,547

*

 

Charles River
Laboratories International, Inc.

   255,700    6,699

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   361,000    17,895

*

 

Express Scripts, Inc.

   272,700    14,993

*

 

Immucor, Inc.

   798,949    21,236

*

 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

   39,200    4,978

*

 

Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

   757,881    21,107
         
 

Total

      111,972
         

 

    Common Stocks (93.6%)    Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials (18.4%)

 

C.H. Robinson
Worldwide, Inc.

   337,700    18,584

*

 

Corrections Corp. of America

   1,000,000    16,360
 

Cummins, Inc.

   82,700    2,211
 

Expeditors International
of Washington, Inc.

   314,660    10,469

*

 

Foster Wheeler, Ltd.

   163,100    3,813

*

 

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   30,400    1,358
 

Harsco Corp.

   357,100    9,884
 

J.B. Hunt Transport
Services, Inc.

   459,000    12,058
 

Knight Transportation,
Inc.

   613,400    9,888
 

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.

   98,600    7,275
 

MSC Industrial Direct
Co., Inc. - Class A

   136,900    5,042
 

Ritchie Bros.
Auctioneers, Inc.

   420,100    8,998

*

 

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. - Class A

   607,100    6,174

*

 

Stericycle, Inc.

   308,000    16,041
         
 

Total

      128,155
         
 

Information Technology (22.9%)

*

 

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

   485,820    4,197

*

 

Alliance Data Systems
Corp.

   353,200    16,434
 

Amphenol Corp. -
Class A

   449,800    10,786

*

 

Citrix Systems, Inc.

   295,400    6,963

*

 

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. -
Class A

   431,200    7,787
 

FactSet Research
Systems, Inc.

   264,600    11,706
 

Global Payments, Inc.

   485,900    15,933
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   916,500    8,423
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   396,780    8,646

*

 

McAfee, Inc.

   478,200    16,531

*

 

Mettler-Toledo
International, Inc.

   201,800    13,601
 

Microchip Technology,
Inc.

   581,895    11,364

*

 

NeuStar, Inc. - Class A

   514,300    9,839

*

 

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

   527,200    9,553

*

 

VeriFone Holdings, Inc.

   590,800    2,895
 

Western Union Co.

   296,500    4,252
         
 

Total

      158,910
         
 

Materials (4.1%)

*

 

Owens-Illinois, Inc.

   420,600    11,495

 

    Common Stocks
(93.6%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

Praxair, Inc.

   201,940    11,987
 

Titanium Metals Corp.

   568,500    5,009
         
 

Total

      28,491
         
 

Other Holdings (0.6%)

 

SPDR Metals & Mining

   159,600    4,435
         
 

Total

      4,435
         
 

Utilities (1.8%)

 

Equitable Resources, Inc.

   371,900    12,477
         
 

Total

      12,477
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $903,677)

   650,996
         
    Short-Term Investments (7.9%)
 

Aircraft (1.4%)

(b)

 

Textron, Inc., 6.25%, 1/6/09

   10,000,000    9,991
         
 

Total

      9,991
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.3%)

 

Federal National Mortgage Association, 0.20%, 3/30/09

   2,000,000    2,000
         
 

Total

      2,000
         
 

Finance Services (3.6%)

 

Alpine Securitization Corp., 1.35%, 1/9/09

   5,000,000    4,999
 

Atlantic Asset Securitization LLC, 0.30%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,999
 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 0.50%, 1/21/09

   10,000,000    9,997
         
 

Total

      24,995
         
 

Food Processors (1.5%)

 

Kellogg Co., 1.70%, 1/13/09

   10,100,000    10,094
         
 

Total

      10,094
         
 

Oil and Gas (1.1%)

 

Devon Energy Corp., 0.95%, 1/2/09

   7,800,000    7,800
         
 

Total

      7,800
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $54,879)

   54,880
         
 

Total Investments (101.5%)

(Cost: $958,556)(a)

   705,876
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (-1.5%)

   (10,250)
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   695,626
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

38    Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio      


Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $964,249 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $258,373 which is comprised of $27,519 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $285,892 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)   Number of
Contracts
  Expiration Date   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

Midcap 400 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $13,098)

  50   3/09   $        332

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio    39


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Investment results that approximate the

performance of the S&P MidCap 400®

Index.

  

Invest in stocks included in the S&P MidCap 400® Index

in approximately the same proportion as each stock’s

weighting in the Index.

   $320 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Index 400 Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks investment results that approximate the performance of the S&P MidCap 400® Index by investing in stocks included in the S&P MidCap 400® Index, which is composed of 400 common stocks. The S&P MidCap 400® Index does not include the very large issues that account for most of the weighting in the S&P 500® Index. The Index 400 Stock Portfolio is not managed in the traditional sense using economic, financial and market analysis. The Portfolio’s strategy is to capture mid-cap market performance by investing in a portfolio modeled after a mid-cap stock index. The Portfolio invests in stocks included in the S&P MidCap 400® Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index, and may buy or sell securities after announced changes in the Index but before or after the effective date of the changes to attempt to achieve higher correlation with the Index. The Portfolio remains neutral relative to the benchmark in terms of economic sectors, market capitalization and growth and value styles of investing. The Portfolio will, to the extent feasible, remain fully invested, and cash flows are invested promptly to attempt to minimize their impact on returns. The Portfolio may purchase Index futures contracts in an attempt to achieve full replication.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. Returns were negative across all market capitalization ranges, sectors, and investment styles. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.00%, –36.23% and –31.07%, as measured by the S&P 500®, MidCap 400® and SmallCap 600® Stock Indices, respectively.

Mirroring the difficulty in the market, even the best-performing sectors in the S&P MidCap 400® Index—the traditionally defensive Utilities and Consumer Staples segments—fell more than 23% and 25%, respectively. Companies in these sectors were favored because they tend to have relatively healthy balance sheets, generate free cash flow, and/or have earnings resistant to economic downturns.

Two of the poorest performers were Energy (–57%) and Materials (–46%) shares. These former high-flying sectors suffered as commodity prices collapsed along with the outlook for global growth in the second half of the year. The traditionally growth-oriented Information Technology (–41%) and Health Care (–33%) sectors also performed poorly. It was a similar story for the economically sensitive Consumer Discretionary and Industrial sectors, which declined 40% and 37%, respectively.

Interestingly, Financials in the mid-cap space finished the year with returns better than the Index as a whole (down 30%). In part that was because many of these stocks entered the year at depressed prices after underperforming badly in 2007. They were also helped by aggressive Federal Reserve policies, the TARP program and industry consolidation.

Portfolio Results

The Portfolio had a sharply negative return in the worst year for equities since the Great Depression. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Index 400 Stock Portfolio had a return of –36.28%, while the S&P MidCap 400® Index returned –36.23%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) Portfolio performance slightly lagged the S&P MidCap 400® Index due to transaction costs, administrative expenses, cash flow effects and costs associated with the use of stock index futures contracts. The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, Mid-Cap Core Funds, was –38.25% for the same period, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency. However, the Mid-Cap Core Funds peer group is not strictly comparable to the Index 400 Stock Portfolio because many of the portfolios in the group are actively managed.

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals and diversification matter once again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, though we think it is reasonable to expect some sort of recovery based on the massive government stimulus likely to come early in the new year. Diversification, too, is likely to matter again, as we see

 

40    Index 400 Stock Portfolio      


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

greater differentiation in returns across and within asset classes. We continue to believe in the potential benefit of investing in a fund based on a broad market index, such as the Index 400 Stock Portfolio, which provides exposure to both growth and value styles of investing, as well stocks of companies across the economy.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

 
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception
 
*

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

   -36.28%    -0.23%    4.27%  

S&P MidCap 400 Index

   -36.23%    -0.08%    4.51%  

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Mid Cap Core Funds Average

   -38.25%    -1.21%    –      
*Inception date of 4/30/99         

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/99 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

“Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, “S&P MidCap 400 Index” and “Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s, and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

 

Investing in small and medium-sized companies involves a greater degree of risk than investing in large company stocks.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Everest Re Group, Ltd.

   0.6%

  Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   0.6%

  Health Care REIT, Inc.

   0.6%

  W.R. Berkley Corp.

   0.6%

  O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.

   0.6%

  New York Community Bancorp, Inc.

   0.6%

  Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.

   0.5%

  MDU Resources Group, Inc.

   0.5%

  SAIC, Inc.

   0.5%

  Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

   0.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on equities.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Index 400 Stock Portfolio    41


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (12.5%)

*

 

99 Cents Only Stores

   20,233    221
 

Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

   40,800    1,373

*

 

Aeropostale, Inc.

   28,750    463
 

American Eagle
Outfitters, Inc.

   88,750    831
 

American Greetings
Corp. - Class A

   19,600    148

*

 

AnnTaylor Stores Corp.

   24,650    142
 

ArvinMeritor, Inc.

   31,750    90
 

Barnes & Noble, Inc.

   15,900    238
 

Belo Corp. - Class A

   37,900    59
 

Blyth, Inc.

   10,400    81
 

Bob Evans Farms, Inc.

   13,200    270
 

BorgWarner, Inc.

   49,900    1,086
 

Boyd Gaming Corp.

   24,600    116
 

Brinker International,
Inc.

   43,875    462

*

 

Brinks’s Home Security Holdings, Inc.

   17,500    384
 

Callaway Golf Co.

   27,800    258

*

 

Career Education Corp.

   31,700    569

*

 

CarMax, Inc.

   94,900    748

*

 

The Cheesecake Factory,
Inc.

   25,750    260

*

 

Chico’s FAS, Inc.

   76,400    319

*

 

Chipotle Mexican Grill,
Inc. - Class A

   14,200    880

*

 

Coldwater Creek, Inc.

   20,400    58

*

 

Collective Brands, Inc.

   27,442    322

*

 

Corinthian Colleges, Inc.

   36,900    604
 

DeVry, Inc.

   26,500    1,521

*

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods,
Inc.

   36,600    516

*

 

Dollar Tree, Inc.

   39,000    1,630

*

 

DreamWorks Animation
SKG, Inc.

   33,200    839
 

Foot Locker, Inc.

   66,700    490
 

Furniture Brands
International, Inc.

   17,900    40
 

Gentex Corp.

   60,200    532
 

Guess?, Inc.

   25,900    398

*

 

Hanesbrands, Inc.

   40,300    514
 

Harte-Hanks, Inc.

   16,350    102

*

 

Hovnanian Enterprises,
Inc. - Class A

   21,800    37
 

International Speedway
Corp. - Class A

   12,000    345

*

 

ITT Educational
Services, Inc.

   13,500    1,282

*

 

J. Crew Group, Inc.

   22,300    272
 

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Class A

   18,400    655

*

 

Lamar Advertising Co. -
Class A

   32,700    411

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary continued

*

 

Life Time Fitness, Inc.

   15,100    196

*

 

LKQ Corp.

   60,200    702
 

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

   15,800    479

*

 

Marvel Entertainment,
Inc.

   21,100    649
 

Matthews International
Corp. - Class A

   13,200    484
 

Modine Manufacturing
Co.

   14,100    69

*

 

Mohawk Industries, Inc.

   24,200    1,040

*

 

NetFlix, Inc.

   17,900    535

*

 

NVR, Inc.

   2,300    1,049

*

 

O’Reilly Automotive,
Inc.

   57,900    1,780

*

 

Pacific Sunwear of
California, Inc.

   28,300    45
 

PetSmart, Inc.

   54,800    1,011
 

Phillips-Van Heusen
Corp.

   22,200    447

*

 

Priceline.com, Inc.

   17,500    1,289
 

Regis Corp.

   18,600    270

*

 

Rent-A-Center, Inc.

   28,800    508
 

Ross Stores, Inc.

   55,700    1,656
 

The Ryland Group, Inc.

   18,400    325

*

 

Saks, Inc.

   61,200    268
 

Scholastic Corp.

   11,400    155

*

 

Scientific Games Corp.-
Class A

   28,000    491
 

Service Corp.
International

   110,100    547
 

Sotheby’s

   29,000    258
 

Strayer Education, Inc.

   6,100    1,308
 

Thor Industries, Inc.

   15,300    202

*

 

The Timberland Co. -
Class A

   19,800    229

*

 

Toll Brothers, Inc.

   56,100    1,202
 

Tupperware Brands
Corp.

   26,700    606

*

 

Under Armour, Inc.

   15,700    374

*

 

Urban Outfitters, Inc.

   49,100    735

*

 

The Warnaco Group,
Inc.

   20,100    395
 

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc.

   180,100    890
 

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

   37,300    293
         
 

Total

      40,053
         
 

Consumer Staples (4.1%)

 

Alberto-Culver Co.

   36,700    899

*

 

BJ’s Wholesale Club,
Inc.

   25,300    867
 

Church & Dwight Co.,
Inc.

   30,150    1,692
 

Corn Products
International, Inc.

   32,101    926

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   25,100    1,359
 

Flowers Foods, Inc.

   34,000    828

*

 

Hansen Natural Corp.

   31,900    1,070
 

Hormel Foods Corp.

   30,200    939
 

Lancaster Colony Corp.

   8,500    292

*

 

NBTY, Inc.

   23,600    369
 

PepsiAmericas, Inc.

   24,700    503

*

 

Ralcorp Holdings, Inc.

   24,300    1,419
 

Ruddick Corp.

   16,900    467

*

 

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

   51,200    720
 

Tootsie Roll Industries,
Inc.

   11,157    286
 

Universal Corp.

   10,800    323
         
 

Total

      12,959
         
 

Energy (5.7%)

 

Arch Coal, Inc.

   61,500    1,002

*

 

Bill Barrett Corp.

   15,900    336
 

Cimarex Energy Co.

   35,900    961

*

 

Comstock Resources,
Inc.

   19,800    936

*

 

Denbury Resources, Inc.

   106,400    1,162

*

 

Encore Acquisition Co.

   22,700    579

*

 

Exterran Holdings, Inc.

   27,902    594

*

 

FMC Technologies, Inc.

   53,838    1,283

*

 

Forest Oil Corp.

   41,800    689
 

Frontier Oil Corp.

   44,800    566

*

 

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.

   39,600    287
 

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

   45,300    1,031

*

 

Mariner Energy, Inc.

   38,300    391

*

 

Newfield Exploration
Co.

   57,000    1,126

*

 

Oceaneering
International, Inc.

   23,500    685
 

Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.

   10,900    459

*

 

Patriot Coal Corp.

   27,300    171
 

Patterson-UTI Energy,
Inc.

   66,600    767

*

 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.

   46,366    1,077

*

 

Pride International, Inc.

   74,500    1,190

*

 

Quicksilver Resources,
Inc.

   48,200    268
 

Southern Union Co.

   53,400    696

*

 

Superior Energy
Services, Inc.

   33,400    532
 

Tidewater, Inc.

   22,200    894

*

 

Unit Corp.

   20,400    545
         
 

Total

      18,227
         
 

Financials (18.8%)

*

 

Affiliated Managers
Group, Inc.

   17,700    742

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

42    Index 400 Stock Portfolio      


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Alexandria Real Estate
Equities, Inc.

   13,900    839
 

AMB Property Corp.

   42,400    993
 

American Financial
Group, Inc.

   32,350    740

*

 

AmeriCredit Corp.

   50,100    383
 

Apollo Investment Corp.

   61,251    570
 

Arthur J. Gallagher &
Co.

   40,900    1,060
 

Associated Banc-Corp.

   54,963    1,150
 

Astoria Financial Corp.

   34,700    572
 

BancorpSouth, Inc.

   31,100    726
 

Bank of Hawaii Corp.

   20,600    931
 

BRE Properties, Inc.

   22,000    616
 

Brown & Brown, Inc.

   50,000    1,045
 

Camden Property Trust

   22,900    718
 

Cathay General Bancorp

   21,300    506
 

City National Corp.

   17,400    847
 

The Colonial
BancGroup, Inc.

   87,200    181
 

Commerce Bancshares,
Inc.

   28,440    1,250
 

Cousins Properties, Inc.

   18,800    260
 

Cullen/Frost Bankers,
Inc.

   25,600    1,297
 

Duke Realty Corp.

   63,500    696
 

Eaton Vance Corp.

   50,000    1,051
 

Equity One, Inc.

   14,200    251
 

Essex Property Trust,
Inc.

   11,500    883
 

Everest Re Group, Ltd.

   26,500    2,018
 

Federal Realty
Investment Trust

   25,400    1,577
 

Fidelity National
Financial, Inc. - Class A

   91,191    1,619
 

First American Corp.

   40,000    1,156
 

First Niagara Financial
Group, Inc.

   51,100    826
 

FirstMerit Corp.

   34,900    719
 

Fulton Financial Corp.

   75,400    725
 

The Hanover Insurance
Group, Inc.

   22,000    945
 

HCC Insurance
Holdings, Inc.

   49,450    1,323
 

Health Care REIT, Inc.

   44,600    1,882
 

Highwoods Properties,
Inc.

   27,400    750
 

Horace Mann Educators
Corp.

   16,800    154
 

Hospitality Properties
Trust

   40,500    602
 

Jefferies Group, Inc.

   52,100    733
 

Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc.

   14,900    413
 

Liberty Property Trust

   42,300    966
 

The Macerich Co.

   32,800    596
 

Mack-Cali Realty Corp.

   28,400    696
 

Mercury General Corp.

   15,300    704
 

Nationwide Health
Properties, Inc.

   42,800    1,229

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

New York Community Bancorp, Inc.

   148,221    1,773
 

Old Republic
International Corp.

   99,375    1,185
 

OMEGA Healthcare
Investors, Inc.

   34,800    556
 

PacWest Bancorp

   10,500    282
 

The PMI Group, Inc.

   29,900    58
 

Potlatch Corp.

   17,047    443
 

Protective Life Corp.

   30,100    432
 

Raymond James
Financial, Inc.

   41,525    711
 

Rayonier, Inc.

   33,966    1,065
 

Realty Income Corp.

   44,900    1,039
 

Regency Centers Corp.

   30,200    1,410
 

Reinsurance Group of America, Inc.

   31,300    1,340
 

SEI Investments Co.

   57,500    903
 

SL Green Realty Corp.

   24,600    637
 

StanCorp Financial
Group, Inc.

   21,100    881

*

 

SVB Financial Group

   14,100    370
 

Synovus Financial Corp.

   120,900    1,003
 

TCF Financial Corp.

   49,600    678
 

UDR, Inc.

   58,700    809
 

Unitrin, Inc.

   21,200    338
 

Valley National Bancorp

   51,800    1,049
 

W.R. Berkley Corp.

   59,750    1,852
 

Waddell & Reed
Financial, Inc. - Class A

   36,500    564
 

Washington Federal, Inc.

   37,865    566
 

Webster Financial Corp.

   22,700    313
 

Weingarten Realty
Investors

   33,400    691
 

Westamerica
Bancorporation

   12,400    634
 

Wilmington Trust Corp.

   29,300    652
         
 

Total

      60,174
         
 

Health Care (10.1%)

*

 

Advanced Medical
Optics, Inc.

   22,412    148

*

 

Affymetrix, Inc.

   30,200    90
 

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

   27,000    1,186

*

 

Bio-Rad Laboratories,
Inc. - Class A

   8,200    618

*

 

Cerner Corp.

   29,300    1,127

*

 

Charles River
Laboratories
International, Inc.

   29,200    765

*

 

Community Health
Systems, Inc.

   40,200    586

*

 

Covance, Inc.

   27,300    1,257

*

 

Edwards Lifesciences
Corp.

   24,000    1,319

*

 

Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc.

   50,400    1,304

*

 

Gen-Probe, Inc.

   23,400    1,002

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

*

 

Health Management Associates, Inc. -
Class A

   105,100    188

*

 

Health Net, Inc.

   44,700    487

*

 

Henry Schein, Inc.

   38,500    1,413
 

Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.

   26,900    443

*

 

Hologic, Inc.

   110,400    1,443

*

 

IDEXX Laboratories,
Inc.

   25,700    927

*

 

Kindred Healthcare, Inc.

   12,900    168

*

 

Kinetic Concepts, Inc.

   24,100    462

*

 

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.

   23,000    525

*

 

Lincare Holdings, Inc.

   32,000    862

*

 

Masimo Corp.

   20,600    614
 

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. - Class A

   24,400    339
 

Omnicare, Inc.

   44,900    1,246
 

Perrigo Co.

   33,400    1,079
 

Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc.

   50,800    1,474

*

 

Psychiatric Solutions,
Inc.

   24,100    671

*

 

ResMed, Inc.

   32,600    1,222

*

 

Sepracor, Inc.

   46,900    515
 

STERIS Corp.

   25,400    607
 

Techne Corp.

   16,400    1,058
 

Teleflex, Inc.

   17,100    857

*

 

Thoratec Corp.

   24,200    786

*

 

United Therapeutics
Corp.

   10,000    626
 

Universal Health
Services, Inc. - Class B

   21,800    819

*

 

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International

   35,100    804

*

 

Varian, Inc.

   12,500    419

*

 

VCA Antech, Inc.

   36,500    726

*

 

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   64,800    1,969

*

 

WellCare Health Plans,
Inc.

   18,000    231
         
 

Total

      32,382
         
 

Industrials (12.9%)

*

 

AGCO Corp.

   39,500    932

*

 

AirTran Holdings, Inc.

   50,500    224

*

 

Alaska Air Group, Inc.

   15,600    456
 

Alexander & Baldwin,
Inc.

   17,800    446

*

 

Alliant Techsystems,
Inc.

   14,100    1,209
 

AMETEK, Inc.

   45,950    1,388

*

 

BE Aerospace, Inc.

   42,800    329
 

The Brink’s Co.

   17,500    470
 

Bucyrus International,
Inc.

   32,200    596
 

Carlisle Companies, Inc.

   26,300    544

*

 

Clean Harbors, Inc.

   8,700    552
 

Con-way, Inc.

   19,700    524

*

 

Copart, Inc.

   27,300    742

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 400 Stock Portfolio    43


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

The Corporate Executive
Board Co.

   14,700    324

*

 

Corrections Corp. of
America

   54,100    885
 

Crane Co.

   20,900    360
 

Deluxe Corp.

   22,000    329
 

Donaldson Co., Inc.

   33,100    1,114

*

 

Dycom Industries, Inc.

   17,000    140
 

Federal Signal Corp.

   20,400    168

*

 

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   21,900    979
 

GATX Corp.

   21,000    650
 

Graco, Inc.

   25,600    608
 

Granite Construction,
Inc.

   14,200    624
 

Harsco Corp.

   36,000    996
 

Herman Miller, Inc.

   23,100    301
 

HNI Corp.

   19,100    303
 

Hubbell, Inc. - Class B

   24,200    791
 

IDEX Corp.

   35,580    859
 

J.B. Hunt Transport
Services, Inc.

   35,300    927

*

 

JetBlue Airways Corp.

   78,925    560
 

Joy Global, Inc.

   46,450    1,063

*

 

Kansas City Southern

   39,300    749
 

KBR, Inc.

   69,600    1,058
 

Kelly Services, Inc. -
Class A

   11,800    154
 

Kennametal, Inc.

   31,500    699

*

 

Korn/Ferry International

   19,300    220
 

Lincoln Electric
Holdings, Inc.

   18,400    937
 

Manpower, Inc.

   33,600    1,142
 

Mine Safety Appliances
Co.

   12,800    306

*

 

MPS Group, Inc.

   39,800    300
 

MSC Industrial Direct
Co., Inc. - Class A

   19,300    711

*

 

Navigant Consulting,
Inc.

   20,200    321
 

Nordson Corp.

   14,700    475
 

Oshkosh Corp.

   32,100    285
 

Pentair, Inc.

   42,500    1,006

*

 

Quanta Services, Inc.

   85,000    1,683
 

Rollins, Inc.

   17,787    322
 

Roper Industries, Inc.

   38,600    1,676

*

 

The Shaw Group, Inc.

   36,000    737
 

SPX Corp.

   23,400    949

*

 

Terex Corp.

   40,900    708

*

 

Thomas & Betts Corp.

   24,100    579
 

The Timken Co.

   36,600    718
 

Trinity Industries, Inc.

   34,250    540

*

 

United Rentals, Inc.

   25,823    236

*

 

URS Corp.

   36,000    1,468
 

Wabtec Corp.

   20,900    831

*

 

Waste Connections, Inc.

   34,300    1,083
 

Werner Enterprises, Inc.

   18,350    318
 

Woodward Governor Co.

   23,500    541

*

 

YRC Worldwide, Inc.

   25,500    73
         
 

Total

      41,218
         

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology (11.2%)

*

 

3Com Corp.

   175,000    399

*

 

ACI Worldwide, Inc.

   15,000    238
 

Acxiom Corp.

   29,302    238

*

 

ADC
Telecommunications,
Inc.

   50,700    277
 

ADTRAN, Inc.

   23,600    351

*

 

Advent Software, Inc.

   7,200    144

*

 

Alliance Data Systems
Corp.

   27,800    1,294

*

 

ANSYS, Inc.

   38,600    1,077

*

 

Arrow Electronics, Inc.

   51,400    968

*

 

Atmel Corp.

   193,000    604

*

 

Avnet, Inc.

   64,900    1,182

*

 

Avocent Corp.

   19,300    346
 

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

   60,900    764

*

 

Cadence Design
Systems, Inc.

   112,100    410

*

 

CommScope, Inc.

   30,277    470

*

 

Cree, Inc.

   38,000    603
 

Diebold, Inc.

   28,500    801

*

 

Digital River, Inc.

   16,000    397

*

 

DST Systems, Inc.

   17,500    665

*

 

F5 Networks, Inc.

   34,300    784
 

FactSet Research
Systems, Inc.

   18,200    805
 

Fair Isaac Corp.

   20,900    352

*

 

Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc.

   53,500    262

*

 

Gartner, Inc.

   25,500    455
 

Global Payments, Inc.

   34,500    1,131
 

Imation Corp.

   13,000    176

*

 

Ingram Micro, Inc. -
Class A

   71,000    951

*

 

Integrated Device
Technology, Inc.

   72,830    409

*

 

International Rectifier
Corp.

   31,400    424
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   52,900    486
 

Jack Henry &
Associates, Inc.

   36,400    706

*

 

Lam Research Corp.

   53,800    1,145
 

Lender Processing
Services, Inc.

   36,100    1,063

*

 

Macrovision Solutions
Corp.

   35,900    454

*

 

ManTech International
Corp. - Class A

   9,000    488

*

 

Mentor Graphics Corp.

   39,800    206

*

 

Metavante Technologies, Inc.

   38,700    623

*

 

Mettler-Toledo
International, Inc.

   14,400    971
 

National Instruments
Corp.

   24,550    598

*

 

NCR Corp.

   68,000    961

*

 

NeuStar, Inc. - Class A

   34,000    650

*

 

Palm, Inc.

   47,300    145

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

*

 

Parametric Technology Corp.

   50,000    632
 

Plantronics, Inc.

   21,000    277

*

 

Polycom, Inc.

   35,800    484

*

 

RF Micro Devices, Inc.

   113,300    88

*

 

SAIC, Inc.

   87,300    1,701

*

 

Semtech Corp.

   26,000    293

*

 

Silicon Laboratories, Inc.

   19,900    493

*

 

SRA International, Inc. - Class A

   18,100    312

*

 

Sybase, Inc.

   34,923    865

*

 

Synopsys, Inc.

   62,100    1,150

*

 

Tech Data Corp.

   21,500    384

*

 

Trimble Navigation, Ltd.

   51,500    1,113

*

 

ValueClick, Inc.

   37,400    256

*

 

Vishay Intertechnology,
Inc.

   80,387    275

*

 

Western Digital Corp.

   95,400    1,092

*

 

Wind River Systems,
Inc.

   29,200    264

*

 

Zebra Technologies
Corp. - Class A

   27,300    553
         
 

Total

      35,705
         
 

Materials (6.1%)

 

Airgas, Inc.

   34,900    1,361
 

Albemarle Corp.

   39,300    876
 

AptarGroup, Inc.

   29,100    1,026
 

Ashland, Inc.

   28,500    300
 

Cabot Corp.

   28,200    432
 

Carpenter Technology
Corp.

   19,000    390
 

Chemtura Corp.

   104,463    146
 

Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc.

   48,900    1,252
 

Commercial Metals Co.

   49,000    582
 

Cytec Industries, Inc.

   20,300    431
 

Ferro Corp.

   18,800    133
 

FMC Corp.

   31,900    1,427
 

Grief, Inc. - Class A

   14,700    491
 

Louisiana-Pacific Corp.

   39,200    61
 

The Lubrizol Corp.

   29,000    1,055
 

Martin Marietta
Materials, Inc.

   17,800    1,728
 

Minerals Technologies,
Inc.

   8,100    331
 

Olin Corp.

   33,100    598
 

Packaging Corp. of
America

   44,100    594
 

Reliance Steel &
Aluminum Co.

   27,500    548
 

RPM International, Inc.

   55,400    736
 

The Scotts Miracle-Gro
Co. - Class A

   18,900    562
 

Sensient Technologies Corp.

   20,800    497
 

Sonoco Products Co.

   43,000    996
 

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

   69,700    779
 

Temple-Inland, Inc.

   45,900    220
 

Terra Industries, Inc.

   44,000    734

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

44    Index 400 Stock Portfolio      


Index 400 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (89.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

The Valspar Corp.

   43,000    778
 

Worthington Industries,
Inc.

   25,800    284
         
 

Total

      19,348
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.5%)

*

 

Cincinnati Bell, Inc.

   99,200    192
 

Telephone and Data
Systems, Inc.

   45,900    1,457
         
 

Total

      1,649
         
 

Utilities (7.4%)

 

AGL Resources, Inc.

   33,100    1,038
 

Alliant Energy Corp.

   47,600    1,389
 

Aqua America, Inc.

   58,233    1,199
 

Black Hills Corp.

   16,600    448
 

DPL, Inc.

   49,900    1,140
 

Energen Corp.

   30,900    906
 

Great Plains Energy, Inc.

   51,177    989
 

Hawaiian Electric
Industries, Inc.

   38,800    859
 

IDACORP, Inc.

   19,600    577
 

MDU Resources Group,
Inc.

   79,100    1,707
 

National Fuel Gas Co.

   34,100    1,068
 

Northeast Utilities

   67,100    1,614
 

NSTAR

   46,000    1,679
 

NV Energy, Inc.

   100,881    998
 

OGE Energy Corp.

   40,000    1,031
 

ONEOK, Inc.

   45,000    1,310
 

PNM Resources, Inc.

   37,250    375
 

Puget Energy, Inc.

   55,900    1,524
 

UGI Corp.

   46,500    1,136
 

Vectren Corp.

   34,900    873
 

Westar Energy, Inc.

   46,600    956
 

WGL Holdings, Inc.

   21,500    703
         
 

Total

      23,519
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $397,066)

      285,234
         

 

 

Short-Term

Investments (9.7%)

  Shares/

$ Par

  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities (1.8%)

(b)

 

Duke Energy Corp., 4.00%, 1/5/09

  5,800,000   5,797
       
 

Total

    5,797
       
 

Federal Government & Agencies (1.4%)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.47%, 3/13/09

  4,500,000   4,499
       
 

Total

    4,499
       
 

Finance Services (3.1%)

 

Falcon Asset
Securitization Co. LLC, 0.45%, 1/13/09

  10,000,000   9,999
       
 

Total

    9,999
       
 

Oil and Gas (3.4%)

 

Devon Energy Corp., 1.15%, 1/2/09

  8,000,000   8,000
 

Sempra Global,
1.00%, 1/2/09

  2,900,000   2,900
       
 

Total

    10,900
       
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $31,191)

  31,195
       
 

Total Investments (99.0%)

(Cost: $428,257)(a)

  316,429
       
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (1.0%)

  3,086
       
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

  319,515
       

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $429,737 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $113,308 which is comprised of $20,035 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $133,343 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

Midcap 400 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $30,852)

   118    3/09    $            842

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 400 Stock Portfolio    45


Mid Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Long-term capital growth. Current

income is a secondary objective.

   Invest primarily in equity securities of mid-sized companies that are believed to be undervalued in relation to their prospects for growth.    $75 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio, has engaged AllianceBernstein L.P. to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The primary investment objective of the Portfolio is long-term capital growth; current income is a secondary objective. The Portfolio invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of equities of mid-sized companies with market capitalization between $1.0 billion and $10.0 billion with an emphasis on securities with market capitalizations between $1.0 and $5.0 billion. The Portfolio’s investment policies emphasize investment in companies that we determine to be undervalued using our fundamental value approach. In selecting investments, we use our fundamental research to identify companies whose long-term earnings power is not reflected in the current market price of their securities.

Market Overview

Equity markets around the world collapsed in 2008 as investor anxiety over global economic growth intensified. U.S. smaller-cap markets were no exception with the Russell 2000 and Russell 2500 Stock Indices down 33.8% and 36.8%, respectively, roughly in line with the decline of the S&P 500® Index, which returned –37.0%. Much of the carnage occurred in the fourth quarter where smaller-cap indices lagged the S&P 500 by about four percentage points. Within the Russell 2500, all sectors fell, with Utilities’ 20.7% decline for the year being the best return, while Consumer Cyclicals and Energy sector returns were the worst, not surprisingly given their high economic exposure. Value, as measured by the Russell 2500 Value Index, outperformed the broad small/mid-cap market, declining 32.0% for the year.

Portfolio Results

The Mid Cap Value Portfolio returned –35.07% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Russell 2500 Value and Russell MidCap Value Indices returned –31.99% and –38.44%, respectively. (These Indices are unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and do not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return of the Mid-Cap Value Funds peer group was –38.71%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. The Portfolio underperformed the Russell 2500 Value Index for the year, but outperformed the Russell Midcap Value Index. Versus the Russell 2500 Value Index, the bulk of the underperformance was attributable to stock selection where the Portfolio’s holdings in more economically sensitive sectors, such as Capital Equipment and Information Technology, were pressured by investors concerned over declining global growth. This was offset somewhat by strong relative stock selection in Financials, driven by some of the Portfolio’s bank and insurance holdings. The Portfolio also benefited from holdings among transport names where its trucking and airline holdings benefited from capacity management and lower fuel costs.

Sector selection was a modest detractor, driven by the Portfolio’s underweight in Utilities, which were prized by investors seeking stocks with defensive characteristics. It also hurt to be overweight in Energy, where stocks were pressured by falling oil prices. An overweight position in transports offset this somewhat.

Key contributors included Cliffs Natural Resources, Platinum Underwriters, Arch Capital Group, Arkansas Best and Amerigroup. Specific stocks that underperformed included Reliant Energy, Brunswick, Rockwood Holdings, Avis Budget and TRW Automotive.

Outlook

In our opinion, investor anxiety over depressed global economic growth and continued financial contagion has deepened the value opportunity in smaller-cap markets. We are seeking to capture a diverse array of compelling opportunities—including many in cyclical industries—while attempting to guard against the risk of a prolonged economic downturn. We have increased both the quality and relative market cap within the Portfolio as a result of opportunities created by market conditions late in the year, while keeping valuations at a level we find very attractive.

The opportunity also is remarkably diverse, spanning many industries and sectors. But since companies and sectors sensitive to the economic cycle performed worse over the last year, many have become very attractively valued. In the quarter, we increased exposure to Energy, while reducing exposure to Financials. In our analysis, investors have overreacted to the very real threats posed by the financial crisis and recession; many cyclicals today are valued as if their earnings will never recover. But historically, recessions end, credit markets ease and companies address their problems. We are adding what we consider to be quality companies with strong business models trading at attractive valuations, providing what we feel is attractive long-term potential.

 

46    Mid Cap Value Portfolio      


Mid Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

 

Sub-Adviser Change

Effective February 23, 2009, American Century Investment Management, Inc. will replace AllianceBernstein L.P. as the sub-adviser for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
 
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception
 
*

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

   -35.07%    -1.47%    3.82%  

Russell 2500 Value Index

   -31.99%    -0.15%    5.94%  

Russell MidCap Value Index

   -38.44%    0.33%    5.60%  

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Mid Cap Value Funds
Average

   -38.71%    -1.49%    –      

*Inception date of 5/1/03

        

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 5/1/03 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

The Portfolio’s investment strategy emphasizes investments in smaller mid-sized companies, which may cause its average market capitalization to be lower than, may cause it to perform differently from, and will subject it to greater small cap company risk than, other mid cap funds without this emphasis. Investing in small and medium-sized companies involves a greater degree of risk than investing in large company stocks.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd.

   2.0%

  Aspen Insurance Holdings, Ltd.

   2.0%

  Ruddick Corp.

   1.8%

  AMERIGROUP Corp.

   1.7%

  Northeast Utilities

   1.6%

  Arch Capital Group, Ltd.

   1.6%

  Terex Corp.

   1.5%

  Del Monte Foods Co.

   1.5%

  Mueller Industries, Inc.

   1.5%

  Fidelity National Financial, Inc. - Class A

   1.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Mid Cap Value Portfolio    47


Mid Cap Value Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (95.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.2%)

 

ArvinMeritor, Inc.

   98,100    280
 

Autoliv, Inc.

   10,300    221

*

 

AutoNation, Inc.

   30,900    305
 

Boyd Gaming Corp.

   72,900    345
 

Callaway Golf Co.

   76,900    714
 

Foot Locker, Inc.

   89,900    660
 

Gannett Co., Inc.

   30,100    241
 

J.C. Penney Co., Inc.

   37,900    747
 

Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

   35,000    205
 

Limited Brands, Inc.

   36,400    366
 

The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.

   54,900    743

*

 

Mohawk Industries, Inc.

   10,200    438
 

Thor Industries, Inc.

   54,400    717

*

 

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.

   29,700    107
         
 

Total

      6,089
         
 

Consumer Staples (9.4%)

 

Bunge, Ltd.

   13,700    709
 

Del Monte Foods Co.

   159,400    1,138
 

The Pepsi Bottling Group,
Inc.

   33,900    763
 

Ruddick Corp.

   48,000    1,327

*

 

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

   67,700    953
 

SUPERVALU, INC.

   45,050    658
 

Tyson Foods, Inc. - Class A

   68,800    603
 

Universal Corp.

   29,200    872
         
 

Total

      7,023
         
 

Energy (5.1%)

 

Cimarex Energy Co.

   32,500    871

*

 

Denbury Resources, Inc.

   36,900    403
 

Frontier Oil Corp.

   65,400    826
 

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

   23,700    539

*

 

Oil States International,
Inc.

   25,700    480

*

 

Whiting Petroleum Corp.

   21,400    716
         
 

Total

      3,835
         
 

Financials (23.5%)

 

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

   7,600    459

*

 

Arch Capital Group, Ltd.

   16,800    1,178
 

Aspen Insurance Holdings, Ltd.

   61,300    1,487
 

Astoria Financial Corp.

   18,300    302
 

Central Pacific Financial
Corp.

   5,800    58
 

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

   27,200    894
 

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. - Class A

   62,000    1,100
 

First Niagara Financial
Group, Inc.

   27,100    438
 

Home Properties, Inc.

   19,000    771

 

 

Common Stocks (95.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

   12,100    450
 

Old Republic International Corp.

   72,300    862
 

PartnerRe, Ltd.

   7,700    549
 

Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd.

   41,500    1,497
 

Popular, Inc.

   50,200    259
 

Provident Financial
Services, Inc.

   21,000    321
 

Reinsurance Group of
America, Inc.

   9,400    402
 

RenaissanceRe Holdings,
Ltd.

   10,100    521
 

The South Financial Group,
Inc.

   85,600    370
 

StanCorp Financial Group,
Inc.

   23,300    973
 

Sunstone Hotel Investors,
Inc.

   40,800    253
 

Susquehanna Bancshares,
Inc.

   26,550    422
 

Synovus Financial Corp.

   36,300    301
 

Tanger Factory Outlet
Centers, Inc.

   18,900    711
 

Taubman Centers, Inc.

   11,500    293
 

Trustmark Corp.

   35,300    762
 

Washington Federal, Inc.

   58,800    880
 

Webster Financial Corp.

   38,200    526
 

Whitney Holding Corp.

   31,400    502
         
 

Total

      17,541
         
 

Health Care (5.3%)

*

 

AMERIGROUP Corp.

   42,700    1,260

*

 

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.

   31,200    712

*

 

Molina Healthcare, Inc.

   37,071    653
 

Omnicare, Inc.

   23,800    661
 

Universal Health Services,
Inc. - Class B

   18,200    684
         
 

Total

      3,970
         
 

Industrials (16.5%)

 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

   18,500    646

*

 

Alaska Air Group, Inc.

   29,700    869
 

Arkansas Best Corp.

   22,800    687
 

Briggs & Stratton Corp.

   49,600    872

*

 

Continental Airlines, Inc. - Class B

   29,900    540
 

Con-way, Inc.

   18,700    497
 

Cooper Industries, Ltd. -
Class A

   13,400    392

*

 

EnerSys

   52,200    574

*

 

Gardner Denver, Inc.

   17,700    413
 

GATX Corp.

   29,600    917
 

Goodrich Corp.

   9,300    344

 

 

Common Stocks (95.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

*

 

Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.

   69,400    352
 

Kelly Services, Inc. -
Class A

   64,600    840
 

Mueller Industries, Inc.

   44,400    1,114
 

Quanex Building Products Corp.

   25,900    243
 

Regal-Beloit Corp.

   4,775    181
 

SkyWest, Inc.

   30,000    558

*

 

Terex Corp.

   66,100    1,145

*

 

United Stationers, Inc.

   25,900    867
 

Werner Enterprises, Inc.

   15,800    274
         
 

Total

      12,325
         
 

Information Technology (12.3%)

*

 

Amkor Technology, Inc.

   71,700    156

*

 

Anixter International, Inc.

   16,600    500

*

 

Arrow Electronics, Inc.

   40,200    757
 

AU Optronics Corp., ADR

   120,000    922

*

 

Avnet, Inc.

   19,400    353

*

 

Benchmark Electronics,
Inc.

   40,400    516

*

 

CommScope, Inc.

   19,800    308

*

 

Convergys Corp.

   65,700    421

*

 

Ingram Micro, Inc. -
Class A

   63,900    856

*

 

Insight Enterprises, Inc.

   63,900    441

*

 

Lexmark International, Inc. - Class A

   19,500    524

*

 

SanDisk Corp.

   44,100    423
 

Siliconware Precision Industries Co., ADR

   198,000    883

*

 

Tech Data Corp.

   24,600    439

*

 

Teradyne, Inc.

   131,700    556

*

 

Vishay Intertechnology,
Inc.

   66,400    227

*

 

Western Digital Corp.

   46,700    535

*

 

Zoran Corp.

   52,400    358
         
 

Total

      9,175
         
 

Materials (9.2%)

 

AptarGroup, Inc.

   21,200    747
 

Arch Chemicals, Inc.

   28,100    733
 

Ashland, Inc.

   12,500    131
 

Celanese Corp.

   31,000    385
 

Chemtura Corp.

   166,200    233
 

Commercial Metals Co.

   68,900    818
 

Cytec Industries, Inc.

   28,700    609
 

Methanex Corp.

   28,800    324

*

 

Owens-Illinois, Inc.

   24,400    667
 

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.

   28,000    558

*

 

Rockwood Holdings, Inc.

   54,200    585
 

Sonoco Products Co.

   20,300    470
 

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

   25,200    282

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

48    Mid Cap Value Portfolio      


Mid Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (95.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

Westlake Chemical Corp.

   19,300    314
         
 

Total

      6,856
         
 

Utilities (6.2%)

 

Allegheny Energy, Inc.

   10,100    342
 

Atmos Energy Corp.

   43,000    1,019
 

Northeast Utilities

   50,400    1,213
 

Portland General Electric Co.

   16,800    327
 

Puget Energy, Inc.

   17,600    480

*

 

Reliant Energy, Inc.

   70,900    410
 

Wisconsin Energy Corp.

   19,200    806
         
 

Total

      4,597
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $104,936)

   71,411
         
 

Short-Term Investments (3.6%)

 

Oil and Gas (1.6%)

 

Devon Energy Corp., 1.25%, 1/2/09

   1,220,000    1,220
         
 

Total

      1,220
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (2.0%)

 

CVS Corp., 5.55%, 1/8/09

   1,500,000    1,498
         
 

Total

      1,498
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $2,718)

   2,718
         
 

Total Investments (99.3%)

(Cost: $107,654)(a)

   74,129
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.7%)

   552
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   74,681
         

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $107,697 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $33,568 which is comprised of $2,176 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $35,744 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Mid Cap Value Portfolio    49


Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.    Seek capital appreciation by investing in small companies with potential for above-average growth.    $285 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio invests in growth companies in the small-capitalization range, as measured by the Portfolio’s benchmark. The Portfolio’s focus in stock selection is on companies with above-average growth potential supported by financial strength and capable management. In evaluating individual companies, factors such as the growth rates of revenues and earnings, opportunities for margin expansion, financial strength, and quality of management are important variables.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. Small-cap stocks held up best after lagging stocks of large- and mid-sized companies in 2007. That relative outperformance also reflected the fact that the Financial sector wreckage was concentrated in large-cap names. No sector of the market had positive returns for the year, and value-oriented stocks held up modestly better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio returned –43.87%. By comparison, the Russell 2000 Growth Index returned –38.54%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The Portfolio’s Small-Cap Growth Funds peer group had an average return of –41.12%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. The biggest negative contribution to both absolute performance and relative to the Russell Index came from Information Technology stocks. Stock selection made the Industrials and Materials sectors the leading contributors to relative results.

Positioning in Information Technology shares was the main source of weakness, largely as a result of stock selection in the semiconductor, internet software & services and communications equipment industry segments. A general theme uniting these detractors was their exposure to the communications market, which slowed along with the economy. For example, mobile phone and digital media equipment maker Cogo Group also faced concern about top-line growth and a changing product mix geared toward lower-margin business. Other notable detractors from performance were semiconductor firms Tessera Technologies and Diodes. Tessera Technologies suffered in 2008 from adverse litigation results, while global economic weakness weighed heavily on Diodes’ earnings.

Holdings in the Health Care, Financials, and Energy sectors also detracted from relative performance. In Health Care, it hurt to be underweight the biotechnology segment. In Financials and Energy, poor performance was driven by selection and allocation decisions among capital market and energy equipment and services stocks, respectively.

At the other end of the spectrum, Industrial shares contributed most to relative results, led by positioning among aerospace and defense and road and rail firms. The top two contributors to performance were military contractors Axsys Technologies and AeroVironment, whose business boomed as a result of increased defense spending. Other key contributors from these two industry segments were Knight Transportation, Stanley and TransDigm Group.

The Portfolio also benefited from stock selection in the Materials sector, led by positioning in the containers and packaging and chemicals industries. Packaging firm Silgan Holdings was by far the largest single contributor in the sector, reporting record business despite the challenging economic environment.

Outlook

Looking ahead to 2009, we will continue our focus on well-managed, attractively valued, fast-growing, small-cap companies. Because we build the Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio from the bottom up, one stock at a time, our sector and industry allocations reflect where we’re finding the best growth opportunities at a given time. As of December 31, 2008, the largest sector overweight was in Industrials. The most notable sector underweight was in Health Care.

 

50    Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio      


Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception*

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   -43.87%    -2.83%    6.25%

Russell 2000 Growth Index

   -38.54%    -2.35%    -1.48%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Small Cap Growth Funds Average

   -41.12%    -2.95%    –    

*Inception date of 4/30/99

        

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/99 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Stocks of smaller or newer companies, such as those held in this Portfolio, are more likely to realize more substantial growth as well as suffer more significant losses than larger or more established issuers. Investments in such companies can be both more volatile and more speculative. Investing in small company stocks involves a greater degree of risk than investing in medium or large company stocks.

 

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Team, Inc.

   2.3%

  Masimo Corp.

   2.2%

  Dollar Tree, Inc.

   2.1%

  ITC Holdings Corp.

   2.0%

  New Oriental Education & Technology Group, Inc., ADR

   2.0%

  Knight Transportation, Inc.

   1.9%

  Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

   1.7%

  Illumina, Inc.

   1.7%

  Genoptix, Inc.

   1.6%

  Cornell Cos., Inc.

   1.6%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio    51


Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (91.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (13.3%)

*

 

Aeropostale, Inc.

   2,250    36

*

 

American Public
Education, Inc.

   106,600    3,964
 

Arbitron, Inc.

   3,075    41

*

 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.

   88,800    2,278

*

 

The Cheesecake Factory,
Inc.

   3,850    39
 

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

   1,750    36

*

 

Dollar Tree, Inc.

   143,650    6,005

*

 

Exide Technologies

   7,700    41

*

 

Fossil, Inc.

   2,475    41

*

 

J. Crew Group, Inc.

   3,050    37

*

 

Jack in the Box, Inc.

   184,350    4,072

*

 

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers,
Inc.

   1,450    38

*

 

Life Time Fitness,
Inc.

   3,125    40

*

 

LKQ Corp.

   342,150    3,989

*

 

Lumber Liquidators, Inc.

   210,500    2,223
 

The Men’s Wearhouse,
Inc.

   2,550    35

*

 

New Oriental Education
& Technology Group,
Inc., ADR

   104,590    5,743

*

 

O’Reilly Automotive,
Inc.

   77,800    2,392
 

PetSmart, Inc.

   127,300    2,349
 

Polaris Industries, Inc.

   1,425    41

*

 

Retail Ventures, Inc.

   11,925    41
 

Sinclair Broadcast
Group, Inc. - Class A

   12,250    38

*

 

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. -
Class A

   3,125    40
 

Snap-on, Inc.

   34,000    1,339
 

Sotheby’s

   4,350    39
 

Tempur-Pedic
International, Inc.

   6,500    46

*

 

True Religion Apparel,
Inc.

   120,350    1,497
 

Tupperware Brands
Corp.

   1,775    40

*

 

The Warnaco Group,
Inc.

   1,825    36

*

 

Zumiez, Inc.

   189,600    1,412
         
 

Total

      37,968
         
 

Consumer Staples (3.4%)

*

 

AgFeed Industries, Inc.

   16,825    27
 

Alberto-Culver Co.

   130,000    3,186

*

 

Central European
Distribution Corp.

   64,905    1,279

*

 

Darling International,
Inc.

   7,175    40
 

Flowers Foods, Inc.

   141,300    3,442

 

 

Common Stocks (91.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

*

 

TreeHouse Foods, Inc.

   60,100    1,637
         
 

Total

      9,611
         
 

Energy (5.9%)

*

 

Arena Resources, Inc.

   119,400    3,354

*

 

ATP Oil & Gas Corp.

   5,500    32
 

Berry Petroleum Co.

   4,875    37

*

 

Bill Barrett Corp.

   1,875    40

*

 

Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.

   95,025    1,530

*

 

Contango Oil & Gas Co.

   40,300    2,269
 

Crosstex Energy, Inc.

   14,525    57

*

 

Dril-Quip, Inc.

   2,100    43
 

Energy XXI, Ltd.

   53,300    42

*

 

EXCO Resources, Inc.

   177,700    1,610

*

 

Gasco Energy, Inc.

   53,400    21
 

General Maritime Corp.

   3,400    37

*

 

IHS, Inc. - Class A

   48,633    1,820

*

 

ION Geophysical Corp.

   311,575    1,069

*

 

McMoRan Exploration
Co.

   3,675    36

*

 

Oceaneering
International, Inc.

   46,800    1,364

*

 

Parker Drilling Co.

   13,000    38
 

Penn Virginia Corp.

   1,425    37

*

 

PetroQuest Energy, Inc.

   6,250    42
 

Ship Finance International, Ltd.

   3,300    36

*

 

Stone Energy Corp.

   3,850    42

*

 

T-3 Energy Services, Inc.

   75,462    712

*

 

Whiting Petroleum Corp.

   73,200    2,449

*

 

Willbros Group, Inc.

   4,525    38
         
 

Total

      16,755
         
 

Financials (5.7%)

 

Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.

   408,850    2,797
 

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

   98,150    3,224

*

 

Encore Bancshares, Inc.

   58,509    644

*

 

FCStone Group, Inc.

   7,825    35
 

GFI Group, Inc.

   11,625    41

*

 

Investment Technology Group, Inc.

   114,450    2,600

*

 

KBW, Inc.

   81,342    1,871
 

MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc.

   698,150    4,112
 

optionsXpress Holdings,
Inc.

   3,075    41

*

 

Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.

   25,250    854
         
 

Total

      16,219
         
 

Health Care (15.8%)

*

 

Affymetrix, Inc.

   14,150    42

 

 

Common Stocks (91.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

*

 

Alkermes, Inc.

   3,900    42

*

 

athenahealth, Inc.

   95,200    3,582

*

 

BioMarin
Pharmaceutical, Inc.

   222,200    3,955

*

 

CardioNet, Inc.

   96,200    2,371

*

 

Genoptix, Inc.

   136,589    4,655

*

 

Illumina, Inc.

   180,000    4,689

*

 

IPC The Hospitalist Co.

   70,700    1,190

*

 

K-V Pharmaceutical Co. - Class A

   7,200    21

*

 

Masimo Corp.

   207,282    6,183
 

Meridian Bioscience,
Inc.

   164,739    4,196

*

 

NuVasive, Inc.

   74,816    2,592

*

 

PAREXEL International Corp.

   4,325    42

*

 

Phase Forward, Inc.

   199,218    2,494

*

 

Psychiatric Solutions,
Inc.

   168,644    4,697

*

 

Thoratec Corp.

   107,245    3,484

*

 

United Therapeutics
Corp.

   13,450    841
         
 

Total

      45,076
         
 

Industrials (19.1%)

*

 

AAR Corp.

   2,250    41
 

Actuant Corp.

   2,375    45
 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

   1,125    39

*

 

Aerovironment, Inc.

   57,300    2,109

*

 

Allegiant Travel Co.

   28,000    1,360

*

 

Astec Industries, Inc.

   38,550    1,208

*

 

Astronics Corp.

   205,652    1,830

*

 

Axsys Technologies, Inc.

   27,733    1,521
 

Belden, Inc.

   1,975    41
 

Bucyrus International,
Inc.

   70,963    1,314

*

 

Chart Industries, Inc.

   3,350    36

*

 

Cornell Cos., Inc.

   240,800    4,477

*

 

Corrections Corp. of America

   229,548    3,755
 

Deluxe Corp.

   2,475    37
 

Eagle Bulk Shipping,
Inc.

   5,100    35

*

 

EMCOR Group, Inc.

   1,850    42

*

 

Energy Recovery, Inc.

   79,201    600

*

 

EnerSys

   3,775    42

*

 

Flow International Corp.

   18,900    46

*

 

Force Protection, Inc.

   7,725    46
 

Genco Shipping &
Trading, Ltd.

   2,550    38

*

 

GrafTech International,
Ltd.

   5,025    42

*

 

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.

   7,475    48
 

Herman Miller, Inc.

   2,800    37

*

 

Hexcel Corp.

   4,675    35

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

52    Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio      


Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (91.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

*

 

Hill International, Inc.

   105,200    741

*

 

Hub Group, Inc. - Class
A

   122,400    3,247

*

 

Huron Consulting
Group, Inc.

   71,350    4,086

*

 

ICF International, Inc.

   133,300    3,275
 

Kaydon Corp.

   49,459    1,699
 

Knight Transportation,
Inc.

   334,628    5,394
 

Knoll, Inc.

   4,250    38

*

 

Korn/Ferry International

   3,275    37

*

 

Perini Corp.

   1,750    41

*

 

Stanley, Inc.

   119,700    4,336

*

 

TBS International, Ltd. - Class A

   4,125    41

*

 

Team, Inc.

   240,077    6,650

*

 

Titan Machinery, Inc.

   203,200    2,857

*

 

TransDigm Group, Inc.

   90,800    3,048
         
 

Total

      54,314
         
 

Information Technology (20.4%)

*

 

Advanced Energy
Industries, Inc.

   244,417    2,432

*

 

Amkor Technology, Inc.

   18,800    41

*

 

Atheros
Communications, Inc.

   126,950    1,817

*

 

Bankrate, Inc.

   117,083    4,449

*

 

Blackboard, Inc.

   50,631    1,328

*

 

comScore, Inc.

   134,989    1,721

*

 

Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

   30,250    1,386

*

 

Concur Technologies,
Inc.

   86,400    2,836

*

 

CyberSource Corp.

   140,900    1,689

*

 

DG Fastchannel, Inc.

   209,550    2,615

*

 

Diodes, Inc.

   300,675    1,822

*

 

EarthLink, Inc.

   5,800    39

*

 

F5 Networks, Inc.

   130,250    2,977

*

 

Harmonic, Inc.

   6,550    37

*

 

Infinera Corp.

   4,375    39

*

 

j2 Global
Communications, Inc.

   63,350    1,270

*

 

Mellanox Technologies,
Ltd.

   216,901    1,705

*

 

Netlogic Microsystems,
Inc.

   174,703    3,845

*

 

NeuStar, Inc. - Class A

   193,350    3,699

*

 

Novatel Wireless, Inc.

   9,475    44

*

 

Omniture, Inc.

   296,169    3,151

*

 

OmniVision
Technologies, Inc.

   7,700    40

*

 

PMC-Sierra, Inc.

   8,225    40

*

 

Rubicon Technology,
Inc.

   128,300    547

*

 

Sigma Designs, Inc.

   3,850    37

*

 

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

   7,100    39

 

 

Common Stocks (91.6%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

*

 

Switch and Data
Facilities Co., Inc.

   367,463    2,716

*

 

Synchronoss
Technologies, Inc.

   337,656    3,599

*

 

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

   4,550    34

*

 

TeleTech Holdings, Inc.

   4,350    36

*

 

TiVo, Inc.

   5,725    41

*

 

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.

   895,850    3,082

*

 

VanceInfo Technologies, Inc., ADR

   646,095    3,069

*

 

VistaPrint, Ltd.

   188,436    3,507

*

 

Vocus, Inc.

   120,350    2,192
         
 

Total

      57,921
         
 

Materials (2.6%)

*

 

Apex Silver Mines, Ltd.

   28,425    28

*

 

Calgon Carbon Corp.

   229,450    3,524

*

 

Flotek Industries, Inc.

   16,675    42
 

Silgan Holdings, Inc.

   80,779    3,862

*

 

W.R. Grace & Co.

   6,675    40
 

Worthington Industries, Inc.

   3,125    35
         
 

Total

      7,531
         
 

Other Holdings (2.5%)

 

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund

   209,400    2,643
 

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund

   45,550    3,236
 

SPDR Metals & Mining ETF

   40,709    1,131
         
 

Total

      7,010
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.9%)

*

 

Centennial Communications Corp.

   314,611    2,536
         
 

Total

      2,536
         
 

Utilities (2.0%)

 

ITC Holdings Corp.

   132,250    5,777
         
 

Total

      5,777
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $333,444)

   260,718
         
 

Short-Term Investments (7.4%)

 

Aircraft (3.5%)

(k)

 

Textron, Inc., 6.25%, 1/12/09

   10,000,000    9,981
         
 

Total

      9,981
         
 

Energy (1.8%)

(b)

 

Sempra Global, 1.50%, 1/7/09

   5,000,000    4,999
         
 

Total

      4,999
         

 

 

Short-Term

Investments (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.4%)

(b)

 

Federal National Mortgage Association, 0.20%, 3/30/09

   1,500,000    1,499
         
 

Total

      1,499
         
 

Personal Credit Institutions (1.7%)

 

HSBC Finance Corp., 0.30%, 1/6/09

   4,700,000    4,700
         
 

Total

      4,700
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $21,179)

   21,179
         
 

Total Investments (99.0%)

(Cost: $354,623)(a)

   281,897
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (1.0%)

   2,724
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   284,621
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio    53


Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $366,374 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $84,477 which is comprised of $8,045 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $92,522 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

Russell 2000 Mini Index Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $5,994)

   125    3/09    $        229

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty   Reference    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received by
the Fund
  

Expiration

Date

  

Notional
Amount

(000’s)

   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
JPMorgan Chase  

Russell 2000 Growth

Biotechnology Industry Index

   3 Month USD-
LIBOR -120 Bps
   Russell 2000 Growth
Biotechnology
Industry Index Total
Return
   12/09    6,600    $        782

 

(k) Securities with an aggregate value of $9,981 (in thousands) have been pledged as collateral for swap contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

54    Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio      


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
The Portfolio’s investment objective is to achieve investment results that approximate the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600® Index’s performance.   

Invest in the stocks included in the S&P SmallCap 600®

Index in approximately the same proportion as each

stock’s weighting in the Index.

   $21 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Index 600 Stock Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks investment results that approximate the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600® Index. The Portfolio invests in a representative sample of stocks included in the S&P SmallCap 600® Index, and in total return swaps whose performance is related to the index. The Portfolio may also invest in exchange traded funds in an attempt to gain exposure to the market while awaiting the purchase of underlying securities. The Portfolio invests in stocks included in the S&P SmallCap 600® Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index, and may buy or sell securities after announced changes in the Index but before or after the effective date of the changes to attempt to achieve higher correlation with the Index. The Portfolio remains neutral relative to the benchmark in terms of economic sectors, market capitalization, and the growth and value styles of investing. The Portfolio will, to the extent feasible, remain fully invested.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. Returns were negative across all market capitalization ranges, sectors, and investment styles. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.00%, –36.23% and –31.07%, as measured by the S&P 500®, MidCap 400® and SmallCap 600® Stock Indices, respectively.

Small-cap stocks did better after lagging stocks of large- and mid-sized companies in 2007. In part that was because the fallout from the credit crisis was concentrated in large-cap Financial shares, removing a big drag on small-cap performance. Indeed, in the small-cap space Financials were among the five sectors to manage returns better than those of the Index as a whole (–28% versus –31%).

The other areas to hold up better than the Index were the traditionally defensive Utilities and Consumer Staples shares, which had returns of –7% and –14%, respectively. In addition, the more growth-oriented Industrial and Health Care sectors both managed returns of –28%.

At the other end of the spectrum, the poorest performers were generally those stocks facing worries about the drag on earnings from the U.S. recession. In that environment, Materials, Energy, Consumer Discretionary and Information Technology shares fell 49%, 46%, 43% and 41%, respectively. Finally, Telecommunication Services also had a sizable negative return, down 58%, though this represents the performance of only two stocks, which comprise a tiny fraction of the Index.

Portfolio Results

The Portfolio had a sharply negative return in the worst year for equities since the Great Depression. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Index 600 Stock Portfolio returned –31.30%, while the S&P SmallCap 600® Index returned –31.07%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) Portfolio performance slightly lagged the S&P SmallCap 600® Index due to transaction costs, administrative expenses, cash flow effects and the costs associated with the use of exchange traded funds and other derivative instruments used to achieve full replication. The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, Small-Cap Core Funds, was –35.54% for the same period, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency. However, the Small-Cap Core Funds peer group is not strictly comparable to the Index 600 Stock Portfolio because many of the portfolios in the group are actively managed.

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals and diversification matter once again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, though we think it is reasonable to expect some sort of recovery based on the massive government stimulus likely to come early in the new year. Diversification, too, is likely to matter again, as we see greater differentiation in returns across and within asset classes. We continue to believe in the potential benefit of investing in a fund based on a broad market index, such as the Index 600 Stock Portfolio, which provides exposure to both growth and value styles of investing, as well stocks of companies across the economy.

 

      Index 600 Stock Portfolio    55


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    Since
Inception*

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

   -31.30%    -22.97%

S&P SmallCap 600 Index

   -31.07%    -22.59%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Small Cap Core Funds
Average

   -35.54%      –%

*Inception date of 4/30/07

     

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

“Standard & Poor’s®”, “S&P®”, S&P SmallCap 600 and Standard & Poor’s SmallCap 600 are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s, and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

 

Stocks of smaller or newer companies, such as those held in this Portfolio, are more likely to realize more substantial growth as well as suffer more significant losses than larger or more established issuers. Investments in such companies can be both more volatile and more speculative. Investing in small company stocks involves a greater degree of risk than investing in medium or large company stocks.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index Fund

   3.6%

  Piedmont Natural Gas Co., Inc.

   0.6%

  Itron, Inc.

   0.5%

  Atmos Energy Corp.

   0.5%

  Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. - Class A

   0.5%

  Senior Housing Properties Trust

   0.5%

  Landstar System, Inc.

   0.5%

  Immucor, Inc.

   0.5%

  ProAssurance Corp.

   0.4%

  CLARCOR, Inc.

   0.4%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on equities.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

56    Index 600 Stock Portfolio      


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (10.4%)

*

 

4Kids Entertainment, Inc.

   589    1
 

A.H. Belo Corp. - Class A

   876    2
 

Aaron Rents, Inc.

   2,781    74
 

Arbitron, Inc.

   1,384    18
 

Arctic Cat, Inc.

   622    3

*

 

Audiovox Corp. - Class A

   966    5
 

Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc.

   607    2
 

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.

   1,124    6

*

 

Blue Nile, Inc.

   760    19
 

Brown Shoe Co., Inc.

   2,208    19
 

Brunswick Corp.

   4,569    19
 

The Buckle, Inc.

   1,222    27

*

 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.

   930    24

*

 

Cabela’s, Inc.

   2,047    12

*

 

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.

   1,280    14

*

 

Capella Education Co.

   739    43

*

 

Carter’s, Inc.

   2,929    56
 

The Cato Corp. - Class A

   1,542    23

*

 

CEC Entertainment, Inc.

   1,181    29

*

 

Champion Enterprises, Inc.

   4,058    2

*

 

Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc.

   1,089    7

*

 

The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc.

   1,258    27
 

Christopher & Banks Corp.

   1,847    10
 

CKE Restaurants, Inc.

   2,735    24

*

 

Coinstar, Inc.

   1,473    29
 

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

   1,155    24

*

 

Crocs, Inc.

   4,321    5

*

 

Deckers Outdoor Corp.

   681    54
 

DineEquity, Inc.

   803    9

*

 

The Dress Barn, Inc.

   2,360    25

*

 

Drew Industries, Inc.

   1,021    12
 

The E.W. Scripps Co. - Class A

   1,534    3
 

Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc.

   1,497    22
 

The Finish Line, Inc. - Class A

   2,861    16

*

 

Fossil, Inc.

   2,365    40
 

Fred’s, Inc. - Class A

   2,083    22

*

 

Genesco, Inc.

   1,000    17
 

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

   1,214    13

*

 

The Gymboree Corp.

   1,513    39
 

Haverty Furniture Cos., Inc.

   967    9

*

 

Hibbett Sports, Inc.

   1,485    23
 

Hillenbrand, Inc.

   3,256    54

*

 

Hot Topic, Inc.

   2,283    21

*

 

HSN, Inc.

   2,035    15

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary continued

*

 

Iconix Brand Group, Inc.

   3,015    29

*

 

Interval Leisure Group, Inc.

   2,035    11

*

 

Jack in the Box, Inc.

   2,958    65

*

 

JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

   1,431    30

*

 

Jo-Ann Stores, Inc.

   1,324    21

*

 

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers,
Inc.

   948    25
 

K-Swiss, Inc. - Class A

   1,398    16
 

Landry’s Restaurants, Inc.

   648    8
 

La-Z-Boy, Inc.

   2,706    6
 

Lithia Motors, Inc. -
Class A

   857    3

*

 

Live Nation, Inc.

   3,952    23
 

Liz Claiborne, Inc.

   4,940    13
 

M/I Homes, Inc.

   731    8

*

 

Maidenform Brands, Inc.

   974    10
 

The Marcus Corp.

   1,100    18

*

 

MarineMax, Inc.

   961    3
 

The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.

   2,693    36

*

 

Meritage Homes Corp.

   1,601    19

*

 

Midas, Inc.

   732    8

*

 

Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc.

   597    7
 

Movado Group, Inc.

   937    9

*

 

Multimedia Games, Inc.

   1,207    3
 

National Presto Industries, Inc.

   250    19

*

 

Nautilus, Inc.

   1,202    3
 

NutriSystem, Inc.

   1,542    23
 

O’Charley’s, Inc.

   1,110    2
 

OfficeMax, Inc.

   3,961    30
 

Oxford Industries, Inc.

   711    6

*

 

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc.

   1,240    26

*

 

Panera Bread Co. -
Class A

   1,589    83

*

 

Papa John’s International, Inc.

   1,129    21

*

 

Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc.

   623    14
 

The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack

   2,311    10

*

 

Perry Ellis International, Inc.

   617    4

*

 

PetMed Express, Inc.

   1,236    22

*

 

Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.

   3,128    24
 

Polaris Industries, Inc.

   1,694    49
 

Pool Corp.

   2,498    45

*

 

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

   401    15

*

 

Quiksilver, Inc.

   6,624    12

*

 

RC2 Corp.

   897    10

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary continued

*

 

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

   806    14
 

Ruby Tuesday, Inc.

   2,753    4

*

 

Russ Berrie and Co., Inc.

   837    2

*

 

Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.

   1,008    1

*

 

Shuffle Master, Inc.

   2,897    14

*

 

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. - Class A

   1,734    22
 

Skyline Corp.

   355    7
 

Sonic Automotive, Inc. - Class A

   1,463    6

*

 

Sonic Corp.

   3,147    38
 

Spartan Motors, Inc.

   1,706    8
 

Stage Stores, Inc.

   2,018    17

*

 

Stamps.com, Inc.

   742    7
 

Standard Motor Products, Inc.

   595    2

*

 

Standard Pacific Corp.

   6,005    11

*

 

The Steak n Shake Co.

   1,492    9
 

Stein Mart, Inc.

   1,263    1

*

 

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

   1,015    6
 

Superior Industries International, Inc.

   1,210    13

*

 

Texas Roadhouse, Inc. - Class A

   2,743    21

*

 

Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc.

   2,035    13

*

 

Tractor Supply Co.

   1,672    60

*

 

True Religion Apparel,
Inc.

   954    12

*

 

Tuesday Morning Corp.

   1,570    3

*

 

Tween Brands, Inc.

   1,292    6
 

UniFirst Corp.

   746    22

*

 

Universal Electronics, Inc.

   726    12

*

 

Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

   1,125    19

*

 

Volcom, Inc.

   826    9
 

Winnebago Industries,
Inc.

   1,516    9

*

 

WMS Industries, Inc.

   2,616    70
 

Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

   2,555    54

*

 

Zale Corp.

   1,663    6

*

 

Zumiez, Inc.

   1,043    8
         
 

Total

      2,213
         
 

Consumer Staples (2.9%)

*

 

Alliance One International, Inc.

   4,636    14
 

The Andersons, Inc.

   944    15

*

 

The Boston Beer Co., Inc. - Class A

   520    15
 

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.

   656    19
 

Casey’s General Stores,
Inc.

   2,648    60

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 600 Stock Portfolio    57


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

*

 

Central Garden & Pet Co. - Class A

   3,710    22

*

 

Chattem, Inc.

   979    70

*

 

Darling International, Inc.

   4,269    23
 

Diamond Foods, Inc.

   849    17

*

 

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc.

   1,575    10

*

 

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

   910    35

*

 

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.

   2,095    40
 

J & J Snack Foods Corp.

   741    27
 

Lance, Inc.

   1,642    38
 

Mannatech, Inc.

   814    2
 

Nash Finch Co.

   667    30
 

Sanderson Farms, Inc.

   910    31
 

Spartan Stores, Inc.

   1,152    27

*

 

TreeHouse Foods, Inc.

   1,640    45

*

 

United Natural Foods, Inc.

   2,236    40
 

WD-40 Co.

   858    24
         
 

Total

      604
         
 

Energy (3.5%)

*

 

Atwood Oceanics, Inc.

   2,906    44

*

 

Basic Energy Services,
Inc.

   1,207    16

*

 

Bristow Group, Inc.

   1,517    41
 

CARBO Ceramics, Inc.

   1,065    38

*

 

Dril-Quip, Inc.

   1,593    33
 

Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc.

   745    11
 

Holly Corp.

   2,125    39

*

 

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc.

   1,200    20

*

 

ION Geophysical Corp.

   4,480    15
 

Lufkin Industries, Inc.

   776    27

*

 

Matrix Service Co.

   1,359    10

*

 

NATCO Group, Inc. - Class A

   1,053    16

*

 

Oil States International, Inc.

   2,597    48
 

Penn Virginia Corp.

   2,182    57

*

 

Petroleum Development Corp.

   775    19

*

 

PetroQuest Energy, Inc.

   2,263    15

*

 

Pioneer Drilling Co.

   2,597    14

*

 

SEACOR Holdings, Inc.

   1,087    72
 

St. Mary Land & Exploration Co.

   3,243    66

*

 

Stone Energy Corp.

   1,802    20

*

 

Superior Well Services, Inc.

   861    9

*

 

Swift Energy Co.

   1,609    27

*

 

TETRA Technologies, Inc.

   3,901    19
 

World Fuel Services Corp.

   1,526    56
         
 

Total

      732
         
 

Financials (17.0%)

 

Acadia Realty Trust

   1,687    24

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

American Physicians Capital, Inc.

   351    17

*

 

Amerisafe, Inc.

   956    20
 

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin, Inc.

   941    3
 

Bank Mutual Corp.

   2,515    29
 

BankAtlantic Bancorp,
Inc. - Class A

   409    2
 

BioMed Realty Trust, Inc.

   4,132    48
 

Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.

   3,325    23
 

Brookline Bancorp, Inc.

   3,045    32
 

Cascade Bancorp

   1,464    10
 

Cash America International, Inc.

   1,516    42
 

Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc.

   2,320    16
 

Central Pacific Financial Corp.

   1,498    15
 

Colonial Properties Trust

   2,498    21
 

Columbia Banking
System, Inc.

   947    11
 

Community Bank System, Inc.

   1,676    41
 

Corus Bankshares, Inc.

   1,625    2
 

Delphi Financial Group, Inc. - Class A

   2,152    40
 

DiamondRock Hospitality Co.

   4,808    24
 

Dime Community Bancshares

   1,373    18
 

East West Bancorp, Inc.

   3,310    53
 

EastGroup Properties, Inc.

   1,307    47
 

Entertainment Properties Trust

   1,714    51
 

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

   4,274    44
 

Financial Federal Corp.

   1,331    31
 

First BanCorp

   3,957    44

*

 

First Cash Financial Services, Inc.

   1,342    26
 

First Commonwealth Financial Corp.

   3,823    47
 

First Financial Bancorp.

   1,662    21
 

First Financial Bankshares, Inc.

   1,085    60
 

First Midwest Bancorp, Inc.

   2,534    51

*

 

Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.

   3,053    2

*

 

Forestar Group, Inc.

   1,861    18
 

Franklin Street Properties Corp.

   3,130    46
 

Frontier Financial Corp.

   2,452    11
 

Glacier Bancorp, Inc.

   3,103    59
 

Greenhill & Co., Inc.

   913    64

*

 

Guaranty Financial Group, Inc.

   5,681    15
 

Hancock Holding Co.

   1,229    56
 

Hanmi Financial Corp.

   1,939    4
 

Home BancShares, Inc.

   692    19
 

Home Properties, Inc.

   1,665    68

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Independent Bank Corp.

   996    2
 

Independent Bank Corp./Rockland Trust Co.

   819    21
 

Infinity Property & Casualty Corp.

   747    35
 

Inland Real Estate Corp.

   3,001    39

*

 

Investment Technology Group, Inc.

   2,273    52

*

 

Irwin Financial Corp.

   944    1
 

Kilroy Realty Corp.

   1,703    57
 

Kite Realty Group Trust

   1,769    10

*

 

LaBranche & Co., Inc.

   2,813    14
 

LaSalle Hotel Properties

   2,110    23
 

Lexington Realty Trust

   3,453    17
 

LTC Properties, Inc.

   1,205    24
 

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.

   3,460    22
 

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

   1,434    53
 

Nara Bancorp, Inc.

   1,162    11
 

National Financial Partners Corp.

   2,071    6
 

National Penn Bancshares, Inc.

   4,155    60
 

National Retail Properties, Inc.

   4,088    70

*

 

The Navigators Group, Inc.

   692    38
 

Old National Bancorp

   3,452    63
 

optionsXpress Holdings, Inc.

   2,224    30
 

Parkway Properties, Inc.

   798    14
 

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust

   2,075    15

*

 

Piper Jaffray Cos., Inc.

   823    33

*

 

Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.

   801    27
 

Post Properties, Inc.

   2,302    38
 

Presidential Life Corp.

   1,126    11
 

PrivateBancorp, Inc.

   1,426    46

*

 

ProAssurance Corp.

   1,747    92
 

Prosperity Bancshares, Inc.

   2,138    63
 

Provident Bankshares Corp.

   1,730    17
 

PS Business Parks, Inc.

   778    35

*

 

Rewards Network, Inc.

   1,408    4
 

RLI Corp.

   924    57
 

S&T Bancorp, Inc.

   1,223    43
 

Safety Insurance Group, Inc.

   850    32
 

Selective Insurance Group, Inc.

   2,748    63
 

Senior Housing Properties Trust

   5,972    107

*

 

Signature Bank

   1,798    52
 

The South Financial Group, Inc.

   3,799    16
 

Sovran Self Storage, Inc.

   1,145    41
 

Sterling Bancorp

   938    13
 

Sterling Bancshares, Inc.

   3,817    23

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

58    Index 600 Stock Portfolio      


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Sterling Financial Corp.

   2,716    24
 

Stewart Information Services Corp.

   946    22

*

 

Stifel Financial Corp.

   1,309    60
 

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc.

   4,488    71
 

SWS Group, Inc.

   1,431    27
 

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.

   1,649    62
 

Tompkins Financial Corp.

   348    20
 

Tower Group, Inc.

   1,058    30

*

 

TradeStation Group, Inc.

   1,678    11
 

TrustCo Bank Corp. NY

   3,956    38
 

UCBH Holdings, Inc.

   5,762    40
 

UMB Financial Corp.

   1,537    76
 

Umpqua Holdings Corp.

   3,134    45
 

United Bankshares, Inc.

   1,964    65
 

United Community Banks, Inc.

   2,120    29
 

United Fire & Casualty Co.

   1,174    37
 

Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc.

   1,111    18
 

Whitney Holding Corp.

   3,511    56
 

Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.

   1,012    9
 

Wintrust Financial Corp.

   1,233    25

*

 

World Acceptance Corp.

   854    17
 

Zenith National Insurance Corp.

   1,943    61
         
 

Total

      3,608
         
 

Health Care (11.1%)

*

 

Abaxis, Inc.

   1,136    18

*

 

Air Methods Corp.

   561    9

*

 

Amedisys, Inc.

   1,398    58

*

 

American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc.

   3,811    34

*

 

AMERIGROUP Corp.

   2,767    82

*

 

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.

   1,760    15

*

 

AmSurg Corp.

   1,650    39
 

Analogic Corp.

   699    19

*

 

ArQule, Inc.

   1,470    6

*

 

ArthroCare Corp.

   1,389    7

*

 

Cambrex Corp.

   1,521    7

*

 

Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc.

   1,984    48

*

 

Centene Corp.

   2,255    44
 

Chemed Corp.

   1,195    48

*

 

CONMED Corp.

   1,500    36
 

The Cooper Cos., Inc.

   2,347    38

*

 

CorVel Corp.

   424    9

*

 

Cross Country Healthcare, Inc.

   1,600    14

*

 

CryoLife, Inc.

   1,461    14

*

 

Cubist Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.

   2,951    71

*

 

Cyberonics, Inc.

   1,212    20
 

Datascope Corp.

   682    36

*

 

Dionex Corp.

   944    42

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

*

 

Eclipsys Corp.

   2,836    40

*

 

Enzo Biochem, Inc.

   1,688    8

*

 

Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

   1,493    44

*

 

Greatbatch, Inc.

   1,193    32

*

 

Haemonetics Corp.

   1,325    75

*

 

Healthspring, Inc.

   2,594    52

*

 

Healthways, Inc.

   1,752    20

*

 

HMS Holdings Corp.

   1,307    41

*

 

ICU Medical, Inc.

   656    22

*

 

Immucor, Inc.

   3,661    97

*

 

Integra LifeSciences Holdings

   1,016    36
 

Invacare Corp.

   1,672    26

*

 

inVentiv Health, Inc.

   1,732    20

*

 

Kendle International, Inc.

   691    18

*

 

Kensey Nash Corp.

   607    12
 

Landauer, Inc.

   485    36
 

LCA-Vision, Inc.

   967    4

*

 

LHC Group, Inc.

   773    28

*

 

Magellan Health Services, Inc.

   2,119    83

*

 

Martek Biosciences Corp.

   1,727    52

*

 

MedCath Corp.

   1,021    11
 

Mentor Corp.

   1,762    55
 

Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

   2,098    53

*

 

Merit Medical Systems, Inc.

   1,454    26

*

 

Molina Healthcare, Inc.

   745    13

*

 

MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc.

   629    17

*

 

Natus Medical, Inc.

   1,449    19

*

 

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   1,299    14

*

 

Odyssey HealthCare, Inc.

   1,711    16

*

 

Omnicell, Inc.

   1,620    20

*

 

Osteotech, Inc.

   885    2
 

Owens & Minor, Inc.

   2,156    81

*

 

Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc.

   941    11

*

 

Par Pharmaceutical Cos., Inc.

   1,801    24

*

 

PAREXEL International Corp.

   2,878    28

*

 

Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc.

   2,378    75

*

 

PharMerica Corp.

   1,587    25

*

 

Phase Forward, Inc.

   2,232    28

*

 

PSS World Medical, Inc.

   3,245    61

*

 

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   3,266    60

*

 

RehabCare Group, Inc.

   941    14

*

 

Res-Care, Inc.

   1,334    20

*

 

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.

   2,506    22

*

 

Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   2,465    14

*

 

SurModics, Inc.

   792    20

*

 

Symmetry Medical, Inc.

   1,867    15

*

 

Theragenics Corp.

   1,653    2

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

*

 

ViroPharma, Inc.

   4,029    52
 

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

   1,696    64

*

 

Zoll Medical Corp.

   1,097    21
         
 

Total

      2,343
         
 

Industrials (15.4%)

 

A.O. Smith Corp.

   1,177    35

*

 

AAR Corp.

   2,021    37
 

ABM Industries, Inc.

   2,305    44
 

Actuant Corp.

   2,581    49
 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

   2,121    74
 

Administaff, Inc.

   1,182    26
 

Albany International Corp. - Class A

   1,385    18
 

Apogee Enterprises, Inc.

   1,502    16
 

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.

   1,898    36
 

Applied Signal
Technology, Inc.

   665    12
 

Arkansas Best Corp.

   1,319    40

*

 

Astec Industries, Inc.

   1,027    32

*

 

ATC Technology Corp.

   1,096    16

*

 

Axsys Technologies, Inc.

   479    26
 

Baldor Electric Co.

   2,410    43
 

Barnes Group, Inc.

   2,271    33
 

Belden, Inc.

   2,425    51
 

Bowne & Co., Inc.

   1,406    8
 

Brady Corp. - Class A

   2,809    67
 

Briggs & Stratton Corp.

   2,598    46

*

 

C&D Technologies, Inc.

   1,342    4
 

Cascade Corp.

   442    13
 

CDI Corp.

   670    9

*

 

Ceradyne, Inc.

   1,370    28
 

CIRCOR International,
Inc.

   829    23
 

CLARCOR, Inc.

   2,647    88

*

 

Consolidated Graphics,
Inc.

   581    13
 

Cubic Corp.

   809    22
 

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

   2,342    78

*

 

EMCOR Group, Inc.

   3,409    76

*

 

EnPro Industries, Inc.

   1,044    22

*

 

Esterline Technologies Corp.

   1,546    59
 

Forward Air Corp.

   1,508    37
 

G & K Services, Inc. -
Class A

   986    20

*

 

Gardner Denver, Inc.

   2,776    65

*

 

GenCorp, Inc.

   2,536    9

*

 

The GEO Group, Inc.

   2,665    48
 

Gibraltar Industries, Inc.

   1,406    17

*

 

Griffon Corp.

   2,147    20
 

Healthcare Services
Group, Inc.

   2,240    36
 

Heartland Express, Inc.

   2,909    46
 

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

   859    18

*

 

Hub Group, Inc. - Class A

   1,964    52

*

 

II-VI, Inc.

   1,279    24

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 600 Stock Portfolio    59


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

*

 

Insituform Technologies,
Inc. - Class A

   1,457    29
 

Interface, Inc. - Class A

   2,942    14
 

John Bean Technologies Corp.

   1,437    12
 

Kaman Corp.

   1,324    24
 

Kaydon Corp.

   1,787    61

*

 

Kirby Corp.

   2,819    77
 

Knight Transportation, Inc.

   3,039    49
 

Landstar System, Inc.

   2,762    106
 

Lawson Products, Inc.

   218    5
 

Lennox International, Inc.

   2,445    79
 

Lindsay Corp.

   633    20

*

 

Lydall, Inc.

   868    5

*

 

Magnetek, Inc.

   1,597    4

*

 

Mobile Mini, Inc.

   1,818    26

*

 

Moog, Inc. - Class A

   2,226    81
 

Mueller Industries, Inc.

   1,937    49

*

 

NCI Building Systems,
Inc.

   1,029    17

*

 

Old Dominion Freight Line,
Inc.

   1,439    41

*

 

On Assignment, Inc.

   1,850    10

*

 

Orbital Sciences Corp.

   3,058    60
 

Quanex Building Products Corp.

   1,964    18
 

Regal-Beloit Corp.

   1,680    64
 

Robbins & Myers, Inc.

   1,806    29

*

 

School Specialty, Inc.

   833    16
 

Simpson Manufacturing
Co., Inc.

   1,952    54
 

SkyWest, Inc.

   2,974    55

*

 

Spherion Corp.

   2,754    6
 

The Standard Register Co.

   660    6
 

Standex International
Corp.

   652    13

*

 

Sykes Enterprises, Inc.

   1,742    33

*

 

Teledyne Technologies,
Inc.

   1,861    83

*

 

Tetra Tech, Inc.

   3,101    75
 

The Toro Co.

   1,852    61
 

Tredegar Corp.

   1,001    18
 

Triumph Group, Inc.

   855    36

*

 

TrueBlue, Inc.

   2,263    22

*

 

United Stationers, Inc.

   1,220    41
 

Universal Forest Products, Inc.

   872    23
 

Valmont Industries, Inc.

   913    56
 

Viad Corp.

   1,094    27
 

Vicor Corp.

   1,022    7

*

 

Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

   666    5
 

Wabash National Corp.

   1,603    7
 

Watsco, Inc.

   1,478    57
 

Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. - Class A

   2,256    108
 

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. - Class A

   1,522    38
         
 

Total

      3,263
         

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology (12.8%)

*

 

Actel Corp.

   1,344    16

*

 

Adaptec, Inc.

   6,282    21

*

 

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.

   1,700    17
 

Agilysys, Inc.

   1,187    5

*

 

Anixter International, Inc.

   1,558    47

*

 

Arris Group, Inc.

   6,403    51

*

 

ATMI, Inc.

   1,630    25

*

 

Avid Technology, Inc.

   1,585    17

*

 

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

   5,374    3

*

 

Bankrate, Inc.

   724    27
 

Bel Fuse, Inc. - Class B

   615    13

*

 

Benchmark Electronics, Inc.

   3,469    44
 

Black Box Corp.

   914    24
 

Blackbaud, Inc.

   2,273    31

*

 

Blue Coat Systems, Inc.

   2,032    17

*

 

Brightpoint, Inc.

   2,682    12

*

 

Brooks Automation, Inc.

   3,317    19

*

 

Cabot Microelectronics Corp.

   1,213    32

*

 

CACI International, Inc. - Class A

   1,579    71

*

 

Catapult Communications Corp.

   450    3

*

 

Checkpoint Systems, Inc.

   2,015    20

*

 

CIBER, Inc.

   2,781    13
 

Cognex Corp.

   2,063    30
 

Cohu, Inc.

   1,211    15

*

 

Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

   1,265    58

*

 

Concur Technologies, Inc.

   2,241    73

*

 

CSG Systems International, Inc.

   1,823    32
 

CTS Corp.

   1,758    10

*

 

CyberSource Corp.

   3,624    43

*

 

Cymer, Inc.

   1,546    34

*

 

Cypress Semiconductor Corp.

   7,907    35
 

Daktronics, Inc.

   1,772    17

*

 

DealerTrack Holdings, Inc.

   2,125    25

*

 

Digi International, Inc.

   1,338    11

*

 

Diodes, Inc.

   1,683    10

*

 

DSP Group, Inc.

   1,447    12

*

 

Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

   1,410    10

*

 

EMS Technologies, Inc.

   817    21

*

 

Epicor Software Corp.

   3,107    15

*

 

EPIQ Systems, Inc.

   1,852    31

*

 

Exar Corp.

   2,228    15

*

 

FARO Technologies, Inc.

   871    15

*

 

FEI Co.

   1,917    36

*

 

Forrester Research, Inc.

   806    23

*

 

Gerber Scientific, Inc.

   1,244    6
 

Gevity HR, Inc.

   1,178    2

*

 

Harmonic, Inc.

   4,943    28
 

Heartland Payment Systems, Inc.

   1,272    22

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

*

 

Hittite Microwave Corp.

   1,001    29

*

 

Hutchinson Technology, Inc.

   1,196    4

*

 

Informatica Corp.

   4,643    64
 

InfoSpace, Inc.

   1,802    14

*

 

Insight Enterprises, Inc.

   2,376    16

*

 

Integral Systems, Inc.

   893    11

*

 

Intermec, Inc.

   2,549    34

*

 

Interwoven, Inc.

   2,404    30

*

 

Intevac, Inc.

   1,137    6

*

 

Itron, Inc.

   1,789    114

*

 

j2 Global
Communications, Inc.

   2,285    46

*

 

JDA Software Group, Inc.

   1,419    19
 

Keithley Insturments, Inc.

   714    3

*

 

The Knot, Inc.

   1,490    12

*

 

Kopin Corp.

   3,533    7

*

 

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc.

   2,797    5

*

 

Littelfuse, Inc.

   1,131    19

*

 

LoJack Corp.

   905    4

*

 

Manhattan Associates, Inc.

   1,279    20
 

MAXIMUS, Inc.

   973    34

*

 

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

   1,186    7
 

Methode Electronics, Inc.

   1,986    13
 

Micrel, Inc.

   2,573    19

*

 

MICROS Systems, Inc.

   4,209    69

*

 

Microsemi Corp.

   4,136    52

*

 

MKS Instruments, Inc.

   2,566    38
 

MTS Systems Corp.

   885    24

*

 

NETGEAR, Inc.

   1,848    21

*

 

Network Equipment Technologies, Inc.

   1,507    4

*

 

Newport Corp.

   1,883    13

*

 

Novatel Wireless, Inc.

   1,653    8
 

Park Electrochemical
Corp.

   1,067    20
 

PC-Tel, Inc.

   1,001    7

*

 

Perficient, Inc.

   1,678    8

*

 

Pericom Semiconductor Corp.

   1,321    7

*

 

Phoenix Technologies,
Ltd.

   1,462    5

*

 

Plexus Corp.

   2,047    35

*

 

Progress Software Corp.

   2,147    41
 

Quality Systems, Inc.

   927    40

*

 

Radiant Systems, Inc.

   1,436    5

*

 

RadiSys Corp.

   1,179    6

*

 

Rogers Corp.

   937    26

*

 

Rudolph Technologies,
Inc.

   1,598    6

*

 

ScanSource, Inc.

   1,374    26

*

 

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

   8,603    48

*

 

Smith Micro Software, Inc.

   1,452    8

*

 

Sonic Solutions

   1,320    2

*

 

SPSS, Inc.

   945    25

*

 

Standard Microsystems Corp.

   1,161    19

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

60    Index 600 Stock Portfolio      


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

*

 

StarTek, Inc.

   573    3

*

 

Stratasys, Inc.

   1,096    12

*

 

Supertex, Inc.

   670    16

*

 

Symmetricom, Inc.

   2,344    9

*

 

Synaptics, Inc.

   1,757    29

*

 

SYNNEX Corp.

   969    11

*

 

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

   4,048    31

*

 

Taleo Corp. - Class A

   1,597    12
 

Technitrol, Inc.

   2,138    7

*

 

Tekelec

   3,434    46

*

 

THQ, Inc.

   3,481    15

*

 

Tollgrade
Communications, Inc.

   693    3

*

 

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.

   7,548    26

*

 

TTM Technologies, Inc.

   2,233    12

*

 

Tyler Technologies, Inc.

   1,535    18

*

 

Ultratech, Inc.

   1,225    15
 

United Online, Inc.

   4,237    26

*

 

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

   3,788    69

*

 

Veeco Instruments, Inc.

   1,678    11

*

 

ViaSat, Inc.

   1,410    34

*

 

Websense, Inc.

   2,350    35

*

 

Wright Express Corp.

   2,024    25
         
 

Total

      2,715
         
 

Materials (3.1%)

 

A. Schulman, Inc.

   1,380    23
 

A.M. Castle & Co.

   870    9
 

AMCOL International
Corp.

   1,173    25
 

Arch Chemicals, Inc.

   1,297    34
 

Balchem Corp.

   948    24

*

 

Brush Engineered
Materials, Inc.

   1,064    13

*

 

Buckeye Technologies,
Inc.

   2,043    7

*

 

Calgon Carbon Corp.

   2,820    43

*

 

Century Aluminum Co.

   1,919    19

*

 

Clearwater Paper Corp.

   572    5
 

Deltic Timber Corp.

   553    25
 

Eagle Materials, Inc.

   2,271    42
 

Georgia Gulf Corp.

   1,564    2
 

H.B. Fuller Co.

   2,526    41

*

 

Headwaters, Inc.

   2,190    15
 

Myers Industries, Inc.

   1,470    12
 

Neenah Paper, Inc.

   761    7
 

NewMarket Corp.

   655    23
 

Olympic Steel, Inc.

   470    10

 

 

Common Stocks (84.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

*

 

OM Group, Inc.

   1,589    34
 

Penford Corp.

   587    6

*

 

PolyOne Corp.

   4,867    15
 

Quaker Chemical Corp.

   554    9
 

Rock-Tenn Co. - Class A

   1,991    68

*

 

RTI International Metals, Inc.

   1,200    17
 

Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.

   817    16
 

Stepan Co.

   371    17
 

Texas Industries, Inc.

   1,436    50
 

Wausau Paper Corp.

   2,545    29
 

Zep, Inc.

   1,092    21
         
 

Total

      661
         
 

Other Holdings (3.6%)

 

iShares S&P SmallCap
600 Index Fund

   17,434    767
         
 

Total

      767
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.2%)

 

FairPoint
Communications, Inc.

   4,643    15

*

 

General Communication,
Inc. - Class A

   2,303    19
         
 

Total

      34
         
 

Utilities (4.5%)

 

ALLETE, Inc.

   1,357    44
 

American States Water Co.

   900    30
 

Atmos Energy Corp.

   4,727    112
 

Avista Corp.

   2,790    54
 

Central Vermont Public Service Corp.

   602    14
 

CH Energy Group, Inc.

   823    42
 

Cleco Corp.

   3,129    72

*

 

El Paso Electric Co.

   2,338    42
 

The Laclede Group, Inc.

   1,146    54
 

New Jersey Resources
Corp.

   2,192    86
 

Northwest Natural Gas Co.

   1,379    61
 

Piedmont Natural Gas Co., Inc.

   3,822    121
 

South Jersey Industries, Inc.

   1,551    62
 

Southwest Gas Corp.

   2,271    57
 

UIL Holdings Corp.

   1,317    40
 

Unisource Energy Corp.

   1,851    54
         
 

Total

      945
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $26,588)

   17,885
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(3.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Federal Government & Agencies (3.3%)

(k)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.38%, 1/15/09

   700,000    700
         
 

Total

      700
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $700)

   700
         
 

Total Investments (87.8%)

(Cost: $27,288)(a)

   18,585
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (12.2%)

   2,589
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   21,174
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Index 600 Stock Portfolio    61


Index 600 Stock Portfolio

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $27,599 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $9,014 which is comprised of $333 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $9,347 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty   Reference    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received
by the Fund
   Expiration Date    Notional Amount
(000’s)
   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
JPMorgan Chase Bank   S&P SmallCap 600 Index    1-Month USD
LIBOR -30 Basis
Points
   S&P SmallCap 600
Index Total Return
   5/09    3,336    $        101

 

(k) Securities with an aggregate value of $700 (in thousands) have been pledged as collateral for swap contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

62    Index 600 Stock Portfolio      


Small Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.    Invest primarily in small companies whose common stocks are believed to be undervalued.    $241 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Small Cap Value Portfolio, has engaged T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio invests in the common stocks of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the S&P SmallCap 600® Index and whose current stock prices do not appear to reflect their underlying value. Value is defined broadly, with consideration given to stock price relative to long-term growth prospects and business franchises, in addition to typical value measures such as assets, current earnings and cash flow. The major emphasis is on selection of individual stocks, with secondary consideration given to industry weightings in order to keep the Portfolio broadly diversified among economic sectors.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the domestic financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. For all of 2008, returns for large-, medium- and small-sized companies were –37.60%, –41.46% and –33.79%, as measured by the Russell 1000, Russell MidCap and Russell 2000 Stock Indices, respectively. No sector in the market provided positive returns, while value-oriented shares held up better than growth stocks, as measured by the Russell style indices.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Small Cap Value Portfolio returned –28.13%. By comparison, the Russell 2000 Value Index returned –28.92%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The Portfolio’s Small-Cap Value Funds peer group had an average return of –32.92%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression. However, the Portfolio outperformed the Russell 2000 Value Index for the twelve-month period. The Consumer Discretionary, Health Care and Industrials and Business Services sectors contributed the most to the Portfolio’s outperformance of the Index. Financials and Energy were the notable detractors.

The Consumer Discretionary sector was by far the largest contributor to results versus the Index. Two companies stood out as top performers—Aaron Rents and Corinthian Colleges. Aaron Rents thrived despite economic weakness as consumers unable to buy goods on credit turned to renting big-ticket items like home furnishings. Corinthian Colleges, a post-secondary education provider, benefited from increased enrollment as rising unemployment prompted workers to return to school seeking to bolster their résumés.

Results relative to the Index in Health Care and Industrials were more subdued but still significant sources of outperformance. In Health Care, the Portfolio benefited from our selection of holdings. Two biotechnology investments were top contributors—Myriad Genetics and Landauer. Myriad Genetics’ announcement that it would spin off its drug development business was viewed favorably by investors. Landauer, a provider of analytical services, was helped by an increase in international business. In Industrials, the Portfolio was aided by a significantly overweight position and stock selection. Beacon Roofing Supply, a distributor of roofing materials, and Genesee & Wyoming, an operator of regional freight railroads, were standout performers.

An underweight position and stock selection in the Financials sector hampered results versus the Index. SVB Financial Group, a regional bank with little exposure to housing debt, had been holding up well but began to struggle as the credit crisis spread throughout the economy. Two other notable detractors were hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs) that faced challenges including a difficult real estate market, muted consumer spending, and investors’ diminished confidence in real estate values.

By year-end, oil prices had dropped precipitously from the historic high reached during the summer and the Energy sector of the Index ended the year down nearly 50%. In such an environment, the Portfolio’s overweight position was unfavorable and detracted from relative performance.

Outlook

While remaining aware of the substantial challenges that exist for the financial system and the U.S. economy and the headwinds they have created for corporate profits, we are optimistic on two fronts. First, we believe the steep drop in stock prices has provided rare opportunities to invest in strong companies at value prices. Second, we feel confident that policy

 

      Small Cap Value Portfolio    63


Small Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

 

actions taken by world governments will help avert worst-case scenarios for the global economy. We expect the U.S. economy to bottom out in the latter half of 2009 and proceed to expand in 2010.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception*

Small Cap Value Portfolio

   -28.13%    2.10%    5.04%

Russell 2000 Value Index

   -28.92%    0.27%    4.19%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Small Cap Value Funds
Average

   -32.92%    -0.21%   

*Inception date of 7/31/01

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 7/31/01 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Stocks of smaller or newer companies, such as those held in this Portfolio, are more likely to realize more substantial growth as well as suffer more significant losses than larger or more established issuers. Investments in such companies can be both more volatile and more speculative. Investing in small company stocks involves a greater degree of risk than investing in medium or large company stocks.

 

  Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

Security Description

   % of Net Assets

Landstar System, Inc.

   2.2%

Aaron Rents, Inc.

   2.1%

ProAssurance Corp.

   2.0%

Owens & Minor, Inc.

   1.8%

AptarGroup, Inc.

   1.5%

Matthews International Corp. - Class A

   1.4%

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   1.4%

Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.

   1.4%

Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. - Class A

   1.3%

Penn Virginia Corp.

   1.3%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

64    Small Cap Value Portfolio      


Small Cap Value Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (11.8%)

 

Aaron Rents, Inc.

   186,100    4,954
 

Aaron Rents, Inc. - Class A

   4,725    104

*

 

Ascent Media Corp. -

Class A

   34,650    757

*

 

Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.

   7,300    186
 

Cablevision Systems Corp.
- Class A

   600    10

*

 

Career Education Corp.

   22,100    396

*

 

CarMax, Inc.

   3,700    29

*

 

Corinthian Colleges, Inc.

   127,000    2,079

*

 

Cox Radio, Inc. - Class A

   3,600    22
 

CSS Industries, Inc.

   55,400    983

*

 

Culp, Inc.

   54,800    108

*

 

Discovery
Communications, Inc.

   8,400    115

*

 

DISH Network Corp. -
Class A

   15,300    170

*

 

Drew Industries, Inc.

   102,900    1,235

*

 

Expedia, Inc.

   9,200    76
 

Family Dollar Stores, Inc.

   3,700    96
 

Fortune Brands, Inc.

   10,500    433
 

Fred’s, Inc. - Class A

   100,400    1,080
 

The Gap, Inc.

   34,800    466
 

Harman International
Industries, Inc.

   1,500    25
 

Haverty Furniture
Companies, Inc.

   128,000    1,194

*

 

Live Nation, Inc.

   34,300    197
 

M/I Homes, Inc.

   60,000    632

*

 

MarineMax, Inc.

   83,900    284
 

Mattel, Inc.

   33,600    538
 

Matthews International
Corp. - Class A

   92,200    3,382
 

The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.

   81,500    1,103
 

Meredith Corp.

   20,900    358

*

 

Meritage Homes Corp.

   99,000    1,205
 

Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd.
- Class A

   129,400    991
 

Pool Corp.

   87,625    1,575

*

 

Saga Communications, Inc.
- Class A

   103,700    171
 

Scholastic Corp.

   18,600    253
 

Scripps Networks
Interactive - Class A

   6,100    134
 

Stanley Furniture Co., Inc.

   75,200    596

*

 

The Steak n Shake Co.

   83,400    496
 

Stein Mart, Inc.

   184,300    208
 

Tiffany & Co.

   1,600    38

*

 

Time Warner Cable, Inc. -
Class A

   6,000    129
 

The TJX Companies, Inc.

   5,100    105

*

 

TRW Automotive Holdings
Corp.

   20,300    73

*

 

Viacom, Inc. - Class B

   4,300    82
 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary continued

 

The Washington Post Co. -
Class B

   350    137
 

Weight Watchers
International, Inc.

   9,985    294
 

Winnebago Industries, Inc.

   137,400    828
         
 

Total

      28,327
         
 

Consumer Staples (3.0%)

 

Alberto-Culver Co.

   13,900    341

*

 

Alliance One International,
Inc.

   249,400    733
 

Brown-Forman Corp. -
Class B

   2,000    103
 

Casey’s General Stores, Inc.

   61,500    1,400
 

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.

   38,000    457
 

ConAgra Foods, Inc.

   15,400    254
 

The Hershey Co.

   15,000    521
 

Hormel Foods Corp.

   1,200    37
 

The J.M. Smucker Co.

   2,800    122
 

McCormick & Co., Inc.

   3,000    96
 

Nash Finch Co.

   46,900    2,105
 

Sara Lee Corp.

   10,200    100
 

Sysco Corp.

   18,300    420
 

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.

   5,173    133

*

 

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.

   16,100    259
         
 

Total

      7,081
         
 

Energy (4.7%)

*

 

Atwood Oceanics, Inc.

   32,800    501
 

Baker Hughes, Inc.

   6,900    221
 

BJ Services Co.

   25,000    292
 

CARBO Ceramics, Inc.

   34,300    1,219
 

Cimarex Energy Co.

   11,500    308

*

 

Compton Petroleum Corp.

   7,900    6

*

 

Forest Oil Corp.

   56,650    934

*

 

GeoMet, Inc.

   65,000    112

*

 

Hercules Offshore, Inc.

   60,489    287

*

 

Mariner Energy, Inc.

   65,793    671
 

Murphy Oil Corp.

   11,400    506
 

Nexen, Inc.

   27,400    482
 

Penn Virginia Corp.

   117,500    3,053
 

Petro-Canada

   12,800    280

*

 

TETRA Technologies, Inc.

   170,200    827

*

 

Union Drilling, Inc.

   32,600    169

*

 

Whiting Petroleum Corp.

   44,700    1,496
         
 

Total

      11,364
         
 

Financials (19.6%)

 

The Allstate Corp.

   4,300    141
 

Ares Capital Corp.

   193,600    1,225
 

Axis Capital Holdings, Ltd.

   11,700    341
 

Cedar Shopping Centers,
Inc.

   130,000    920
 

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

   13,800    401
 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

   11,265    495
 

Compass Diversified
Holdings

   91,300    1,027
 

Discover Financial Services

   39,700    378
 

East West Bancorp, Inc.

   133,942    2,139
 

Employers Holdings, Inc.

   45,100    744
 

First American Corp.

   7,700    222
 

First Horizon National
Corp.

   3,835    41
 

First Niagara Financial
Group, Inc.

   27,300    441
 

First Potomac Realty Trust

   101,800    947
 

Glacier Bancorp, Inc.

   112,000    2,130
 

Hatteras Financial Corp.

   67,000    1,782
 

Hercules Technology
Growth Capital, Inc.

   132,200    1,047
 

Home BancShares, Inc.

   77,064    2,077
 

Janus Capital Group, Inc.

   33,100    266
 

JMP Group, Inc.

   79,100    439
 

Kilroy Realty Corp.

   70,400    2,356
 

Kohlberg Capital Corp.

   142,950    520
 

LaSalle Hotel Properties

   81,000    895
 

Legg Mason, Inc.

   1,400    31

*

 

Markel Corp.

   5,100    1,525
 

Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc.

   14,800    359
 

Max Capital Group, Ltd.

   104,700    1,853
 

Montpelier Re Holdings,
Ltd.

   9,600    161
 

National Interstate Corp.

   76,600    1,369
 

Northern Trust Corp.

   7,800    407
 

OneBeacon Insurance
Group, Ltd.

   10,600    111
 

Parkway Properties, Inc.

   45,400    817

*

 

Piper Jaffray Companies,
Inc.

   30,600    1,217
 

Potlatch Corp.

   69,800    1,815

*

 

ProAssurance Corp.

   92,200    4,866
 

The Progressive Corp.

   24,000    355
 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   2,700    82
 

Redwood Trust, Inc.

   57,600    859

*

 

Signature Bank

   43,000    1,234

*

 

The St. Joe Co.

   12,200    297

*

 

Stifel Financial Corp.

   51,900    2,380
 

Strategic Hotels & Resorts,
Inc.

   114,000    192

*

 

SVB Financial Group

   84,200    2,209
 

The Travelers Companies,
Inc.

   4,330    196
 

Valley National Bancorp

   10,277    208
 

Washington Real Estate
Investment Trust

   61,500    1,740
 

Westamerica
Bancorporation

   4,600    235

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Small Cap Value Portfolio    65


Small Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Willis Group Holdings,
Ltd.

   9,100    226
 

Wilmington Trust Corp.

   11,100    247
 

Wintrust Financial Corp.

   64,500    1,327
         
 

Total

      47,292
         
 

Health Care (7.9%)

 

Analogic Corp.

   23,700    647

*

 

AngioDynamics, Inc.

   59,700    817

*

 

Biogen Idec, Inc.

   1,700    81

*

 

Boston Scientific Corp.

   44,700    346
 

CIGNA Corp.

   10,300    174

*

 

Exelixis, Inc.

   117,300    589
 

HEALTHSOUTH Corp.

   30,060    329
 

Landauer, Inc.

   28,100    2,060

*

 

Lincare Holdings, Inc.

   13,400    361

*

 

Myriad Genetics, Inc.

   41,100    2,723
 

National Healthcare Corp.

   48,600    2,461

*

 

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

   1,500    59
 

Owens & Minor, Inc.

   112,100    4,221

*

 

Sepracor, Inc.

   10,700    118

*

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

   4,500    148

*

 

Triple-S Management
Corp. - Class B

   32,300    371

*

 

Universal American
Financial Corp.

   65,700    579

*

 

Valeant Pharmaceuticals
International

   3,400    78

*

 

Waters Corp.

   2,900    106
 

West Pharmaceutical
Services, Inc.

   68,000    2,568

*

 

Zimmer Holdings, Inc.

   3,500    141
         
 

Total

      18,977
         
 

Industrials (23.9%)

*

 

Accuride Corp.

   106,400    25

*

 

Alaska Air Group, Inc.

   79,800    2,334
 

Ameron International Corp.

   34,100    2,146

*

 

Astec Industries, Inc.

   33,800    1,059

*

 

Beacon Roofing Supply,
Inc.

   233,700    3,244
 

Belden, Inc.

   80,700    1,685

*

 

C&D Technologies, Inc.

   93,000    291
 

Cascade Corp.

   38,400    1,147

*

 

Casella Waste Systems,
Inc. - Class A

   35,000    143
 

Cintas Corp.

   6,200    144
 

CIRCOR International, Inc.

   46,600    1,282
 

Comfort Systems USA, Inc.

   83,100    886

*

 

Dollar Thrifty Automotive
Group, Inc.

   87,400    95
 

Dover Corp.

   3,200    105
 

Equifax, Inc.

   4,700    125
 

Franklin Electric Co., Inc.

   21,100    593

*

 

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   75,300    3,364
 

G & K Services, Inc. -
Class A

   67,600    1,367

*

 

Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. -
Class A

   102,900    3,138
 

Gibraltar Industries, Inc.

   103,800    1,239
 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

IDEX Corp.

   98,800    2,386

*

 

Insituform Technologies,
Inc. - Class A

   122,900    2,420

*

 

Kirby Corp.

   103,000    2,818

*

 

Kratos Defense & Security
Solutions, Inc.

   265,000    371
 

Landstar System, Inc.

   138,300    5,315
 

Manpower, Inc.

   10,100    343
 

McGrath Rentcorp

   122,000    2,606

*

 

MPS Group, Inc.

   250,500    1,886

*

 

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

   139,200    2,209
 

Nordson Corp.

   70,700    2,283
 

Raytheon Co.

   700    36
 

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

   900    35
 

Southwest Airlines Co.

   60,100    518

*

 

Sterling Construction Co.,
Inc.

   47,500    881
 

Universal Forest Products,
Inc.

   56,300    1,515
 

UTI Worldwide, Inc.

   131,120    1,880

*

 

Waste Connections, Inc.

   83,000    2,620
 

Woodward Governor Co.

   127,500    2,935
         
 

Total

      57,469
         
 

Information Technology (9.7%)

*

 

Advanced Energy
Industries, Inc.

   121,400    1,208
 

ASML Holding NV

   6,100    110

*

 

ATMI, Inc.

   57,300    884
 

Automatic Data Processing,
Inc.

   2,600    102
 

AVX Corp.

   28,100    223

*

 

Brooks Automation, Inc.

   144,487    840

*

 

Cabot Microelectronics
Corp.

   27,600    720
 

Electro Rent Corp.

   139,200    1,554

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   11,800    189

*

 

Exar Corp.

   134,700    898

*

 

Fairchild Semiconductor
International, Inc.

   27,900    136

*

 

Formfactor, Inc.

   75,000    1,095

*

 

GSI Group, Inc.

   191,800    110

*

 

Ixia

   153,000    884

*

 

Littelfuse, Inc.

   58,400    969
 

Methode Electronics, Inc.

   36,800    248
 

Molex, Inc. - Class A

   25,500    330
 

Motorola, Inc.

   47,500    210

*

 

Newport Corp.

   76,200    517

*

 

Novellus Systems, Inc.

   28,500    352

*

 

Palm, Inc.

   204,000    626

*

 

Progress Software Corp.

   102,500    1,974
 

Seagate Technology

   20,800    92

*

 

Sonus Networks, Inc.

   407,100    643

*

 

SPSS, Inc.

   75,925    2,047

*

 

StarTek, Inc.

   107,800    480

*

 

Symyx Technologies, Inc.

   99,500    591

*

 

SYNNEX Corp.

   63,800    723

*

 

Synopsys, Inc.

   4,200    78

*

 

Teradyne, Inc.

   27,900    118
 

Total System Services, Inc.

   22,752    319
 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

 

Tyco Electronics, Ltd.

   16,400    266

*

 

Websense, Inc.

   94,100    1,409

*

 

Wind River Systems, Inc.

   241,800    2,184
 

Xilinx, Inc.

   3,500    62

*

 

Xyratex, Ltd.

   84,100    248
         
 

Total

      23,439
         
 

Materials (8.8%)

 

Airgas, Inc.

   72,900    2,842
 

Alcoa, Inc.

   26,100    294
 

AMCOL International
Corp.

   41,900    878
 

American Vanguard Corp.

   105,300    1,232
 

AngloGold Ashanti, Ltd.,
ADR

   9,100    252
 

AptarGroup, Inc.

   104,000    3,665
 

Arch Chemicals, Inc.

   76,000    1,981
 

Carpenter Technology
Corp.

   67,000    1,376

*

 

Clearwater Paper Corp.

   34,999    294
 

Deltic Timber Corp.

   46,700    2,136

*

 

Domtar Corp.

   43,600    73
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper
& Gold, Inc.

   5,600    137
 

Innospec, Inc.

   108,300    638
 

International Flavors &
Fragrances, Inc.

   6,100    181
 

International Paper Co.

   15,000    177
 

Myers Industries, Inc.

   157,100    1,257
 

Nalco Holding Co.

   16,600    192
 

Sims Group, Ltd., ADR

   128,440    1,595
 

Wausau Paper Corp.

   150,000    1,716
 

Weyerhaeuser Co.

   10,900    334
         
 

Total

      21,250
         
 

Other Holdings (1.1%)

 

Central Fund of Canada,
Ltd. - Class A

   73,900    829
 

First Opportunity Fund,
Inc.

   138,600    706
 

iShares Russell 2000 Value
Index

   23,700    1,165
         
 

Total

      2,700
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.8%)

*

 

Premiere Global Services,
Inc.

   182,400    1,570
 

Telephone and Data
Systems, Inc.

   3,200    102
 

Telephone and Data
Systems, Inc. - Special
Shares

   8,500    239
         
 

Total

      1,911
         
 

Utilities (4.9%)

 

Ameren Corp.

   5,700    190
 

Black Hills Corp.

   70,667    1,905
 

Cleco Corp.

   96,800    2,210
 

Constellation Energy
Group, Inc.

   200    5

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

66    Small Cap Value Portfolio      


Small Cap Value Portfolio

 

 

 

Common Stocks (96.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities continued

 

Duke Energy Corp.

   9,500    143

*

 

Dynegy, Inc. - Class A

   13,900    28

*

 

El Paso Electric Co.

   93,400    1,690
 

The Empire District
Electric Co.

   55,400    975

*

 

Mirant Corp.

   30,800    581
 

NiSource, Inc.

   36,900    405

*

 

NRG Energy, Inc.

   12,300    287
 

Pinnacle West Capital
Corp.

   14,700    472
 

PNM Resources, Inc.

   13,600    137
 

Southwest Gas Corp.

   64,600    1,629
 

TECO Energy, Inc.

   2,800    34
 

Vectren Corp.

   44,100    1,103
         
 

Total

      11,794
         
 

Total Common Stocks

(Cost: $288,633)

   231,604
         
 

Preferred Stocks (0.6%)

         
 

Federal Savings Institutions (0.6%)

 

East West Bancorp, Inc.,
8.00%, 12/31/49

   1,359    1,464
         
 

Total

      1,464
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $1,348)

   1,464
         
 

Convertible Corporate Bonds (0.4%)

    
 

Advertising Agencies (0.0%)

 

Omnicom Group, Inc.,
0.00%, 2/7/31

   82,000    81
         
 

Total

      81
         
 

Finance Services (0.1%)

 

Prudential Financial, Inc.,
.366%, 12/15/37

   213,000    201
         
 

Total

      201
         
 

Industrials (0.1%)

 

Allied Waste Industries,
Inc., 4.25%, 4/15/34

   161,000    144
         
 

Total

      144
         
 

Metals/Mining (0.1%)

 

Newmont Mining Corp.,
1.625%, 7/15/17

   298,000    317
         
 

Total

      317
         
 

Telephone and Telegraph Apparatus (0.1%)

 

Lucent Technologies,
2.75%, 6/15/25

   555,000    259
         
 

Total

      259
         
 

Total Convertible Corporate

Bonds

(Cost: $1,264)

   1,002
         
  Short-Term Investments (2.7%)    Shares/
$ Par
   Value $
(000’s)
 

Other Holdings (2.7%)

 

T. Rowe Price Reserve Investment Fund

   6,437,646    6,438
         
 

Total

      6,438
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $6,438)

   6,438
         
 

Total Investments (99.9%)

(Cost: $297,683)(a)

   240,508
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.1%)

   309
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      240,817
         

 

* Non-Income Producing

 

  ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $297,931 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $57,423 which is comprised of $25,216 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $82,639 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 


 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Small Cap Value Portfolio    67


International Growth Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.    Invest primarily in securities of issuers from countries outside the U.S. that have above-average growth potential.    $197 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the International Growth Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Portfolio seeks to achieve this objective by investing primarily in common stocks of companies that are headquartered or trade primarily in markets outside the United States and that are expected to grow more rapidly than market averages. The investments comprising the Portfolio are chosen individually, reflecting the managers’ assessment of their attractiveness. Equities purchased will possess, in the managers’ judgment, a combination of solid fundamentals, attractive valuation, and positive technical evaluation. The Portfolio can invest in any foreign country, developed or undeveloped, and its investments may include small, medium and large capitalization issues.

Market Overview

Global financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and governments around the world take a series of coordinated actions to support economic growth and the financial system itself. The crisis was a result of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the financial sector into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

For the full year, the S&P Global ex-U.S. LargeMidCap Index tumbled -44.91%. There was little differentiation of return by growth or value styles. Looking at performance by sector, no segment had positive results. Financials performed worst, while the more traditionally defensive Health Care sector held up best. After a bumpy ride for much of the year, the dollar finished higher because of the turmoil, as investors sought a safe haven for their money. The exception was Japan, whose currency and stock market held up the best among the developed economies.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the International Growth Portfolio returned –46.19%, while the S&P Global ex-U.S. LargeMidCap Index returned –44.91%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly, and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, International Growth Funds, was –46.61%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund rating agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the most trying year for investors in memory. In that environment, no sector contributed positively to results. Relative to the Index, our positioning and stock selection in Asia detracted, as did stock selection in Japan and Europe. The largest contribution came from positioning in the Financials and Materials sectors.

At a regional level, our stock selection in Japan and developing Asian markets detracted most, led by exposure to Chinese media business Focus Media Holdings, the number two overall detractor for the year. Poor execution and acquisitions weighed on the stock, as did slumping advertising and licensing revenues. In Japan, a key detractor was Industrial firm Mitsubishi, which saw business slow along with the economy.

In Europe, the main source of weakness was our positioning in the Health Care sector. We were overweight in the medical technology industry at the expense of being underweight pharmaceuticals. In particular, we were underrepresented in some of the big pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis because we were concerned about generic competition, patent expiries and the quality of their new drug pipelines. But that positioning detracted in 2008, because many investors viewed these large, liquid, defensive-oriented names as safe-haven plays.

However, Europe was also home to a number of the leading contributors to relative results, as stock selection worked best in Materials and Financials shares. In Materials, the key contribution came from agricultural chemical firms K+S and Syngenta. These companies benefited from the overarching trend toward rising global population and living standards, creating demand for fertilizers, seeds and other agricultural products needed to boost crop yield and quality.

In Financials, the Portfolio benefited from stock selection and an underweight position in the poorest-performing sector in the benchmark. Among positive contributors, it helped to avoid Royal Bank of Scotland, which struggled with credit losses, and to hold a stake in Reinet Investments, a spin-off that we sold at a good valuation.

Outlook

We have a cautious outlook that revolves around three themes: vigilance, volatility and valuation. While we believe it will take time to work through the issues confronting the global economy, the markets often anticipate the turn. As a result, we will be vigilant for signs of any fundamental improvement. But until the economy bottoms and investor sentiment improves, we

 

68    International Growth Portfolio      


International Growth Portfolio

 

 

 

expect market volatility to continue. This argues for defensive positioning in the near term. Finally, one positive result of all the turmoil in the market is that we see high quality companies trading at valuations we believe are very compelling. We are using this opportunity to buy companies with strong brands, balance sheets and earnings power at discounted prices.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    Since
Inception*

International Growth Portfolio

   -46.19%    1.10%    2.09%

S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap
Index**

   -44.91%    3.03%    3.87%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) International Growth Funds
Average

   -46.61%    1.88%    –    

*Inception date of 7/31/01

** Prior to October 1, 2008, the S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap Index was known as the S&P/Citigroup PMI Global ex-US Index.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 7/31/01 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.

  Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

Security Description

   % of Net Assets

Nestle SA

   1.9%

Roche Holding AG

   1.7%

Novartis AG

   1.7%

BP PLC

   1.7%

Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A

   1.6%

Telefonica SA

   1.5%

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., ADR

   1.5%

GDF Suez

   1.4%

Eni SPA

   1.4%

Zurich Financial Services AG

   1.3%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      International Growth Portfolio    69


International Growth Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (4.8%)

 

Bridgestone Corp.

 

Japan

   14,700    221

*

 

Compass Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   263,970    1,330
 

Denso Corp.

 

Japan

   15,300    254
 

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   800    117
 

Grupo Televisa SA, ADR

 

Mexico

   93,730    1,400
 

Hennes & Mauritz AB - B
Shares

 

Sweden

   28,330    1,119
 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   23,300    505
 

Kingfisher PLC

 

United Kingdom

   296,865    589
 

Next PLC

 

United Kingdom

   26,010    413
 

Oriental Land Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,400    197
 

Panasonic Corp.

 

Japan

   31,000    388
 

Reed Elsevier PLC

 

United Kingdom

   39,380    291
 

Sekisui House, Ltd.

 

Japan

   15,000    131
 

Toyota Industries Corp.

 

Japan

   9,600    206
 

Vivendi

 

France

   59,330    1,941
 

Yamada Denki Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,570    178
 

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   18,400    193
           
 

Total

        9,473
           
 

Consumer Staples (9.8%)

       
 

Aeon Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   20,800    208
 

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   16,000    174
 

Asahi Breweries, Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,300    177
 

British American Tobacco
PLC

 

United Kingdom

   34,005    897
 

Cadbury PLC

 

United Kingdom

   35,895    319
 

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   31,905    865
 

ITC, Ltd.

 

India

   111,891    398
 

Japan Tobacco, Inc.

 

Japan

   75    248
 

Kao Corp.

 

Japan

   8,000    242
 

Kerry Group PLC - Class A

 

Ireland

   41,801    766
 

Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   18,000    237
 

Koninklijke Ahold NV

 

Netherlands

   53,555    662

*

 

KT&G Corp.

 

South Korea

   12,249    764
 

Lawson, Inc.

 

Japan

   3,000    173
 

Nestle SA

 

Switzerland

   93,785    3,686
 

Pernod-Ricard SA

 

France

   12,824    956
 

Reckitt Benckiser Group
PLC

 

United Kingdom

   22,460    849
 

Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   11,300    387
 

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   12,000    245
 

Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.

 

Canada

   44,838    1,771
 

Tesco PLC

 

United Kingdom

   153,395    811
 

Unilever NV

 

Netherlands

   75,005    1,826
 

UNY Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   17,000    187
 

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de
CV

 

Mexico

   351,500    948
 

Woolworths, Ltd.

 

Australia

   78,325    1,491
           
 

Total

        19,287
           
 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy (9.6%)

*

 

Artumas Group, Inc.

 

Canada

   134,855    55
 

BG Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   23,405    330
 

BP PLC

 

United Kingdom

   420,195    3,268
 

CNOOC, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,328,000    1,262
 

Eni SPA

 

Italy

   115,010    2,739
 

INPEX Corp.

 

Japan

   28    221
 

Nexen, Inc.

 

Canada

   102,335    1,804
 

Oil Search, Ltd.

 

Australia

   227,640    759
 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

 

Brazil

   71,160    1,743
 

Reliance Industries, Ltd.

 

India

   43,612    1,113
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class A

 

United Kingdom

   114,910    3,049
 

Saipem SPA

 

Italy

   73,425    1,239
 

Seadrill, Ltd.

 

Norway

   33,400    274
 

Suncor Energy, Inc.

 

Canada

   53,571    1,044
           
 

Total

        18,900
           
 

Financials (17.6%)

 

Allianz SE

 

Germany

   6,607    712
 

AXA SA

 

France

   35,626    798
 

Banco Espirito Santo SA

 

Portugal

   75,945    717
 

Banco Santander SA

 

Spain

   204,915    1,987
 

The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.

 

Japan

   30,000    177
 

BNP Paribas

 

France

   32,768    1,390
 

Cathay Financial Holding
Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   533,400    599
 

Cheung Kong Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   48,000    458
 

China Life Insurance Co.,
Ltd.

 

China

   247,000    761
 

China Overseas Land &
Investment, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   354,000    498

(n),*

 

China Overseas Land &
Investment, Ltd. - Rights

 

Hong Kong

   14,160    5
 

The Chugoku Bank, Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,000    154
 

Credit Suisse Group AG

 

Switzerland

   32,005    875
 

Daito Trust Construction Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,800    94
 

Erste Group Bank AG

 

Austria

   22,060    520
 

Hang Seng Bank, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   59,800    790
 

Housing Development
Finance Corp., Ltd.

 

India

   42,385    1,325
 

HSBC Holdings PLC, ADR

 

United Kingdom

   42,900    2,088
 

Industrial & Commercial
Bank of China, Ltd. - Class H

 

China

   2,593,000    1,378
 

Intesa Sanpaolo SPA

 

Italy

   263,525    954
 

Julius Baer Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   35,210    1,351
 

Man Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   89,530    314
 

Manulife Financial Corp.

 

Canada

   70,040    1,193
 

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   16,000    264
 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   130,500    809
 

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   14,000    232
 

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   166,000    494

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

70    International Growth Portfolio      


International Growth Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Muenchener
Rueckversicherungs-
Gesellschaft AG

 

Germany

   3,999    631
 

National Bank of Greece SA

 

Greece

   24,095    448
 

Nomura Real Estate
Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   7,600    152
 

Piraeus Bank SA

 

Greece

   44,305    401
 

QBE Insurance Group, Ltd.

 

Australia

   38,970    723
 

Resona Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   9,400    149
 

Samsung Fire & Marine
Insurance Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   10,977    1,666
 

Societe Generale

 

France

   11,260    573
 

Sompo Japan Insurance, Inc.

 

Japan

   22,000    161
 

Sony Financial Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   75    288
 

Standard Chartered PLC

 

United Kingdom

   29,055    377
 

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   119    515
 

The Sumitomo Trust &
Banking Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   34,000    201
 

T&D Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   5,450    228
 

TAG Tegernsee Immobilien
und Beteiligungs AG

 

Germany

   65,873    186
 

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   11,300    331
 

The Toronto-Dominion Bank

 

Canada

   49,084    1,753

*

 

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS

 

Turkey

   209,371    358
 

UniCredit SPA

 

Italy

   309,385    774
 

Westpac Banking Corp.

 

Australia

   107,242    1,303
 

Zurich Financial Services AG

 

Switzerland

   12,183    2,637
           
 

Total

        34,792
           
 

Health Care (8.6%)

*

 

Actelion, Ltd.

 

Switzerland

   8,650    486
 

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

 

Japan

   7,200    293
 

CSL, Ltd.

 

Australia

   78,604    1,894
 

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   11,900    283
 

Eisai Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   5,900    244
 

Fresenius Medical Care AG
& Co. KGaA

 

Germany

   29,502    1,390
 

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   3,600    147
 

Novartis AG

 

Switzerland

   67,675    3,381
 

Novo Nordisk A/S

 

Denmark

   15,561    796
 

Roche Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   22,275    3,419
 

Synthes, Inc.

 

United States

   7,390    931
 

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   7,000    149
 

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,000    518
 

Terumo Corp.

 

Japan

   3,100    145
 

Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Ltd., ADR

 

Israel

   68,439    2,913
           
 

Total

        16,989
           
 

Industrials (8.2%)

 

ABB, Ltd., ADR

 

Switzerland

   69,570    1,044
 

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   28,000    111
 

Alstom SA

 

France

   20,090    1,192
 

Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   38,000    216

*

 

BAE Systems PLC

 

United Kingdom

   387,045    2,141
 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Balfour Beatty PLC

 

United Kingdom

   73,490    355
 

Central Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   29    250
 

Chemring Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   34,415    984
 

China Railway Construction
Corp. - Class H

 

China

   485,500    729
 

ComfortDelGro Corp., Ltd.

 

Singapore

   347,000    353
 

Companhia de Concessoes
Rodoviarias

 

Brazil

   55,700    569
 

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   17,000    187
 

East Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   57    445
 

Fanuc, Ltd.

 

Japan

   3,800    270
 

IHI Corp.

 

Japan

   124,000    157
 

Itochu Corp.

 

Japan

   42,000    211
 

The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,000    139
 

JTEKT Corp.

 

Japan

   28,300    218
 

Kamigumi Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   16,000    143
 

Keio Corp.

 

Japan

   37,000    222
 

Kintetsu Corp.

 

Japan

   52,000    239
 

Komatsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   22,700    287

*

 

LG Corp.

 

South Korea

   24,601    858
 

Marubeni Corp.

 

Japan

   61,000    232
 

Mitsubishi Corp.

 

Japan

   21,600    303
 

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

 

Japan

   38,000    238
 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   59,000    263
 

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   31,000    317
 

Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd.

 

Japan

   31,000    190

*

 

Morphic Technologies AB

 

Sweden

   470,405    79
 

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha

 

Japan

   33,000    203
 

Secom Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   6,400    329
 

Serco Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   149,960    991
 

SMC Corp.

 

Japan

   1,600    164
 

Sumitomo Corp.

 

Japan

   21,700    191
 

Tokyu Corp.

 

Japan

   39,000    196
 

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   20,000    154
 

Vinci SA

 

France

   17,155    726
 

West Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   47    214
 

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   13,000    169
           
 

Total

        16,279
           
 

Information Technology (4.1%)

*

 

Autonomy Corp. PLC

 

United Kingdom

   145,300    2,030
 

Canon, Inc.

 

Japan

   15,800    496
 

EVS Broadcast Equipment
SA

 

Belgium

   11,960    428
 

Fujitsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   51,000    246

*

 

Gresham Computing PLC

 

United Kingdom

   228,550    122
 

Hitachi, Ltd.

 

Japan

   63,000    244
 

Hoya Corp.

 

Japan

   16,500    286
 

Kontron AG

 

Germany

   61,634    641
 

NEC Corp.

 

Japan

   76,000    255
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,200    461
 

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   16,000    204
 

Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.

 

South Korea

   3,219    1,166

*

 

Temenos Group AG

 

Switzerland

   118,425    1,576
           
 

Total

        8,155
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      International Growth Portfolio    71


International Growth Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials (7.5%)

 

Angang Steel Co., Ltd.

 

China

   652,000    738
 

Anglo American PLC

 

United Kingdom

   34,335    796

*

 

Anhui Conch Cement Co.,
Ltd.

 

China

   132,000    613
 

Asahi Kasei Corp.

 

Japan

   62,000    272
 

BHP Billiton, Ltd.

 

Australia

   73,660    1,583
 

Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce, ADR

 

Brazil

   70,585    855
 

Givaudan SA

 

Switzerland

   450    353
 

Goldcorp, Inc.

 

Canada

   66,825    2,107
 

Huabao International
Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,085,000    713

*

 

Intex Resources ASA

 

Norway

   515,110    98
 

JFE Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   9,100    240
 

K+S AG

 

Germany

   25,316    1,461
 

Mitsubishi Chemical
Holdings Corp.

 

Japan

   40,500    179
 

Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

 

Japan

   69,000    174
 

Nippon Steel Corp.

 

Japan

   88,000    289
 

POSCO

 

South Korea

   1,633    481
 

Potash Corp. of
Saskatchewan, Inc.

 

Canada

   20,215    1,480
 

Rio Tinto PLC, ADR

 

United Kingdom

   4,370    389
 

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   6,500    298
 

Sumitomo Metal Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   69,000    170
 

Syngenta AG

 

Switzerland

   7,482    1,445
           
 

Total

        14,734
           
 

Other Holdings (3.5%)

 

Hang Seng Investment Index Funds Series - H-Share
Index

 

Hong Kong

   90,000    935
 

iShares MSCI Hong Kong
Index Fund

 

Hong Kong

   178,309    1,849
 

iShares MSCI Japan Index
Fund

 

Japan

   32,731    314
 

iShares MSCI Singapore
Index Fund

 

Singapore

   200,459    1,417
 

iShares MSCI South Korea
Index Fund

 

South Korea

   31,872    889
 

iShares MSCI Taiwan Index
Fund

 

Taiwan

   191,290    1,452
           
 

Total

        6,856
           
 

Telecommunication Services (7.8%)

*

 

Bharti Airtel, Ltd.

 

India

   27,849    411
 

China Mobile, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   40,500    411
 

Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   1,165,780    1,862
 

Deutsche Telekom AG

 

Germany

   128,701    1,965
 

France Telecom SA

 

France

   50,734    1,426
 

KDDI Corp.

 

Japan

   41    292
 

Koninklijke (Royal) KPN
NV

 

Netherlands

   163,711    2,386
 

Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corp.

 

Japan

   7,600    408
 

NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

 

Japan

   194    382
 

SOFTBANK Corp.

 

Japan

   10,100    183
 

Telefonica SA

 

Spain

   132,552    2,986
 

Foreign Common Stocks

(87.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunication Services continued

 

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri
AS

 

Turkey

   97,373    561
 

Vodafone Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   995,343    2,034
           
 

Total

        15,307
           
 

Utilities (6.0%)

 

Centrica PLC

 

United Kingdom

   156,490    610
 

CEZ

 

Czech Republic

   12,275    504
 

Chubu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   10,800    328
 

The Chugoku Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   8,300    218
 

E.ON AG

 

Germany

   24,580    999
 

Electricite de France

 

France

   12,180    711
 

Enagas

 

Spain

   42,320    933
 

GDF Suez

 

France

   55,189    2,747
 

Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

 

Japan

   5,200    147
 

The Kansai Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   12,000    347
 

Kyushu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   9,200    245
 

National Grid PLC

 

United Kingdom

   94,825    951
 

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   49,000    226
 

PT Perusahaan Gas Negara

 

Indonesia

   2,606,500    471
 

RWE AG

 

Germany

   12,630    1,141
 

Shikoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   6,100    206
 

Toho Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   25,000    165
 

Tohoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   9,300    252
 

The Tokyo Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   15,700    524
 

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   43,000    218
           
 

Total

        11,943
           
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks (Cost: $243,469)

   172,715
           
 

Short-Term Investments (9.7%)

             
 

Aircraft (1.0%)

(k)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding Corp.,
0.28%, 1/5/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    2,000
           
 

Total

        2,000
           
 

Federal Government & Agencies (3.9%)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.10%, 1/20/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    2,000
 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.10%, 2/13/09

 

United States

   1,500,000    1,500
 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.28%, 1/16/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    2,000
 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.36%, 1/15/09

 

United States

   2,100,000    2,099
           
 

Total

        7,599
           
 

Finance Services (2.8%)

 

Alpine Securitization Corp.,
1.09%, 1/8/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    2,000

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

72    International Growth Portfolio      


International Growth Portfolio

 

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(9.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Finance Services continued

 

Bryant Park Funding LLC,
1.02%, 1/9/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    1,999
 

Gemini Securitization Corp.
LLC, 1.27%, 1/8/09

 

United States

   1,500,000    1,500
           
 

Total

        5,499
           
 

Personal Credit Institutions (1.0%)

 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
1.29%, 1/7/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    1,999
           
 

Total

        1,999
           
 

Short Term Business Credit (1.0%)

 

Liberty Street Funding LLC,
0.55%, 1/12/09

 

United States

   2,000,000    2,000
           
 

Total

        2,000
           
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $19,097)

   19,097
           
 

Total Investments (97.2%)

(Cost: $262,566)(a)

   191,812
           
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (2.8%)

        5,571
           
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

        197,383
           

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

 

  ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $264,432 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $72,620 which is comprised of $2,916 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $75,536 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

 

Investments Percentage by Country is based on Net Assets:

  
 

United Kingdom

   13.8%   
 

Japan

   12.9%   
 

Switzerland

   10.3%   
 

United States

   10.1%   
 

France

   6.3%   
 

Canada

   5.7%   
 

Other

   40.9%   
         
 

Total

   100.0%   
         

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

  Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty    Reference    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received
by the Fund
   Expiration Date    Notional
Amount
(000’s)
   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

JPMorgan Chase

   Morgan Stanley Capital International
(MSCI) Daily Net Japan
   3 Month USD-
LIBOR + 15 Basis
Points
   MSCI Daily Net
Japan Total
Return
   3/09    10,159    $        316

 

(k) Securities with an aggregate value of $2,000 (in thousands) have been pledged as collateral for swap contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $143,688 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $5 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      International Growth Portfolio    73


Research International Core Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Capital appreciation.    Invest primarily in foreign equity securities of growth
and value companies, including emerging market securities.
   $33 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Research International Core Portfolio, has engaged Massachusetts Financial Services Company to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The objective of the Portfolio is to achieve capital appreciation. The Portfolio seeks to accomplish this by primarily investing in foreign equity securities, including emerging market equity securities. The Portfolio may invest in stocks of companies it believes to have above average earnings growth potential compared to other companies (growth companies), in the stocks of companies it believes are undervalued compared to their perceived worth (value companies), or in a combination of growth and value companies. The Portfolio also may invest in companies of any size. A “bottom-up” investment approach is used in buying and selling investments for the Portfolio. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of issuers and their potential in light of their current financial condition and industry position, as well as market, economic, potential and regulatory conditions. Factors considered may include analysis of earnings, cash flows, competitive position and management ability. Quantitative analysis of these and other factors also may be considered. The Portfolio is generally managed to be sector neutral versus the MSCI EAFE Index.

Market Overview

Global financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and world governments take a series of coordinated actions to support economic growth and the financial system itself. The crisis was a result of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the U.S. financial sector into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

This contagion put to rest the notion of “de-coupling” of international economies and markets from the U.S. Rather, global growth slowed sharply and virtually all markets suffered greatly. For the full year, the MSCI EAFE Index—a measure of large-cap stock performance in the developed economies of Europe, Australasia and the Far East—returned –43.06%. There was little differentiation of return by growth or value styles. Looking at performance by sector, no segment had positive results. Financials performed worst, while the more traditionally defensive Health Care sector held up best. After a bumpy ride for much of the year, the dollar finished higher because of the turmoil, as investors sought a safe haven for their money. The exception was Japan, whose currency and stock market held up the best among the developed economies.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Research International Portfolio provided a total return of -42.54%. By comparison, the MSCI EAFE Index returned –43.06%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, International Core Funds was –42.59%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

On an absolute basis, no sector contributed positively to Portfolio results. Shares in the Financial sector detracted most, while shares in the Health Care sector held up best. Relative to the MSCI EAFE Index, stock selection in the Capital Goods sector was a primary factor contributing to performance. The Portfolio’s holdings of parcel delivery service company Yamato Holding and railway operator East Japan Railway were among the top relative contributors. An additional positive factor was our underweight position to Rio Tinto during the period.

Stocks in other sectors that helped relative performance included pharmaceutical companies Roche Holding, Astellas Pharma and Actelion. Our underweight position in Royal Bank of Scotland, in addition to positions in fashion distributor Inditex and telecommunications company KDDI, also boosted results.

The Portfolio’s cash position also was a contributor to relative performance. The Portfolio holds cash in anticipation of buying new holdings and to provide liquidity. In a period when equity markets declined, holding cash helped performance versus the benchmark, which has no cash position.

Stock selection in the Financials sector hurt relative performance over the reporting period. Banking firms Anglo Irish Bank, Barclays, Bank of Cyprus and BNP Paribas were among the top relative detractors. The Portfolio’s positioning in banking and financial services firms Erste Group Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo and BOC Hong Kong Holdings also held back relative returns.

Stock selection in the Energy sector had a negative impact on relative returns. In particular, not owning integrated oil company BP hurt performance relative to the benchmark. Information technology services provider Satyam Computer Services hampered relative returns. In addition, not owning automobile manufacturer Volkswagen also had a negative effect on relative performance.

 

74    Research International Core Portfolio      


Research International Core Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

The Research International Core Portfolio is a sector-neutral portfolio that emphasizes bottom-up fundamental research. Therefore, our sector allocation is strictly a by-product of where our analysts are finding their best ideas at a given time. Regardless of changing economic and market conditions, the strategy followed by the managers of the Research International Portfolio is to continue to seek the most attractive opportunities among growth and value companies without regard to market capitalization. As of December 31, 2008, the Portfolio had a modest overweight in Information Technology and Capital Goods shares, while being modestly underweight the Financials and Energy sectors relative to the benchmark.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    Since
Inception*

Research International Core Portfolio

   -42.54%    -25.88%

MSCI EAFE Index (Gross)

   -43.06%    -27.46%

MSCI All Country World (ex-US) Index
(Gross)

   -45.24%    -27.01%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) International Core Funds
Average

   -42.59%    –    

*Inception date of 4/30/07

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards.

Investments in the securities of companies in developing nations impose risks different from, and greater than, risks of investing in developed countries.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Roche Holding AG

   3.2%

  Nestle SA

   3.0%

  E.ON AG

   2.6%

  Total SA

   2.4%

  Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class A

   2.3%

  Vodafone Group PLC

   2.2%

  Intesa Sanpaolo SPA

   2.1%

  Akzo Nobel NV

   2.0%

  AXA SA

   1.9%

  Siemens AG

   1.8%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      Research International Core Portfolio    75


Research International Core Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(98.5%)

  

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (8.0%)

     
 

Bridgestone Corp.

  

Japan

   11,200    168
 

Compagnie Generale des
Etablissements Michelin -
Class B

  

France

   2,530    133
 

Esprit Holdings, Ltd.

  

Hong Kong

   27,500    157
 

Grupo Televisa SA, ADR

  

Mexico

   19,050    285
 

Industria de Diseno Textil SA

  

Spain

   10,330    459
 

Kingfisher PLC

  

United Kingdom

   84,560    168
 

Li & Fung, Ltd.

  

Bermuda

   108,000    186
 

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA

  

France

   7,450    503
 

Next PLC

  

United Kingdom

   2,990    47

*

 

Urbi Desarrollos Urbanos SAB
de CV

  

Mexico

   42,190    58
 

WPP PLC

  

United Kingdom

   87,310    517
            
 

Total

         2,681
            
 

Consumer Staples (8.5%)

  
 

Beiersdorf AG

  

Germany

   3,010    180
 

Groupe DANONE

  

France

   7,902    479
 

Heineken NV

  

Netherlands

   8,370    258
 

Hengan International Group Co.,
Ltd.

  

Hong Kong

   46,000    148
 

Japan Tobacco, Inc.

  

Japan

   91    301
 

Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB
de CV

  

Mexico

   41,630    140
 

Lawson, Inc.

  

Japan

   2,700    156
 

Nestle SA

  

Switzerland

   25,616    1,007
 

Unilever NV

  

Netherlands

   6,790    165
            
 

Total

         2,834
            
 

Energy (11.2%)

  
 

Chevron Corp.

  

United States

   2,030    150
 

CNOOC, Ltd.

  

Hong Kong

   121,000    115
 

Eni SPA

  

Italy

   23,840    568
 

Gazprom OAO, ADR

  

Russia

   6,580    94
 

INPEX Corp.

  

Japan

   33    261
 

Marathon Oil Corp.

  

United States

   4,540    124

*

 

Paladin Energy, Ltd.

  

Australia

   53,821    96
 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

  

Brazil

   6,560    161
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class A

  

United Kingdom

   29,450    781
 

Saipem SPA

  

Italy

   6,770    114
 

StatoilHydro ASA

  

Norway

   20,520    340
 

Total SA

  

France

   14,820    812
 

Tullow Oil PLC

  

United Kingdom

   12,517    122
            
 

Total

         3,738
            
 

Financials (21.6%)

  
 

Aeon Credit Service Co., Ltd.

  

Japan

   26,100    276
 

AXA SA

  

France

   27,770    622

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(98.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Bank of Cyprus Public Co., Ltd.

 

Cyprus

   49,283    185
 

Barclays PLC

 

United Kingdom

   118,224    271
 

BNP Paribas

 

France

   11,120    472
 

The Chiba Bank, Ltd.

 

Japan

   38,000    237
 

China Construction Bank Corp.

 

China

   966,000    535
 

Daiwa Securities Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   76,000    453
 

Deutsche Boerse AG

 

Germany

   2,110    154
 

Hang Seng Bank, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   11,200    148
 

HDFC Bank, Ltd., ADR

 

India

   2,630    188
 

Intesa Sanpaolo SPA

 

Italy

   189,729    687
 

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp.,
Ltd.

 

Singapore

   47,000    165
 

QBE Insurance Group, Ltd.

 

Australia

   13,680    254
 

The Shizuoka Bank, Ltd.

 

Japan

   20,000    231
 

Standard Bank Group, Ltd.

 

South Africa

   24,173    215
 

Standard Chartered PLC

 

United Kingdom

   28,387    368
 

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   98    424
 

UBI Banca - Unione di Banche
Italiane SCpA

 

Italy

   35,539    517

*

 

UBS AG

 

Switzerland

   20,073    290
 

Unibanco - Uniao de Bancos
Brasileiros SA, ADR

 

Brazil

   5,320    344
 

United Overseas Bank, Ltd.

 

Singapore

   19,000    172
           
 

Total

        7,208
           
 

Health Care (9.6%)

*

 

Actelion, Ltd.

 

Switzerland

   4,737    266
 

Bayer AG

 

Germany

   7,200    425
 

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   19,900    473
 

Merck KGaA

 

Germany

   5,450    498
 

Novartis AG

 

Switzerland

   10,180    508
 

Roche Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   6,880    1,056
           
 

Total

        3,226
           
 

Industrials (13.5%)

 

Assa Abloy AB

 

Sweden

   25,530    293
 

Brambles, Ltd.

 

Australia

   93,670    497
 

Bucyrus International, Inc.

 

United States

   11,100    206
 

Duratex SA

 

Brazil

   7,600    47
 

East Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   60    468
 

Geberit AG

 

Switzerland

   2,959    318
 

Glory, Ltd.

 

Japan

   17,600    344
 

Grupo Aeroportuario del
Pacifico SAB de CV, ADR

 

Mexico

   2,100    48
 

JGC Corp.

 

Japan

   9,000    135
 

Keppel Corp., Ltd.

 

Singapore

   57,000    174

*

 

LS Industrial Systems Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   5,020    200
 

Mitsubishi Corp.

 

Japan

   17,400    244
 

Schneider Electric SA

 

France

   3,894    292
 

Siemens AG

 

Germany

   8,090    609

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

76    Research International Core Portfolio      


Research International Core Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(98.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

TNT NV

 

Netherlands

   6,220    120
 

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   40,000    521
           
 

Total

        4,516
           
 

Information Technology (7.1%)

     
 

Acer, Inc.

 

Taiwan

   168,000    221
 

ASML Holding NV

 

Netherlands

   11,456    205
 

Cap Gemini SA

 

France

   3,860    150

*

 

CSU Cardsystem SA

 

Brazil

   16,140    16
 

Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   31,500    244
 

Nokia OYJ

 

Finland

   12,670    197
 

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   33,000    420
 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   501    181
 

SAP AG

 

Germany

   8,570    309
 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   192,000    263
 

Tokyo Electron, Ltd.

 

Japan

   4,900    172
           
 

Total

        2,378
           
 

Materials (7.0%)

 
 

Akzo Nobel NV

 

Netherlands

   16,300    676
 

BHP Billiton PLC

 

United Kingdom

   30,670    586
 

Corporacion Moctezuma SAB de CV

 

Mexico

   15,400    24
 

CRH PLC

 

Ireland

   10,600    269
 

Linde AG

 

Germany

   5,530    470
 

Rio Tinto PLC

 

United Kingdom

   9,530    210
 

Symrise AG

 

Germany

   7,335    104
           
 

Total

        2,339
           
 

Telecommunication Services (7.0%)

     
 

America Movil SAB de CV, ADR - Series L

 

Mexico

   9,720    301
 

BCE, Inc.

 

Canada

   5,710    118
 

China Unicom Hong Kong, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   134,000    163
 

KDDI Corp.

 

Japan

   47    335
 

Rogers Communications, Inc.

 

Canada

   5,100    153
 

Telefonica SA

 

Spain

   24,140    544
 

Vodafone Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   354,810    725
           
 

Total

        2,339
           
 

Utilities (5.0%)

     
 

E.ON AG

 

Germany

   21,370    869
 

GDF Suez

 

France

   10,045    500
 

NTPC, Ltd.

 

India

   48,670    182
 

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   21,000    106
           
 

Total

        1,657
           
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks (Cost: $45,296)

   32,916
           

 

 

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology (0.0%)

 

Universo Online SA - UOL

 

Brazil

   4,200    13
           
 

Total

        13
           
 

Total Preferred Stocks
(Cost: $19)

      13
           
 

Total Investments (98.5%)
(Cost: $45,315)(a)

      32,929
           
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (1.5%)

        506
           
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

        33,435
           

 

* Non-Income Producing

 

   ADR after the name of a security represents
   —American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $46,240 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $13,311 which is comprised of $470 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $13,781 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

   Investments Percentage by Country is based on Net Assets:

Japan

   17.9%

France

   11.9%

United Kingdom

   11.4%

Germany

   10.8%

Switzerland

   10.3%

Italy

   5.6%

Other

   32.1%
    

Total

   100.0%
    

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $30,459 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Research International Core Portfolio    77


International Equity Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Long-term growth of capital.   

Participate in the growth of foreign economies by

investing primarily in securities with high long-term

earnings potential relative to current market values.

   $1.0 billion

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the International Equity Portfolio, has engaged Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC has appointed Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited as an additional sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio seeks to achieve this objective by investing primarily in equity securities of issuers from countries outside the U.S. The Portfolio’s holdings will consist primarily of equity securities of issuers in foreign countries. The Portfolio has an unlimited right to purchase securities in any foreign country, developed or undeveloped. The Portfolio’s strategy is to identify and invest in the undervalued stocks of foreign companies offering the greatest discounts to their long-term values. The strategy will reflect a bottom-up, value-oriented and long-term investment philosophy. In choosing equities, the Portfolio’s manager will focus on the market price of a company’s security in relation to its long-term earnings, asset value and cash flow potential. A company’s historical value measure, including price/earnings ratio, profit margins and liquidation value, also will be considered.

Market Overview

Global financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and governments around the world take a series of coordinated actions to support economic growth and the financial system itself. The crisis was a result of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the U.S. financial sector into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

This contagion put to rest the notion of “de-coupling” of international economies and markets from the U.S. Rather, global growth slowed sharply and virtually all markets suffered greatly. For the full year, the MSCI EAFE Index—a measure of large-cap stock performance in the developed economies of Europe, Australasia and the Far East—returned –43.06%. There was little differentiation of return by growth or value styles. Looking at performance by sector, no segment had positive results. Financials performed worst, while the more traditionally defensive Health Care sector held up relatively better. After a bumpy ride for much of the year, the dollar finished higher because of the turmoil, as investors sought a safe haven for their money. The exception was Japan, whose currency and stock market held up the best among the developed economies.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the International Equity Portfolio returned –43.78%, while the MSCI EAFE Index returned –43.06%. (The Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, International Value Funds, was –43.63%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund rating agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the most trying year for investors in recent memory. No sector contributed positively to results. Relative to the MSCI EAFE Index, the largest contribution came from an underweight position and stock selection in the hard-hit Financials sector. Stock selection made the Consumer Discretionary sector the leading detractor from relative results.

The key theme explaining the Portfolio’s return relative to the benchmark was exposure to companies that ratcheted down earnings expectations as demand for their products declined along with the pace of global growth. This trend was visible in the Consumer Discretionary sector, where some of the leading detractors were automotive manufacturers or parts providers, such as Hyundai Motors and GKN.

In Health Care, stock selection and allocation decisions hurt most in the pharmaceutical industry. The leading detractors from performance compared with the benchmark tended to be large, less volatile stocks—such as Roche Holdings and AstraZeneca—that held up well and to which we had no exposure.

The leading contribution to Portfolio performance at the sector level came from an underweight position in Financials, the poorest-performing segment of the Index. Our investment process focuses on undervalued companies, which requires a judgment about corporate balance sheets, earnings and security valuations. But many companies in the Finance sector have opaque financial statements, making valuation assessments difficult. Because of this lack of transparency, we were significantly underweight Financial stocks. Stock selection also had a positive effect in the sector, with global property and casualty insurer ACE Limited providing the largest contribution to relative returns.

Telecommunication shares also contributed to relative results for the year, led by France Telecom, Telefonos de Mexico and Telefonica. These traditionally defensive-oriented stocks generally held up well because of their strong financial position, steady cash flow and lack of liquidity or credit problems.

 

78    International Equity Portfolio      


International Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

We believe the unprecedented events sweeping global financial markets can provide patient, long-term investors with opportunity when we return to some semblance of normal, functioning markets. We feel the forced selling and deleveraging sweeping markets made little distinction between “good” and “bad” companies. As a result, we are finding no shortage of what we consider to be high-quality companies trading at very attractive levels. Because we build the Portfolio stock by stock from the bottom up, our sector and industry selection as well as capitalization range allocations reflect where we are finding individual securities about which we have the highest conviction at a given time. As of December 31, 2008, the Portfolio’s largest overweight positions were in the Telecommunication Services and Information Technology sectors. The largest sector underweights were in Financials and Consumer Staples.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

International Equity Portfolio

   -43.78%    2.94%    3.47%

MSCI EAFE Index (Gross)

   -43.06%    2.10%    1.18%

MSCI All Country World (ex-US) Index (Gross)

   -45.24%    3.00%    2.27%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) International Value Funds Average

   -43.63%    0.98%    2.02%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph

 

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Telefonica SA, ADR

   2.6%

  France Telecom SA

   2.1%

  Novartis AG

   2.1%

  BAE Systems PLC

   1.9%

  Royal Dutch Shell PLC - Class B

   1.8%

  E.ON AG

   1.8%

  Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

   1.7%

  Vodafone Group PLC

   1.6%

  Deutsche Post AG

   1.6%

  Nestle SA

   1.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

      International Equity Portfolio    79


International Equity Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(97.0%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value $
(000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (12.4%)

 

Accor SA

 

France

   173,000    8,555
 

Bayerische Motoren Werke
AG

 

Germany

   380,920    11,767
 

British Sky Broadcasting
Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,864,690    13,168
 

Burberry Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   738,190    2,403
 

Compagnie Generale des
Etablissements Michelin
- Class B

 

France

   260,200    13,711
 

Compass Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   2,915,350    14,684
 

GKN PLC

 

United Kingdom

   2,091,540    3,006

*

 

Hyundai Motor Co.

 

South Korea

   264,580    8,494
 

Kingfisher PLC

 

United Kingdom

   3,825,490    7,594
 

Mediaset SPA

 

Italy

   1,497,610    8,595
 

NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   550,000    4,404
 

Pearson PLC

 

United Kingdom

   697,770    6,573
 

Reed Elsevier NV

 

Netherlands

   558,652    6,614
 

Sony Corp.

 

Japan

   323,400    7,025

*

 

Thomson

 

France

   1,088,780    1,480
 

Valeo SA

 

France

   135,280    2,021
 

Wolters Kluwer NV

 

Netherlands

   166,630    3,162
 

Yell Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,590,550    993
 

Zon Multimedia Servicos
de Telecomunicacoes e
Multimedia SGPS SA

 

Portugal

   89,113    465
           
 

Total

        124,714
           
 

Consumer Staples (3.7%)

 

Cadbury PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,534,097    13,631
 

Nestle SA

 

Switzerland

   389,800    15,319
 

Unilever PLC

 

United Kingdom

   348,295    8,034
           
 

Total

        36,984
           
 

Energy (7.8%)

       
 

BP PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,866,830    14,519
 

China Shenhua Energy
Co., Ltd.

 

China

   1,578,500    3,385
 

Eni SPA

 

Italy

   414,535    9,871
 

Gazprom OAO, ADR

 

Russia

   368,660    5,253
 

Repsol YPF SA

 

Spain

   493,680    10,566
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class B

 

United Kingdom

   704,315    17,992
 

SBM Offshore NV

 

Netherlands

   451,200    5,942
 

Total SA

 

France

   205,958    11,284
           
 

Total

        78,812
           
 

Financials (17.0%)

 

ACE, Ltd.

 

Switzerland

   234,580    12,414
 

Australia & New Zealand
Banking Group, Ltd.

 

Australia

   89,588    981
 

Aviva PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,715,770    9,858
 

AXA SA

 

France

   512,174    11,475
 

Banco Santander SA

 

Spain

   906,009    8,787

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(97.0%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value $
(000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Cheung Kong Holdings,
Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,035,000    9,867
 

DBS Group Holdings, Ltd.

 

Singapore

   1,192,000    7,112

(n),*

 

DBS Group Holdings, Ltd.
- Rights

 

Singapore

   596,000    1,248
 

HSBC Holdings PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,474,937    14,158
 

ING Groep NV

 

Netherlands

   683,040    7,175

*

 

KB Financial Group, Inc.

 

South Korea

   226,500    6,191
 

Lloyds TSB Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,671,640    2,165
 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   565,000    3,503
 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., ADR

 

Japan

   222,000    1,379
 

National Australia Bank,
Ltd.

 

Australia

   514,532    7,696
 

Nomura Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   332,400    2,739
 

Nordea Bank AB

 

Sweden

   1,536,530    11,209
 

Old Mutual PLC

 

United Kingdom

   4,953,850    4,017
 

Royal Bank of Scotland
Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   3,000,044    2,201
 

Sompo Japan Insurance,
Inc.

 

Japan

   1,103,000    8,071
 

Standard Chartered PLC

 

United Kingdom

   370,360    4,805
 

Swire Pacific, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,276,500    8,851
 

Swiss Re

 

Switzerland

   180,212    8,730

*

 

UBS AG

 

Switzerland

   1,015,136    14,681
 

UniCredit SPA

 

Italy

   860,800    2,154
           
 

Total

        171,467
           
 

Health Care (9.5%)

*

 

Agfa Gevaert NV

 

Belgium

   291,272    764
 

Celesio AG

 

Germany

   261,230    7,170
 

GlaxoSmithKline PLC

 

United Kingdom

   621,430    11,709
 

Lonza Group AG

 

Switzerland

   162,050    14,938
 

Merck KGaA

 

Germany

   154,300    14,098
 

Novartis AG

 

Switzerland

   424,920    21,230
 

Olympus Corp.

 

Japan

   236,500    4,745
 

Sanofi-Aventis

 

France

   164,625    10,508
 

Takeda Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   208,500    10,806
           
 

Total

        95,968
           
 

Industrials (13.1%)

 

Atlas Copco AB

 

Sweden

   1,330,560    11,572
 

BAE Systems PLC

 

United Kingdom

   3,411,020    18,870
 

Deutsche Post AG

 

Germany

   935,380    15,903
 

Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, ADR

 

Brazil

   416,340    6,749
 

Hutchison Whampoa, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,826,000    9,211
 

Koninklijke (Royal)
Philips Electronics NV

 

Netherlands

   449,135    8,778

*

 

Loomis AB

 

Sweden

   130,460    817
 

Niscayah Group AB

 

Sweden

   652,300    563
 

Qantas Airways, Ltd.

 

Australia

   2,552,550    4,802
 

Rentokil Initial PLC

 

United Kingdom

   2,672,940    1,736

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

80    International Equity Portfolio      


International Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(97.0%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

*

 

Rolls-Royce Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   1,916,990    9,532
 

Securitas AB - Class B

 

Sweden

   652,300    5,409

*

 

Shanghai Electric Group
Co., Ltd.

 

China

   23,038,000    9,437
 

Siemens AG, ADR

 

Germany

   199,230    15,092
 

Smiths Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   320,326    4,186

*

 

Vestas Wind Systems A/S

 

Denmark

   167,380    9,997
           
 

Total

        132,654
           
 

Information Technology (9.9%)

 

BYD Co., Ltd.

 

China

   3,163,000    5,215

*

 

Check Point Software
Technologies, Ltd.

 

Israel

   387,430    7,357
 

Compal Electronics, Inc.

 

Taiwan

   6,035,398    3,214
 

FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.

 

Japan

   159,300    3,503
 

Hitachi, Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,198,000    4,642

*

 

Infineon Technologies AG

 

Germany

   1,122,690    1,553
 

Lite-On Technology Corp.

 

Taiwan

   3,467,876    2,293
 

Mabuchi Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   168,400    6,988
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   39,300    15,086
 

Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   46,140    16,709
 

SAP AG

 

Germany

   261,040    9,402
 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   10,165,997    13,933
 

Toshiba Corp.

 

Japan

   2,350,000    9,668
           
 

Total

        99,563
           
 

Materials (3.8%)

 

Akzo Nobel NV

 

Netherlands

   111,700    4,629
 

Alumina, Ltd.

 

Australia

   1,908,930    1,907
 

BASF SE

 

Germany

   218,600    8,680
 

Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce, ADR

 

Brazil

   881,000    9,383

*

 

Domtar Corp.

 

Canada

   1,006,610    1,712

*

 

Norske Skogindustrier
ASA

 

Norway

   978,371    1,948
 

Stora Enso OYJ - Class R

 

Finland

   658,140    5,163
 

UPM-Kymmene OYJ

 

Finland

   394,760    5,030
           
 

Total

        38,452
           
 

Telecommunication Services (13.5%)

 

China Telecom Corp., Ltd.

 

China

   17,338,000    6,573
 

Chunghwa Telecom Co.,
Ltd., ADR

 

Taiwan

   364,613    5,688
 

France Telecom SA

 

France

   756,770    21,272

*

 

KT Corp., ADR

 

South Korea

   385,100    5,649
 

Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corp.

 

Japan

   1,930    10,364
 

Portugal Telecom SGPS SA

 

Portugal

   632,670    5,395
 

SK Telecom Co., Ltd.,
ADR

 

South Korea

   322,890    5,870
 

Telefonica SA, ADR

 

Spain

   395,838    26,676
 

Telefonos de Mexico SAB
de CV, ADR

 

Mexico

   514,688    10,778
 

Telenor ASA

 

Norway

   1,208,610    8,141
 

Telmex Internacional SAB
de CV, ADR

 

Mexico

   514,688    5,847

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(97.0%)

 

Country

   Shares/ $
Par
   Value $
(000’s)
 

Telecommunication Services continued

 

Turkcell Iletisim
Hizmetleri AS

 

Turkey

   1,315,060    7,584
 

Vodafone Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   8,017,483    16,382
           
 

Total

        136,219
           
 

Utilities (6.3%)

 

E.ON AG

 

Germany

   440,100    17,884
 

Electricite de France

 

France

   258,050    15,072
 

GDF Suez

 

France

   300,594    14,961
 

Iberdrola SA

 

Spain

   682,240    6,366

*

 

Korea Electric Power
Corp.

 

South Korea

   365,650    8,523

*

 

Suez Environnement SA

 

France

   78,727    1,334
           
 

Total

        64,140
           
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks (Cost: $1,193,785)

   978,973
           
 

Short-Term Investments (2.8%)

             
 

Finance Services (1.0%)

 

Bryant Park Funding LLC, 1.02%, 1/9/09

 

United States

   10,000,000    9,997
           
 

Total

        9,997
           
 

Independent Finance (0.4%)

 

HSBC Finance Corp., 0.30%, 1/6/09

 

United States

   4,000,000    4,000
           
 

Total

        4,000
           
 

Industrials (1.0%)

 

Textron, Inc.,
6.25%, 1/6/09

 

United States

   10,000,000    9,991
           
 

Total

        9,991
           
 

Oil and Gas (0.4%)

 

Sempra Global,
1.00%, 1/2/09

 

United States

   4,100,000    4,100
           
 

Total

        4,100
           
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $28,088)

   28,088
           
 

Total Investments (99.8%)

(Cost: $1,221,873)(a)

   1,007,061
           
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (0.2%)

   2,306
           
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   1,009,367
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      International Equity Portfolio    81


International Equity Portfolio

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $1,223,067 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $216,006 which is comprised of $161,208 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $377,214 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

Investments Percentage by Country is based on Net Assets:

 

United Kingdom

   20.0%   
 

France

   11.1%   
 

Germany

   10.1%   
 

Japan

   9.2%   
 

Switzerland

   8.7%   
 

Spain

   5.2%   
 

South Korea

   5.1%   
 

Other

   30.6%   
         
 

Total

   100.0%   
         

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $878,897 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $1,248 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

82    International Equity Portfolio      


Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Capital appreciation.   

Invest primarily in equity securities of issuers that are

tied economically to emerging market counties.

   $52 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio, has engaged Massachusetts Financial Services Company to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The objective of the Portfolio is to achieve capital appreciation. The Portfolio seeks to accomplish this by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity instruments of issuers that are tied economically to emerging market countries. Such equity instruments could include common stocks, preferred stock, securities convertible into stock and ADRs. Emerging market countries may include countries that have emerging market economies, taking into account a number of factors, including whether a particular country has a low to middle economy according to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the country’s foreign currency debt rating, its political and economic stability, and the development of its financial and capital markets.

Market Overview

Global financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up and governments around the world take a series of coordinated actions to support economic growth and the financial system itself. The crisis was a result of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the U.S. financial sector into virtually every segment of global financial markets.

This contagion put to rest the notion of “de-coupling” of international economies and markets from the U.S. Rather, global growth slowed sharply and virtually all markets suffered greatly. For the full year, the MSCI EAFE Index—a measure of large-cap stock performance in the developed markets of Europe, Australasia and the Far East—returned –43.06%. Emerging market equities performed even worse, highly levered as they tend to be to economic growth and commodity prices (many are basic materials exporters), both of which turned down sharply in the second half of the year. Looking at performance by sector, no segment had positive results.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio provided a total return after fees and expenses of –55.22%. This compares with a return of –53.18% for the Portfolio’s benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, Emerging Markets Funds, was –54.07%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

As evidenced by the returns of the Portfolio’s benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, losses among emerging markets equities were significant and broad based during the reporting period. For the Portfolio, security selection in the Materials sector was the primary detractor from relative performance. In this sector, holdings of mining and metal companies Mechel Oao and Evraz Group were among the Portfolio’s top relative detractors over the reporting period.

Stock selection, and to a lesser extent, an underweighted position in the Special Products and Services sector, also hindered relative returns. Holdings of poor-performing real estate brokerage firm LPS Brasil negatively impacted returns for the period.

The Portfolio’s overweighted position in the Energy sector hurt relative performance. Shares of natural gas producer Gazprom and integrated oil company LUKOIL were among the Portfolio’s top detractors within this sector.

Stock selection in the Technology sector helped the Portfolio’s relative performance. Semiconductor firm Taiwan Semiconductor was among the Portfolio’s top relative contributors. Stock selection in the Retailing sector also aided relative returns. Positioning in investment holding company Lewis Group and women’s clothing retailer Foschini helped as both positions significantly outperformed the benchmark. Elsewhere, the Portfolio’s positioning in state-owned telecom operator China Telecom, commercial bank Sberbank and cosmetics firm Natura Cosmeticos bolstered relative performance.

During the reporting period, the Portfolio’s currency exposure was a contributor to relative performance. All of our investment decisions are driven by the fundamentals of each individual opportunity and as such, it is common for our portfolios to have different currency exposure than the benchmark.

The Portfolio’s cash position also was a contributor to relative performance. The Portfolio holds cash in anticipation of buying new holdings and to provide liquidity. In a period when equity markets declined, holding cash helped performance versus the benchmark, which has no cash position.

Outlook

Global financial markets remain in the thrall of financial, economic and political developments in the United States. Regardless of changing economic and market conditions, the manager of the Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio expects to

 

      Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio    83


Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

continue to seek companies that are undergoing fundamental operational improvements and whose shares trade at discounted valuations. As of December 31, 2008, our largest sector overweights were in Utilities and Health Care shares, while Financials and Materials were our leading underweight positions relative to the benchmark.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
 
     1 Year     Since  
Inception*
 
 

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

   -55.22 %   -29.43 %

MSCI Emerging Markets Index
(Gross)

   -53.18 %   -25.49 %

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Emerging Markets Funds
Average

   -54.07 %   –      
*Inception date of 4/30/07     

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards.

 

Investments in the securities of companies in developing nations impose risks different from, and greater than, risks of investing in developed countries.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.

 

   Top 10 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

   4.4%

  China Mobile, Ltd.

   4.3%

  Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., ADR

   3.8%

  Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

   3.7%

  Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, ADR

   2.9%

  Gazprom OAO, ADR

   2.6%

  Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Ltd. - Class H

   2.4%

  MTN Group, Ltd.

   2.1%

  America Movil SAB de CV, ADR - Series L

   2.0%

  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., ADR

   1.9%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

84    Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio      


Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(96.5%)

   Country    Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Discretionary (5.8%)

*

 

Desarrolladora Homex SAB de
CV, ADR

   Mexico    4,830    110
 

Dufry South America, Ltd.

   Bermuda    22,970    164
 

Foschini, Ltd.

   South Africa    78,020    400
 

Genting Bhd

   Malaysia    293,300    316
 

Grupo Televisa SA, ADR

   Mexico    32,800    490

*

 

Kroton Educacional SA

   Brazil    16,500    89
 

Lewis Group, Ltd.

   South Africa    75,231    386
 

PT Astra International Tbk

   Indonesia    222,000    224

*

 

SARE Holding SAB de CV -
Class B

   Mexico    497,100    106
 

Truworths International, Ltd.

   South Africa    79,700    291

*

 

Urbi Desarrollos Urbanos SAB
de CV

   Mexico    73,020    101
 

Woolworths Holdings, Ltd.

   South Africa    252,136    343
            
 

Total

         3,020
            
 

Consumer Staples (6.8%)

 

Asiatic Development Bhd

   Malaysia    214,300    221
 

Chaoda Modern Agriculture
Holdings, Ltd.

   Hong Kong    569,920    367
 

Companhia de Bebidas das
Americas, ADR

   Brazil    10,960    486
 

Grupo Continental SAB de CV

   Mexico    145,010    242
 

Hengan International Group
Co., Ltd.

   Hong Kong    126,000    406
 

Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV

   Mexico    50,620    170

*

 

KT&G Corp.

   South Korea    5,744    358
 

Massmart Holdings, Ltd.

   South Africa    31,660    286
 

Natura Cosmeticos SA

   Brazil    20,730    170
 

PT Hanjaya Mandala
Sampoerna Tbk

   Indonesia    292,000    219
 

PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk

   Indonesia    386,000    280
 

Tradewinds Malaysia Bhd

   Malaysia    420,200    366
            
 

Total

         3,571
            
 

Energy (13.5%)

 

China Oilfield Services, Ltd.

   China    386,000    315
 

CNOOC, Ltd.

   Hong Kong    960,000    912
 

Gazprom OAO, ADR

   Russia    94,250    1,343
 

LUKOIL, ADR

   Russia    29,540    978
 

NovaTek OAO

   Russia    15,100    289
 

Oil & Natural Gas Corp., Ltd.

   India    15,488    214
 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

   Brazil    78,450    1,921
 

PT Bumi Resources Tbk

   Indonesia    1,056,500    91
 

PTT Exploration & Production
PCL

   Thailand    102,800    316
 

Rosneft Oil Co.

   Russia    81,650    306
 

Tenaris SA, ADR

   Luxembourg    7,510    158
 

Tupras-Turkiye Petrol
Rafinerileri AS

   Turkey    22,693    240
            
 

Total

         7,083
            

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(96.5%)

   Country    Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials (17.7%)

 

Ayala Land, Inc.

   Philippines    2,110,600    292
 

Banco Santander Chile, ADR

   Chile    10,270    360
 

BanColombia SA, ADR

   Colombia    5,710    133
 

Bank of China, Ltd.

   China    1,612,000    444
 

Bank of Communications Co.,
Ltd.

   China    397,000    289
 

Bank Pekao SA

   Poland    6,820    291
 

BM&F BOVESPA SA

   Brazil    53,400    139

*

 

Bolsa Mexicana de Valores
SAB de CV

   Mexico    28,700    21

*

 

Brasil Brokers Participacoes
SA

   Brazil    80,900    58
 

Cathay Financial Holding Co.,
Ltd.

   Taiwan    331,750    373
 

China Construction Bank Corp.

   China    1,699,000    940
 

China Merchants Bank Co.,
Ltd.

   China    166,500    312
 

Credicorp, Ltd.

   Bermuda    3,400    170
 

First Financial Holding Co., Ltd.

   Taiwan    621,888    330
 

Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB
de CV

   Mexico    118,100    215
 

Industrial & Commercial Bank
of China, Ltd. - Class H

   China    2,325,000    1,236
 

Komercni Banka AS

   Czech Republic    1,739    272
 

LPS Brasil - Consultoria de
Imoveis SA

   Brazil    20,818    59
 

Nedbank Group, Ltd.

   South Africa    28,000    287
 

Powszechna Kasa
Oszczednosci Bank Polski
SA

   Poland    31,670    379
 

PT Bank Central Asia Tbk

   Indonesia    1,201,000    363
 

PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia

   Indonesia    589,000    260
 

Public Bank Bhd

   Malaysia    114,000    290
 

Siam Commercial Bank PCL

   Thailand    210,400    296
 

Standard Bank Group, Ltd.

   South Africa    68,520    611

*

 

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS

   Turkey    227,960    390
 

Unibanco - Uniao de Bancos
Brasileiros SA, ADR

   Brazil    6,760    437
            
 

Total

         9,247
            
 

Health Care (5.4%)

 

Diagnosticos da America SA

   Brazil    10,700    104

*

 

Genomma Lab Internacional
SAB de CV - Class B

   Mexico    373,400    262
 

OdontoPrev SA

   Brazil    21,600    215
 

Ranbaxy Laboratories, Ltd.

   India    50,090    261
 

Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Ltd., ADR

   Israel    46,310    1,971
            
 

Total

         2,813
            
 

Industrials (1.9%)


 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio    85


Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(96.5%)

 

Country

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Bharat Heavy Electricals, Ltd.

 

India

   20    0
 

Copa Holdings SA - Class A

  Panama    5,430    165
 

Duratex SA

  Brazil    24,900    155
 

Empresa Brasileira de
Aeronautica SA, ADR

  Brazil    5,360    87
 

Keppel Corp., Ltd.

  Singapore    78,000    238
 

Larsen & Toubro, Ltd.

  India    15,401    246
 

Orascom Construction
Industries

  Egypt    4,870    124
           
 

Total

        1,015
           
 

Information Technology (13.5%)

 

Acer, Inc.

  Taiwan    251,000    330

*

 

CSU Cardsystem SA

  Brazil    146,000    145
 

Delta Electronics, Inc.

  Taiwan    185,420    361
 

HTC Corp.

  Taiwan    35,370    357
 

Infosys Technologies, Ltd.,
ADR

  India    25,930    637
 

MediaTek, Inc.

  Taiwan    59,550    403
 

Redecard SA

  Brazil    22,900    254
 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

  South Korea    6,368    2,306
 

Siliconware Precision
Industries Co., ADR

  Taiwan    64,830    289
 

Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

  Taiwan    660,120    905
 

Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co., Ltd., ADR

  Taiwan    127,844    1,010
 

Totvs SA

  Brazil    6,100    98
           
 

Total

        7,095
           
 

Materials (9.0%)

 

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce,
ADR

  Brazil    124,320    1,506
 

Corporacion Moctezuma SAB
de CV

  Mexico    193,400    303
 

Evraz Group SA

  Luxembourg    5,460    47
 

Grupo Mexico SAB de CV

  Mexico    386,030    250
 

Impala Platinum Holdings, Ltd.

  South Africa    29,540    429
 

Israel Chemicals, Ltd.

  Israel    48,250    337

*

 

LG Chem, Ltd.

  South Korea    8,010    459
 

Makhteshim-Agan Industries,
Ltd.

  Israel    70,240    229
 

Mechel, ADR

  Russia    16,520    66
 

Novolipetsk Steel OAO

  Russia    11,450    117
 

Pretoria Portland Cement Co.,
Ltd.

  South Africa    103,337    347
 

PT International Nickel
Indonesia Tbk

  Indonesia    719,000    130
 

The Siam Cement PCL

  Thailand    121,900    387

*

 

Suzano Papel e Celulose SA

  Brazil    17,400    91
           
 

Total

        4,698
           
 

Telecommunication Services (18.6%)

 

America Movil SAB de CV, ADR - Series L

  Mexico    32,890    1,019

(n)

 

AS Eesti Telekom

  Estonia    14,880    264

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(96.5%)

  

Country

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunication Services continued

 

Bezeq Israeli
Telecommunication Corp.,
Ltd.

  

Israel

   168,970    278
 

China Mobile, Ltd.

   Hong Kong    219,500    2,226
 

China Mobile, Ltd., ADR

   Hong Kong    19,470    990
 

China Unicom (Hong Kong),
Ltd., ADR

   Hong Kong    24,780    302
 

Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.

   Taiwan    415,189    663
 

Egyptian Co. for Mobile
Services

   Egypt    15,510    411
 

Globe Telecom, Inc.

   Philippines    15,440    251
 

Magyar Telekom
Telecommunications PLC,
ADR

   Hungary    17,190    241
 

Mobile Telesystems OAO,
ADR

   Russia    16,120    430
 

MTN Group, Ltd.

   South Africa    93,700    1,090
 

Philippine Long Distance
Telephone Co.

   Philippines    5,950    274
 

PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia
Tbk

   Indonesia    823,500    536
 

Telkom South Africa, Ltd.

   South Africa    24,250    298
 

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmet AS,
ADR

   Turkey    20,330    297
 

Vimpel-Communications,
ADR

   Russia    26,360    189
            
 

Total

         9,759
            
 

Utilities (4.3%)

 

AES Tiete SA

   Brazil    17,000    109
 

CEZ

   Czech Republic    19,170    787
 

Equatorial Energia SA

   Brazil    19,600    85
 

Gail India, Ltd.

   India    83,225    359
 

Manila Water Co., Inc.

   Philippines    3,169,000    911
            
 

Total

         2,251
            
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks (Cost: $78,226)

   50,552
            
 

Preferred Stocks (1.7%)

   Country    Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology (0.4%)

 

Universo Online SA - UOL

   Brazil    62,100    196
            
 

Total

         196
            
 

Materials (0.4%)

 

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas
Gerais SA - Class A

   Brazil    17,000    194
            
 

Total

         194
            
 

Utilities (0.9%)

 

Eletropaulo Metropolitana SA - Class B

   Brazil    43,560    480
            
 

Total

         480
            
 

Total Preferred Stocks
(Cost: $1,602)

         870
            

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

86    Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio      


Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(96.5%)

   Country    Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Total Investments (98.2%)
(Cost: $79,828)(a)

         51,422
            
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (1.8%)

         964
            
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

         52,386
            

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $81,068 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $29,646 which is comprised of $1,224 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $30,870 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

 

InvestmentsPercentage by Country is based on Net Assets:

  
 

Brazil

   13.5%   
 

Hong Kong

   9.9%   
 

Taiwan

   9.6%   
 

South Africa

   9.1%   
 

Russia

   7.1%   
 

China

   6.7%   
 

Mexico

   6.3%   
 

South Korea

   6.0%   
 

Israel

   5.4%   
 

Other

   26.4%   
         
 

Total

   100.0%   
         

 

(h) Forward foreign currency contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

Type          Principal
Amount
Covered by
Contract (000’s)
   Settlement
Month
   Unrealized
Appreciation
(000’s)
   Unrealized
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
  Net Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

Buy

   TRY    853    5/09    $      30    $        —   $      30

Sell

   TRY    853    5/09    —              (35)         (35)
                      
            $      30    $      (35)   $      (5)
                      

 

     TRY - Turkish Lira

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $30,139 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(m) Amount is less than one thousand.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $264 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio    87


Money Market Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Maximum current income consistent

with liquidity and stability of capital.

  

Invest in high quality, short-term money market

instruments that present minimal credit risk.

   $623 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Money Market Portfolio. The Portfolio’s investment objective is to generate maximum current income consistent with liquidity and stability of capital. The Money Market Portfolio, which invests only in high-quality commercial paper and other short-term debt securities with maturities generally not exceeding one year, seeks to provide a moderate return in line with prevailing short-term interest rates. The Portfolio will attempt to maximize its return by trading to take advantage of changing money market conditions and trends.

The Money Market Portfolio will also trade to take advantage of what are believed to be disparities in yield relationships between different money market instruments. This procedure may increase or decrease the Portfolio’s yield depending upon management’s ability to correctly time and execute such transactions. The Money Market Portfolio may only invest in securities that mature in 397 days or fewer from the date of purchase.

Market Overview

The spiraling sub-prime credit crisis took an incredible toll on U.S. financial institutions, the economy and financial markets in 2008. Nowhere was this as evident as in the fixed income markets, where risk aversion, deleveraging and fear of deflation sent segments of the Treasury market to their best year ever, while credit-sensitive bonds endured historic underperformance. In that environment, the Federal Reserve took dramatic steps, effectively cutting its short-term rate target to 0%, intervening in the mortgage, commercial, and consumer debt markets, while Congress passed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

The year also held a number of important developments for money market investors. First, the Fed’s rate cuts (from 4.25% to effectively 0%) signaled dramatically lower yields on cash-equivalent investments. Second, the freezing of credit markets, extreme risk aversion, and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers were precipitating factors in a large, institutional money market fund seeing its net asset value per share fall below $1. In response, the government took significant steps to support money market funds and the short-term commercial paper market in which many money funds invest.

Looking at returns in that environment, money market investments managed modest returns, and were one of very few asset classes to enjoy positive performance in 2008. For the full year, cash-like investments returned 2.06%, as measured by the Merrill Lynch 3-Month T-Bill Index, while stocks and bonds returned –37.00% and 7.02%, as measured by the S&P 500® Stock Index and Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index, respectively.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Portfolio returned 2.76%, outperforming the Merrill Lynch 3-Month Treasury Bill (T-Bill) Index, which returned 2.06%. The average return of the Portfolio’s Money Market Funds peer group was 2.23%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s outperformance relative to the peer group likely resulted from effective management of the Portfolio’s weighted average maturity (WAM) and efforts to avoid problem areas or securities at risk of substantial write-downs.

In terms of Portfolio positioning, we helped performance relative to our Index and peers by maintaining a longer-than-average WAM all year. It is beneficial to have a longer WAM when rates are falling, because it allows the Portfolio to lock in higher yields for a longer time. In addition, we lengthened the Portfolio’s WAM aggressively in September—buying nine-month Treasuries at very attractive yields—and again in November, ahead of the typical, seasonal decline in commercial paper yields at year-end. These trades helped support the Portfolio’s yield at a time when the Fed rapidly accelerated the pace of rate cuts.

We should also point out that despite the problems that affected some other money market funds, we maintained a stable $1 share price, benefiting from the careful monitoring process and risk controls we have in place. What’s more, we enjoyed positive cash flows in this period, allowing us to take advantage of attractive securities and valuations as other funds were selling.

 

88    Money Market Portfolio      


Money Market Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

As the challenging economic and financial conditions continue into 2009, we believe the Fed will hold short-term rates near zero for the foreseeable future. In that environment, we are taking a number of steps designed to maintain a competitive, positive yield. First, we envision avoiding investments in securities with negative yields, as we saw on some T-Bills in late 2008. As a result, we anticipate that the Portfolio will maintain a positive but modest yield. Second, we will continue to carefully monitor the quality and health of the issuers whose securities we hold, relying on our compliance and credit processes and controls. Finally, beginning on December 31, 2008, we waived the Portfolio’s management fee on a temporary basis. We will continue to monitor the need for this waiver in light of market and economic developments, and may discontinue the waiver at any time.

 

 

 

 

 

AN INVESTMENT IN THE MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO IS NOT INSURED OR GUARANTEED

BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT

AGENCY. ALTHOUGH THE MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO SEEKS TO PRESERVE THE VALUE

OF YOUR INVESTMENT AT $1.00 PER SHARE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOSE MONEY BY INVESTING

IN THE MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO.

 

 

 

      Money Market Portfolio    89


Money Market Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

  Money Market
Investments (99.8%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Aircraft (4.8%)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding
Corp., 0.60%, 2/2/09

   8,000,000    7,996
 

Kitty Hawk Funding
Corp., 1.40%, 1/6/09

   6,000,000    5,999
 

Kitty Hawk Funding
Corp., 1.40%, 2/24/09

   10,000,000    9,979
 

Textron Financial Corp., 6.75%, 1/13/09

   6,000,000    5,986
         
 

Total

      29,960
         
 

Asset-Backed Securities (3.5%)

 

Nissan Auto Receivables Owner Trust, Series 2008-C, Class A1, 3.037%, 12/15/09

   10,000    10,000
 

Volkswagen Auto Loan Enhanced Trust, Series 2008-2, Class A1, 2.358%, 1/20/10

   12,000    12,000
         
 

Total

      22,000
         
 

Autos (6.9%)

 

American Honda Finance Corp., 2.319%, 5/5/09 144A

   4,670,000    4,670
 

American Honda Finance Corp., 2.989%, 8/26/09 144A

   5,300,000    5,300
 

American Honda Finance Corp., 4.389%, 1/8/09 144A

   9,300,000    9,300
 

Toyota Motor Credit Corp., 2.05%, 1/21/09

   7,500,000    7,491
 

Toyota Motor Credit Corp., 2.05%, 1/27/09

   8,000,000    7,988
 

Toyota Motor Credit Corp., 3.20%, 3/27/09

   8,500,000    8,436
         
 

Total

      43,185
         
 

Commercial Banks Non-US (7.7%)

 

Bank of Scotland PLC, 1.868%, 10/9/09 144A

   3,400,000    3,400
 

Barclays Bank PLC/New York, 2.446%, 2/27/09

   10,100,000    10,100
 

Barclays US Funding Corp., 2.43%, 3/13/09

   13,000,000    12,938
 

Royal Bank of
Canada/New York NY,
5.29%, 2/2/09

   5,000,000    5,012
 

Royal Bank Of Scotland
PLC, 3.46%, 2/4/09

   12,000,000    11,961
 

UBS AG/Stamford
Branch, 1.03%, 4/19/09

   4,465,000    4,465
         
 

Total

      47,876
         

 

  Money Market
Investments (99.8%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Federal Government & Agencies (8.0%)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank Corp.,
1.80%, 5/13/09

   25,000,000    24,835
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
1.95%, 1/26/09

   25,000,000    24,966
         
 

Total

      49,801
         
 

Finance Lessors (8.6%)

(q)

 

International Lease
Finance Corp.,
3.50%, 4/1/09

   6,560,000    6,228
 

Ranger Funding Co.
LLC, 0.45%, 4/3/09

   7,000,000    6,992
 

Ranger Funding Co.
LLC, 1.25%, 3/18/09

   5,000,000    4,987
 

Ranger Funding Co.
LLC, 1.40%, 2/23/09

   12,000,000    11,975
 

Thunder Bay Funding
LLC, 0.75%, 3/10/09

   12,000,000    11,983
 

Thunder Bay Funding
LLC, 1.50%, 1/9/09

   8,000,000    7,997
 

Thunder Bay Funding
LLC, 1.55%, 1/22/09

   3,500,000    3,497
         
 

Total

      53,659
         
 

Finance Services (23.7%)

 

Alpine Securitization
Corp., 1.25%, 1/22/09

   6,000,000    5,996
 

Alpine Securitization
Corp., 1.35%, 1/7/09

   6,000,000    5,999
 

Alpine Securitization
Corp., 1.35%, 1/9/09

   5,000,000    4,998
 

Atlantic Asset
Securitization LLC,
1.40%, 1/12/09

   10,000,000    9,996
 

Atlantic Asset
Securitization LLC,
1.50%, 2/4/09

   14,000,000    13,980
 

Barton Capital LLC,
0.70%, 4/9/09

   5,200,000    5,190
 

Barton Capital LLC,
0.75%, 1/15/09

   1,700,000    1,699
 

Barton Capital LLC,
1.45%, 1/7/09

   6,000,000    5,998
 

Barton Capital LLC,
1.50%, 1/13/09

   8,000,000    7,996
 

Bryant Park Funding
LLC, 0.45%, 3/16/09

   4,500,000    4,496
 

Bryant Park Funding
LLC, 0.75%, 1/8/09

   6,300,000    6,299
 

Bryant Park Funding
LLC, 1.55%, 1/14/09

   7,500,000    7,496
 

Bryant Park Funding
LLC, 2.00%, 1/2/09

   4,000,000    4,000

 

  Money Market
Investments (99.8%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Finance Services continued

 

Ciesco LLC, 1.55%, 1/20/09

   7,000,000    6,994
 

Ciesco LLC, 0.25%, 1/15/09

   1,600,000    1,600
 

Ciesco LLC, 1.60%, 1/30/09

   7,000,000    6,991
 

Falcon Asset Securitization Co. LLC, 0.70%, 2/10/09

   5,200,000    5,196
 

Falcon Asset Securitization Co. LLC, 1.10%, 2/11/09

   8,500,000    8,489
 

Falcon Asset Securitization Co. LLC, 1.40%, 1/16/09

   2,160,000    2,159
 

Falcon Asset Securitization Co. LLC, 1.50%, 2/6/09

   8,000,000    7,988
 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 1.30%, 1/12/09

   5,200,000    5,198
 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 1.75%, 1/23/09

   6,800,000    6,793
 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 1.90%, 2/18/09

   6,000,000    5,985
 

Gemini Securitization Corp. LLC, 2.05%, 2/5/09

   6,000,000    5,988
         
 

Total

      147,524
         
 

Government (9.5%)

 

US Treasury N/B, 4.875%, 8/15/09

   17,000,000    17,352
 

US Treasury N/B, 6.00%, 8/15/09

   40,700,000    41,860
         
 

Total

      59,212
         
  Miscellaneous Business Credit Institutions (5.6%)
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 1.40%, 3/23/09

   10,000,000    9,969
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 1.971%, 2/2/09

   10,700,000    10,700
 

Park Avenue Receivables Corp., 1.40%, 2/12/09

   6,000,000    5,990
 

Park Avenue
Receivables Corp., 2.00%, 1/5/09

   8,000,000    7,998
         
 

Total

      34,657
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

90    Money Market Portfolio      


Money Market Portfolio

 

 

Money Market

Investments (99.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

National Commercial Banks (1.9%)

 

Bank of America NA,
0.30%, 1/16/09

   11,800,000    11,799
         
 

Total

      11,799
         
 

Other Holdings (–%)

 

Northwestern Mutual Life
Insurance Co. Capital
Support Agreement,
0.00%, 7/19/09

   23,570,000   
         
 

Total

     
         
 

Personal Credit Institutions (6.3%)

 

American Express Bank
FSB, .568%, 6/22/09

   8,000,000    7,970

(q)

 

Associates Corp. of
North America,
8.55%, 7/15/09

   7,010,000    7,001
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
1.50%, 2/3/09

   10,000,000    9,986
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
1.75%, 1/29/09

   6,000,000    5,992
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
2.05%, 1/28/09

   8,000,000    7,988
         
 

Total

      38,937
         
 

Security Brokers and Dealers (2.2%)

 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
1.625%, 6/19/09

   3,827,000    3,815

(q)

 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
3.875%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,996
         
 

Total

      13,811
         
 

Short Term Business Credit (11.1%)

 

Caterpillar Financial
Services Corp.,
2.259%, 3/10/09

   10,970,000    10,970
 

Liberty Street Funding
LLC, 0.55%, 2/17/09

   7,000,000    6,995
 

Liberty Street Funding
LLC, 1.65%, 1/6/09

   7,500,000    7,498
 

Liberty Street Funding
LLC, 2.10%, 2/13/09

   6,000,000    5,985

 

 

Money Market

Investments (99.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Short Term Business Credit continued

 

Old Line Funding LLC,
0.60%, 2/17/09

   5,000,000    4,996
 

Old Line Funding LLC,
0.65%, 3/20/09

   2,700,000    2,696
 

Old Line Funding LLC,
1.65%, 3/2/09

   12,000,000    11,967
 

Sheffield Receivables
Corp., 0.65%, 2/2/09

   6,000,000    5,997
 

Sheffield Receivables
Corp., 1.20%, 1/5/09

   2,800,000    2,800
 

Sheffield Receivables
Corp., 1.65%, 3/4/09

   9,000,000    8,974
         
 

Total

      68,878
         
 

Total Money Market

Investments

(Cost: $621,786)

      621,299
         
 

Total Investments

(99.8%)

(Cost: $621,786)(a)

      621,299
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (0.2%)

      1,321
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      622,620
         

 

     144A after the name of a security represents A security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $22,670, representing 3.64% of the net assets.

 

(q) Security covered by Capital Support Agreement.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Money Market Portfolio    91


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Provide as high a level of current income

as is consistent with prudent investment risk.

  

Invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of high

quality debt securities.

   $70 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Short-Term Bond Portfolio. The primary investment objective of the Portfolio is to provide as high a level of current income as is consistent with prudent investment risk. Normally, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of investment grade debt securities. Investment grade securities are securities rated “investment grade” by at least one qualified rating agency or, if unrated, determined by the Portfolio’s Adviser to be of comparable quality. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of net assets in non-investment grade, high yield/high risk bonds (so called “junk bonds”). Also, the Portfolio may invest up to 30% of net assets in foreign securities, consistent with its investment objective. Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio attempts to maintain a duration (the Portfolio’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates) of between one and three years. The Portfolio may invest in mortgage-and asset-backed securities. Securities are selected primarily based upon rigorous analysis of interest rates, the economy, and credit and call risks. Both a top-down and bottom-up investment approach is used to construct the portfolio of investments. The top-down investment approach involves an evaluation of the overall economic environment and its potential for performance based on economic and business cycles. The bottom-up investment approach focuses on fundamental research of issuers to identify issuers that appear to have strong relative credit quality, solid balance sheets, improving company specific fundamentals, and free cash flow. The proportion of the Portfolio’s assets committed to investments in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) varies based on economic outlook, the financial markets and other factors.

Market Overview

The spiraling sub-prime credit crisis took an incredible toll on U.S. financial institutions, the economy and financial markets in 2008. Nowhere was this as evident as in the fixed income markets, where risk aversion, deleveraging and fear of deflation sent segments of the Treasury market to their best year ever, while credit-sensitive bonds endured historic underperformance. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as the economy entered its first recession since 2002. In that environment, the Federal Reserve took dramatic steps, effectively cutting its short-term rate target to 0%, intervening in the mortgage, commercial, and consumer debt markets, while Congress passed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Against that backdrop, the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade (BIG) Bond Index (a broad-based bond index) rose 7.02%, led by gains in Treasury and government-backed mortgage debt, while corporate bonds endured their worst year ever, according to Merrill Lynch.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Short-Term Bond Portfolio had a total return of 2.71%. By comparison, the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Year Government/Corporate Index returned 4.62%. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, Short-Intermediate Investment-Grade Debt Funds, was –2.43%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. (Lipper), an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s performance relative to its peers and Index can largely be explained by its sector allocation. Almost two-thirds of the Index was weighted toward Treasury and government agency bonds, which were the best-performing segment of the market in 2008. Meanwhile, the Portfolio and Lipper peer group invested across the investment grade fixed income spectrum. In 2008, corporate, mortgage-, and asset-backed securities significantly underperformed government bonds, and the Portfolio had more of these credit-sensitive securities than the Index, but presumably less than many of its peers.

We manage the Portfolio using a patient, long-term relative value approach to investing, looking for the best values across the fixed income market, looking to buy assets with the best risk/reward trade-offs we can find. As a result of that approach, we were significantly underweight Treasury bonds in 2008, particularly late in the year as Treasury yields approached record lows. In addition, many of the Treasuries we did hold tended to be inflation-protected securities. Those decisions detracted from performance relative to the Index because plain-vanilla Treasury bonds outperformed every other asset class in 2008, including inflation-adjusted Treasuries. Nevertheless, we thought this positioning made sense because we reduced our exposure to what we believe is the last remaining asset bubble (Treasuries) and were able to buy future inflation protection at what we considered cheap prices.

 

92    Short-Term Bond Portfolio      


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

A key positive contribution to performance relative to the Index and our peers was a large position (about a quarter of assets) in short-term bank paper backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). These bonds were issued with yields that were 150 basis points over like-maturity Treasuries, despite the fact that they too carry a government guarantee. These bonds performed very well late in 2008 when investors started looking beyond Treasury bonds to government agency-backed debt. This sort of trade exemplified our risk/reward, relative value approach at work—we were able to add significant additional yield on a large chunk of the Portfolio at little additional risk.

Outlook

We remain in a remarkable period where historical valuation and yield relationships in the fixed income markets are at unprecedented levels. At the sector level, this argues for a significant underweight to traditional Treasuries in favor of high quality, higher yielding paper where the government is your ally—our FDIC bonds are good examples. This is a point we cannot stress enough—there are no shortage of high quality assets trading at distressed levels. And with real questions about the likely length and depth of the recession, we see no reason to dip down into lower quality bonds. Add it all up, and we are likely to manage the Portfolio’s sensitivity to interest rate and yield curve changes conservatively, while working to capitalize on relative value disparities through our sector allocation and security selection.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
           
     1 Year    Since
Inception*

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

   2.71%    3.49%

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3
Years Index**

   4.62%    5.66%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Short-Intermediate
Investment Grade Debt Funds
Average

   -2.43%    –  

*Inception date of 4/30/07

** Prior to November 1, 2008, the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate

1-3 Years Index was known as the Lehman Brothers U.S. Aggregate

1-3 Years Index.

 

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Return of principal is not guaranteed. Bond funds have the same interest rate, inflation and credit risks that are associated with the underlying bonds owned by the Portfolio. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance.


 

      Short-Term Bond Portfolio    93


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

 

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Federal National Mortgage Association, Various

   8.0%

  Federal National Mortgage Association,

  3.875%, 7/12/13

   7.6%

  US Treasury, Various

   6.9%

  Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust,

  Series 2004-N, Class A6, 4.00%, 8/25/34

   4.7%

  John Deere Owner Trust, Various

   3.3%

  Banc of America Mortgage Securities,

  Inc., Series 2004-G, Class 2A6,

  4.648%, 8/25/34

   2.8%

  Washington Mutual Commercial Mortgage

  Securities Trust, Various

   2.6%

  Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series

  2006-1, Class A3, .641%, 1/25/46

   2.3%

  LB-UBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series

  2001-WM, Class A2, 6.53%, 7/14/16

   2.1%

  Bank of America Corp., Various

   1.9%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

The Corporate Bonds sector includes bonds of companies and governments headquartered outside the United States.

The Government and Structured Product categories include domestic taxable bonds.

Consistent with the Portfolio’s stated parameters, no more than 30% of the Portfolio is invested in foreign securities, and no more than 20% is invested in high yield securities.

 


94    Short-Term Bond Portfolio      


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Corporate Bonds (37.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Aerospace/Defense (1.1%)

 

BAE Systems Holdings,
Inc.,
4.75%, 8/15/10 144A

   250,000    249
 

L-3 Communications
Corp., 7.625%, 6/15/12

   250,000    244
 

Northrop Grumman
Systems Corp.,
7.125%, 2/15/11

   250,000    260
         
 

Total

      753
         
 

Auto Manufacturing (0.7%)

 

Daimler Finance North
America LLC,
5.75%, 9/8/11

   250,000    211
 

Daimler Finance North
America LLC,
7.20%, 9/1/09

   250,000    243
         
 

Total

      454
         
 

Banking (16.9%)

 

American Express Bank,
FSB, 3.15%, 12/9/11

   1,000,000    1,008
 

Bank of America Corp.,
3.125%, 6/15/12

   1,000,000    1,039
 

Bank of America Corp.,
4.50%, 8/1/10

   250,000    250
 

Bank of Scotland PLC,
5.625%, 7/20/09 144A

   250,000    248
 

Barclays Bank PLC,
7.40%, 12/15/09

   390,000    392
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
6.50%, 8/19/13

   200,000    202
 

Countrywide Home
Loans, Inc.,
4.125%, 9/15/09

   270,000    267
 

Credit Suisse USA, Inc.,
5.50%, 8/16/11

   225,000    224
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
3.25%, 6/15/12

   1,000,000    1,043
 

HSBC USA, Inc.,
3.125%, 12/16/11

   1,000,000    1,038
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.,
4.75%, 5/1/13

   250,000    247
 

KeyBank NA,
3.20%, 6/15/12

   1,000,000    1,039
 

Mellon Funding Corp.,
3.25%, 4/1/09

   185,000    184
 

Merrill Lynch & Co.,
4.25%, 2/8/10

   35,000    34
 

Merrill Lynch & Co.,
4.79%, 8/4/10

   215,000    209
 

Morgan Stanley,
6.60%, 4/1/12

   250,000    242
 

National City Corp.,
3.125%, 4/30/09

   300,000    294

 

 

Corporate Bonds (37.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

 

PNC Funding Corp.,
2.30%, 6/22/12

   1,000,000    1,010
 

PNC Funding Corp.,
7.50%, 11/1/09

   250,000    250
 

Regions Bank,
3.25%, 12/9/11

   1,000,000    1,040
 

SunTrust Bank,
3.00%, 11/16/11

   1,000,000    1,034
 

U.S. Bancorp,
4.50%, 7/29/10

   250,000    249
 

Wells Fargo Bank NA,
7.55%, 6/21/10

   268,000    279
         
 

Total

      11,822
         
 

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite (1.0%)

 

CBS Corp.,
7.70%, 7/30/10

   250,000    244
 

Comcast Corp.,
5.45%, 11/15/10

   250,000    247
 

Viacom, Inc.,
5.75%, 4/30/11

   250,000    227
         
 

Total

      718
         
 

Consumer Products (0.2%)

 

Colgate-Palmolive Co.,
4.20%, 5/15/13

   125,000    128
         
 

Total

      128
         
 

Electric Utilities (3.7%)

 

Appalachian Power Co.,
6.60%, 5/1/09

   138,000    137
 

Consolidated Edison Co.
of New York,
3.85%, 6/15/13

   250,000    236
 

Consumers Energy Co.,
4.80%, 2/17/09

   250,000    249
 

The Detroit Edison Co.,
6.125%, 10/1/10

   250,000    251
 

Duke Energy Carolinas
LLC, 4.50%, 4/1/10

   250,000    250
 

Florida Power Corp.,
4.50%, 6/1/10

   250,000    248
 

Nevada Power Co.,
6.50%, 4/15/12

   250,000    239
 

Pacific Gas & Electric
Co., 3.60%, 3/1/09

   250,000    249
 

PacifiCorp,
5.45%, 9/15/13

   250,000    256
 

PPL Electric Utilities
Corp., 6.25%, 8/15/09

   250,000    251
 

Virginia Electric and
Power Co.,
4.50%, 12/15/10

   250,000    247
         
 

Total

      2,613
         

 

 

Corporate Bonds (37.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electronics (0.5%)

 

IBM International Group
Capital LLC,
5.05%, 10/22/12

   325,000    339
         
 

Total

      339
         
 

Food Processors (0.4%)

 

Kraft Foods, Inc.,
5.625%, 11/1/11

   155,000    159
 

Kraft Foods, Inc.,
6.25%, 6/1/12

   95,000    98
         
 

Total

      257
         
 

Gas Pipelines (0.7%)

 

Enterprise Products
Operating LP,
4.625%, 10/15/09

   250,000    242
 

Kinder Morgan Energy
Partners, L.P.,
6.30%, 2/1/09

   250,000    250
         
 

Total

      492
         
 

Independent Finance (2.2%)

 

American General Finance
Corp., 4.625%, 5/15/09

   250,000    214
 

General Electric Capital
Corp., 3.00%, 12/9/11

   1,000,000    1,034
 

General Electric Capital
Corp., 5.25%, 10/19/12

   25,000    25

(n)

 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.50%, 12/31/13 144A

   10,000    7
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.75%, 1/19/10

   100,000    89

(n)

 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC,
8.00%, 12/31/18 144A

   12,000    6
 

International Lease
Finance Corp.,
5.45%, 3/24/11

   250,000    184
         
 

Total

      1,559
         
 

Industrials - Other (0.3%)

 

D.R. Horton, Inc.,
7.875%, 8/15/11

   250,000    215
         
 

Total

      215
         
 

Oil and Gas (1.3%)

 

Anadarko Finance Co.,
6.75%, 5/1/11

   250,000    250
 

Burlington Resources
Finance Co.,
6.40%, 8/15/11

   250,000    257
 

Devon Financing Corp.
ULC, 6.875%, 9/30/11

   250,000    252

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Short-Term Bond Portfolio    95


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

 

 

Corporate Bonds (37.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Oil and Gas continued

 

Tesoro Corp.,
6.25%, 11/1/12

   250,000    172
         
 

Total

      931
         
 

Other Finance (1.5%)

 

Capmark Financial Group,
Inc., 5.875%, 5/10/12

   100,000    34
 

John Deere Capital Corp.,
2.875%, 6/19/12

   1,000,000    1,029
         
 

Total

      1,063
         
 

Paper and Forest Products (0.4%)

 

International Paper Co.,
4.00%, 4/1/10

   250,000    241
         
 

Total

      241
         
 

Railroads (1.3%)

 

Burlington Northern Santa
Fe Corp.,
6.125%, 3/15/09

   250,000    250
 

Canadian National
Railway Co.,
4.25%, 8/1/09

   198,000    198
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.,
6.75%, 2/15/11

   237,000    240
 

Union Pacific Corp.,
3.875%, 2/15/09

   250,000    250
         
 

Total

      938
         
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (1.1%)

 
 

AvalonBay Communities,
Inc., 7.50%, 8/1/09

   390,000    377
 

Duke Realty LP,
5.625%, 8/15/11

   250,000    194
 

Simon Property Group LP,
5.375%, 6/1/11

   250,000    211
         
 

Total

      782
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (0.7%)

 

CVS/Caremark Corp.,
4.00%, 9/15/09

   250,000    247
 

Safeway, Inc.,
7.50%, 9/15/09

   250,000    254
         
 

Total

      501
         
 

Retail Stores (1.1%)

 

The Home Depot, Inc.,
4.625%, 8/15/10

   250,000    247
 

J.C. Penney Corp.,
8.00%, 3/1/10

   250,000    243
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings,
Inc., 6.30%, 4/1/09

   250,000    244
         
 

Total

      734
         
 

Telecommunications (1.8%)

 

AT&T, Inc.,
4.125%, 9/15/09

   293,000    294
 

Deutsche Telekom
International Finance
BV, 8.00%, 6/15/10

   250,000    258

 

 

Corporate Bonds (37.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunications continued

 

Rogers Wireless, Inc.,
9.625%, 5/1/11

   200,000    209
 

Sprint Capital Corp.,
7.625%, 1/30/11

   250,000    209
 

Vodafone Group PLC,
7.75%, 2/15/10

   250,000    255
         
 

Total

      1,225
         
 

Vehicle Parts (0.3%)

 

Johnson Controls, Inc.,
5.25%, 1/15/11

   250,000    230
         
 

Total

      230
         
 

Total Corporate Bonds

(Cost: $26,305)

      25,995
         
 
 

Governments (14.5%)

 

Governments (14.5%)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
3.875%, 7/12/13

   5,000,000    5,306
 

US Treasury,
2.125%, 4/30/10

   422,000    432
 

US Treasury,
2.375%, 8/31/10

   1,950,000    2,009
 

US Treasury,
3.125%, 8/31/13

   175,000    189
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
0.875%, 4/15/10

   2,287,140    2,149
 

Total Governments

(Cost: $9,809)

      10,085
         
 

Structured Products (45.3%)

 

Structured Products (45.3%)

 

Banc of America
Mortgage Securities, Inc.,
Series 2004-G, Class
2A6, 4.648%, 8/25/34

   2,000,000    1,921
 

Capital One Multi-Asset
Execution Trust, Series
2007-A6, Class A6,
1.265%, 5/15/13

   875,000    788
 

Capital One Prime Auto
Receivables Trust, Series
2006-2, Class A4,
4.94%, 7/15/12

   1,000,000    956
 

Countrywide Home Loan
Mortgage Pass Through
Trust, Series 2005-31,
Class 2A1,
5.471%, 1/25/36

   745,358    535
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 4/1/18

   509,296    526

 

 

Structured Products

(45.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
2439, Class LH,
6.00%, 4/15/32

   500,000    515
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
7.00%, 12/1/35

   707,674    738
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 5/1/20

   1,577,807    1,624
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 8/1/22

   1,701,507    1,768
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 12/1/37

   1,801,853    1,874

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 9/1/38

   335,515    349
 

First Union National Bank
Commercial Mortgage
Trust, Series 1999-C4,
Class E,
7.939%, 12/15/31 144A

   1,000,000    945
 

John Deere Owner Trust,
Series 2008-A, Class A4,
4.89%, 3/16/15

   1,000,000    906
 

John Deere Owner Trust,
Series 2007-A, Class A3,
5.04%, 7/15/11

   847,264    842
 

John Deere Owner Trust,
Series 2007-A, Class A4,
5.07%, 4/15/14

   1,500,000    1,428
 

LB-UBS Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
2003-C7, Class A2,
4.064%, 9/15/27

   150,024    145
 

LB-UBS Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
2001-WM, Class A2,
6.53%, 7/14/16 144A

   1,500,000    1,457
 

MBNA Master Credit
Card Trust, Series 2000-
E, Class A,
7.80%, 10/15/12

   700,000    706
 

Morgan Stanley Capital I,
Inc., Series 1999-FNV1,
Class C, 6.80%, 3/15/31

   1,000,000    997
 

Morgan Stanley Dean
Witter Capital I, Inc.,
Series 2000-LIF2,
Class A2, 7.20%, 10/15/33

   192,362    191
 

Nissan Auto Receivables
Owner Trust, Series
2005-C, Class A4,
4.31%, 3/15/11

   507,791    502
 

Nissan Auto Receivables
Owner Trust, Series
2006-A, Class A4,
4.77%, 7/15/11

   1,000,000    990

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

96    Short-Term Bond Portfolio      


Short-Term Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products

(45.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Nordstrom Private Label
Credit Card Master Note
Trust, Series 2007-1A,
Class A,
4.92%, 5/15/13 144A

   963,000    919
 

Thornburg Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series
2006-5, Class A1,
.591%, 9/25/46

   1,009,187    836
 

Thornburg Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series
2006-1, Class A3,
.641%, 1/25/46

   1,583,733    1,578
 

Thornburg Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series
2007-2, Class A3A,
1.525%, 6/25/37

   794,307    662
 

USAA Auto Owner Trust,
Series 2008-2, Class A4,
5.16%, 11/15/13

   1,000,000    885
 

WaMu Commercial
Mortgage Securities
Trust, Series 2005-C1A,
Class A2,
5.15%, 5/25/36 144A

   979,732    947
 

Washington Mutual
Commercial Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series
2003-C1A, Class A,
3.83%, 1/25/35 144A

   899,171    853
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage
Backed Securities Trust,
Series 2004-N, Class A6,
4.00%, 8/25/34

   3,450,000    3,296
 

World Financial
Properties,
6.91%, 9/1/13 144A

   887,900    905
         
 

Total Structured Products

(Cost: $32,529)

   31,584
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(0.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.3%)

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
0.20%, 3/30/09

   200,000    200
         
 

Total

      200
         
 

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institutions

(0.4%)

(b)

 

Duke Energy Corp.,
4.00%, 1/5/09

   300,000    300
         
 

Total

   300
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $500)

   500
         
 

Total Investments (97.7%)

(Cost: $69,143)(a)

   68,164
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (2.3%)

   1,633
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   69,797
         

 


 

   144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $6,536, representing 9.36% of the net assets.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $69,146 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $982 which is comprised of $1,120 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $2,102 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

US Two Year Treasury Note (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $1,291)

   6    3/09    $      18

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate market value of $13 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Short-Term Bond Portfolio    97


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Realize as high a level of total return

as is consistent with prudent investment

risk. A secondary objective is to seek

preservation of shareholders’ capital.

   Invest primarily in high quality corporate bonds, U.S. government bonds and government agency securities.    $1.1 billion

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Select Bond Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks to realize as high a level of total return as is consistent with prudent investment risk; a secondary objective is to seek preservation of shareholders’ capital. The Portfolio seeks to achieve these objectives by investing at least 80% of net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of investment grade debt securities with maturities exceeding one year. The Portfolio invests in both domestic and foreign debt securities that are rated investment grade by at least one major rating agency, or if unrated, determined by management to be of comparable quality. Up to 20% of net assets may be invested in below investment grade securities. The Portfolio is actively managed to seek to take advantage of changes in interest rates, credit quality and maturity based on management’s outlook for the economy, the financial markets and other factors.

Market Overview

The spiraling sub-prime credit crisis took an incredible toll on U.S. financial institutions, the economy and financial markets in 2008. Nowhere was this as evident as in the fixed income markets, where risk aversion, deleveraging and fear of deflation sent segments of the Treasury market to their best year ever, while credit-sensitive bonds endured historic underperformance. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as the economy entered its first recession since 2002. In that environment, the Federal Reserve took dramatic steps, effectively cutting its short-term rate target to 0%, intervening in the mortgage, commercial, and consumer debt markets, while Congress passed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Against that backdrop, the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade (BIG) Bond Index (a broad-based bond index) rose 7.02%, led by gains in Treasury and government-backed mortgage debt, while corporate bonds endured their worst year ever, according to Merrill Lynch.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Select Bond Portfolio had a total return of 3.26%. By comparison, the Citigroup BIG Index returned 7.02% for the year. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, A-Rated Corporate Debt Funds was –5.23%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

Select Bond’s performance relative to its peers and Index can largely be explained by its sector allocation. Corporate, mortgage-, and asset-backed securities significantly underperformed Treasuries in 2008, and the portfolio had more of these credit-sensitive securities than the Index, but apparently less than many of its peers.

We take a patient, long-term approach to investing, looking for high quality assets at attractive prices. But managing the Portfolio with an eye toward the long term carries the risk of short-term set-backs as we build positions in out-of-favor segments of the market.

For example, as Treasury yields fell to record lows across the maturity spectrum, we were selling these bonds and reducing our sensitivity to interest rate changes. Similarly, the difference in yield between plain vanilla and inflation adjusted Treasuries narrowed so dramatically in the fourth quarter that it implied inflation running below 1% a year for the next ten years. And this was at a time when the Fed was taking unprecedented steps to support the economy and employing policies that we felt almost certainly would prove inflationary down the road. So, while many people were dumping inflation-adjusted bonds, we were buying them. These trades detracted from performance compared with our Index in 2008, but we reduced our exposure to what is arguably the last remaining asset bubble (Treasuries) and bought future inflation protection at what we consider cheap prices.

In the mortgage slice, we took advantage of the dislocations in the market to add high quality mortgage- and asset-backed securities trading at levels once reserved for low-quality, high-yield bonds. Again, we viewed these as excellent long-term plays, though they underperformed in 2008. And while it hurt performance relative to the Index to hold more corporate bonds, we mitigated some of the poor performance by holding shorter-term, higher quality securities in more defensive sectors of the economy. Finally, the Portfolio had limited exposure to Lehman Brothers, representing less than 1% of total assets, but which still hurt performance after the investment bank’s September bankruptcy filing.

 

98    Select Bond Portfolio      


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

We remain in a remarkable period where historical valuation and yield relationships in the fixed income markets are at unprecedented levels. At the sector level, this argues for a significant underweight to traditional Treasuries in favor of high quality, higher yielding paper where the government is your ally—Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FDIC bonds are all good examples. This is a point we cannot stress enough—there are no shortage of high quality assets trading at distressed levels. And with real questions about the likely length and depth of the recession, we see no reason to dip down into lower quality bonds. Add it all up, and we are likely to continue to manage the Portfolio’s price sensitivity to interest rate changes conservatively, while working to capitalize on relative value disparities through our sector allocation and security selection.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Select Bond Portfolio

   3.26%    4.06%    5.68%

Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment
Grade Index

   7.02%    5.10%    5.85%

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate
Index**

   5.24%    4.65%    5.63%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Corporate Debt Funds A-
Rated Average

   -5.23%    1.97%    3.94%

** Prior to November 1, 2008, the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index was known as the Lehman Brothers U.S. Aggregate Index.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

 

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Return of principal is not guaranteed. Bond funds have the same interest rate, inflation and credit risks that are associated with the underlying bonds owned by the Portfolio. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance.


 

      Select Bond Portfolio    99


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Federal National Mortgage Association, Various

   26.1%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Various

   11.6%

  US Treasury, Various

   9.0%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,

  4.875%, 6/13/18

   3.6%

  AEP Texas Central Transition Funding

  LLC, Series 2006-A, Class A5, 5.306%, 7/1/21

   1.3%

  Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,

  Inc., Series 2007-2, Class A4, 5.688%, 4/10/49

   0.8%

  US Department of Housing & Urban

  Development, Various

   0.7%

  Federal National Mortgage Association

  Aces, Series 2006-M1, Class C, 5.355%, 2/25/16

   0.7%

  Nordstrom Private Label Credit Card Master

  Note Trust, Series 2007-1A, Class A,

  4.92%, 5/15/13

   0.6%

  Chase Issuance Trust, Series 2007-A17,

  Class A, 5.12%, 10/15/14

   0.6%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

The Corporate Bonds sector includes bonds of companies and governments headquartered outside the United States.

The Government and Structured Product categories include domestic taxable bonds.

Consistent with the Portfolio’s stated parameters, no more than 30% of the Portfolio is invested in foreign securities, and no more than 20% is invested in high yield securities.

 


 

100    Select Bond Portfolio      


Select Bond Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Independent Finance (0.0%)

(n)*

 

Preferred Blocker, Inc.,

    9.00%, 12/31/49 144A

   207    52
         
 

Total

      52
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $52)

   52
         
 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

         
 

Aerospace/Defense (0.9%)

 

BAE Systems Holdings,
Inc., 5.20%, 8/15/15 144A

   705,000    656
 

General Dynamics

    Corp., 4.25%, 5/15/13

   890,000    890
 

L-3 Communications

    Corp., 6.375%, 10/15/15

   3,050,000    2,851
 

Litton Industries, Inc.,
6.75%, 4/15/18

   1,000,000    1,112
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.,
6.15%, 9/1/36

   735,000    797
 

Raytheon Co.,
5.50%, 11/15/12

   3,680,000    3,720
         
 

Total

      10,026
         
 

Auto Manufacturing (0.2%)

 

Daimler Finance North
America LLC,
5.75%, 5/18/09

   1,940,000    1,883
 

Daimler Finance North
America LLC,
8.50%, 1/18/31

   240,000    175
         
 

Total

      2,058
         
 

Banking (5.2%)

 

American Express
Bank, FSB,
3.15%, 12/9/11

   2,650,000    2,671
 

BA Covered Bond
Issuer, 5.50%, 6/14/12 144A

   2,505,000    2,580
 

Bank of America Corp.,
5.42%, 3/15/17

   415,000    369
 

Bank of America Corp.,
5.65%, 5/1/18

   3,550,000    3,571
 

Bank of America Corp.,
8.125%, 12/29/49

   2,210,000    1,653
 

The Bank of New York
Mellon Corp.,
4.95%, 11/1/12

   210,000    213
 

Bank One Corp.,
5.25%, 1/30/13

   2,835,000    2,765
 

Barclays Bank PLC,
6.05%, 12/4/17 144A

   255,000    225

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

 

Barclays Bank PLC,
7.7%, 4/26/49 144A

   300,000    198
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
7.25%, 2/1/18

   440,000    482
 

BNP Paribas,
7.195%, 6/29/49 144A

   200,000    127
 

Citigroup Capital XXI,
8.3%, 12/21/57

   555,000    428
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
5.125%, 5/5/14

   1,645,000    1,546
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
6.125%, 11/21/17

   1,315,000    1,329
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
6.125%, 5/15/18

   1,095,000    1,107
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
8.4%, 4/29/49

   395,000    261
 

Countrywide Financial
Corp., 5.80%, 6/7/12

   575,000    560
 

Countrywide Home
Loans, Inc.,
4.00%, 3/22/11

   1,045,000    995
 

Countrywide Home
Loans, Inc.,
4.125%, 9/15/09

   210,000    208
 

Credit Agricole
SA/London,
6.637%, 5/31/49 144A

   220,000    99
 

Credit Suisse Guernsey,
Ltd., 5.86%, 5/29/49

   85,000    40
 

Credit Suisse/New York
NY, 5.00%, 5/15/13

   2,305,000    2,218
 

Credit Suisse/New York
NY, 6.00%, 2/15/18

   1,335,000    1,226
 

Deutsche Bank Capital
Funding Trust VII,
5.628%, 1/19/49 144A

   815,000    348
 

Fifth Third Bancorp,
8.25%, 3/1/38

   500,000    413
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
5.15%, 1/15/14

   3,420,000    3,080
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
5.75%, 10/1/16

   390,000    365
 

HSBC Holdings PLC, 6.80%, 6/1/38

   910,000    962
 

HSBC USA, Inc., 3.125%, 12/16/11

   2,650,000    2,752
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 4.75%, 3/1/15

   95,000    89
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 7.90%, 4/29/49

   1,350,000    1,123

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers
Holdings, Inc.,
5.50%, 4/4/16

   385,000    37

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers
Holdings, Inc.,
6.875%, 5/2/18

   480,000    46
 

M&I Marshall & Ilsley
Bank, 5.15%, 2/22/12

   1,770,000    1,600
 

Mellon Bank NA,
5.45%, 4/1/16

   940,000    919
 

Merrill Lynch & Co.,
6.22%, 9/15/26

   240,000    222
 

Merrill Lynch & Co.,
6.40%, 8/28/17

   3,110,000    3,116
 

Morgan Stanley,
2.00%, 9/22/11

   2,650,000    2,667
 

Morgan Stanley,
5.375%, 10/15/15

   800,000    689
 

Morgan Stanley,
6.25%, 8/28/17

   800,000    681
 

Morgan Stanley,
6.25%, 8/9/26

   640,000    520
 

The Northern Trust Co.,
5.85%, 11/9/17

   250,000    256
 

Northern Trust Corp.,
5.30%, 8/29/11

   580,000    591
 

State Street Bank and
Trust Co.,
5.30%, 1/15/16

   1,385,000    1,354
 

SunTrust Bank,
3.00%, 11/16/11

   2,650,000    2,740
 

UBS AG/Stamford
Branch,
5.75%, 4/25/18

   1,775,000    1,611
 

UBS AG/Stamford
Branch,
5.875%, 12/20/17

   750,000    689
 

UBS Preferred Funding
Trust V,
6.243%, 5/29/49

   170,000    93
 

UnionBanCal Corp.,
5.25%, 12/16/13

   565,000    481
 

Wachovia Bank NA,
6.60%, 1/15/38

   435,000    472
 

Wachovia Corp.,
5.35%, 3/15/11

   950,000    906
 

Wachovia Corp.,
7.98%, 2/28/49

   250,000    213

(d)

 

Washington Mutual
Bank, 6.75%, 5/20/36

   520,000    0

(d)

 

Washington Mutual Bank, 6.875%, 6/15/11

   505,000    0
 

Wells Fargo Capital XIII, 7.70%, 12/29/49

   2,525,000    2,084
 

Zions Bancorporation,
5.50%, 11/16/15

   1,520,000    1,075
         
 

Total

      57,065
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    101


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Beverage/Bottling (1.3%)

 

Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc.,
4.50%, 4/1/18

   40,000    34
 

Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc., 5.75%, 4/1/36

   200,000    162
 

Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc., 9.00%, 12/1/09

   3,025,000    3,113
 

Bottling Group LLC, 4.625%, 11/15/12

   380,000    384
 

Bottling Group LLC, 5.50%, 4/1/16

   2,815,000    2,817
 

The Coca-Cola Co., 5.35%, 11/15/17

   840,000    906
 

Constellation Brands,
Inc., 7.25%, 9/1/16

   1,180,000    1,115
 

Diageo Capital PLC, 4.375%, 5/3/10

   420,000    416
 

Dr. Pepper Snapple
Group, Inc., 6.82%, 5/1/18 144A

   645,000    636
 

Dr. Pepper Snapple
Group, Inc., 7.45%, 5/1/38 144A

   510,000    508
 

PepsiCo, Inc.,
4.65%, 2/15/13

   385,000    396
 

PepsiCo, Inc.,
5.00%, 6/1/18

   275,000    285
 

PepsiCo, Inc.,
7.9%, 11/1/18

   375,000    460
 

SABMiller PLC,
6.20%, 7/1/11 144A

   2,965,000    2,937
         
 

Total

      14,169
         
 

Building Products (0.1%)

 

CRH America, Inc., 6.00%, 9/30/16

   575,000    358
 

CRH America, Inc., 8.125%, 7/15/18

   385,000    278
         
 

Total

      636
         
 

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite (1.4%)

 

CBS Corp.,
6.625%, 5/15/11

   330,000    292
 

Comcast Corp.,
5.90%, 3/15/16

   1,945,000    1,857
 

Comcast Corp.,
6.40%, 5/15/38

   555,000    554
 

Comcast Corp.,
6.50%, 11/15/35

   175,000    174
 

Cox Communications,
Inc., 4.625%, 1/15/10

   565,000    547
 

Historic TW, Inc.,
6.625%, 5/15/29

   430,000    381
 

Historic TW, Inc.,
6.875%, 6/15/18

   180,000    161
 

News America, Inc.,
6.15%, 3/1/37

   730,000    681
 

Rogers Cable, Inc.,
5.50%, 3/15/14

   3,450,000    3,183

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite
continued

 

Rogers Cable, Inc., 6.25%, 6/15/13

   155,000    148
 

TCI Communications,
Inc., 8.75%, 8/1/15

   735,000    782
 

Time Warner Cable,
Inc., 5.40%, 7/2/12

   530,000    495
 

Time Warner Cable,
Inc., 6.55%, 5/1/37

   900,000    862
 

Time Warner Cable,
Inc., 6.75%, 7/1/18

   200,000    193
 

Time Warner Cable,
Inc., 8.75%, 2/14/19

   510,000    555
 

Time Warner
Entertainment Co. LP, 8.375%, 3/15/23

   690,000    695
 

Time Warner
Entertainment Co. LP, 8.875%, 10/1/12

   1,500,000    1,513
 

Time Warner, Inc., 5.50%, 11/15/11

   1,000,000    940
 

Viacom, Inc.,
5.75%, 4/30/11

   765,000    695
 

Viacom, Inc.,
6.125%, 10/5/17

   190,000    157
         
 

Total

      14,865
         
 

Conglomerate/Diversified Manufacturing
(0.4%)

 

The Dow Chemical Co., 5.70%, 5/15/18

   45,000    40
 

General Electric Co., 5.00%, 2/1/13

   1,900,000    1,922
 

Honeywell
International, Inc.,
5.30%, 3/1/18

   1,000,000    1,020
 

Monsanto Co., 5.125%, 4/15/18

   130,000    136
 

United Technologies
Corp., 4.875%, 5/1/15

   250,000    244
 

United Technologies
Corp., 6.35%, 3/1/11

   770,000    814
         
 

Total

      4,176
         
 

Consumer Products (0.4%)

 

The Clorox Co., 4.20%, 1/15/10

   1,750,000    1,729
 

The Clorox Co., 5.00%, 3/1/13

   1,000,000    985
 

Colgate-Palmolive Co., 4.20%, 5/15/13

   700,000    717
 

Fortune Brands, Inc., 5.375%, 1/15/16

   490,000    409
 

The Procter & Gamble
Co., 5.55%, 3/5/37

   460,000    511
         
 

Total

      4,351
         
 

Electric Utilities (4.7%)

 

AEP Texas Central Co., 6.65%, 2/15/33

   575,000    528

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities continued

 

American Electric
Power Co.,
5.25%, 6/1/15

   1,000,000    923
 

Bruce Mansfield Unit, 6.85%, 6/1/34

   415,000    354
 

Carolina Power &
Light, Inc., 5.15%, 4/1/15

   320,000    321
 

Carolina Power &
Light, Inc., 6.50%, 7/15/12

   255,000    251
 

CenterPoint Energy
Houston Electric LLC,
5.70%, 3/15/13

   200,000    190
 

CenterPoint Energy
Houston Electric LLC,
6.95%, 3/15/33

   210,000    193
 

CenterPoint Energy,
Inc., 6.50%, 5/1/18

   375,000    306
 

CMS Energy Corp.,
6.875%, 12/15/15

   970,000    827
 

Commonwealth Edison
Co., 5.875%, 2/1/33

   100,000    84
 

Connecticut Light and
Power Co., 5.65%, 5/1/18

   160,000    159
 

Consolidated Edison
Co. of New York, Inc.,
5.375%, 12/15/15

   485,000    476
 

Consolidated Edison
Co. of New York, Inc., 5.50%, 9/15/16

   430,000    426
 

Consolidated Natural
Gas Co., 5.00%, 12/1/14

   1,340,000    1,230
 

Consumers Energy Co., 5.15%, 2/15/17

   1,000,000    937
 

The Detroit Edison Co., 5.45%, 2/15/35

   105,000    91
 

Dominion Resources,
Inc., 6.00%, 11/30/17

   40,000    38
 

Dominion Resources,
Inc., 6.40%, 6/15/18

   175,000    171
 

DTE Energy Co., 6.375%, 4/15/33

   195,000    154
 

DTE Energy Co., 7.05%, 6/1/11

   4,470,000    4,422
 

Duke Energy Carolinas LLC, 6.45%, 10/15/32

   1,225,000    1,296
 

Duquesne Light
Holdings, Inc., 5.50%, 8/15/15

   640,000    537
 

Entergy Louisiana LLC, 6.50%, 9/1/18

   385,000    365
 

Entergy Mississippi,
Inc., 6.25%, 4/1/34

   660,000    559
 

Exelon Generation Co. LLC, 6.20%, 10/1/17

   955,000    821
 

Florida Power & Light
Co., 5.625%, 4/1/34

   180,000    191
 

Florida Power Corp., 4.50%, 6/1/10

   2,115,000    2,095

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

102    Select Bond Portfolio      


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities continued

 

Florida Power Corp., 4.80%, 3/1/13

   100,000    99
 

Florida Power Corp., 6.40%, 6/15/38

   365,000    408
 

Indiana Michigan Power
Co., 5.05%, 11/15/14

   1,560,000    1,405
 

Kiowa Power Partners
LLC,
4.811%, 12/30/13
144A

   560,795    524
 

Kiowa Power Partners
LLC,
5.737%, 3/30/21 144A

   975,000    746
 

MidAmerican Energy
Holdings Co.,
5.95%, 5/15/37

   195,000    177
 

Monongahela Power
Co.,
5.70%, 3/15/17 144A

   615,000    516
 

Nevada Power Co., 5.875%, 1/15/15

   1,495,000    1,431
 

Nevada Power Co., 5.95%, 3/15/16

   165,000    158
 

Nevada Power Co., 6.50%, 4/15/12

   750,000    717
 

Nevada Power Co., 6.50%, 5/15/18

   1,155,000    1,112
 

Northern States Power
Co., 5.25%, 10/1/18

   190,000    189
 

Ohio Edison Co., 6.40%, 7/15/16

   1,000,000    898
 

Ohio Edison Co., 6.875%, 7/15/36

   130,000    118
 

Oncor Electric Delivery
Co., 6.375%, 1/15/15

   985,000    944
 

Oncor Electric Delivery
Co.,
6.80%, 9/1/08 144A

   375,000    360
 

Oncor Electric Delivery
Co., 7.00%, 9/1/22

   180,000    168
 

Pacific Gas & Electric
Co., 5.80%, 3/1/37

   190,000    197
 

Pacific Gas & Electric
Co., 6.05%, 3/1/34

   315,000    335
 

PacifiCorp,
5.45%, 9/15/13

   3,000,000    3,069
 

PacifiCorp,
5.75%, 4/1/37

   630,000    622
 

Potomac Electric Power
Co., 6.50%, 11/15/37

   170,000    166
 

PPL Electric Utilities
Corp., 4.30%, 6/1/13

   1,800,000    1,690
 

PPL Electric Utilities
Corp., 6.25%, 8/15/09

   145,000    146
 

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.00%, 12/15/36

   310,000    200
 

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.50%, 5/1/18

   330,000    268
 

Progress Energy, Inc., 6.85%, 4/15/12

   710,000    712

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities continued

 

Public Service Co. of Colorado,
5.50%, 4/1/14

   955,000    907
 

Public Service Co. of
Colorado,
6.50%, 8/1/38

   1,800,000    2,008
 

Public Service Electric
& Gas Co., 5.00%, 1/1/13

   1,000,000    975
 

Public Service Electric
& Gas Co., 5.70%, 12/1/36

   1,160,000    1,071
 

Puget Sound Energy,
Inc., 6.274%, 3/15/37

   765,000    681
 

San Diego Gas &
Electric Co., 5.30%, 11/15/15

   215,000    221
 

San Diego Gas &
Electric Co., 6.125%, 9/15/37

   170,000    187
 

SCANA Corp.,
6.25%, 4/1/20

   500,000    462
 

Sierra Pacific Power
Co., 6.75%, 7/1/37

   400,000    357
 

South Carolina Electric
& Gas Co., 6.05%, 1/15/38

   265,000    277
 

Southern California
Edison Co., 5.00%, 1/15/16

   1,005,000    1,017
 

Southern California
Edison Co., 5.55%, 1/15/37

   230,000    242
 

Southern California
Edison Co.,
5.625%, 2/1/36

   70,000    74
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.10%, 5/15/18

   2,370,000    2,157
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   320,000    260
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.55%, 5/15/36

   385,000    329
 

The Toledo Edison Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   910,000    732
 

Union Electric Co., 6.40%, 6/15/17

   140,000    128
 

Union Electric Co., 6.70%, 2/1/19

   195,000    178
 

Virginia Electric and
Power Co., 5.25%, 12/15/15

   3,040,000    2,954
 

Virginia Electric and
Power Co., 5.40%, 1/15/16

   300,000    294
 

Westar Energy, Inc., 8.625%, 12/1/18

   125,000    135
 

Xcel Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 7/1/36

   590,000    542
         
 

Total

      51,508
         

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electronics (0.1%)

 

International Business
Machines Corp.,
8.00%, 10/15/38

   700,000    932
         
 

Total

      932
         
 

Food Processors (1.0%)

 

General Mills, Inc., 5.25%, 8/15/13

   190,000    191
 

General Mills, Inc., 5.70%, 2/15/17

   890,000    895
 

H.J. Heinz Co., 5.35%, 7/15/13

   1,425,000    1,414
 

Kellogg Co., 6.60%, 4/1/11

   3,610,000    3,778
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.25%, 6/1/12

   2,585,000    2,673
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.50%, 8/11/17

   1,305,000    1,312
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.875%, 1/26/39

   440,000    441
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 5/15/13

   835,000    536
         
 

Total

      11,240
         
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure (0.2%)

 

Harrah’s Operating Co.,
5.75%, 10/1/17

   420,000    65
 

Royal Caribbean
Cruises, Ltd., 7.00%, 6/15/13

   1,180,000    673
 

Wynn Las Vegas
LLC/Wynn Las Vegas
Capital Corp.,
6.625%, 12/1/14

   2,405,000    1,816
         
 

Total

      2,554
         
 

Gas Pipelines (0.5%)

 

CenterPoint Energy
Resources Corp.,
6.125%, 11/1/17

   120,000    101
 

El Paso Corp.,
7.00%, 6/15/17

   420,000    329
 

El Paso Natural Gas
Co., 5.95%, 4/15/17

   160,000    127
 

Kinder Morgan Energy
Partners LP, 6.50%, 2/1/37

   200,000    153
 

Kinder Morgan Energy
Partners LP, 7.30%, 8/15/33

   1,085,000    900
 

Kinder Morgan Finance
Co. ULC,
5.35%, 1/5/11

   1,765,000    1,575
 

Rockies Express
Pipeline LLC, 6.85%, 7/15/18 144A

   325,000    300
 

Southern Natural Gas
Co.,
5.90%, 4/1/17 144A

   175,000    139
 

Tennessee Gas Pipeline
Co., 7.50%, 4/1/17

   170,000    150

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    103


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Gas Pipelines continued

 

TransCanada Pipelines,
Ltd., 5.85%, 3/15/36

   160,000    136
 

TransCanada Pipelines,
Ltd., 6.20%, 10/15/37

   305,000    265
 

TransCanada PipeLines,
Ltd., 7.25%, 8/15/38

   785,000    781
         
 

Total

      4,956
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (1.0%)

 

AstraZeneca PLC, 5.90%, 9/15/17

   1,000,000    1,063
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Co., 5.875%, 11/15/36

   90,000    96
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Co., 6.125%, 5/1/38

   465,000    511
 

Eli Lilly and Co., 5.55%, 3/15/37

   735,000    759
 

GlaxoSmithKline
Capital, Inc., 5.65%, 5/15/18

   555,000    583
 

GlaxoSmithKline
Capital, Inc., 6.375%, 5/15/38

   815,000    921
 

Johnson & Johnson, 5.55%, 8/15/17

   1,000,000    1,142
 

Johnson & Johnson, 5.95%, 8/15/37

   735,000    897
 

Merck & Co., 4.75%, 3/1/15

   500,000    494
 

Merck & Co., 5.75%, 11/15/36

   375,000    395
 

Merck & Co., 6.40%, 3/1/28

   125,000    138
 

Schering-Plough Corp., 6.00%, 9/15/17

   1,000,000    990
 

Wyeth,
5.50%, 2/1/14

   2,040,000    2,072
 

Wyeth,
5.95%, 4/1/37

   910,000    1,010
         
 

Total

      11,071
         
 

Independent Finance (1.0%)

 

American General
Finance Corp., 5.4%, 12/1/15

   295,000    110
 

American General
Finance Corp., 6.90%, 12/15/17

   1,455,000    630
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 5.625%, 5/1/18

   4,960,000    4,996
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 5.875%, 1/14/38

   180,000    176
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp.
LLC, 6.00%, 12/15/11 144A

   978,000    791

(n)

 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp.
LLC,
7.50%, 12/31/13 144A

   179,000    131

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Independent Finance continued

(n)

 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp.
LLC,
8.00%, 12/31/18 144A

   214,000    107
 

HSBC Finance Corp., 4.125%, 11/16/09

   2,330,000    2,309
 

International Lease
Finance Corp.,
4.75%, 1/13/12

   1,485,000    1,038
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 5.15%, 3/1/12

   1,165,000    367
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 8.625%, 6/1/13

   500,000    155
         
 

Total

      10,810
         
 

Industrials - Other (0.1%)

 

Centex Corp., 7.875%, 2/1/11

   245,000    217
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 5.375%, 6/15/12

   385,000    284
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 7.875%, 8/15/11

   110,000    94
         
 

Total

      595
         
 

Information/Data Technology (0.2%)

 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.125%, 11/20/12

   765,000    719
 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.80%, 11/20/17

   765,000    678
 

Seagate Technology
HDD Holdings, 6.80%, 10/1/16

   510,000    265
         
 

Total

      1,662
         
 

Life Insurance (0.0%)

 

Prudential Financial,
Inc., 5.70%, 12/14/36

   145,000    90
         
 

Total

      90
         
 

Machinery (0.1%)

 

Case Corp., 7.25%, 1/15/16

   1,775,000    1,234
         
 

Total

      1,234
         
 

Metals/Mining (0.3%)

 

Alcoa, Inc.,
5.55%, 2/1/17

   1,000,000    787
 

Alcoa, Inc.,
5.72%, 2/23/19

   860,000    646
 

Alcoa, Inc., 5.90%, 2/1/27

   520,000    342
 

Alcoa, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/18

   290,000    237
 

Barrick North America Fiance LLC, 6.80%, 9/15/18

   375,000    335
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.25%, 4/1/15

   200,000    170
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.375%, 4/1/17

   515,000    422

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Metals/Mining continued

 

Rio Tinto Finance USA, Ltd., 6.50%, 7/15/18

   410,000    301
         
 

Total

      3,240
         
 

Natural Gas Distributors (0.1%)

 

NiSource Finance
Corp., 5.25%, 9/15/17

   495,000    300
 

NiSource Finance
Corp., 5.40%, 7/15/14

   590,000    404
 

NiSource Finance
Corp., 5.45%, 9/15/20

   185,000    99
 

NiSource Finance
Corp., 6.40%, 3/15/18

   205,000    128
         
 

Total

      931
         
 

Oil & Gas Field Machines and Services
(0.1%)

 

Pride International, Inc., 7.375%, 7/15/14

   655,000    609
         
 

Total

      609
         
 

Oil and Gas (2.0%)

 

Anadarko Finance Co., 7.50%, 5/1/31

   775,000    685
 

Apache Corp., 6.00%, 1/15/37

   365,000    354
 

Apache Corp., 6.90%, 9/15/18

   95,000    103
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd., 5.15%, 2/1/13

   1,000,000    927
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd., 5.70%, 5/15/17

   700,000    611
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd., 5.85%, 2/1/35

   140,000    104
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd., 6.25%, 3/15/38

   1,465,000    1,152
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd., 6.45%, 6/30/33

   255,000    206
 

ConocoPhillips Canada Funding Co. I, 5.30%, 4/15/12

   565,000    565
 

Devon Energy Corp., 7.95%, 4/15/32

   200,000    221
 

Devon Financing Corp. ULC, 6.875%, 9/30/11

   1,830,000    1,847
 

EnCana Corp., 5.90%, 12/1/17

   325,000    271
 

EnCana Corp., 6.50%, 2/1/38

   300,000    241
 

EnCana Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/37

   250,000    201
 

EnCana Holdings
Finance Corp., 5.80%, 5/1/14

   1,760,000    1,649
 

Hess Corp., 7.125%, 3/15/33

   260,000    231

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

104    Select Bond Portfolio      


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Oil and Gas continued

 

Marathon Oil Corp.,
6.125%, 3/15/12

   1,000,000    1,012
 

Marathon Oil Corp.,
6.60%, 10/1/37

   130,000    98
 

Nexen, Inc.,
5.875%, 3/10/35

   2,300,000    1,732
 

Nexen, Inc.,
6.40%, 5/15/37

   115,000    90
 

Pemex Project Funding
Master Trust,
6.625%, 6/15/35 144A

   200,000    169
 

Petro-Canada,
5.95%, 5/15/35

   580,000    399
 

Petro-Canada,
6.05%, 5/15/18

   880,000    725
 

Pioneer Natural
Resources Co.,
6.875%, 5/1/18

   1,340,000    937
 

Suncor Energy, Inc.,
6.50%, 6/15/38

   1,330,000    1,006
 

Suncor Energy, Inc.,
6.85%, 6/1/39

   210,000    167
 

Sunoco, Inc.,
5.75%, 1/15/17

   625,000    519
 

Talisman Energy, Inc.,
5.85%, 2/1/37

   1,590,000    1,106
 

Tesoro Corp.,
6.25%, 11/1/12

   1,590,000    1,097
 

Tesoro Corp.,
6.50%, 6/1/17

   2,045,000    1,122
 

Valero Energy Corp.,
6.625%, 6/15/37

   1,450,000    1,067
 

XTO Energy, Inc.,
5.30%, 6/30/15

   195,000    178
 

XTO Energy, Inc.,
6.25%, 4/15/13

   100,000    98
 

XTO Energy, Inc.,
6.50%, 12/15/18

   380,000    368
 

XTO Energy, Inc.,
6.75%, 8/1/37

   450,000    421
         
 

Total

      21,679
         
 

Other Finance (0.4%)

 

Capmark Financial
Group, Inc.,
6.30%, 5/10/17

   255,000    70
 

Eaton Vance Corp.,
6.50%, 10/2/17

   85,000    75
 

PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc.,
8.25%, 5/21/13

   2,370,000    1,910
 

SLM Corp.,
5.375%, 1/15/13

   80,000    59
 

SLM Corp.,
5.375%, 5/15/14

   445,000    300
 

SLM Corp.,
5.45%, 4/25/11

   3,020,000    2,384
         
 

Total

      4,798
         

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Other Services (0.1%)

 

Waste Management,
Inc., 5.00%, 3/15/14

   540,000    463
 

Waste Management,
Inc., 6.10%, 3/15/18

   1,090,000    943
         
 

Total

      1,406
         
 

Paper and Forest Products (0.1%)

 

International Paper Co.,
7.95%, 6/15/18

   430,000    340
 

International Paper Co.,
8.70%, 6/15/38

   415,000    290
 

Weyerhaeuser Co.,
6.875%, 12/15/33

   200,000    133
         
 

Total

      763
         
 

Property and Casualty Insurance (0.0%)

 

The Progressive Corp.,
6.70%, 6/15/37

   245,000    120
         
 

Total

      120
         
 

Railroads (1.1%)

 

Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Corp.,
6.125%, 3/15/09

   3,000,000    3,007
 

Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Corp.,
6.15%, 5/1/37

   710,000    654
 

Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Corp.,
6.20%, 8/15/36

   625,000    576
 

Canadian National
Railway Co.,
5.85%, 11/15/17

   120,000    124
 

Canadian National
Railway Co.,
6.375%, 11/15/37

   365,000    400
 

Canadian Pacific
Railway Co.,
5.95%, 5/15/37

   145,000    102
 

CSX Corp.,
5.60%, 5/1/17

   1,760,000    1,564
 

Union Pacific Corp.,
3.875%, 2/15/09

   3,000,000    3,006
 

Union Pacific Corp.,
5.65%, 5/1/17

   1,105,000    1,060
 

Union Pacific Corp.,
5.75%, 11/15/17

   550,000    521
 

Union Pacific Corp.,
6.65%, 1/15/11

   565,000    563
         
 

Total

      11,577
         
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (0.9%)

 

AvalonBay
Communities, Inc.,
5.50%, 1/15/12

   360,000    288
 

BRE Properties, Inc.,
5.50%, 3/15/17

   315,000    160
 

Colonial Realty LP,
6.05%, 9/1/16

   255,000    149

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts continued

 

Developers Diversified
Realty Corp.,
5.375%, 10/15/12

   1,000,000    419
 

Duke Realty LP,
5.95%, 2/15/17

   865,000    432
 

Duke Realty LP,
6.50%, 1/15/18

   1,000,000    446
 

ERP Operating LP,
5.25%, 9/15/14

   1,325,000    885
 

ERP Operating LP,
5.75%, 6/15/17

   420,000    290
 

First Industrial LP,
5.25%, 6/15/09

   1,275,000    1,177
 

HCP, Inc.,
6.00%, 1/30/17

   290,000    140
 

HCP, Inc.,
6.70%, 1/30/18

   170,000    82
 

HRPT Properties Trust,
5.75%, 11/1/15

   800,000    426
 

ProLogis,
5.50%, 3/1/13

   1,380,000    800
 

ProLogis,
5.75%, 4/1/16

   865,000    431
 

Rouse Co. LP/TRC Co-
Issuer, Inc.,
6.75%, 5/1/13 144A

   2,700,000    972
 

Simon Property Group
LP, 5.375%, 6/1/11

   2,370,000    2,003
 

Simon Property Group
LP, 5.60%, 9/1/11

   590,000    493
 

Simon Property Group
LP, 6.10%, 5/1/16

   1,155,000    738
         
 

Total

      10,331
         
 

Restaurants (0.1%)

 

Darden Restaurants,
Inc., 6.20%, 10/15/17

   120,000    89
 

Darden Restaurants,
Inc., 6.80%, 10/15/37

   470,000    303
 

Yum! Brands, Inc.,
6.875%, 11/15/37

   575,000    456
         
 

Total

      848
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (0.6%)

 

CVS/Caremark Corp.,
4.875%, 9/15/14

   730,000    673
 

CVS/Caremark Corp.,
6.125%, 8/15/16

   330,000    320
 

CVS/Caremark Corp.,
6.25%, 6/1/27

   1,475,000    1,371
 

Delhaize Group,
6.50%, 6/15/17

   570,000    517
 

The Kroger Co.,
6.15%, 1/15/20

   2,095,000    2,067
 

The Kroger Co.,
7.00%, 5/1/18

   170,000    178
 

The Kroger Co.,
7.50%, 4/1/31

   735,000    816
 

Tesco PLC,
6.15%, 11/15/37 144A

   440,000    389
         
 

Total

      6,331
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    105


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Retail Stores (1.0%)

 

Costco Wholesale
Corp., 5.50%, 3/15/17

   555,000    590
 

The Home Depot, Inc., 5.875%, 12/16/36

   1,300,000    1,019
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 5.75%, 2/15/18

   105,000    70
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.375%, 10/15/36

   210,000    127
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.875%, 10/15/15

   490,000    390
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 7.95%, 4/1/17

   420,000    320
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.25%, 12/15/17

   510,000    408
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.875%, 12/15/37

   380,000    270
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings,
Inc., 6.30%, 4/1/09

   3,790,000    3,696
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings,
Inc., 6.65%, 7/15/24

   65,000    36
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings,
Inc., 7.00%, 2/15/28

   95,000    52
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings,
Inc., 7.875%, 7/15/15

   605,000    436
 

Nordstrom, Inc., 7.00%, 1/15/38

   225,000    134
 

Target Corp.,
5.375%, 5/1/17

   1,495,000    1,360
 

Target Corp., 6.50%, 10/15/37

   635,000    545
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 5.80%, 2/15/18

   1,000,000    1,107
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 5.875%, 4/5/27

   810,000    854
         
 

Total

      11,414
         
 

Telecommunications (2.6%)

 

AT&T Corp., 7.30%, 11/15/11

   1,500,000    1,558
 

AT&T Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/31

   1,470,000    1,847
 

AT&T Mobility LLC, 7.125%, 12/15/31

   1,535,000    1,613
 

AT&T, Inc.,
5.10%, 9/15/14

   1,625,000    1,597
 

British
Telecommunications
PLC,
8.625%, 12/15/10

   1,000,000    1,029
 

British
Telecommunications
PLC,
9.125%, 12/15/30

   500,000    532
 

Deutsche Telekom International Finance
BV, 5.75%, 3/23/16

   480,000    460
 

Embarq Corp., 6.738%, 6/1/13

   610,000    515
 

Embarq Corp., 7.082%, 6/1/16

   660,000    508

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunications continued

 

Embarq Corp., 7.995%, 6/1/36

   635,000    429
 

France Telecom SA, 7.75%, 3/1/11

   1,000,000    1,052
 

France Telecom SA, 8.50%, 3/1/31

   800,000    1,004
 

Rogers
Communications, Inc., 6.80%, 8/15/18

   500,000    505
 

Rogers Wireless, Inc., 6.375%, 3/1/14

   625,000    594
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.375%, 3/15/12

   1,880,000    1,504
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.75%, 3/15/32

   330,000    223
 

Sprint Nextel Corp., 6.00%, 12/1/16

   385,000    271
 

Telecom Italia Capital
SA, 4.00%, 1/15/10

   1,565,000    1,440
 

Telecom Italia Capital
SA, 6.20%, 7/18/11

   1,225,000    1,087
 

Verizon
Communications, Inc., 5.85%, 9/15/35

   3,135,000    3,119
 

Verizon
Communications, Inc., 6.10%, 4/15/18

   2,085,000    2,078
 

Verizon
Communications, Inc., 8.95%, 3/1/39

   425,000    549
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.00%, 9/15/15

   265,000    243
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.375%, 1/30/15

   700,000    659
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.50%, 6/15/11

   2,035,000    2,028
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.625%, 2/27/17

   1,445,000    1,362
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.75%, 3/15/16

   90,000    86
         
 

Total

      27,892
         
 

Tobacco (0.4%)

 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.70%, 11/10/18

   660,000    713
 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.95%, 11/10/38

   815,000    887
 

Philip Morris
International, Inc., 5.65%, 5/16/18

   760,000    754
 

Philip Morris
International, Inc., 6.375%, 5/16/38

   760,000    791
 

Reynolds American,
Inc., 6.75%, 6/15/17

   150,000    119
 

Reynolds American,
Inc., 7.25%, 6/15/37

   150,000    101
 

Reynolds American,
Inc., 7.625%, 6/1/16

   1,735,000    1,445
         
 

Total

      4,810
         

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(28.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Vehicle Parts (0.1%)

 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.25%, 1/15/11

   565,000    519
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.50%, 1/15/16

   580,000    450
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 6.00%, 1/15/36

   360,000    228
         
 

Total

      1,197
         
 

Yankee Sovereign (0.2%)

 

Mexico Government International Bond, 5.625%, 1/15/17

   1,480,000    1,480
 

Mexico Government International Bond, 6.05%, 1/11/40

   945,000    917
         
 

Total

      2,397
         
 

Total Corporate Bonds

(Cost: $343,520)

   314,341
         
 

Governments (13.9%)

         
 

Governments (13.9%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 4.875%, 6/13/18

   33,778,000    38,821
 

Israel Government AID
Bond, 5.50%, 4/26/24

   1,910,000    2,373

(n)

 

Overseas Private Investment, 4.10%, 11/15/14

   1,727,760    1,705

(e)

 

Tennesse Valley Authority Stripped, 0.00%, 4/15/42

   3,600,000    3,168
 

US Department of Housing & Urban Development, 6.08%, 8/1/13

   4,000,000    4,399
 

US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 6.17%, 8/1/14

   3,000,000    3,305

(g)

 

US Treasury, 2.75%, 10/31/13

   34,685,000    36,875
 

US Treasury, 3.75%, 11/15/18

   160,000    181

(g)

 

US Treasury, 4.00%, 8/15/18

   15,019,000    17,343

(g)

 

US Treasury, 4.375%, 2/15/38

   9,675,000    12,958

(b)

 

US Treasury, 5.50%, 8/15/28

   15,307,000    20,688
 

US Treasury, 8.125%, 8/15/21

   915,000    1,392
 

US Treasury Inflation Index Bond, 2.00%, 4/15/12

   4,187,245    4,083

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

106    Select Bond Portfolio      


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Governments (13.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Governments continued

 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.625%, 7/15/17

   4,179,109    4,283
 

Total Governments

(Cost: $135,900)

   151,574
         
 

Municipal Bonds (0.1%)

         
 

Municipal Bonds (0.1%)

 

Indiana Finance
Authority
Environmental
Facillities, Series
2006A, 4.47%, 9/1/41 RB , AMBAC

   755,000    755
         
 

Total

      755
         
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $755)

      755
         
 

Structured Products (52.8%)

         
 

Structured Products (52.8%)

 

AEP Texas Central
Transition Funding
LLC, Series 2006-A, Class A5, 5.306%, 7/1/21

   15,910,000    14,208
 

Asset Securitization
Corp., Series 1997-D5,
Class PS1,
1.418%, 2/14/43 IO

   36,650,745    1,027
 

Banc of America
Alternative Loan Trust,
Series 2006-3, Class 1CB1,
6.00%, 4/25/36

   1,602,718    768
 

Banc of America
Alternative Loan Trust,
Series 2006-4, Class 4CB1,
6.50%, 5/25/46

   1,909,521    933
 

Banc of America
Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-3, Class
A4, 5.658%, 6/10/49

   2,477,000    1,812
 

Banc of America
Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-2,
Class A4,
5.688%, 4/10/49

   12,033,000    9,142
 

Banc of America
Funding Corp., Series
2007-1, Class TA1A, .531%, 1/25/37

   1,771,135    840
 

Banc of America
Funding Corp., Series
2007-4, Class TA1A, .561%, 5/25/37

   2,769,408    2,406

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Banc of America
Mortgage Securities,
Inc., Series 2004-G,
Class 2A6, 4.648%, 8/25/34

   3,817,000    3,667
 

Bank of America Credit
Card Trust, Series
2007-A8, Class A8,
5.59%, 11/17/14

   4,500,000    4,211
 

CenterPoint Energy
Transition Bond Co.
LLC, 5.17%, 8/1/19

   1,730,000    1,745
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2007-A17, Class
A, 5.12%, 10/15/14

   7,000,000    6,494
 

Citigroup Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
2007-C6, Class A4,
5.7%, 12/10/49

   5,502,000    4,147
 

Citigroup Mortgage
Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2004-NCM2, Class
2CB1,
5.50%, 8/25/34

   836,931    732
 

Citigroup Mortgage
Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2005-1, Class 3A1,
6.50%, 4/25/35

   1,183,854    1,135
 

Countrywide
Alternative Loan Trust,
Series 2003-J1, Class
1A8, 5.25%, 10/25/33

   74,668    60
 

Countrywide Home
Loan Mortgage Pass
Through Trust, Series
2005-31, Class 2A1,
5.471%, 1/25/36

   1,032,922    741
 

Credit Suisse First
Boston Mortgage
Securities Corp., Series
2005-7, Class 6A1,
5.50%, 8/25/20

   2,574,482    2,384

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage
Capital Certificates,
Series 2007-5, Class
3A9, 6.00%, 8/25/37

   2,136,930    1,454

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage
Capital Certificates,
Series 2007-5, Class
3A19, 6.00%, 8/25/37

   2,271,618    1,659

(n)

 

Criimi Mae Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
1998-C1, Class B,
7.00%, 6/2/33 144A

   2,090,371    2,090
 

Discover Card Master
Trust, Series 2007-A1,
Class A1,
5.65%, 3/16/20

   5,000,000    3,786
 

DLJ Commercial
Mortgage Corp., Series
1998-CF1, Class S,
.728%, 2/18/31 IO

   14,812,888    337

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

DLJ Mortgage
Acceptance Corp.,
Series 1997-CF2, Class
S, 62%, 10/15/30
IO 144A

   8,225,593    162
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 4.00%, 10/1/20

   1,404,829    1,420
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 4.50%, 5/1/19

   1,600,053    1,642
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 4.50%, 7/1/20

   4,473,207    4,586
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3065, Class TN,
4.50%, 10/15/33

   1,770,301    1,806
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3248, Class LN,
4.50%, 7/15/35

   3,933,426    4,015
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 10/1/19

   2,445,892    2,521
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 2/1/20

   354,390    365
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 5/1/20

   1,385,396    1,425
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 10/1/20

   1,977,737    2,035
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 4/1/22

   999,906    1,028
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 9/1/35

   7,520,257    7,696
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 11/1/35

   2,734,573    2,798

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 12/1/35

   25,271,020    25,860
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.00%, 6/1/38

   5,462,256    5,588
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 9/1/19

   706,427    730
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 11/1/19

   1,991,977    2,058
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 12/1/19

   373,285    386
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 3/1/20

   2,702,904    2,790

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    107


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 3/1/22

  1,934,588   1,995
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 4/1/22

  2,896,047   2,987
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 6/1/35

  2,042,551   2,093

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 3/1/37

  10,541,775   10,802

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 5/1/37

  7,671,105   7,860
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 5.50%, 6/1/37

  5,653,288   5,793
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series K001, Class A2, 5.651%, 4/25/16

  5,382,489   5,613
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series 2840, Class LK, 6.00%, 11/15/17

  1,122,929   1,163
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series 2439, Class LH, 6.00%, 4/15/32

  2,550,000   2,627

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., 6.00%, 8/1/37

  31,106,678   32,078
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.00%, 6/1/19

  938,028   953
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.50%, 6/1/19

  4,798,473   4,924
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.50%, 8/1/19

  963,784   989
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.50%, 12/1/19

  548,642   563
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.50%, 7/1/20

  2,493,583   2,555
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 4.50%, 9/1/20

  3,375,693   3,459
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 3/1/20

  1,711,533   1,762
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 4/1/20

  676,556   696
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 5/1/20

  7,831,896   8,061

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 3/1/34

  529,867   542
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 4/1/35

  1,968,610   2,013
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 7/1/35

  3,250,590   3,323
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.00%, 10/1/35

  2,080,820   2,127
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.32%, 4/1/14

  1,700,402   1,767
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.38%, 1/1/17

  1,954,000   2,017
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 4/1/21

  1,564,491   1,614
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 9/1/34

  1,278,588   1,313
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 3/1/35

  4,099,307   4,206
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 7/1/35

  1,010,168   1,037
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 8/1/35

  2,571,576   2,639
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 9/1/35

  14,867,433   15,259
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 10/1/35

  4,460,820   4,578
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 11/1/35

  11,781,551   12,092
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 1/1/36

  9,595,368   9,848
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 2/1/37

  5,312,503   5,452
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 3/1/37

  1,836,991   1,885
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 5/1/37

  2,371,565   2,434
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 6/1/37

  418,256   429
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 2/1/38

  42,463,998   43,575

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 3/1/38

  797,770   818

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 4/1/38

  10,982,238   11,269

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 5/1/38

  15,010,153   15,402

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 6/1/38

  9,629,367   9,881
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 7/1/38

  782,164   803
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 5/1/35

  216,460   223
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 6/1/35

  46,020   47
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 7/1/35

  4,328,299   4,462
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 10/1/35

  1,747,911   1,802
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 11/1/35

  3,948,599   4,070
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 6/1/36

  4,543,187   4,683
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 9/1/36

  2,554,178   2,633
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 1/1/37

  22,326   23
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 6/1/37

  43,883   46
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 10/1/37

  21,065   22
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 11/1/37

  14,856,934   15,312

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 1/1/38

  18,136,454   18,690
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.00%, 6/1/38

  7,462,234   7,690
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, Series 2002-W4, Class A4, 6.25%, 5/25/42

  4,673,268   4,783
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.50%, 9/1/37

  1,155,572   1,202

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

108    Select Bond Portfolio      


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Structured Products

(52.8%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 1/1/38

  23,713,161   24,657
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 9/1/38

  17,532,116   18,228
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 1989-20, Class
A, 6.75%, 4/25/18

  830,186   869
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association
Aces, Series 2006-M1, Class C, 5.355%, 2/25/16

  6,949,000   7,219

(n)

 

Final Maturity
Amortizing Notes,
Series 2004-1, Class 1, 4.45%, 8/25/12

  5,686,796   5,721
 

First Horizon
Alternative Mortgage
Securities, Series 2004-FA1, Class 1A1, 6.25%, 10/25/34

  2,524,565   2,142
 

First Union National
Bank Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series 1999-C4, Class E, 7.939%, 12/15/31
144A

  3,100,000   2,928
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 10/15/31

  50,332   52
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 11/15/31

  13,775   14
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 12/15/31

  177,722   183
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 1/15/32

  492,272   509
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 2/15/32

  147,645   153
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 3/15/32

  145,017   150
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 4/15/32

  17,178   18
 

Government National
Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 7/15/32

  25,458   26
 

Government National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 9/15/32

  3,613,353   3,737
 

Greenwich Capital Commerical Funding Corp., Series 2006-FL4A, Class A1, 1.98%, 11/5/21 144A

  508,781   376

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Louisiana Public
Facilities Authority,
Series 2008, 6.65%, 8/1/20 RB

   2,400,000    2,355
 

Massachusetts RRB
Special Purpose Trust, Series 2001-1, Class A, 6.53%, 6/1/15

   947,516    977
 

MASTR Asset Securitization Trust, Series 2003-12, Class 1A1, 5.25%, 12/25/24

   1,286,091    1,241
 

Merrill Lynch
Alternative Note Asset, Series 2007-A1, Class A2A, .541%, 1/25/37

   2,428,155    1,267
 

Merrill Lynch/ Countrywide Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2007-7, Class A4, 5.749%, 6/12/50

   2,399,000    1,703
 

Mid-State Trust, Series 6, Class A3, 7.54%, 7/1/35

   360,565    337
 

Nissan Auto
Receivables Owner Trust, Series 2006-A, Class A3, 4.74%, 9/15/09

   207,663    208
 

Nissan Auto
Receivables Owner
Trust, Series 2007-B, Class A3, 5.03%, 5/16/11

   6,000,000    5,903
 

Nordstrom Private
Label Credit Card Master Note Trust, Series 2007-1A, Class A, 4.92%, 5/15/13 144A

   6,869,000    6,555

(n)

 

RMF Commercial Mortgage Pass-
Through Certificates,
Series 1997-1, Class F, 7.471%, 1/15/19 144A

   538,446    431
 

TBW Mortgage Backed Pass Through Certificates, Series 2007-1, Class A1, .561%, 3/25/37

   1,967,565    1,733
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series 2006-5, Class A1, .591%, 9/25/46

   2,989,213    2,477
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series 2006-1, Class A3, .641%, 1/25/46

   6,303,256    6,279
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series 2007-1, Class A1, 1.505%, 3/25/37

   2,177,411    1,798

 

 

Structured Products

(52.8%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series 2007-2, Class A3A, 1.525%, 6/25/37

  3,527,518   2,941
 

Washington Mutual Alternative Mortgage Pass-Through Certficates, Series 2006-6, Class 4A, 6.708%, 11/25/34

  1,260,482   1,082
 

Washington Mutual Commercial Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series 2003-C1A, Class A, 3.83%, 1/25/35 144A

  1,435,077   1,361
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities, Series 2006-2, Class 1A1, 5.00%, 3/25/36

  2,580,257   1,989
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2004-S, Class A7, 3.741%, 9/25/34

  1,545,000   1,515
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2004-N, Class A6, 4.00%, 8/25/34

  5,728,000   5,472
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2005-1, Class 2A1, 5.00%, 1/25/20

  1,356,566   1,318
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2005-7, Class A1, 5.25%, 9/25/35

  3,109,308   2,658
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2005-11, Class 1A1, 5.50%, 11/25/35

  3,515,206   2,988
 

Total Structured Products

(Cost: $579,779)

  575,243
       
 

Short-Term Investments (9.5%)

 

Aircraft (1.8%)

(b)

 

Textron, Inc.,
6.00%, 1/2/09

  20,000,000   19,997
       
 

Total

    19,997
       
 

Autos (1.8%)

(b)

 

Toyota Motor Credit
Corp., 1.15%, 1/13/09

  10,000,000   9,996

(b)

 

Toyota Motor Credit
Corp., 1.40%, 1/9/09

  10,000,000   9,997
       
 

Total

    19,993
       

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    109


Select Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(9.5%)

  Shares/

$ Par

  Value

$ (000’s)

 

Commercial Banks Non-US (0.4%)

(b)

 

Barclays US Funding
Corp., .18%, 1/9/09

  4,000,000   3,999
       
 

Total

    3,999
       
 

Federal Government & Agencies (0.2%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank, 0.47%, 3/13/09

  2,000,000   2,000
       
 

Total

    2,000
       
 

Finance Services (1.8%)

(b)

 

Ciesco LP,
0.20%, 1/12/09

  10,000,000   9,999

(b)

 

Gemini Securitization
Corp. LLC,
.75%, 1/26/09

  10,000,000   9,997
       
 

Total

    19,996
       
 

Food Processors (0.6%)

(b)

 

Kellogg Co.,
1.70%, 1/13/09

  6,900,000   6,896
       
 

Total

    6,896
       
 

Oil and Gas (1.5%)

(b)

 

Devon Energy Corp.,
1.25%, 1/2/09

  15,890,000   15,889
       
 

Total

    15,889
       
 

Personal Credit Institutions (0.5%)

(b)

 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
0.30%, 1/6/09

  5,000,000   5,000
       
 

Total

    5,000
       
 

Retail Stores (0.9%)

(b)

 

Home Depot, Inc.,
2.50%, 1/2/09

  10,000,000   9,999
       
 

Total

    9,999
       
 

Total Short Term Investments

(Cost: $103,768)

    103,769
       
 

Total Investments (105.2%)

(Cost: $1,163,774)(a)

    1,145,734
       
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (-5.2%)

    (57,087)
       
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

    1,088,647
       

 

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

 

  144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $27,413, representing 2.52% of the net assets.

 

  IO — Interest Only Security

 

  RB — Revenue Bond

 

  AMBAC — American Municipal Bond Assurance Corp.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

110    Select Bond Portfolio      


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(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $1,168,448 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $22,714 which is comprised of $35,912 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $58,626 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

US Five Year Note Commodity (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $33,540)

   288    3/09    $         747    

US Long Bond (CBT) Commodity (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $39,346)

   298    3/09     (1,793)

US Ten Year Treasury Note (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $103,224)

   868    3/09     (5,929)

US Two Year Treasury Note (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $101,324)

   471    3/09     1,382

 

(d) Defaulted Security

 

(e) Step bond security that presently receives no coupon payments. At the predetermined date the stated coupon rate becomes effective.

 

(g) All or portion of the securities have been loaned. See Note 2M in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

(m) Securities showing zero value represent an amount less than one thousand.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate market value of $13,350 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Select Bond Portfolio    111


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Seek maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management.   

Invest primarily in debt securities that are

issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government,

its agencies or government-sponsored

enterprises, and in derivatives designed to

replicate such securities.

   $90 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio, has engaged Pacific Investment Management Company LLC to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio investment objective is to seek maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of fixed income securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (“U.S. Government Securities”). Assets not invested in U.S. Government Securities may be invested in other types of investment-grade fixed-income instruments, or in preferred stocks. The Portfolio may also obtain exposure to U.S. Government Securities through the use of futures contracts (including related options) with respect to such securities. The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as options, futures, contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage-backed securities such as those issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts of by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs on dollar rolls).

Market Overview

In 2008, interest rates fell worldwide and yield curves in the U.S., Europe and U.K. steepened as investors fled to the safety of government bonds, especially shorter maturities. To forestall a recession and unfreeze credit markets during the early part of the year, the Federal Reserve reduced its short-term rate target by 200 basis points (a basis point equals 0.01%, so 200 basis points equal 2%) and took several unconventional steps: it made several hundred billion dollars of liquidity facilities available to the financial system against an expanded range of collateral, opened its discount window to investment banks and arranged the rescue of Bear Stearns.

The crisis, which was originally thought to be contained within the housing market, gradually spread to the corporate sector. The month of September featured a succession of shocking events, including the Treasury’s bailout of mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and insurer AIG, as well as the realignment of the biggest U.S. investment banks via bankruptcy, merger, recapitalization, or transformation into bank holding companies.

In early October, the U.S. Congress approved the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) proposed by the Treasury and the Fed to help unclog the flow of credit. As data continued to show a weakening economy in the midst of a deep recession, the Fed took forceful action, to get the economy growing again, cutting its fed funds rate target to between 0% and 0.25%.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio underperformed its benchmark, the Barclays Capital Long-Term Treasury Index, with a 20.76% return versus 24.03% for its benchmark. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, General U.S. Government Bond Funds, was 3.86%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

In terms of contribution to the Portfolio’s performance, a curve-steepening bias for the majority of the year helped performance as the U.S. yield curve (indicated by the difference in yield between two- and 30-year bonds) steepened as much as 141 basis points through October. However, a 90 basis point flattening of the curve in November and December mitigated some of the impact. Modest holdings of inflation-adjusted bonds during the early part of the year was positive for returns as these bonds outperformed like-duration nominal bonds.

At the other end of the spectrum, it detracted from performance relative to the benchmark to have a shorter duration as yields fell. (Duration measures a bond or fund’s sensitivity to interest rate changes. It is beneficial to have a longer duration when yields fall, and a shorter duration when yields rise.)

An allocation to long-term corporate bonds detracted from performance. Investors began to price in higher default rates and lower recovery levels, causing long-term investment grade corporates to underperform Treasuries by 28% (2800 basis points) for the year.

 

112    Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio      


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

A focus on high-grade financials within the investment grade corporate space was also negative for returns as the financial services sector was hurt by write-downs, decreased profitability, and funding issues.

An out-of-benchmark allocation to agency mortgage-backed securities hurt performance, as agency mortgage-backed securities returned 8.34% in 2008, underperforming Treasuries by 232 basis points.

During the year, the Portfolio also sought to add value by using derivative instruments to gain exposure to U.S. Government securities, which can be a less expensive and more efficient way to access this area of the market.

Outlook

We expect pressures of global de-leveraging to drive developed economies into one of the most severe recessions since World War II in 2009. We see conditions improving by 2010 as policy responses in the U.S. and elsewhere gain traction, with the recovery of risk appetites in financial markets as a leading indicator for recovery. As the global economy weakens into 2009, we will likely place less emphasis on interest rate strategies and more on high grade sectors/securities that we feel offer unusually attractive valuations after the massive selling of the last several months. Our approach over the next year will likely be to avoid assets such as Treasuries that have benefitted from the flight-to-liquidity associated with global deleveraging. By our estimate, Treasuries are now overvalued. We might seek to own assets that have been victims of the economic crisis but that we would expect to benefit from policy support. These assets include high quality mortgage-backed securities, bonds of financial companies, Treasury inflation-protected securities and municipal bonds.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    Since
Inception*

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond
Portfolio

   20.76%    16.93%

Barclays Capital Long-Term U.S.
Treasury Index**

   24.03%    18.96%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) General U.S. Government
Bond Funds Average

   3.86%   

* Inception date of 4/30/07

** Prior to November 1, 2008, the Barclays Capital Long-Term U.S. Treasury Index was known as the Lehman Brothers Long-Term U.S. Treasury Index.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

 

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Return of principal is not guaranteed. Bond funds have the same interest rate, inflation and credit risks that are associated with the underlying bonds owned by the Portfolio. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance.

The Portfolio may invest in securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies, and in derivatives designed to replicate such securities. This guarantee is to timely repayment of the principal and interest if held to maturity, and does not apply to derivative securities held by the Portfolio. Guarantee does not eliminate market risk. The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.


 

      Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio    113


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

 

 

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

 Security Description

   % of Net Assets

 US Treasury, Various

   54.8%

 Federal National Mortgage Association Mortgage

 Pool, Various

   10.4%

 Federal National Mortgage Association, Various

   4.4%

 Residual Funding Stripped, Various

   2.1%

 Chase Issuance Trust, Various

   2.0%

 Tennessee Valley Authority, Various

   1.9%

 Financing Corp. Stripped, Various

   1.4%

 Credit Suisse USA, Inc., Various

   0.9%

 Israel Government AID Bond, Various

   0.7%

 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series

 2752, Class EZ, 5.50%, 2/15/34

   0.7%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

The Corporate Bonds sector includes bonds of companies and governments headquartered outside the United States.

The Government and Structured Product categories include domestic taxable bonds.

Consistent with the Portfolio’s stated parameters, no more than 10% of the Portfolio is invested in securities rated A by Moody’s or S&P and no more than 25% of the Portfolio is invested in securities rated Aa by Moody’s or AA by S&P.

 


 

114    Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio      


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Corporate Bonds (5.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Banking (2.8%)
 

Bank of America Corp.,
2.099%, 6/12/09

   100,000    100
 

Citigroup Funding, Inc.,
3.556%, 5/7/10

   200,000    190
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
1.496%, 12/28/09

   300,000    283
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
6.125%, 8/25/36

   200,000    179
 

Credit Suisse USA, Inc.,
0.588%, 11/20/09

   100,000    96
 

Credit Suisse USA, Inc.,
2.273%, 6/5/09

   300,000    295
 

Credit Suisse USA, Inc.,
2.298%, 11/20/09

   100,000    96
 

Credit Suisse USA, Inc.,
2.349%, 8/16/11

   300,000    270
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
1.566%, 6/28/10

   200,000    186
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc., 2.886%, 2/6/12

   200,000    169
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
2.638%, 5/10/10

   300,000    271
 

Wachovia Corp.,
2.253%, 12/1/09

   200,000    194
 

Wells Fargo Capital X,
5.95%, 12/15/36

   200,000    172
         
 

Total

      2,501
         
  Electronics (0.3%)
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.,
2.313%, 3/1/12

   300,000    267
         
 

Total

      267
         
  Independent Finance (0.9%)
 

Caterpillar Financial
Services Corp., 2.216%, 6/24/11

   400,000    357
 

General Electric Capital
Corp., 6.75%, 3/15/32

   200,000    213
 

John Deere Capital
Corp., 4.715%, 7/16/10

   300,000    281
         
 

Total

      851
         
  Life Insurance (0.3%)
 

Pricoa Global Funding I,
4.963%, 1/15/10 144A

   300,000    272
         
 

Total

      272
         
  Property and Casualty Insurance (0.6%)
 

American International
Group, Inc., 3.548%, 1/29/10 144A

   300,000    270

 

 

Corporate Bonds (5.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Property and Casualty Insurance continued
 

Metropolitan Life Global
Funding I, 2.189%, 5/17/10 144A

   300,000    269
         
 

Total

      539
         
  Retail Stores (0.3%)
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.,
6.20%, 4/15/38

   200,000    229
         
 

Total

      229
         
 

Total Corporate Bonds

(Cost: $4,983)

   4,659
         
 

Governments (65.4%)

         
  Governments (65.4%)
 

Federal Home Loan
Banks, 5.625%, 6/11/21

   100,000    115
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 0.00%, 6/1/17

   300,000    225
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.25%, 10/1/12

   300,000    300
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 5.375%, 4/11/22

   400,000    422
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.25%, 5/15/29

   1,900,000    2,594
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association, 6.625%, 11/15/30

   300,000    433
 

Financing Corp.
Stripped, 0.00%, 12/27/18

   500,000    343
 

Financing Corp.
Stripped, 0.00%, 9/26/19

   1,300,000    887
 

Israel Government AID Bond, 0.00%, 5/15/21

   200,000    129
 

Israel Government AID Bond, 0.00%, 2/15/23

   100,000    60
 

Israel Government AID Bond, 0.00%, 5/15/23

   800,000    470
 

Residual Funding
Stripped, 0.00%, 10/15/20

   1,800,000    1,148
 

Residual Funding
Stripped, 0.00%, 4/15/30

   1,600,000    742
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority, 4.50%, 4/1/18

   200,000    221

 

 

Governments (65.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Governments continued
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority,
5.375%, 4/1/56

   1,210,000    1,533
 

US Treasury,
4.50%, 5/15/38

   1,800,000    2,457
 

US Treasury,
5.25%, 11/15/28

   1,400,000    1,848
 

US Treasury,
5.375%, 2/15/31

   400,000    550
 

US Treasury,
6.25%, 8/15/23

   700,000    955
(b)  

US Treasury,
7.125%, 2/15/23

   9,300,000    13,492
(b)  

US Treasury,
8.125%, 8/15/21

   5,200,000    7,909
 

US Treasury,
8.75%, 8/15/20

   200,000    312
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.75%, 1/15/28

   620,472    573
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.375%, 1/15/25

   1,034,397    1,017
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.625%, 4/15/28

   401,838    479
(b)  

US Treasury Stripped,
0.00%, 5/15/20

   4,600,000    3,163
(b)  

US Treasury Stripped,
0.00%, 11/15/21

   15,500,000    10,049
 

US Treasury Stripped,
0.00%, 8/15/22

   7,200,000    4,583
 

US Treasury Stripped,
0.00%, 5/15/26

   700,000    408
 

US Treasury Stripped,
0.00%, 11/15/28

   3,000,000    1,610
 

Total Governments

(Cost: $55,509)

   59,027
         
 

Municipal Bonds (0.2%)

         
  Municipal Bonds (0.2%)
 

Poway Unified Public
School District, ,
4.50%, 9/15/37 RB,
AMBAC

   200,000    158
 

Puerto Rico Sales Tax
Financing Corp., Series
A, 0.00%, 8/1/54 RB,
AMBAC

   1,600,000    56
         
 

Total

      214
         
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $329)

   214
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio    115


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products

(19.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Structured Products (19.9%)
 

American Home
Mortgage Investment
Trust, Series 2005-3,
Class 2A2, 5.00%, 9/25/35

   100,000    73
 

Bank of America Credit
Card Trust, Series
2006-A9, Class A9,
1.205%, 2/15/13

   200,000    182
 

Bank of America Credit
Card Trust, Series
2007-A9, Class A9,
1.235%, 11/17/14

   200,000    164
 

Bank of America Credit
Card Trust, Series
2008-A7, Class A7,
1.895%, 12/15/14

   300,000    250
 

Bear Stearns Adjustable
Rate Mortgage Trust,
Series 2004-2, Class
21A, 6.164%, 5/25/34

   7,187    5
 

Chase Credit Card
Master Trust, Series
2002-3, Class A,
1.365%, 9/15/11

   100,000    98
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2007-A6, Class
A6, 1.195%, 4/16/12

   400,000    372
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2007-A1, Class
A1, 1.215%, 3/15/13

   200,000    178
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2005-A8, Class
A8, 1.235%, 10/15/12

   500,000    456
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2007-A14, Class
A14, 1.445%, 9/15/11

   100,000    97
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2008-A1, Class
A1, 1.645%, 1/15/12

   200,000    190
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2008-A7, Class
A7, 1.845%, 11/15/11

   100,000    96
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2008-A10, Class
A10, 1.945%, 8/17/15

   200,000    158
 

Chase Issuance Trust,
Series 2008-A13, Class
A13, 3.496%, 9/15/15

   300,000    247
 

Chevy Chase Mortgage
Funding Corp., Series
2007-2A, Class A1,
0.601%, 5/25/48 144A

   18,138    8
 

Citigroup Mortgage
Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2007-AHL3, Class
A3A, 0.531%, 7/25/45

   68,320    53
 

Countrywide Alternative
Loan Trust, Series
2005-81, Class A1,
0.751%, 2/25/37

   139,399    69

 

 

Structured Products

(19.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Structured Products continued
 

Countrywide Home
Loan Mortgage Pass
Through Trust, Series
2004-HYB5, Class
2A1, 4.812%, 4/20/35

   33,246    24
 

Countrywide Home
Loan Mortgage Pass
Through Trust, Series
2005-12, Class 1A2,
5.25%, 5/25/35

   182,560    109
 

Credit Suisse First
Boston Mortgage
Securities Corp., Series
2003-AR20, Class 2A1,
4.626%, 8/25/33

   11,144    9
 

Credit Suisse First
Boston Mortgage
Securities Corp., Series
2003-AR18, Class 2A3,
5.047%, 7/25/33

   9,259    8
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3346, Class FA,
1.425%, 2/15/19

   153,492    147
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3203, Class ZW,
5.00%, 11/15/35

   337,042    330
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
2752, Class EZ,
5.50%, 2/15/34

   651,863    647
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.
Structured Pass-
Through Securities,
Series T-61, Class 1A1,
3.878%, 7/25/44

   43,474    39
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2007-114, Class
A6, 0.671%, 10/27/37

   100,000    85
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2007-39, Class
NZ, 4.25%, 5/25/37

   214,654    199
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 6/1/35

   1,031,023    1,055
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 2/1/36

   1,902,331    1,945
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2005-47, Class
PA, 5.50%, 9/25/24

   26,942    27
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2005-57, Class
PA, 5.50%, 5/25/27

   15,207    15

 

 

Structured Products

(19.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Structured Products continued
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association
TBA, 5.00%, 1/1/39

   2,000,000    2,042
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association
TBA, 5.50%, 1/1/39

   4,200,000    4,305
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association
Whole Loan, Series
2004-W9, Class 1A3,
6.05%, 2/25/44

   300,000    324
 

First Franklin Mortgage
Loan Asset Backed
Certificates, Series
2006-FF12, Class A2,
0.511%, 9/25/36

   25,606    24
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp.
Mortgage Corp. Loan
Trust, Series 2004
- AR1, Class 22A,
4.287%, 6/25/34

   25,845    14
 

Honda Auto Receivables
Owner Trust, Series
2008-1, Class A2,
3.77%, 9/20/10

   400,000    394
 

Indymac Residential
Asset Backed Trust,
Series 2007-B, Class
2A1, 0.551%, 7/25/37

   44,264    39
 

JPMorgan Chase
Commercial Mortgage
Securities Corp., Series
2007-CB19, Class A4,
5.747%, 2/12/49

   100,000    74
 

Massachusetts
Educational Financing
Authority, Series 2008-
1, Class A1,
4.485%, 4/25/38

   387,764    294
 

MBNA Credit Card
Master Note Trust,
Series 2002-A5, Class
A5, 1.375%, 10/17/11

   200,000    196
 

Merrill Lynch First
Franklin Mortgage
Loan Trust, Series
2007-4, Class 2A1,
0.531%, 7/25/37

   55,744    50
 

Merrill Lynch Floating
Trust, Series 2008-
LAQA, Class A1,
2.406%, 7/9/21 144A

   400,000    336
 

Merrill Lynch Mortgage
Investors, Inc., Series
2003-A4, Class 3A,
4.986%, 5/25/33

   18,630    17
 

Merrill Lynch Mortgage
Investors, Inc., Series
2003-A3, Class 1A,
5.297%, 5/25/33

   23,096    17

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

116    Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio      


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products

(19.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Structured Products continued
 

MLCC Mortgage
Investors, Inc., Series
2005-3, Class 4A,
0.721%, 11/25/35

   57,253    41
 

MLCC Mortgage
Investors, Inc., Series
2005-2, Class 1A,
3.819%, 10/25/35

   66,846    51
 

Morgan Stanley ABS
Capital I, Inc., Series
2007-NC3, Class A2A,
0.531%, 5/25/37

   55,192    45
 

SLC Student Loan Trust,
Series 2007-1, Class
A1, 2.129%, 2/15/15

   77,660    76
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2003-7A, Class A5A,3.196%,
12/15/33 144A

   250,000    196
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2006-7,
Class A2,
3.525%, 10/25/16

   25,195    25
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2006-5,
Class A2,
3.525%, 7/25/17

   32,024    31
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2006-6,
Class A1,
3.525%, 10/25/18

   38,561    37
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2006-9,
Class A2,
3.535%, 4/25/17

   41,961    41
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2007-2,
Class A2,
3.535%, 7/25/17

   500,000    438
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2008-7,
Class A2,
4.035%, 10/25/17

   200,000    181
 

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2008-9,
Class A,
5.035%, 4/25/23

   600,000    562

 

 

Structured Products

(19.9%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
  Structured Products continued
 

South Carolina Student
Loan Corp., Series
2008-1, Class A1,
2.703%, 9/2/14

   251,308    245
 

South Carolina Student
Loan Corp., Series
2008-1, Class A2,
2.753%, 3/1/18

   400,000    362
 

Structured Adjustable
Rate Mortgage Loan
Trust, Series 2004-18,
Class 4A1,
5.19%, 12/25/34

   51,556    37
 

Structured Asset
Mortgage Investments,
Inc., Series 2004-AR5,
Class 1A1,
0.911%, 10/19/34

   14,378    8
 

Washington Mutual
Mortgage Pass-Through
Certificates, Series
2006-AR9, Class 1A,
3.256%, 8/25/46

   61,942    24
 

Washington Mutual
Mortgage Pass-Through
Certificates, Series
2004-AR1, Class A, 4.229%, 3/25/34

   89,111    73
         
 

Total Structured Products
(Cost: $18,493)

      17,934
 

Short-Term Investments (30.7%)

    
  Federal Government & Agencies (11.9%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Bank Corp.,
0.03%, 1/5/09

   10,700,000    10,700
         
 

Total

      10,700
         
  National Commercial Banks (0.4%)

(b)

 

Bank of America Corp.,
2.55%, 1/29/09

   400,000    399
         
 

Total

      399
         
 

Other Holdings (6.9%)

     

(b)

 

JPMorgan Money
Market Fund

   6,197,207    6,197
         
 

Total

      6,197
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(30.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 
 
  Repurchase Agreements (11.5%)  

(b)

 

JPMorgan Chase Bank,
0.09%, dated 12/29/08,
due 1/5/09, repurchase
price $3,400,051,
collateralized by U.S.
Government Agency
Bond with a value of
$3,454,206

   3,400,000    3,400  

(b)

 

JPMorgan Chase Bank,
0.40%, dated 12/29/08,
due 1/5/09, repurchase
price $7,000,467,
collateralized by U.S.
Government Agency
Bond with a value of
$7,292,712

   7,000,000    7,000  
           
 

Total

   10,400  
           
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $27,696)

   27,696  
           
 

Total Investments (121.4%)

(Cost: $107,010)(a)

   109,530  
           
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (-21.4%)

   (19,324 )
           
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   90,206  
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio    117


Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

 

     144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $1,351, representing 1.50% of the net assets.

RB — Revenue Bond

AMBAC — American Municipal Bond Assurance Corp.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $107,021 and the net unrealized appreciation of investments based on that cost was $2,509 which is comprised of $4,378 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $1,869 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)    Number of
Contracts
   Expiration Date    Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

90 Day Euro $ Commodity Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $3,129)

   13    9/09    $      80  

90 Day Euro $ Commodity Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $3,119)

   13    12/09          85

90 Day Euro $ Commodity Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $3,112)

   13    3/10          88

90 Day Euro $ Commodity Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $3,106)

   13    6/10          87

US Five Year Note Commodity (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $4,571)

   39    3/09          73

US Long Bond (CBT) Commodity (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $9,143)

   73    3/09          935  

US Ten Year Treasury Note (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $17,566)

   146    3/09          793  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

118    Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio      


Inflation Protection Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Pursue total return using a strategy that seeks to protect against U.S. inflation.    Invest primarily in investment grade debt securities, with a majority in inflation-linked debt securities.    $69 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Inflation Protection Portfolio, has engaged American Century Investment Management, Inc. to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s investment objective is to pursue total return using a strategy that seeks to protect against U.S. inflation. The Portfolio invests substantially all of its assets in investment-grade debt securities. To help protect against U.S. inflation, under normal conditions, the Portfolio will invest over 50% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in inflation-linked debt securities. These securities include inflation-linked U.S. Treasury Securities, inflation-linked securities issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities other than the U.S. Treasury, and inflation-linked securities issued by other entities such as domestic and foreign corporations and governments. Inflation-linked securities are designed to protect the future purchasing power of the money invested in them. The Portfolio also may invest in fixed-income securities that are not linked to inflation, including mortgage- and asset-backed securities. The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total assets in high-yield securities (so called “junk bonds”). Due to Internal Revenue Code provisions governing insurance product funds, no more than 55% of the Portfolio’s assets may be invested in securities issued by the same entity, such as the U.S. Treasury.

Market Overview

The spiraling sub-prime credit crisis took an incredible toll on U.S. financial institutions, the economy and financial markets in 2008. Nowhere was this as evident as in the fixed income markets, where risk aversion, de-leveraging and fear of deflation sent segments of the Treasury market to their best year ever, while credit-sensitive bonds endured historic underperformance. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year as the economy entered its first recession since 2002. In that environment, the Federal Reserve took dramatic steps, effectively cutting its short-term rate target to 0%, intervening in the mortgage, commercial and consumer debt markets, while Congress passed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

These events had a significant impact on the shape of the Treasury yield curve. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, for example, declined from 4.03% to 2.21% during the year, while the yield on the two-year Treasury fell from 3.06% to 0.77%. The difference in yield between two- and 10-year Treasury securities started the period at 97 basis points (a basis point equals 0.01%, so 97 basis points equal 0.97%) and steepened to greater than 250 basis points in November, before worries about deflation ushered in a dramatic decline in longer-term yields. As a result, the yield gap between two- and ten-year Treasuries ended the year at 144 basis points.

Inflation jumped from one extreme to another during the twelve-month period. In the first half of the year, soaring prices for oil and other commodities caused inflation to skyrocket. But sagging worldwide demand and bleak global economic growth prospects caused commodity prices to do an about-face. The Rogers International Commodities Index, a measure of various energy, agricultural and metals products, declined 41% for the year.

Headline inflation, as measured by the year-to-year change in the Consumer Price Index, ended November 2008 at 1.1%, a notable decline from 5.5% at the end of July. The yield difference (or breakeven rate) between ten-year TIPS (Treasury inflation-protected securities) and nominal ten-year Treasuries started the year at 2.33 percentage points, peaked at 2.45 percentage points in July and fell to 0.09 percentage points by December 31. The current breakeven rate, which represents investors’ expectations for long-term inflation, suggests concerns regarding inflation have been almost eliminated. It also illustrates how the potential for deflation has moved into the spotlight.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Portfolio returned -1.38%, compared with the –1.17% return of the Citigroup U.S. Inflation-Linked Securities Index. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) At the same time, the average return of the General U.S. Government Bond Funds was 3.86%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund rating agency.

In the flight-to-quality environment that characterized the twelve-month period, virtually everything in the U.S. bond market that was not a nominal Treasury bond underperformed. Deflationary expectations as the year progressed hurt TIPS, which stumbled on the dramatic drop in the rate of inflation and its resulting impact on breakeven yields.

 

      Inflation Protection Portfolio    119


Inflation Protection Portfolio

 

 

 

The Portfolio was as fully invested in TIPS as allowed by IRS portfolio diversification regulations for insurance products (55% of the Portfolio). We invested the remainder of the Portfolio in high quality agency, mortgage, corporate, and municipal securities—sectors we believe offer attractive long-term value. In addition, we complemented our spread-sector investments with inflation swaps, or strategies that synthetically create inflation-linked exposure, seeking to enhance the Portfolio’s yield and performance compared with Treasury securities.

In addition, the Portfolio’s investment management team maintained a yield curve steepening bias during the first nine months of the period, which contributed positively to performance, as the slope of the yield curve steepened during this timeframe.

Outlook

The Portfolio’s management team believes the current breakeven rate is an overreaction. The unprecedented steps the government has taken to avoid a severe economic downturn eventually may lead to significantly higher inflation and a weaker dollar than are currently priced into the market. These factors, combined with an unusually low breakeven rate, suggest to us that TIPS currently represent good long-term value.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2008
     1 Year    Since
Inception*

Inflation Protection Portfolio

   -1.38%    3.17%

Citigroup U.S. Inflation-Linked Index

   -1.17%    4.05%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) General U.S. Government
Bond Funds Average

   3.86%   
* Inception date of 4/30/07

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

 

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

Return of principal is not guaranteed. Bond funds have the same interest rate, inflation and credit risks that are associated with the underlying bonds owned by the Portfolio. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance.

This Portfolio invests over 50% of its assets in inflation-linked bonds. Inflation-linked bonds issued by the U.S. Government, known as TIPs, are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Neither the current market value of the inflation-linked bonds nor the share value of the fund that invests in them is guaranteed, and either or both may fluctuate. Those portions of the Portfolio which are not invested in inflation linked securities will not be automatically protected from inflation. The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.


 

120    Inflation Protection Portfolio      


Inflation Protection Portfolio

 

 

 

 

 

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets  

  US Treasury, Various

   51.4%  

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. Mortgage

  Pool, Various

   8.2%  

  Federal National Mortgage Association Mortgage

  Pool, Various

   7.6%  

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Various

   6.5%  

  Tennessee Valley Authority, Various

   4.0%  

  Federal National Mortgage Association , Various

   3.7%  

  Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,

  Inc., Series 2004-2, Class A3, 4.05%, 11/10/38

   2.1%  

  California Educational Facilities

  Authority, 5.00%, 3/15/39

   1.4%  

  Massachusetts Bay Transportation

  Authority, 5.25%, 7/1/33

   1.4%  

  Federal Home Loan Bank, 4.875%, 5/17/17

   1.2%  

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on fixed income investments.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

The Corporate Bonds sector includes bonds of companies and governments headquartered outside the United States.

The Government and Structured Product categories include domestic taxable bonds.

Consistent with the Portfolio’s stated parameters, no more than 20% of the Portfolio is invested in foreign securities, and no more than 10% is invested in high yield securities.

 


 

      Inflation Protection Portfolio    121


Inflation Protection Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Corporate Bonds (4.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking (3.5%)

 

Bank of America Corp.,
3.125%, 6/15/12

   700,000    727
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
5.61%, 1/10/14

   70,000    58
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc., 3.25%, 6/15/12

   400,000    417
 

The International Bank for
Reconstruction &
Development,
7.625%, 1/19/23

   500,000    711
 

Kreditanstalt fuer
Wiederaufbau,
4.75%, 5/15/12

   500,000    535
         
 

Total

      2,448
         
 

Independent Finance (0.4%)

 

Caterpillar Financial
Services Corp.,
5.05%, 12/1/10

   308,000    303
         
 

Total

      303
         
 

Life Insurance (0.4%)

 

Prudential Financial, Inc.,
5.11%, 2/10/12

   200,000    145

(k)

 

Prudential Financial, Inc.,
5.24%, 3/10/15

   240,000    130
         
 

Total

      275
         
 

Telecommunications (0.2%)

 

AT&T, Inc.,
5.10%, 9/15/14

   100,000    98
         
 

Total

      98
         
 

Tobacco (0.2%)

 

Altria Group, Inc.,
8.50%, 11/10/13

   160,000    166
         
 

Total

      166
         
 

Total Corporate Bonds

(Cost: $3,238)

   3,290
         
 

Governments (69.8%)

         
 

Governments (69.8%)

 

Farmer Mac Guaranteed
Notes Trust 2006-2,
5.125%, 4/19/17 144A

   500,000    570
 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
4.875%, 5/17/17

   755,000    854
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
4.125%, 9/27/13

   500,000    539

 

 

Governments (69.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Governments continued

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
4.50%, 4/2/14

   500,000    549
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
4.875%, 6/13/18

   620,000    713
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 1/30/14

   2,400,000    2,683
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
4.375%, 7/17/13

   570,000    615
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.077%, 2/17/09

   1,951,000    1,949
 

Financing Corp.,
0.00%, 5/30/10

   359,000    354
 

Israel Government AID
Bond, 0.00%, 11/1/14

   500,000    436
 

Private Export Funding
Corp., 4.55%, 5/15/15

   600,000    657
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority, 4.50%, 4/1/18

   450,000    496
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority, 4.875%, 12/15/16

   450,000    502
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority,

6.79%, 5/23/12

   1,200,000    1,378
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority Stripped,
0.00%, 7/15/09

   160,000    159
 

Tennessee Valley
Authority Stripped,
0.00%, 11/1/12

   251,000    233
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
0.625%, 4/15/13

   1,024,970    980
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
0.875%, 4/15/10

   263,021    247
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.375%, 7/15/18

   2,310,718    2,161
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.625%, 1/15/15

   340,377    316
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.625%, 1/15/18

   2,068,240    1,963
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.75%, 1/15/28

   1,184,067    1,094

 

 

Governments (69.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Governments continued

 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.875%, 7/15/13

   855,188    805
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
1.875%, 7/15/15

   389,830    368
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.00%, 4/15/12

   373,671    364
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.00%, 1/15/14

   492,442    467
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.00%, 7/15/14

   574,665    543
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.00%, 1/15/16

   7,231,386    6,925

(k)

 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.00%, 1/15/26

   2,183,060    2,056
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.375%, 4/15/11

   81,861    80
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.375%, 1/15/17

   2,846,842    2,824
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.375%, 1/15/25

   2,643,459    2,598
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.375%, 1/15/27

   1,691,991    1,700
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.50%, 7/15/16

   1,716,400    1,703
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
2.625%, 7/15/17

   1,646,348    1,687
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.00%, 7/15/12

   421,722    413
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.375%, 1/15/12

   274,520    272
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.375%, 4/15/32

   1,556,176    1,919
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.50%, 1/15/11

   373,428    367
 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.625%, 4/15/28

   1,473,406    1,755

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

122    Inflation Protection Portfolio      


Inflation Protection Portfolio

 

 

 

Governments (69.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Governments continued

 

US Treasury Inflation
Index Bond,
3.875%, 4/15/29

   1,581,408    1,953
 

Total Governments

(Cost: $48,886)

   48,247
         
 

Municipal Bonds (4.0%)

         
 

Municipal Bonds (4.0%)

 

California Educational
Facilities Authority,
5.00%, 3/15/39 RB

   1,000,000    998
 

Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority,
Series 2006A,
5.25%, 7/1/33 RB

   1,000,000    996
 

Massachusetts Health &
Educational Facilites
Authority,
5.50%, 7/1/32 RB

   700,000    745
         
 

Total

      2,739
         
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $2,628)

   2,739
         
 

Structured Products (23.7%)

    
 

Structured Products (23.7%)

 

Banc of America
Alternative Loan Trust,
Series 2007-2, Class
2A4, 5.75%, 6/25/37

   146,283    91
 

Banc of America
Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2004-2, Class
A3, 4.05%, 11/10/38

   1,530,000    1,452
 

Chase Manhattan Bank-
First Union National
Bank, Series 1999-1,
Class B,
7.619%, 8/15/31

   700,000    699
 

Citibank Credit Card
Issuance Trust, Series
2007-A2, Class A2,
2.163%, 5/21/12

   500,000    463
 

CNH Equipment Trust,
Series 2007-C, Class
A3A, 5.21%, 12/15/11

   400,000    394
 

Credit Suisse Mortgage
Capital Certificates,
Series 2007-TF2A,
Class A1,
1.375%, 4/15/22 144A

   500,000    402
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 5/1/23

   1,674,411    1,721
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3234, Class PA,
5.00%, 10/15/26

   522,641    532

 

 

Structured Products

(23.7%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 12/1/36

   450,708    462
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 4/1/38

   2,788,094    2,857
 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
5.752%, 1/1/38

   579,678    594
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2004-9, Class YJ,
4.00%, 10/25/13

   107,028    107
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 9/1/35

   865,597    888
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 7/1/36

   435,374    447
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 2/1/37

   2,587,454    2,656
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 10/1/37

   968,625    998
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 7/1/38

   243,822    251
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp.
Commercial Mortgage
Securities, Inc., Series
2005-C1, Class A2,
4.471%, 5/10/43

   480,892    464
 

Government National
Mortgage Association,
4.625%, 7/20/31

   101,388    99
 

Government National
Mortgage Association,
4.875%, 12/20/31

   236,982    233
 

LB-UBS Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
2003-C3, Class A3,
3.85%, 5/15/27

   300,000    276
 

Lehman Brothers Floating
Rate Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series
2007-LLFA, Class A1,
1.495%, 6/15/22 144A

   391,786    295
 

Total Structured Products

(Cost: $16,395)

   16,381
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(0.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Other Holdings (0.0%)

(k)

 

JPMorgan Money Market Fund

   33,467    33
         
 

Total

      33
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $33)

   33
         
 

Total Investments (102.2%)

(Cost: $71,180)(a)

   70,690
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (-2.2%)

   (1,550)
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

   69,140
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Inflation Protection Portfolio    123


Inflation Protection Portfolio

 

 

144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $1,267, representing 1.83% of the net assets.

RB — Revenue Bond

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $71,311 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $621 which is comprised of $1,617 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $2,238 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty    Reference Entity    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received by
the Fund
   Expiration
Date
   Notional
Amount (000’s)
   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 
Bank of America    U.S. Consumer Price Index -All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   5/13    2,500    $ (353 )
Bank of America    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   7/13    1,725      (269 )
Bank of America    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   5/10    2,500      (221 )
Barclays Capital    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   8/12    2,500      (284 )
Barclays Capital    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   6/14    1,000      (132 )
Barclays Capital    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   12/27    1,700      (295 )
Barclays Capital    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPI Index Total
Return at Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   8/17    2,000      (228 )
Barclays Capital    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   7/10    3,000      (235 )
UBS    U.S. Consumer Price Index - All
Urban Consumers -Not Seasonally
Adjusted (CPURNSA)
   CPURNSA Index
Total Return at
Maturity
   Synthetic Total
Return Calculation
at Maturity
   11/13    2,200      (186 )
                       
                    (2,203 )
                       

 

(k) Securities with an aggregate value of $2,219 (in thousands) have been pledged as collateral for swap contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

124    Inflation Protection Portfolio      

 


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Achieve high current income and

capital appreciation.

  

Invest in diversified mix of debt securities rated below

investment grade.

   $212 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the High Yield Bond Portfolio. The Portfolio seeks to achieve high current income and capital appreciation. The Portfolio seeks to achieve this objective by investing at least 80% of net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in non-investment grade debt securities. The Portfolio invests in both domestic and foreign debt securities that are rated below investment grade by at least one major rating agency or, if unrated, determined by management to be of comparable quality. Securities are selected primarily based upon rigorous industry and credit analysis performed by management to identify companies that are believed to be attractively priced, or which have stable or improving fundamental financial characteristics, relative to the overall high yield market. High yield debt securities are often called “junk bonds.”

Market Overview

The spiraling sub-prime credit crisis took an incredible toll on U.S. financial institutions, the economy and financial markets in 2008. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as the economy entered its first recession since 2002. In that environment, the Federal Reserve took dramatic steps, effectively cutting its short-term rate target to 0%, intervening in the mortgage, commercial, and consumer debt markets, while Congress passed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

These unprecedented events sent high yield bonds reeling, as a result of massive deleveraging and forced selling for hedge funds and other large high yield market players. In that environment, measures of distress and credit rating downgrades to upgrades reached the highest levels on record, while the spread (yield over Treasuries) on the high yield market surged to an all-time high above 2000 basis points (or 20%). However, the market staged a sharp rebound in December as a result of Fed rate cuts, government loans to automakers, and the conversion of GMAC (the largest single name in the Index) to bank holding company status, giving the company access to TARP funds. Nevertheless, 2008 was the high yield market’s worst on record, with the Citigroup High-Yield Cash-Pay Index losing a quarter of its value.

Portfolio Results

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the High Yield Bond Portfolio had a total return of –21.35%. By comparison, the Citigroup High-Yield Cash-Pay Index returned –24.74% for the year. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, High Current Yield Funds, was –26.93%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in what was the worst year in high yield market history. However, the Portfolio outperformed the Index and Lipper average because of its bias toward higher quality issuers rated BB and above, and corresponding underweight to CCC rated securities. Some of our security selection decisions also helped performance, as did our slightly higher than average cash weighting.

Presumably unlike many of our peers, we did not consider it prudent to own the riskiest, lowest quality bonds without regard to fundamentals, preferring to own higher quality names in cash-rich, less economically sensitive sectors given the challenging market environment. That positioning helped the Portfolio hold up better than the market and its competition in 2008, when the lower a bond’s quality, the worse its performance. What’s more, some of our BB bonds also did well in the up month of December, as investors looking to enter the market gravitated toward large, liquid names, such as DirecTV and L-3 Communications.

It also helped that we allowed a modest cash position from bond maturities and coupon payments to build over the course of the year. Having that modest (less than 10% of assets) cash cushion benefited performance during a brutal year in high yield. In addition, we were underweight some of the worst-performing segments of the market, such as broadcasting, paper and forest products and publishing.

Outlook

We remain in a challenging environment for high yield bonds, because of economic weakness and a lack of liquidity in the market. Indeed, one of the key considerations is that very few high yield companies were able to come to market for additional financing in the second half of the year. Under those conditions, we expect defaults to rise significantly going forward.

 

      High Yield Bond Portfolio    125


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

But there are some positives—the indiscriminate selling we’ve seen in the market is presenting long-term, patient investors with opportunities to buy well-structured credits at very attractive levels. In essence, large swaths of the market have been priced to go out of business. But with spreads trading at unprecedented levels, we think that it makes sense to add select names that we believe can survive the current economic and financial stresses. We expect to put our modest cash position to work in these sorts of deals in coming months.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

High Yield Bond Portfolio

   -21.35%    0.21%    2.36%

Citigroup High Yield Cash Pay Index

   -24.74%    -0.68%    2.51%

Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High
Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index**

   -25.88%    -0.84%    2.28%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) High Current Yield Funds
Average

   -26.93%    -1.17%    1.27%

** Prior to November 1, 2008, the Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index was known as the Lehman Brothers U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

The Portfolio invests in lower quality securities, which may represent a significant risk for loss of principal and interest. Bonds and other debt obligations are affected by changes in interest rates, inflation risk and the creditworthiness of their issuers. High yield bonds generally have greater price swings and higher default risks than investment grade bonds. Return of principal is not guaranteed. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance. In contrast to owning individual bonds, there are ongoing fees and expenses associated with owning shares of bond funds.


 

126    High Yield Bond Portfolio      


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

 

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  HCA, Inc., Various

   2.5%

  Energy Future Holdings Corp., Various

   1.9%

  Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, Various

   1.8%

  Chesapeake Energy Corp., Various

   1.8%

  EchoStar DBS Corp., Various

   1.8%

  L-3 Communications Corp., Various

   1.6%

  General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC, Various

   1.6%

  MGM MIRAGE, Inc., Various

   1.6%

  Frontier Communications Corp., Various

   1.6%

  CSC Holdings, Inc., Various

   1.6%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

 


      High Yield Bond Portfolio    127


High Yield Bond Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials (0.0%)

(n)*

 

Preferred Blocker, Inc.,
9.00%, 12/31/49 144A

   379    95
         
 

Total

      95
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $95)

   95
         
 

Bonds (88.8%)

 

Aerospace/Defense (2.9%)

 

BE Aerospace, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/18

   706,000    636
 

Bombardier, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/14 144A

   714,000    628
 

DRS Technologies, Inc., 7.625%, 2/1/18

   680,000    680
 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
8.50%, 4/1/15

   412,000    169

(c)

 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co., 8.875%, 4/1/15

   927,000    315
 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
9.75%, 4/1/17

   860,000    232
 

L-3 Communications
Corp.,
6.375%, 10/15/15

   2,275,000    2,127
 

L-3 Communications
Corp.,
7.625%, 6/15/12

   1,335,000    1,305
         
 

Total

      6,092
         
 

Autos/Vehicle Parts (2.8%)

 

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc., 7.875%, 3/1/17

   1,095,000    339
 

Cooper Tire & Rubber
Co., 8.00%, 12/15/19

   680,000    306
 

Ford Motor Co., 7.45%, 7/16/31

   2,775,000    777
 

Ford Motor Credit Co.
LLC, 8.00%, 12/15/16

   575,000    375
 

Ford Motor Credit Co.
LLC, 8.625%, 11/1/10

   710,000    538
 

Ford Motor Credit Co.
LLC, 9.875%, 8/10/11

   2,980,000    2,198
 

General Motors Corp.,
7.20%, 1/15/11

   755,000    159

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Autos/Vehicle Parts continued

 

General Motors Corp., 8.375%, 7/15/33

   1,840,000    322
 

Lear Corp.,
5.75%, 8/1/14

   340,000    126
 

Lear Corp.,
8.75%, 12/1/16

   532,000    154
 

Visteon Corp., 8.25%, 8/1/10

   993,000    308
 

Visteon Corp., 12.25%, 12/31/16 144A

   1,102,000    264
         
 

Total

      5,866
         
 

Basic Materials (7.5%)

 

Ball Corp.,
6.625%, 3/15/18

   740,000    662
 

Berry Plastics Holding
Corp., 8.875%, 9/15/14

   590,000    257
 

Cascades, Inc.,
7.25%, 2/15/13

   504,000    257
 

Crown Americas
LLC/Crown Americas Capital Corp., 7.625%, 11/15/13

   507,000    502
 

Crown Americas
LLC/Crown Americas Capital Corp., 7.75%, 11/15/15

   825,000    821
 

FMG Finance Property,
Ltd., 10.625%, 9/1/16 144A

   2,370,000    1,375
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.25%, 4/1/15

   1,360,000    1,156
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.375%, 4/1/17

   2,130,000    1,747
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC, 7.00%, 1/15/15 144A

   1,853,000    1,575
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC, 7.125%, 1/15/17 144A

   594,000    499
 

Graphic Packaging International, Inc., 9.50%, 8/15/13

   1,031,000    711
 

Hexion US Finance
Corp./Hexion Nova Scotia Finance ULC, 9.75%, 11/15/14

   1,955,000    557
 

Huntsman International
LLC, 7.375%, 1/1/15

   755,000    396
 

Huntsman LLC, 11.50%, 7/15/12

   745,000    596
 

Invista,
9.25%, 5/1/12 144A

   875,000    613

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Basic Materials continued

 

Momentive Performance Materials, Inc., 9.75%, 12/1/14

   1,010,000    429
 

The Mosaic Co., 7.625%, 12/1/16 144A

   530,000    424
 

NewPage Corp., 10.00%, 5/1/12

   750,000    330
 

Norampac Industries, Inc., 6.75%, 6/1/13

   625,000    281
 

Novelis, Inc., 7.25%, 2/15/15

   2,098,000    1,217
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.375%, 11/1/16

   185,000    174
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.875%, 11/1/26

   1,095,000    903
 

Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc., 8.375%, 7/1/12

   665,000    110
 

Texas Industries, Inc., 7.25%, 7/15/13 144A

   470,000    363
         
 

Total

      15,955
         
 

Capital Goods (1.8%)

 

Case New Holland, Inc., 7.125%, 3/1/14

   1,090,000    774
 

Da-Lite Screen Co., Inc., 9.50%, 5/15/11

   675,000    594
 

RSC Equipment Rental, Inc., 9.50%, 12/1/14

   1,042,000    573
 

SPX Corp., 7.625%, 12/15/14 144A

   820,000    714
 

Terex Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/17

   1,100,000    935
 

United Rentals North America, Inc., 6.50%, 2/15/12

   390,000    308
         
 

Total

      3,898
         
 

Consumer Products/Retailing (4.1%)

 

Education Management LLC/Education Management Finance Corp., 10.25%, 6/1/16

   1,870,000    1,356
 

GameStop Corp./GameStop, Inc., 8.00%, 10/1/12

   1,105,000    1,028
 

Levi Strauss & Co., 8.875%, 4/1/16

   1,275,000    867
 

The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc., 10.375%, 10/15/15

   740,000    318
 

New Albertson’s, Inc., 7.25%, 5/1/13

   860,000    727

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

128    High Yield Bond Portfolio      


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Products/Retailing continued

 

Oxford Industries, Inc., 8.875%, 6/1/11

   1,693,000    1,278
 

Phillips-Van Heusen
Corp., 8.125%, 5/1/13

   200,000    165
 

Rite Aid Corp., 7.50%, 3/1/17

   1,017,000    661
 

Rite Aid Corp., 8.625%, 3/1/15

   336,000    116
 

Rite Aid Corp., 9.375%, 12/15/15

   540,000    189
 

Rite Aid Corp., 10.375%, 7/15/16

   470,000    345
 

SUPERVALU, Inc., 7.50%, 11/15/14

   1,120,000    918
 

Warnaco, Inc., 8.875%, 6/15/13

   710,000    646
         
 

Total

      8,614
         
 

Energy (13.2%)

 

Basic Energy Services,
Inc., 7.125%, 4/15/16

   1,220,000    695
 

Chaparral Energy, Inc., 8.875%, 2/1/17

   1,220,000    244
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 6.375%, 6/15/15

   823,000    650
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 6.625%, 1/15/16

   1,405,000    1,110
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.25%, 12/15/18

   750,000    585
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.50%, 9/15/13

   1,120,000    963
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.625%, 7/15/13

   605,000    520
 

Cie Generale de Geophysique-Veritas, 7.50%, 5/15/15

   405,000    251
 

Cie Generale de Geophysique-Veritas, 7.75%, 5/15/17

   675,000    392
 

Cimarex Energy Co., 7.125%, 5/1/17

   1,015,000    792
 

Complete Production Services, Inc., 8.00%, 12/15/16

   803,000    506
 

Connacher Oil and Gas,
Ltd.,
10.25%, 12/15/15 144A

   730,000    292
 

Denbury Resources, Inc.,
7.50%, 12/15/15

   750,000    532
 

El Paso Corp.,
7.00%, 6/15/17

   1,125,000    880
 

El Paso Corp.,
7.25%, 6/1/18

   1,175,000    933
 

El Paso Corp.,
7.75%, 1/15/32

   1,095,000    711
 

Forest Oil Corp.,
7.25%, 6/15/19 144A

   450,000    329
 

Forest Oil Corp.,
7.25%, 6/15/19

   650,000    475

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

 

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., 9.50%, 1/15/16 144A

   1,090,000    578
 

Key Energy Services, Inc., 8.375%, 12/1/14

   1,100,000    726
 

Kinder Morgan Finance Co. ULC, 5.35%, 1/5/11

   1,110,000    991
 

Kinder Morgan Finance Co. ULC, 5.70%, 1/5/16

   675,000    503
 

Linn Energy LLC, 9.875%, 7/1/18 144A

   705,000    412
 

Mariner Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 5/15/17

   915,000    476
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 6.625%, 9/1/14

   190,000    156
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 6.625%, 4/15/16

   1,045,000    831
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 7.125%, 5/15/18

   560,000    442
 

OPTI Canada, Inc., 8.25%, 12/15/14

   1,645,000    888
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp., 7.875%, 6/1/15 144A

   935,000    692
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp., 9.125%, 7/15/13

   1,636,000    1,325
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 6.75%, 5/1/14 144A

   633,000    402
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 7.00%, 5/1/17 144A

   528,000    322
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co., 7.00%, 3/15/17

   680,000    466
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co., 7.625%, 6/1/18

   470,000    322
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co., 7.75%, 6/15/15

   900,000    680
 

Range Resources Corp., 6.375%, 3/15/15

   1,119,000    906
 

Range Resources Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/18

   150,000    125
 

Range Resources Corp., 7.50%, 5/15/16

   235,000    204
 

SandRidge Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 6/1/18 144A

   470,000    261
 

SESI LLC,
6.875%, 6/1/14

   1,145,000    882
 

Sonat, Inc.,
7.625%, 7/15/11

   315,000    287
 

Southwestern Energy Co., 7.50%, 2/1/18 144A

   830,000    726
 

Targa Resources Partners LP, 8.25%, 7/1/16 144A

   565,000    350
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.25%, 11/1/12

   460,000    317
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.625%, 11/1/15

   2,330,000    1,351

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

  Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

 

W&T Offshore, Inc., 8.25%, 6/15/14 144A

  1,040,000    562
 

Whiting Petroleum Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/13

  1,379,000    979
        
 

Total

     28,022
        
 

Financials (4.8%)

 

Bank of America Corp.,
8.125%, 12/29/49

  1,120,000    838
 

Citigroup, Inc., 8.40%, 4/29/49

  1,120,000    739
 

E*TRADE Financial
Corp., 7.375%, 9/15/13

  55,000    20
 

E*TRADE Financial
Corp., 7.875%, 12/1/15

  1,320,000    475
 

E*TRADE Financial
Corp., 8.00%, 6/15/11

  1,685,000    767
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC, 7.25%, 3/2/11

  2,375,000    2,018
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC, 7.75%, 1/19/10

  550,000    491

(n)

 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC, 8.00%, 11/1/31 144A

  1,519,000    903
 

International Lease
Finance Corp.,
5.875%, 5/1/13

  405,000    270
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.,
7.90%, 4/29/49

  1,120,000    932
 

LaBranche & Co., Inc.,
11.00%, 5/15/12

  561,000    488
 

Nuveen Investments, Inc.,
10.50%, 11/15/15 144A

  825,000    183
 

Wachovia Corp.,
7.98%, 2/28/49

  560,000    477
 

Wells Fargo Capital XV,
9.75%, 12/29/49

  1,500,000    1,515
        
 

Total

     10,116
        
 

Foods (2.3%)

 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 9/1/16

  1,070,000    1,011
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 5/15/17

  870,000    822
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 8.375%, 12/15/14

  455,000    432

(d)

 

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., 7.625%, 5/1/15

  843,000    228
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle Foods Finance Corp., 9.25%, 4/1/15

  735,000    474
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle Foods Finance Corp., 10.625%, 4/1/17

  1,415,000    764

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      High Yield Bond Portfolio    129


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Foods continued

 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 5/15/13

   1,310,000    842
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 7/1/17

   760,000    433
         
 

Total

      5,006
         
 

Gaming/Leisure/Lodging (7.6%)

 

AMC Entertainment, Inc., 11.00%, 2/1/16

   678,000    474
 

Caesars Entertainment,
Inc., 7.875%, 3/15/10

   740,000    488
 

Caesars Entertainment,
Inc., 8.125%, 5/15/11

   1,775,000    870
 

Felcor Lodging LP, 8.50%, 6/1/11

   1,117,000    827
 

Harrah’s Operating Co.,
Inc., 5.50%, 7/1/10

   750,000    476
 

Harrah’s Operating Co.,
Inc., 10.75%, 2/1/16 144A

   2,655,000    757
 

The Hertz Corp., 8.875%, 1/1/14

   840,000    517
 

Host Hotels & Resorts LP, 7.125%, 11/1/13

   2,865,000    2,306
 

Las Vegas Sands Corp., 6.375%, 2/15/15

   1,845,000    1,070
 

Mandalay Resort Group, 9.375%, 2/15/10

   660,000    482
 

Mashantucket Western Pequot Tribe, 8.50%, 11/15/15 144A

   1,375,000    540
 

MGM MIRAGE, 7.50%, 6/1/16

   1,800,000    1,141
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 6.75%, 9/1/12

   1,485,000    1,039
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 8.375%, 2/1/11

   1,125,000    669
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, 6.875%, 2/15/15

   1,095,000    553
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, 8.00%, 4/1/12

   375,000    229
 

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., 7.00%, 6/15/13

   875,000    499
 

Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc., 4.496%, 3/15/14 144A

   540,000    274
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.00%, 4/1/12

   1,475,000    295
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.625%, 3/15/18

   615,000    35
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.875%, 3/1/16

   685,000    39
 

Universal City Development Partners, 11.75%, 4/1/10

   907,000    585

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Gaming/Leisure/Lodging continued

 

Universal City Florida Holding Co. I & II, 8.375%, 5/1/10

   400,000    182
 

Wynn Las Vegas
LLC/Wynn Las Vegas
Capital Corp., 6.625%, 12/1/14

   2,395,000    1,808
         
 

Total

      16,155
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (8.5%)

(c)

 

Biomet, Inc., 10.375%, 10/15/17

   2,229,500    1,761
 

Catalent Pharma
Solutions, Inc.,
9.50%, 4/15/15

   997,000    379
 

CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc., 8.875%, 7/15/15

   2,585,000    2,378
 

DaVita, Inc.,
7.25%, 3/15/15

   1,110,000    1,054
 

FMC Finance III SA,
6.875%, 7/15/17

   1,265,000    1,183
 

Fresenius Medical Care Capital Trust IV, 7.875%, 6/15/11

   410,000    389
 

HCA, Inc.,
6.75%, 7/15/13

   905,000    570
 

HCA, Inc., 9.125%, 11/15/14

   782,000    725
 

HCA, Inc.,
9.25%, 11/15/16

   3,164,000    2,903

(c)

 

HCA, Inc., 9.625%, 11/15/16

   1,273,000    993
 

Health Management Associates, Inc., 6.125%, 4/15/16

   1,110,000    688
 

Senior Housing Properties Trust, 8.625%, 1/15/12

   610,000    525
 

Service Corp.
International, 6.75%, 4/1/15

   855,000    675
 

Service Corp.
International, 6.75%, 4/1/16

   825,000    627
 

Service Corp.
International, 7.375%, 10/1/14

   175,000    149
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 7.375%, 2/1/13

   985,000    702
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 9.875%, 7/1/14

   1,110,000    894
 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/16

   1,095,000    802
 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp., 9.00%, 5/1/12

   750,000    668
         
 

Total

      18,065
         

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Media (7.7%)

 

CCH I Holdings
LLC/CCH I Holdings Capital Corp., 11.00%, 10/1/15

   2,565,000    398
 

CCH I Holdings
LLC/CCH I Holdings Capital Corp., 11.75%, 5/15/14

   905,000    46
 

CCH II LLC/CCH II Capital Corp., 10.25%, 9/15/10

   1,000,000    440
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.625%, 4/1/11

   2,055,000    1,937
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.875%, 2/15/18

   1,740,000    1,366
 

Dex Media, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/13

   1,300,000    240
 

DirecTV Holdings LLC/DirecTV Financing Co., 7.625%, 5/15/16

   2,035,000    1,974
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.00%, 10/1/13

   1,675,000    1,453
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.125%, 2/1/16

   1,310,000    1,094
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.75%, 5/31/15

   1,405,000    1,194
 

Kabel Deutschland GmbH,
10.625%, 7/1/14

   1,215,000    1,081
 

Lamar Media Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/15

   1,875,000    1,355
 

LIN Television Corp., 6.50%, 5/15/13

   780,000    371
 

Mediacom Broadband LLC/Mediacom Broadband Corp., 8.50%, 10/15/15

   1,185,000    772
 

Mediacom
LLC/Mediacom
Capital Corp.,
7.875%, 2/15/11

   390,000    305
 

Quebecor Media, Inc., 7.75%, 3/15/16

   1,100,000    742
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 6.875%, 1/15/13

   930,000    125
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 8.875%, 10/15/17

   365,000    55

(c)

 

Univision Communications, Inc., 9.75%, 3/15/15 144A

   1,180,000    148
 

Videotron Ltee, 6.375%, 12/15/15

   340,000    267
 

Videotron Ltee, 6.875%, 1/15/14

   838,000    742
 

Videotron Ltee, 9.125%, 4/15/18 144A

   185,000    172
         
 

Total

      16,277
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

130    High Yield Bond Portfolio      


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Real Estate (0.7%)

 

Icahn Enterprises LP/Icahn Enterprises Finance Corp., 7.125%, 2/15/13

   1,510,000    1,042
 

The Rouse Co. LP, 7.20%, 9/15/12

   1,175,000    399
         
 

Total

      1,441
         
 

Services (1.7%)

 

Allied Waste North America, Inc., 6.125%, 2/15/14

   565,000    512
 

Allied Waste North America, Inc., 7.25%, 3/15/15

   1,411,000    1,312
 

Crum & Forster Holdings Corp., 7.75%, 5/1/17

   772,000    544
 

UnumProvident Finance Co. PLC, 6.85%, 11/15/15 144A

   825,000    675
 

WCA Waste Corp., 9.25%, 6/15/14

   880,000    651
         
 

Total

      3,694
         
 

Technology (3.6%)

 

Expedia, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/16 144A

   95,000    71
 

First Data Corp., 9.875%, 9/24/15

   1,285,000    777
 

Flextronics International, Ltd., 6.50%, 5/15/13

   1,130,000    893
 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., 8.875%, 12/15/14

   981,000    432

(c)

 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., 9.125%, 12/15/14

   1,442,000    332
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 7.75%, 1/15/15

   890,000    799
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 8.00%, 6/15/20

   1,440,000    1,156
 

Nortel Networks, Ltd., 10.75%, 7/15/16 144A

   1,110,000    294
 

Sabre Holdings Corp., 8.35%, 3/15/16

   915,000    203
 

STATS ChipPAC, Ltd., 6.75%, 11/15/11

   662,000    491
 

STATS ChipPAC, Ltd., 7.50%, 7/19/10

   675,000    555
 

Sungard Data Systems, Inc., 10.625%, 5/15/15 144A

   800,000    684
 

SunGard Data Systems, Inc., 9.125%, 8/15/13

   670,000    579
 

Travelport LLC, 11.875%, 9/1/16

   300,000    84
 

Unisys Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/12

   810,000    227
         
 

Total

      7,577
         

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunications (7.5%)

(c)

 

ALLTEL
Communications LLC, 10.375%, 12/1/17 144A

   1,095,000    1,226
 

American Tower Corp., 7.00%, 10/15/17 144A

   825,000    734
 

Cricket Communications, Inc., 10.00%, 7/15/15 144A

   470,000    430
 

Frontier Communications Corp., 9.00%, 8/15/31

   2,205,000    1,389
 

Frontier Communications Corp., 9.25%, 5/15/11

   2,025,000    1,924
 

Intelsat Corp., 9.25%, 8/15/14 144A

   755,000    702
 

Intelsat Jackson Holdings, Ltd., 11.25%, 6/15/16

   740,000    673
 

Intelsat, Ltd., 7.625%, 4/15/12

   755,000    506
 

Qwest Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/17

   1,035,000    766
 

Qwest Corp., 7.50%, 10/1/14

   221,000    184
 

Qwest Corp., 7.625%, 6/15/15

   750,000    615
 

Qwest Corp., 7.875%, 9/1/11

   986,000    907
 

Rogers Wireless, Inc., 8.00%, 12/15/12

   1,220,000    1,168
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.375%, 3/15/12

   1,495,000    1,196
 

Sprint Nextel Corp., 6.00%, 12/1/16

   1,120,000    790
 

Windstream Corp., 7.00%, 3/15/19

   680,000    524
 

Windstream Corp., 8.125%, 8/1/13

   1,150,000    1,058
 

Windstream Corp., 8.625%, 8/1/16

   1,220,000    1,080
         
 

Total

      15,872
         
 

Transportation (2.0%)

 

American Railcar Industries, Inc., 7.50%, 3/1/14

   320,000    211
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 7.375%, 6/1/14

   1,150,000    941
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 7.625%, 12/1/13

   470,000    385
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 9.375%, 5/1/12

   933,000    854
 

Stena AB, 7.50%, 11/1/13

   2,675,000    1,769
         
 

Total

      4,160
         

 

 

Bonds (88.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities (10.1%)

 

The AES Corp., 7.75%, 10/15/15

   1,495,000    1,256
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/17

   825,000    677
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 6/1/20 144A

   755,000    585
 

Aquila, Inc., 7.95%, 2/1/11

   78,000    76
 

Aquila, Inc., 11.875%, 7/1/12

   755,000    763
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.50%, 6/1/15

   1,300,000    910
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.75%, 6/1/19

   815,000    562
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 8.375%, 5/1/16

   1,465,000    1,040
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.00%, 5/15/17

   1,585,000    1,379
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.20%, 5/15/19

   1,846,000    1,514
 

Elwood Energy LLC, 8.159%, 7/5/26

   1,069,095    725
 

Energy Future Holdings Corp., 10.875%, 11/1/17 144A

   1,100,000    781
 

Indiantown Cogeneration LP, 9.77%, 12/15/20

   1,740,000    1,378
 

Mirant Americas Generation LLC, 8.50%, 10/1/21

   2,265,000    1,721
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.25%, 2/1/14

   925,000    865
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 2/1/16

   665,000    619
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 1/15/17

   816,000    751
 

NSG Holdings LLC/NSG Holdings, Inc., 7.75%, 12/15/25 144A

   948,000    739
 

NV Energy, Inc., 8.625%, 3/15/14

   392,000    353
 

Reliant Energy, Inc., 7.625%, 6/15/14

   1,855,000    1,540
 

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Co. LLC, 10.50%, 11/1/15 144A

   4,500,000    3,195
         
 

Total

      21,429
         
 

Total Bonds

(Cost: $261,807)

      188,239
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      High Yield Bond Portfolio    131


High Yield Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Short-Term Investments (8.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Aircraft (2.4%)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding
Corp., 0.35%, 1/5/09

   5,000,000    5,000
         
 

Total

      5,000
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (1.0%)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.28%, 1/16/09

   2,100,000    2,099
         
 

Total

      2,099
         
 

Finance Services (2.3%)

 

Gemini Securitization
Corp. LLC, 1.30%, 1/12/09

   5,000,000    4,998
         
 

Total

      4,998
         
 

Oil and Gas (3.1%)

 

Devon Energy Corp.,
0.95%, 1/2/09

   5,000,000    5,000
 

Sempra Global,
1.00%, 1/2/09

   1,500,000    1,500
         
 

Total

      6,500
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $18,597)

   18,597
       
 

Total Investments (97.6%)

(Cost: $280,499)(a)

   206,931
         
 

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (2.4%)

   5,072
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      212,003
         

 


 

* Non-Income Producing

144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $24,569. representing 11.59% of the net assets.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $281,467 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $74,536 which is comprised of $892 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $75,428 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(c) PIK - Payment In Kind

 

(d) Defaulted Security

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $998 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

132    High Yield Bond Portfolio      


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:
Seek maximum total return as is consistent with prudent investment management    Invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of debt securities of varying maturities    $94 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors, the investment adviser for the Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio, has engaged Pacific Investment Management Company LLC to act as sub-adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio investment objective is to seek maximum total return, consist with prudent investment management. Normally, the Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of fixed income instruments of varying maturities. The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in high yield securities subject to maximum of 10% of its total assets in securities rated below B by Moody’s or by S&P or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality (so called “junk bonds”). The Portfolio may also invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and U.S.-dollars-denominated in foreign issuers. The Portfolio may have foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar denominated securities or currencies) up to 100% of its total assets. In addition, the Portfolio may invest without limit in fixed income securities of issuers that are economically tied to emerging securities markets, or in preferred stocks. The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as options, futures, contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage-backed securities such as those issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).

Market Overview

The year 2008 will be remembered for the massive wave of de-leveraging that followed the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble and produced a financial system crisis that continues to roil markets and economies worldwide. The fourth quarter saw this crisis spread from the finance realm to the real economy and from the U.S. to around the globe. By year end, the world’s leading developed economies were experiencing a full-blown economic recession and major emerging economies, though avoiding outright contraction, faced strong headwinds as exports to the developed world slowed and credit markets slammed shut. Widespread destruction of demand and wealth had left a large and growing stock of excess capacity and decimated production and employment. Awakening during the quarter to the reality of a global recession, central banks around the world shifted into crisis mode and sought additional tools to stimulate the economy. Policy makers’ unconventional moves reflected the seriousness of the economic downturn, but also made clear that governments were intent on doing whatever was necessary to promote the resumption of growth. Fiscal plans in various forms were announced in an effort to substitute public balance sheets for those of the private sector, with the objective of restoring normal intermediation between savers and private borrowers. Still, the effectiveness of these policies remained to be seen, as risk appetites in the private sector continued to weaken over the quarter, and saw only modest recovery in December.

Portfolio Results

The Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio returned –6.86% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. By comparison, the Barclays Capital Global Credit Hedged USD Index returned –5.89% for the same period. (This Index is unmanaged, cannot be invested in directly and does not include administrative expenses or sales charges.) The average return for the Portfolio’s peer group, General Bond Funds, was –9.18%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

Favorable asset allocation helped returns, including an emphasis on emerging markets (EM) and de-emphasis on high yield and investment grade credit. An underweight to spread duration during the majority of the year helped returns as credit spreads widened. An off-benchmark allocation to EM currencies helped returns, as the U.S. dollar weakened against these currencies over the first half of the year. However, these currencies gave back some of their returns in the second half. An underweight to the high yield credit sector helped performance, as high yield spreads widened to historic levels.

An allocation to high quality financial issues detracted from performance amid de-leveraging in the financial system. Prices for these securities bounced back in the fourth quarter as this sector benefited from government capital injections and debt guarantees. An underweight to the consumer non-cyclical sector detracted from performance as that sector outperformed amid an economic slowdown.

Outlook

We expect the fallout from the financial crisis to push developed economies into one of the most severe global recessions since World War II. As 2008 ended, the world’s largest developed economies were either already in or quickly headed towards

 

      Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    133


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

recession from which we believe they are not likely to emerge until 2010. Fortunately, the reality of a recession appears to be bringing clarity to policymakers who by their actions have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to promote the resumption of growth.

We do not expect major emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico and Russia to contract, but they will likely face strong headwinds as their exports to developed countries slow and credit markets remain restrictive. Weaker external demand could also help cool China’s rapid expansion, though the Chinese government’s plan for massive fiscal stimulus indicates to us that it will do what is necessary to prop up domestic demand.

We have a cautious outlook for corporates going into 2009. Government policy responses have been aimed at restoring health to systemically vital financial institutions. While a full recovery will likely take some time, we believe current valuations can present compelling investment opportunity within the appropriate investment horizon. In high yield, buffeted by a sustained bout of volatility, the fundamentals continued to deteriorate. Defaults have jumped more than four-fold already this year, and the prolonged freezing of credit markets, alongside the ailing economy, has the potential to exacerbate the pace of this deterioration.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year     Since  

Inception*

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

   -6.86 %   -3.54%

Barclays Capital Global Credit
Hedged USD Index**

   -5.89 %   -2.69%

Equal Weighted Composite of
Barclays Capital Global Aggregate
— Credit Component, Hedged
USD; Merrill Lynch Global High
Yield BB-B Rated Constrained
Index; JP Morgan EMBI Global

   -12.84 %   -7.16%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) General Bond Funds Average

   -9.18 %   –%  

* Inception date of 4/30/07

** Prior to November 1, 2008, the Barclays Capital Global Credit Hedged USD Index was known as the Lehman Brothers Global Credit Hedged USD Index.

 

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 4/30/07 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

The Portfolio invests in lower-quality securities, which may present a significant risk for loss of principal and interest. Bonds and other debt obligations are affected by changes in interest rates, inflation risk and the creditworthiness of their issuers. High yield bonds generally have greater price swings and higher default risks than investment grade bonds. Return of principal is not guaranteed. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. With a fixed income fund, when interest rates rise, the value of the fund’s existing bonds drops, which could negatively affect overall fund performance.


 

134    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio      


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

 

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.

   Top 10 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Federal National Mortgage Association ,

  Various

   38.0%

  Brazilian Government International Bond,

  Various

   3.7%

  Bank of America Corp., Various

   2.7%

  South Africa Government

  Bond, 13.00%, 8/31/10

   2.6%

  Uruguay Government International Bond,

  Various

   2.6%

  GAZ Capital SA, 8.625%, 4/28/34

   2.0%

  SLM Corp., Various

   1.8%

  Russian Government International

  Bond, 7.50%, 3/31/30

   1.8%

  General Electric Capital Corp., Various

   1.7%

  Citigroup, Inc., Various

   1.7%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on fixed income investments.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

 


      Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    135


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Aerospace/Defense (0.0%)

 

Northwest Airlines, Inc., 7.626%, 4/1/10

   45,236    37
         
 

Total

      37
         
 

Auto Manufacturing (0.2%)

 

American Honda
Finance Corp.,
3.259%, 2/5/10 144A

   200,000    198
         
 

Total

      198
         
 

Banking (20.3%)

 

American Express Bank
FSB, 1.275%, 7/13/10

   250,000    229
 

Bank of America Corp.,
1.878%, 6/22/12

   900,000    904
 

Bank of America Corp.,
5.75%, 12/1/17

   700,000    699
 

Bank of America Corp.,
8.00%, 12/29/49

   500,000    357
 

Bank of America Corp.,
8.125%, 12/29/49

   800,000    598
 

Barclays Bank PLC,
5.45%, 9/12/12

   250,000    253
 

Barclays Bank PLC,
7.70%, 4/26/49 144A

   700,000    463
 

Barclays Bank PLC New
York, 2.498%, 8/10/09

   200,000    199
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
2.356%, 5/18/10

   100,000    97
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
3.765%, 1/30/09

   100,000    100
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
6.40%, 10/2/17

   325,000    338
 

The Bear Stearns
Companies LLC,
7.25%, 2/1/18

   200,000    219
 

Citigroup Capital XXI,
8.30%, 12/21/57

   300,000    231
 

Citigroup Funding, Inc.,
3.556%, 5/7/10

   200,000    190

(b)

 

Citigroup, Inc.,
1.496%, 12/28/09

   1,100,000    1,038
 

Citigroup, Inc.,
8.40%, 4/29/49

   800,000    528

(b)

 

Countrywide Financial
Corp., 4.348%, 1/5/09

   1,000,000    1,000
 

Credit Suisse/New York
NY, 5.00%, 5/15/13

   300,000    289
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
1.766%, 6/28/10

   1,000,000    915

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc., 6.15%, 4/1/18

   200,000    192
 

The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.,
6.75%, 10/1/37

   450,000    365
 

HBOS PLC, 5.92%, 9/1/49 144A

   660,000    250
 

HSBC Holdings PLC, 6.50%, 5/2/36

   760,000    772
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.00%, 1/15/18

   100,000    106

(b)

 

JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 2.326%, 6/13/16

   1,500,000    1,127

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 2.951%, 5/25/10

   200,000    18

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 3.053%, 11/10/09

   200,000    18

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 6.00%, 7/19/12

   300,000    28

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 6.20%, 9/26/14

   100,000    10
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., 6.875%, 4/25/18

   800,000    837
 

Morgan Stanley, 4.233%, 5/14/10

   100,000    93
 

Morgan Stanley, 5.75%, 8/31/12

   100,000    93
 

Morgan Stanley, 5.95%, 12/28/17

   200,000    166
 

Morgan Stanley, 6.00%, 4/28/15

   500,000    431
 

Rabobank Nederland NV, 2.639%, 5/19/10 144A

   400,000    398

(b)

 

Regions Financial Corp., 1.636%, 6/26/12

   1,300,000    1,047
 

Santander Perpetual SA Unipersonal, 6.671%, 10/24/49 144A

   300,000    191
 

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 3.779%, 5/5/10

   100,000    100
 

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 3.824%, 7/23/09

   700,000    696
 

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 5.75%, 4/25/18

   300,000    272
 

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 5.875%, 12/20/17

   100,000    92

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

 

Unicredito Italiano/New York NY, 1.795%, 5/15/09

   800,000    800
 

Wachovia Bank NA, 3.033%, 5/14/10

   900,000    864
 

Wachovia Bank NA, 3.573%, 11/3/14

   500,000    395
 

Wachovia Corp., 5.50%, 5/1/13

   100,000    99
 

Wells Fargo & Co., 4.375%, 1/31/13

   400,000    392
 

Wells Fargo & Co., 5.25%, 10/23/12

   410,000    418
 

Wells Fargo Capital
XIII, 7.70%, 12/29/49

   200,000    165
         
 

Total

      19,082
         
 

Basic Materials (1.0%)

 

Berry Plastics Holding
Corp., 8.875%, 9/15/14

   100,000    44
 

C8 Capital SPV, Ltd., 6.64%, 12/31/49

   1,000,000    511
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC,
7.125%, 1/15/17 144A

   400,000    336
         
 

Total

      891
         
 

Electric Utilities (0.9%)

 

Dominion Resources,
Inc., 2.921%, 6/17/10

   600,000    557
 

Enel Finance
International SA,
5.70%, 1/15/13 144A

   100,000    92
 

Nevada Power Co., 6.75%, 7/1/37

   50,000    45
 

Reliant Energy, Inc., 6.75%, 12/15/14

   75,000    67
 

Sierra Pacific Power Co., 6.75%, 7/1/37

   75,000    67
         
 

Total

      828
         
 

Electronics (0.1%)

 

Celestica, Inc., 7.875%, 7/1/11

   150,000    136
         
 

Total

      136
         
 

Energy (0.1%)

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 6/1/18 144A

   150,000    83
         
 

Total

      83
         
 

Food Processors (0.1%)

 

New Albertson’s, Inc., 7.45%, 8/1/29

   125,000    74
         
 

Total

      74
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

136    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio      


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure (0.3%)

 

The Hertz Corp., 8.875%, 1/1/14

   150,000    92
 

MGM MIRAGE, 7.50%, 6/1/16

   200,000    127
 

Wynn Las Vegas
LLC/Wynn Las Vegas
Capital Corp.,
6.625%, 12/1/14

   95,000    72
         
 

Total

      291
         
 

Gas Pipelines (0.4%)

 

El Paso Corp., 7.00%, 6/15/17

   325,000    254

(d)

 

SemGroup LP, 8.75%, 11/15/15 144A

   500,000    17
 

Williams Companies,
Inc., 7.625%, 7/15/19

   125,000    98
         
 

Total

      369
         
 

Health Care / Pharmaceuticals (1.2%)

 

Biomet, Inc., 10.00%, 10/15/17

   38,000    37

(c)

 

Biomet, Inc., 10.375%, 10/15/17

   189,000    149
 

Biomet, Inc., 11.625%, 10/15/17

   198,000    169
 

CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc., 8.875%, 7/15/15

   325,000    299
 

HCA, Inc., 9.25%, 11/15/16

   550,000    505
         
 

Total

      1,159
         
 

Independent Finance (6.4%)

 

Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., 2.216%, 6/24/11

   900,000    805
 

CIT Group, Inc., 2.269%, 8/17/09

   300,000    288
 

CIT Group, Inc., 2.303%, 6/8/09

   400,000    391
 

CIT Group, Inc., 6.875%, 11/1/09

   600,000    576
 

Deutsche Telekom International Finance BV, 1.678%, 3/23/09

   200,000    198

(b)

 

General Electric Capital Corp., 4.398%, 10/6/15

   1,300,000    940
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 4.625%, 9/15/66

   980,000    750
 

General Electric Capital Corp., 5.45%, 1/15/13

   650,000    655
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC, 3.399%, 5/15/09

   300,000    287
 

General Motors
Acceptance Corp. LLC, 5.625%, 5/15/09

   200,000    192
 

International Lease Finance Corp., 4.95%, 2/1/11

   200,000    144

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Independent Finance continued

 

John Deere Capital
Corp., 2.939%, 6/10/11

   900,000    821
         
 

Total

      6,047
         
 

Information/Data Technology (1.4%)

(b)

 

Oracle Corp., 5.00%, 1/15/11

   1,300,000    1,335
         
 

Total

      1,335
         
 

Life Insurance (0.6%)

 

Allstate Life Global Funding II, 2.823%, 5/21/10

   200,000    178
 

Genworth Global
Funding Trusts, 4.943%, 4/15/14

   300,000    138
 

Hartford Life Global Funding Trusts, 2.176%, 6/16/14

   300,000    205
         
 

Total

      521
         
 

Media (1.5%)

 

Charter Communications Operating LLC/Charter Communications Operating Capital, 8.00%, 4/30/12 144A

   125,000    103
 

Charter Communications Operating LLC/Charter Communications Operating Capital, 8.375%, 4/30/14 144A

   125,000    96
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.625%, 4/1/11

   150,000    141
 

Dex Media West
LLC/Dex Media West Finance Co., 8.50%, 8/15/10

   75,000    45
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.125%, 2/1/16

   325,000    271
 

Quebecor Media, Inc., 7.75%, 3/15/16

   125,000    84
 

Viacom, Inc., 5.75%, 4/30/11

   690,000    627
         
 

Total

      1,367
         
 

Natural Gas Distributors (0.1%)

 

AmeriGas Partners LP/AmeriGas Eagle Finance Corp., 7.125%, 5/20/16

   150,000    120
         
 

Total

      120
         
 

Oil and Gas (4.8%)

 

Chesapeake Energy
Corp., 6.875%, 1/15/16

   300,000    240
 

Citic Resources Finance, Ltd., 6.75%, 5/15/14 144A

   200,000    130

(b)

 

GAZ Capital SA, 8.625%, 4/28/34

   2,400,000    1,920

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Oil and Gas continued

(b)

 

Marathon Oil Corp., 6.00%, 10/1/17

   1,000,000    853

(b)

 

Pemex Project Funding Master Trust, 6.625%, 6/15/35

   1,000,000    846
 

Pemex Project Funding Master Trust, 6.625%, 6/15/38 144A

   100,000    83
 

TransCapitalInvest, Ltd.
for OJSC AK
Transneft, 6.103%, 6/27/12 144A

   200,000    150
 

Valero Energy Corp., 6.125%, 6/15/17

   205,000    175
 

Valero Energy Corp., 6.875%, 4/15/12

   50,000    50
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 7.50%, 4/15/12

   100,000    99
         
 

Total

      4,546
         
 

Other Finance (3.2%)

 

National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance
Corp., 4.658%, 7/1/10

   900,000    821
 

SLM Corp.,
2.196%, 3/15/11

   200,000    155
 

SLM Corp.,
3.675%, 7/27/09

   200,000    189
 

SLM Corp.,
3.695%, 7/26/10

   100,000    85

(b)

 

SLM Corp.,
3.765%, 10/25/11

   1,700,000    1,303
 

Teco Finance, Inc., 6.75%, 5/1/15

   100,000    82
 

Vale Overseas, Ltd., 8.25%, 1/17/34

   325,000    345
         
 

Total

      2,980
         
 

Paper and Forest Products (0.0%)

 

Verso Paper Holdings
LLC/Verso Paper, Inc., 9.125%, 8/1/14

   75,000    30
         
 

Total

      30
         
 

Property and Casualty Insurance (0.7%)

 

American International Group, Inc., 5.85%, 1/16/18

   500,000    335
 

American International Group, Inc., 8.25%, 8/15/18 144A

   100,000    73
 

American International Group, Inc., 8.625%, 5/22/38

   100,000    44
 

Metropolitan Life Global Funding I, 2.246%, 3/15/12 144A

   300,000    237
         
 

Total

      689
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    137


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (0.1%)

 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp., 6.75%, 4/1/17

   150,000    114
 

Total

      114
 

Retail: Food/Drug (0.2%)

 

Tesco PLC, 5.50%, 11/15/17 144A

   150,000    139
 

Total

      139
 

Services (0.3%)

 

Allied Waste North America, Inc., 7.25%, 3/15/15

   100,000    93
 

ARAMARK Corp., 6.693%, 2/1/15

   250,000    189
 

Total

      282
 

Technology (0.3%)

 

First Data Corp., 9.875%, 9/24/15

   175,000    106
 

SunGard Data Systems, Inc., 9.125%, 8/15/13

   150,000    130
 

Total

      236
 

Telecommunications (2.4%)

(b)

 

America Movil SAB de CV, 5.75%, 1/15/15

   1,000,000    919
 

France Telecom SA, 7.75%, 3/1/11

   300,000    316
 

Frontier
Communications Corp.,
7.125%, 3/15/19

   125,000    84

(d)

 

Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc., 9.75%, 5/1/13

   100,000    7
 

Nortel Networks, Ltd., 10.125%, 7/15/13

   275,000    73
 

Qwest Communications International, Inc., 7.50%, 2/15/14

   150,000    107
 

Qwest Corp., 7.25%, 9/15/25

   500,000    335
 

Qwest Corp., 8.875%, 3/15/12

   75,000    69
 

Sprint Nextel Corp., 6.00%, 12/1/16

   450,000    317
 

Total

      2,227
 

Tobacco (0.0%)

 

Reynolds American,
Inc., 6.75%, 6/15/17

   50,000    40
 

Total

      40
 

Transportation (0.1%)

 

BW Gas, Ltd., 6.625%, 6/28/17 144A

   130,000    100
 

Total

      100

 

 

Corporate Bonds

(54.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities (1.1%)

 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/17

   100,000    82
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.50%, 6/1/15

   325,000    227
 

Energy Future Holdings
Corp.,
10.875%, 11/1/17 144A

   425,000    302
 

Nalco Co.,
7.75%, 11/15/11

   20,000    19
 

Nalco Co., 8.875%, 11/15/13

   20,000    17
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 1/15/17

   430,000    396
 

Total

      1,043
 

Vehicle Parts (0.2%)

 

ArvinMeritor, Inc., 8.125%, 9/15/15

   65,000    29
 

ArvinMeritor, Inc., 8.75%, 3/1/12

   65,000    35
 

Cooper-Standard
Automotive, Inc.,
7.00%, 12/15/12

   150,000    45
 

Tenneco, 8.625%, 11/15/14

   100,000    38
 

Total

      147
 

Yankee Sovereign (6.4%)

 

Brazilian Government International Bond, 6.00%, 1/17/17

   1,000,000    1,032
 

Brazilian Government International Bond, 8.25%, 1/20/34

   200,000    245
 

Brazilian Government International Bond, 8.875%, 4/15/24

   500,000    620

(b)

 

Brazilian Government International Bond, 11.00%, 8/17/40

   1,200,000    1,566
 

Colombia Government International Bond, 7.375%, 1/27/17

   200,000    208
 

Mexico Government International Bond, 8.30%, 8/15/31

   300,000    368

(b)

 

Russian Government International Bond, 7.50%, 3/31/30

   1,960,000    1,709
 

United Mexican States, 5.95%, 3/19/19

   300,000    300
 

Total

      6,048
 

Total Corporate Bonds

(Cost: $60,598)

   51,159

 

 

 

Foreign Bonds

(6.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite (0.1%)

 

UnityMedia Hessen GmBH & Co. KG, 7.702%, 4/15/13

   75,000    84
         
 

Total

      84
         
 

Independent Finance (0.2%)

 

Punch Taverns Finance PLC, 6.468%, 4/15/33

   200,000    186
         
 

Total

      186
         
 

Telecommunications (0.1%)

 

BCM Ireland Finance, Ltd., 9.245%, 8/15/16

   150,000    103
         
 

Total

      103
         
 

Yankee Sovereign (6.0%)

(k)

 

Brazilian Government International Bond, 12.50%, 1/5/22

   1,650,000    738

(b)

 

South Africa Government Bond, 13.00%, 8/31/10

   21,300,000    2,463

(n)

 

Uruguay Government International Bond, 3.70%, 6/26/37

   3,459,943    61

(b)

 

Uruguay Government International Bond, 6.875%, 1/19/16

   2,000,000    2,347
         
 

Total

      5,609
         
 

Total Foreign Bonds (Cost: $8,122)

   5,982
         
 

Municipal Bonds (1.4%)

         
 

Municipal Bonds (1.4%)

 

Buckeye Tobacco
Settlement Financing
Authority, Series 2007-
A2, 5.875%, 6/1/30 RB

   100,000    61
 

Buckeye Tobacco Settlement Financing Authority, Series 2007-
A2,5.875%, 6/1/47 RB

   100,000    54
 

California Educational
Facilities Authority,
Series 2007-A,
4.75%, 10/1/37 RB

   100,000    89
 

Clovis Unified School
District of California,
Series 2001-B,
0.00%, 8/1/20 GO,
FGIC

   100,000    53
 

East Bay Municipal
Utility District, Series 2007-A,
5.00%, 6/1/32 RB ,
FGIC

   400,000    382

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

138    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

 

Municipal Bonds

(1.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Municipal Bonds continued

 

Golden State Tobacco Securitization Corp.,
Series 2007-A2,
0.00%, 6/1/37 RB

   100,000    35
 

Golden State Tobacco
Securitization Corp.,
Series 2007-A1,
5.75%, 6/1/47 RB

   100,000    56
 

Los Angeles Community
College District,
Series 2007-A,
5.00%, 8/1/32 GO, FGIC

   100,000    94
 

Los Angeles Unified
School District, Series
2007-A1,
4.50%, 7/1/23 GO, FSA

   100,000    92
 

North Texas Municipal
Water District Water
System, Series 2006,
5.00%, 9/1/35 RB ,
MBIA

   100,000    94
 

Northern Tobacco
Securitization Corp.,
Series 2006-A,
5.00%, 6/1/46 RB

   200,000    96
 

State of Florida
Department of
Transportation, Series
2008-A,
5.25%, 7/1/37 GO

   100,000    97
 

State of Washington
Motor Vehicle Fuel
Tax, Series 2008-D,
5.00%, 1/1/33 GO

   100,000    96
 

Tobacco Securitization Authority of Southern California, Series A1-
SNR, 5.00%, 6/1/37 RB

   100,000    50
         
 

Total

      1,349
         
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $1,634)

      1,349
         
 

Structured Products (44.5%)

         
 

Structured Products (44.5%)

 

American Home
Mortgage Assets, Series
2006-4, Class 1A12,
0.681%, 10/25/46

   77,015    27
 

American Home
Mortgage Investment
Trust, Series 2005-2,
Class 4A1,
5.66%, 9/25/45

   24,629    12
 

Banc of America
Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-3,
Class A4, 5.658%, 6/10/49

   100,000    73

 

 

Structured Products

(44.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

 

Banc of America
Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-4,
Class A4,
5.745%, 2/10/51

   100,000    72

(b)

 

Banc of America
Funding Corp., Series
2005-H, Class 5A1,
5.357%, 11/20/35

   641,925    626
 

Bear Sterns Adjustable
Rate Mortgage Trust,
Series 2007-3, Class
1A1, 5.472%, 5/25/47

   86,749    50
 

Citigroup Mortgage
Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2007-10, Class 22AA, 6.014%, 9/25/37

   89,361    47

(b)

 

Commercial Mortgage
Pass-Through
Certificates, Series
2001-JF1A, Class A2F,
1.54%, 2/16/34 144A

   781,101    690
 

Commercial Mortgage
Pass-Through
Certificates, Series
2006-C8, Class A4,
5.306%, 12/10/46

   100,000    73
 

Countrywide Alternative
Loan Trust, Series
2006-0A17, Class
1A1A,
0.703%, 12/20/46

   114,083    50
 

Countrywide Alternative
Loan Trust, Series
2006-0A9, Class 2A1A,
0.718%, 7/20/46

   51,457    21
 

Countrywide Alternative
Loan Trust, Series
2005-59, Class 1A1,
0.838%, 11/20/35

   26,855    13
 

Countrywide Alternative
Loan Trust, Series
2005-62, Class 2A1,
3.256%, 12/25/35

   31,704    16

(b)

 

Encore Credit
Receivables Trust,
Series 2005-3, Class
2A2, 0.741%, 10/25/35

   122,995    117

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp., Series
3346, Class FA,
1.425%, 2/15/19

   767,460    737

(b)

 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2007-114, Class
A6, 0.671%, 10/27/37

   300,000    255
 

Federal National
Mortgage Association,
Series 2003-W6, Class
F, 0.821%, 9/25/42

   99,236    86

 

 

Structured Products

(44.5%)

  Shares/
$ Par
  Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

(b)

 

Federal National Mortgage Association, 5.50%, 12/1/38

  2,000,000   2,052
 

Federal National Mortgage Association TBA, 5.00%, 1/1/39

  8,700,000   8,882

(k)

 

Federal National Mortgage Association TBA, 5.50%, 1/1/39

  17,800,000   18,245

(k)

 

Federal National Mortgage Association TBA, 6.00%, 1/1/39

  6,400,000   6,588
 

GSR Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2006-AR1, Class 2A1, 5.181%, 1/25/36

  18,207   13
 

HSI Asset Securitization Corp. Trust, Series 2006-OPT4, Class 2A2, 0.581%, 3/25/36

  59,469   58
 

Indymac Indx Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2005-AR12, Class 2A1A, 0.711%, 7/25/35

  9,132   4
 

JPMorgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities Corp., Series 2006-LDP9, Class A3, 5.336%, 5/15/47

  100,000   75
 

JPMorgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities Corp., Series 2007-CB19, Class A4, 5.747%, 2/12/49

  100,000   73
 

JPMorgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities Corp., Series 2007-CB20, Class A4, 5.794%, 2/12/51

  100,000   73
 

LB-UBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series 2007-C2, Class A3, 5.43%, 2/15/40

  84,000   60

(b)

 

Lehman XS Trust, Series 2006-8, Class 3A1A, 0.591%, 6/25/36

  594,154   518
 

Long Beach Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2006-11, Class 2A1, 0.531%, 12/25/36

  33,870   29

(b)

 

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, Series 2008 -1, Class A1, 4.485%, 4/25/38

  872,469   662
 

Morgan Stanley Capital I Trust, Series 2007-IQ16, Class A4, 5.809%, 12/12/49

  100,000   75

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    139


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

  

Structured Products (44.5%)

         
  

Structured Products continued

(b)

  

Nelnet Student Loan
Trust, Series 2006-1,
Class A2,
2.163%, 2/23/16

   414,398    407

(b)

  

SLM Student Loan
Trust, Series 2008-9,
Class A,
5.035%, 4/25/23

   1,000,000    937
  

Structured Asset
Securities Corp., Series
2006-GEL4, Class A1,
0.591%, 10/25/36 144
A

   106,878    92
  

United Air Lines Pass-
Through Certificates,
7.73%, 7/1/10

   26,074    24
  

WaMu Mortgage Pass-
Through Certificates,
Series 2007-0A1, Class
A1A, 2.956%, 2/25/47

   55,248    21
  

WaMu Mortgage Pass-
Through Certificates,
Series 2007-HY1, Class
4A1, 5.449%, 2/25/37

   62,109    37
  

Wells Fargo Mortgage
Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2006-
AR10, Class 5A6,
5.594%, 7/25/36

   19,132    11
  

Total Structured Products

(Cost: $42,059)

      41,901
          
  

Short-Term Investments (20.0%)

         
  

Federal Government & Agencies (10.5%)

(b)

  

Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corp.,
0.12%, 1/22/09

   4,600,000    4,600

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.003%, 3/19/09

   910,000    910

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.03%, 3/26/09

   3,050,000    3,049

 

  

Short-Term Investments (20.0%)

         
  

Federal Government & Agencies continued

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.08%, 2/26/09

   650,000    650

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.09%, 2/26/09

   140,000    140

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.18%, 2/12/09

   500,000    500

(k)

  

US Treasury Bill,
0.22%, 6/11/09

   70,000    70
          
  

Total

      9,919
          
  

National Commercial Banks (1.0%)

     

(b)

  

Nordea North America,
Inc., 2.05%, 1/16/09

   900,000    899
          
  

Total

      899
          
  

Repurchase Agreements (8.5%)

     

(b)

  

US Treasury
Repurchase, 0.03%,
dated 12/30/08, due
1/5/09, repurchase price
$8,000,040,
collateralized by U.S.
Government Agency
Bond with a value of
$8,073,503,
0.03%, 1/5/09

   8,000,000    8,000
          
  

Total

      8,000
          
  

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $18,818)

      18,818
          
  

Total Investments (126.7%)

(Cost: $131,231)(a)

      119,209
          
  

Other Assets, Less

Liabilities (-26.7%)

      (25,088)
          
  

Net Assets (100.0%)

      94,121
          

 

144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $4,223, representing 4.49% of the net assets.

GO — General Obligation

RB — Revenue Bond

FGIC — Financial Guaranty Insurance Co.

FSA — Financial Security Assurance

MBIA — Municipal Bond Insurance Association

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

140    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $131,582 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $12,373 which is comprised of $978 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $13,351 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)   Number of
Contracts
  Expiration Date   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)

90 Day Euro $ Commodity Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $176,460)

  732   12/09   $ 3,950

90 Day Sterling (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $2,609)

  11   3/09     89

Euro Bund Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $2,961)

  19   3/09     59

 

(c) PIK - Payment In Kind

 

(d) Defaulted Security

 

(h) Forward foreign currency contracts outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

Type          Principal
Amount
Covered by
Contract (000’s)
   Settlement
Month
   Unrealized
Appreciation
(000’s)
  

Unrealized

(Depreciation)
(000’s)

    Net Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 

Buy

   BRL    1,516    2/09    $ —      $ (3 )   $ (3 )

Sell

   BRL    3,076    2/09      88      —         88  

Buy

   CLP    19,826    5/09      —        (11 )     (11 )

Sell

   CLP    15,137    5/09      —        (m)     —    

Buy

   CNY    6,565    9/09      8      —         8  

Sell

   EUR    3,104    1/09      —        (413 )     (413 )

Sell

   GBP    383    1/09      10      —         10  

Sell

   HUF    174,749    5/09      —        (123 )     (123 )

Buy

   IDR    885,725    3/09      —        (5 )     (5 )

Buy

   JPY    3,788    1/09      2      —         2  

Buy

   MXN    108    5/09      —        (2 )     (2 )

Buy

   MYR    111    2/09      1      —         1  

Buy

   MYR    106    4/09      1      —         1  

Buy

   PHP    23,841    2/09      —        (21 )     (21 )

Buy

   PHP    10,162    5/09      2      —         2  

Buy

   PHP    700    12/10      —        (2 )     (2 )

Sell

   PHP    700    12/10      1      —         1  

Buy

   PLN    68    5/09      —        (7 )     (7 )

Buy

   RON    1,478    1/09      —        (90 )     (90 )

Sell

   RON    1,478    1/09      38      —         38  

Buy

   RUB    14,853    5/09      —        (179 )     (179 )

Sell

   RUB    14,853    5/09      14      —         14  

Buy

   SGD    1,184    7/09      26      —         26  

Sell

   SGD    717    1/09      —        (22 )     (22 )

Sell

   ZAR    22,453    5/09      —        (271 )     (271 )
                                
            $ 191    $ (1,149 )   $ (958 )
                                

BRL - Brazilian Real

CLP - Chilean Peso

CNY - China Yuan Renminbi

EUR - Euro

GBP - British Pound

HUF - Hungarian Forint

IDR - Indonesian Rupiah

JPY - Japanese Yen

MXN - Mexican New Peso

MYR - Malaysian Ringgit

PHP - Philippines Peso

PLN - Poland Zloty

RON - Romanian Leu

RUB - Russian Ruble

SGD - Singapore Dollar

ZAR - South African Rand

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    141


Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

 

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

Interest Rate Swaps                          
Counterparty  

        Floating Rate

            Index

  Pay/Receive
Floating Rate
  Fixed
Rate
  Expiration
Date
 

Notional

Amount
(000's)

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/

(Depreciation)

(000's)

 
JPMorgan Chase   6 Month GBP-LIBOR   Pay   4.75%   9/10 GBP   2,700   $ 131  
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.   3 Month USD-LIBOR   Receive   4.00%   6/11 USD   15,100     (137 )
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.   3 Month USD-LIBOR   Receive   5.00%   12/38 USD   1,200     (569 )
  28 Day Mexico Interbank          
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.   TIIE Banxico   Pay   8.17%   11/16 MXN   2,800     2  
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.   3 Month USD-LIBOR   Pay   5.00%   12/18 USD   2,200     449  
                 
            $ (124 )
                 
Credit Default Swaps            
CounterParty   Reference Entity   Buy/Sell
Protection
 

(Pay)/Receive

Fixed Rate

  Expiration
Date
 

Notional

Amount
(000's)

 

Unrealized
Appreciation/

(Depreciation)

(000's)

 
JPMorgan Chase  

Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging

Markets Index, Series 10

  Sell   3.35%   12/13 USD   2,000   $ 5  
JPMorgan Chase  

Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging

Markets Index, Series 9

  Sell   2.65%   6/13 USD   11,000     (1,824 )
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.  

Philippine Government

International Bond, 10.625%,

3/16/25

  Sell   2.44%   9/17 USD   100     (8 )
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.  

Dow Jones CDX NA High Yield

Index, Series 9

  Sell   3.75%   12/12 USD   4,900     (643 )
Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.  

Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging

Markets Index, Series 9

  Sell   2.65%   6/13 USD   10,000     (1,622 )
                 
            $ (4,092 )
                 

 

(k) Securities with an aggregate value of $30,890 (in thousands) have been pledged as collateral for swap contracts and short sales outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

(m) Amount is less than one thousand.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $61 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

(o) Short sales outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

Description    Coupon     Maturity
Date
  

Principal

Amount (000’s)

   Proceeds
(000’s)
   Value
(000’s)

Federal National Mortgage Association TBA

   6.50 %   1/39    $ 700    $ 720    $ 727

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

142    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Realize as high a level of total return

as is consistent with prudent investment

risk, through income and capital

appreciation.

   Capitalize on changing financial market and economic conditions by actively managing a diversified portfolio allocated across equity, debt and cash market sectors.    $2.0 billion

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Balanced Portfolio. The investment objective of the Portfolio is to realize as high a level of long-term total return as is consistent with prudent investment risk, through income and capital appreciation. The Balanced Portfolio invests in seven categories of assets: large-capitalization stocks, mid-capitalization stocks, small-capitalization stocks, foreign stocks, investment-grade bonds, below investment-grade bonds, and cash equivalents. The proportion of investments in each category is adjusted as appropriate to take advantage of market trends and opportunities, and securities within each category are actively managed by an investment professional with experience in that category. Under normal conditions, the Portfolio will typically allocate between 35% and 55% of assets to equity securities and between 40%-60% to fixed income securities. The Portfolio is managed to maintain broad diversification, while blending asset classes to attempt to achieve both capital appreciation and current income.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as unemployment jumped above 7% and the economy entered its first recession since 2002.

Against that backdrop, the S&P 500® Index fell 37.00%. Equity returns were negative across all market capitalization ranges, sectors, and investment styles. Fixed income returns varied widely, with the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index (a broad-based bond index) up 7.02%, as Treasury and government-backed mortgage debt had positive returns, while corporate bonds endured their worst year ever. What’s more, the Citigroup High-Yield Cash-Pay Index suffered its most difficult year on record, falling 24.74%. Meanwhile, cash-equivalent investments had modest returns as the Fed slashed short-term rates. For the full year, the Merrill Lynch Three-Month T-Bill Index was up 2.06%. International equities offered no relief, as the MSCI EAFE Index—a measure of large-cap stock performance in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East—tumbled 43.06%.

Portfolio Results

The Balanced Portfolio returned –22.72% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. That compares with the –37.00% return of the broad stock market, as measured by the S&P 500® Index. At the same time, the Balanced Portfolio Blended Composite Benchmark returned –20.19%. (The Portfolio’s blended benchmark weights are detailed in the “Benchmark Definitions” section of this annual report.) The Portfolio outperformed its Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Moderate Funds peer group, which had an average return of –25.34%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in a year in which only cash and government-backed securities had positive returns. The Portfolio outperformed the equity-only S&P 500® Index thanks to positive performance from its cash and bond allocations. Relative to the blended benchmark, it helped to be underrepresented in equities overall, and international stocks in particular. It was also beneficial to be underweight high yield bonds; in addition, our allocation to this market segment outperformed its underlying benchmark. However, our stock and investment grade bond allocations lagged their underlying benchmarks, which accounted for the bulk of the Portfolio’s underperformance of the blended index.

Many of the changes we made to the Portfolio’s asset mix over the course of the year were to address imbalances created by sharp volatility in the markets. For example, stocks’ poor performance shrank the equity slice of the Portfolio, so we consistently used our cash allocation to bring equities back closer to neutral. Nevertheless, equities finished the year a little below our target allocation at 46% of assets. The fixed income allocation ended the year a little above our neutral weight at 49% of assets, though we maintained a bias toward high quality bonds and an underweight position in high yield debt. The Portfolio’s cash allocation at year-end was essentially neutral.

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals matter again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, and it is difficult to see a quick rebound.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    143


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

In terms of the Portfolio’s asset allocation, the extreme market conditions of the last year have created some significant disparities in valuations across and within asset classes. So, for example, at a time when cash yields are approaching zero and Treasury bond yields are at record lows, we find that stocks and credit-sensitive bonds are very attractive by comparison. As a result, we expect to reduce our cash position, adding to both our equity and bond allocations. Within equities, we expect to favor growth-oriented shares, which historically have done better than value when investors desire earnings certainty. And within fixed income, we favor high quality assets trading at distressed levels, particularly those with government backing.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year    5 Years    10 Years

Balanced Portfolio

   -22.72%    0.25%    1.73%

S&P 500 Index

   -37.00%    -2.19%    -1.38%

Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment
Grade Index

   7.02%    5.10%    5.85%

Balanced Portfolio Blended
Composite Benchmark

   -20.19%    1.92%    2.84%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Mixed Asset Target
Allocation Moderate Funds
Average

   -25.34%    0.07%    1.46%

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 12/31/98. Returns shown include deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards. Small cap stocks also may carry additional risk. Smaller or newer issuers are more likely to realize more substantial growth as well as suffer more significant losses than larger or more established issuers. Investments in such companies can be both volatile and more speculative. Bonds and other debt obligations are affected by changes in interest rates, inflation risk and the creditworthiness of their issuers. High yield bonds generally have greater price swings and higher default risks than investment grade bonds.

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.


 

144    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

 

   Top 5 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Microsoft Corp.

   0.7%

  Celgene Corp.

   0.5%

  Hewlett-Packard Co.

   0.5%

  Google, Inc. - Class A

   0.5%

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   0.5%

   Top 5 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Federal National Mortgage Association, Various

   10.2%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Various

   4.6%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,

  4.875%, 6/13/18

   1.6%

  AEP Texas Central Transition Funding LLC,

  5.306%, 7/01/21

   1.0%

  US Treasury, Various

   0.9%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.

 


 

      Balanced Portfolio    145


Balanced Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Large Cap Common Stocks (17.7%)

 

Consumer Discretionary (1.7%)

 

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. -
Class A

   66,200    1,527

*

 

Amazon.com, Inc.

   28,000    1,436
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   288,200    4,865
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   158,200    2,873

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   129,800    4,699
 

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

   138,600    2,983
 

McDonald’s Corp.

   57,800    3,594
 

The McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.

   118,400    2,746
 

NIKE, Inc. - Class B

   78,600    4,009
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   97,300    2,619
 

Target Corp.

   78,700    2,717
         
 

Total

      34,068
         
 

Consumer Staples (2.9%)

 

Avon Products, Inc.

   134,400    3,230
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   138,200    6,256
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   250,500    7,199

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   47,200    2,555

*

 

Hansen Natural Corp.

   125,400    4,205
 

The Kroger Co.

   211,600    5,588
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   122,800    6,726
 

Philip Morris International,
Inc.

   183,600    7,989
 

The Procter & Gamble Co.

   62,400    3,858
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   172,500    9,670
         
 

Total

      57,276
         
 

Energy (1.5%)

 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   82,000    6,546
 

Halliburton Co.

   117,600    2,138
 

Hess Corp.

   37,400    2,006

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco, Inc.

   194,400    4,751
 

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

   72,200    4,331
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   102,700    4,347

*

 

Transocean, Ltd.

   27,700    1,309
 

XTO Energy, Inc.

   104,575    3,689
         
 

Total

      29,117
         
 

Financials (0.4%)

 

American Express Co.

   61,000    1,132
 

CME Group, Inc.

   6,900    1,436
 

The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc.

   19,600    1,654
 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   51,000    1,543
 

State Street Corp.

   86,100    3,386
         
 

Total

      9,151
         
 

Health Care (3.1%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   174,000    9,286

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Health Care continued

 

Allergan, Inc.

   84,100    3,391
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   144,600    7,749
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

   39,600    921

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   183,900    10,166

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   53,800    4,461

*

 

Genzyme Corp.

   43,700    2,900

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   135,800    6,945
 

Johnson & Johnson

   44,900    2,686

*

 

Medco Health Solutions, Inc.

   176,000    7,376

*

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

   69,800    2,301

*

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Inc.

   53,500    1,823
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

   99,700    2,652
         
 

Total

      62,657
         
 

Industrials (1.8%)

 

Danaher Corp.

   68,700    3,889
 

Deere & Co.

   57,000    2,184
 

FedEx Corp.

   50,200    3,220

*

 

First Solar, Inc.

   17,700    2,442
 

Honeywell International, Inc.

   139,400    4,577
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

   28,000    2,354
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.

   77,700    3,656
 

Raytheon Co.

   62,500    3,190
 

Textron, Inc.

   118,800    1,648
 

Union Pacific Corp.

   86,700    4,144
 

United Technologies Corp.

   86,700    4,647
         
 

Total

      35,951
         
 

Information Technology (5.1%)

 

Accenture, Ltd. - Class A

   122,300    4,010

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   82,600    7,050
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   108,300    1,097

*

 

Broadcom Corp. - Class A

   174,900    2,968

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   542,900    8,849
 

Corning, Inc.

   200,400    1,910

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   161,600    2,256

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   92,700    1,487

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   31,700    9,752
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   270,200    9,806
 

Intel Corp.

   545,700    8,000
 

International Business
Machines Corp.

   104,500    8,795
 

MasterCard, Inc.

   5,600    800

*

 

MEMC Electronic Materials,
Inc.

   111,900    1,598
 

Microsoft Corp.

   694,300    13,497

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   377,800    6,698
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   242,800    8,700

*

 

Research In Motion, Ltd.

   44,000    1,786
 

Visa, Inc. - Class A

   34,200    1,794

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   86,000    1,049
         
 

Total

      101,902
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

146    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials (0.8%)

 

Ecolab, Inc.

   50,400    1,772
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper
& Gold, Inc.

   55,900    1,366
 

Monsanto Co.

   92,300    6,493
 

Praxair, Inc.

   93,300    5,538
         
 

Total

      15,169
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.3%)

*

 

American Tower Corp. -
Class A

   114,700    3,363

*

 

NII Holdings, Inc.

   111,400    2,025
         
 

Total

      5,388
         
 

Utilities (0.1%)

 

Exelon Corp.

   53,400    2,970
         
 

Total

      2,970
         
 

Total Large Cap Common Stocks

      353,649
         
 

Mid Cap Common Stocks (7.7%)

 

Consumer Discretionary (1.1%)

*

 

Collective Brands, Inc.

   274,000    3,211
 

DeVry, Inc.

   87,300    5,012

*

 

Dollar Tree, Inc.

   120,900    5,054

*

 

Focus Media Holding, Ltd.,
ADR

   103,000    936

*

 

GameStop Corp. - Class A

   182,000    3,942

*

 

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.

   86,050    2,645

*

 

Urban Outfitters, Inc.

   129,900    1,946
         
 

Total

      22,746
         
 

Energy (0.8%)

*

 

Cameron International Corp.

   198,700    4,073
 

Diamond Offshore Drilling,
Inc.

   42,600    2,511
 

Range Resources Corp.

   81,700    2,810

*

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

   70,300    432
 

Smith International, Inc.

   54,200    1,240

*

 

Southwestern Energy Co.

   184,800    5,354
         
 

Total

      16,420
         
 

Financials (0.8%)

 

Assured Guaranty, Ltd.

   90,000    1,026

*

 

IntercontinentalExchange,
Inc.

   15,500    1,278

*

 

MBIA, Inc.

   147,000    598
 

Northern Trust Corp.

   64,600    3,368
 

Raymond James Financial,
Inc.

   142,900    2,448
 

SEI Investments Co.

   88,100    1,384
 

Synovus Financial Corp.

   173,200    1,438
 

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

   57,025    2,021
 

W.R. Berkley Corp.

   42,100    1,305
         
 

Total

      14,866
         

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$(000’s)

 

Health Care (0.9%)

*

 

Cerner Corp.

   68,100    2,619

*

 

Charles River Laboratories
International, Inc.

   58,100    1,522

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   90,500    4,486

*

 

Express Scripts, Inc.

   67,700    3,722

*

 

Immucor, Inc.

   196,024    5,210

*

 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

   9,700    1,232
         
 

Total

      18,791
         
 

Industrials (1.7%)

 

C.H. Robinson Worldwide,
Inc.

   83,900    4,617

*

 

Corrections Corp. of
America

   279,050    4,565
 

Cummins, Inc.

   20,600    551
 

Expeditors International of
Washington, Inc.

   77,000    2,562

*

 

Foster Wheeler, Ltd.

   116,300    2,719

*

 

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   7,700    344
 

Harsco Corp.

   87,800    2,430
 

J.B. Hunt Transport
Services, Inc.

   113,000    2,969
 

L-3 Communications
Holdings, Inc.

   24,600    1,815
 

MSC Industrial Direct Co.,
Inc. - Class A

   34,100    1,256
 

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers,
Inc.

   104,448    2,237

*

 

Spirit AeroSystems
Holdings, Inc. - Class A

   330,600    3,362

*

 

Stericycle, Inc.

   75,600    3,937
         
 

Total

      33,364
         
 

Information Technology (2.0%)

*

 

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

   122,700    1,060

*

 

Alliance Data Systems Corp.

   87,700    4,081
 

Amphenol Corp. - Class A

   114,100    2,736

*

 

Citrix Systems, Inc.

   73,000    1,721

*

 

Cognizant Technology
Solutions Corp. - Class A

   106,200    1,918
 

FactSet Research Systems,
Inc.

   65,300    2,889
 

Global Payments, Inc.

   120,600    3,954
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   288,800    2,654
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   139,300    3,035

*

 

McAfee, Inc.

   118,900    4,110

*

 

Mettler-Toledo International,
Inc.

   49,400    3,330
 

Microchip Technology, Inc.

   144,500    2,822

*

 

Varian Semiconductor
Equipment Associates,
Inc.

   189,000    3,425

*

 

VeriFone Holdings, Inc.

   145,200    712
 

Western Union Co.

   74,000    1,061
         
 

Total

      39,508
         
 

Materials (0.2%)

*

 

Owens-Illinois, Inc.

   104,000    2,842

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    147


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Materials continued

 

Titanium Metals Corp.

   141,500    1,247
         
 

Total

      4,089
         
 

Utilities (0.2%)

 

Equitable Resources, Inc.

   92,400    3,100
         
 

Total

      3,100
         
 

Total Mid Cap Common Stocks

   152,884
         
 

Small Cap Common Stocks (2.1%)

 

Consumer Discretionary (0.3%)

*

 

Aeropostale, Inc.

   225    4

*

 

American Public Education,
Inc.

   11,600    431
 

Arbitron, Inc.

   325    4

*

 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.

   8,150    209

*

 

The Cheesecake Factory,
Inc.

   400    4
 

Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store, Inc.

   175    4

*

 

Exide Technologies

   800    4

*

 

Fossil, Inc.

   250    4

*

 

J. Crew Group, Inc.

   325    4

*

 

Jack in the Box, Inc.

   149,000    3,292

*

 

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc.

   150    4

*

 

Life Time Fitness, Inc.

   325    4

*

 

LKQ Corp.

   32,100    374

*

 

Lumber Liquidators, Inc.

   18,350    194
 

The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.

   275    4

*

 

New Oriental Education &
Technology Group, Inc.,
ADR

   10,000    549
 

PetSmart, Inc.

   12,350    228
 

Polaris Industries, Inc.

   150    4

*

 

Retail Ventures, Inc.

   1,225    4
 

Sinclair Broadcast Group,
Inc. - Class A

   1,275    4

*

 

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. - Class
A

   325    4
 

Snap-on, Inc.

   3,550    140
 

Sotheby’s

   450    4
 

Tempur-Pedic International,
Inc.

   675    5

*

 

True Religion Apparel, Inc.

   11,325    141
 

Tupperware Brands Corp.

   175    4

*

 

The Warnaco Group, Inc.

   200    4

*

 

Zumiez, Inc.

   17,900    133
         
 

Total

      5,764
         
 

Consumer Staples (0.1%)

*

 

AgFeed Industries, Inc.

   1,750    3
 

Alberto-Culver Co.

   12,700    311

*

 

Central European
Distribution Corp.

   6,800    134

*

 

Darling International, Inc.

   750    4
 

Flowers Foods, Inc.

   13,900    339

*

 

TreeHouse Foods, Inc.

   5,850    159
         
 

Total

      950
         

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Energy (0.1%)

*

 

Arena Resources, Inc.

   10,800    303

*

 

ATP Oil & Gas Corp.

   575    3
 

Berry Petroleum Co.

   500    4

*

 

Bill Barrett Corp.

   200    4

*

 

Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.

   9,250    149

*

 

Contango Oil & Gas Co.

   4,300    242
 

Crosstex Energy, Inc.

   1,500    6

*

 

Dril-Quip, Inc.

   225    5
 

Energy XXI, Ltd.

   5,500    4

*

 

EXCO Resources, Inc.

   18,000    163

*

 

Gasco Energy, Inc.

   5,500    2
 

General Maritime Corp.

   350    4

*

 

IHS, Inc. - Class A

   4,450    167

*

 

ION Geophysical Corp.

   34,475    118

*

 

McMoRan Exploration Co.

   375    4

*

 

Oceaneering International,
Inc.

   5,100    149

*

 

Parker Drilling Co.

   1,350    4
 

Penn Virginia Corp.

   150    4

*

 

PetroQuest Energy, Inc.

   650    4
 

Ship Finance International,
Ltd.

   350    4

*

 

Stone Energy Corp.

   400    4

*

 

T-3 Energy Services, Inc.

   9,186    87

*

 

Whiting Petroleum Corp.

   7,500    251

*

 

Willbros Group, Inc.

   475    4
         
 

Total

      1,689
         
 

Financials (0.2%)

 

Boston Private Financial
Holdings, Inc.

   46,900    321
 

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

   9,400    309

*

 

Encore Bancshares, Inc.

   4,819    53

*

 

FCStone Group, Inc.

   800    4
 

GFI Group, Inc.

   1,200    4

*

 

Investment Technology
Group, Inc.

   104,200    2,367

*

 

KBW, Inc.

   8,400    193
 

MFA Mortgage Investments,
Inc.

   69,900    412
 

optionsXpress Holdings, Inc.

   325    4

*

 

Portfolio Recovery
Associates, Inc.

   2,450    83
         
 

Total

      3,750
         
 

Health Care (0.5%)

*

 

Affymetrix, Inc.

   1,475    4

*

 

Alkermes, Inc.

   400    4

*

 

athenahealth, Inc.

   9,150    344

*

 

BioMarin Pharmaceutical,
Inc.

   21,200    377

*

 

CardioNet, Inc.

   9,400    232

*

 

Genoptix, Inc.

   14,755    503

*

 

Illumina, Inc.

   16,800    438

*

 

IPC The Hospitalist Co.

   7,600    128

*

 

K-V Pharmaceutical Co. -
Class A

   750    2

*

 

Masimo Corp.

   24,667    736

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

148    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Health Care continued

 

Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

   14,250    363

*

 

NuVasive, Inc.

   8,150    282

*

 

PAREXEL International
Corp.

   450    4

*

 

Phase Forward, Inc.

   18,814    236

*

 

Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

   205,100    5,712

*

 

Thoratec Corp.

   10,438    339

*

 

United Therapeutics Corp.

   1,450    91
         
 

Total

      9,795
         
 

Industrials (0.4%)

*

 

AAR Corp.

   225    4
 

Actuant Corp.

   250    5
 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

   125    4

*

 

Aerovironment, Inc.

   5,950    219

*

 

Allegiant Travel Co.

   2,500    121

*

 

Astec Industries, Inc.

   3,950    124

*

 

Astronics Corp.

   26,143    233

*

 

Axsys Technologies, Inc.

   2,798    153
 

Belden, Inc.

   200    4
 

Bucyrus International, Inc.

   7,330    136

*

 

Chart Industries, Inc.

   350    4

*

 

Cornell Cos., Inc.

   22,800    424
 

Deluxe Corp.

   250    4
 

Eagle Bulk Shipping, Inc.

   525    4

*

 

EMCOR Group, Inc.

   200    4

*

 

Energy Recovery, Inc.

   8,197    62

*

 

EnerSys

   400    4

*

 

Flow International Corp.

   1,950    5

*

 

Force Protection, Inc.

   800    5
 

Genco Shipping & Trading,
Ltd.

   275    4

*

 

GrafTech International, Ltd.

   525    4

*

 

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.

   775    5
 

Herman Miller, Inc.

   300    4

*

 

Hexcel Corp.

   475    4

*

 

Hill International, Inc.

   11,900    84

*

 

Hub Group, Inc. - Class A

   11,800    313

*

 

Huron Consulting Group,
Inc.

   6,937    397

*

 

ICF International, Inc.

   13,800    339
 

Kaydon Corp.

   6,100    210
 

Knight Transportation, Inc.

   191,409    3,086
 

Knoll, Inc.

   450    4

*

 

Korn/Ferry International

   350    4

*

 

Perini Corp.

   175    4

*

 

Stanley, Inc.

   12,950    469

*

 

TBS International, Ltd. -
Class A

   425    4

*

 

Team, Inc.

   24,956    691

*

 

Titan Machinery, Inc.

   16,400    231

*

 

TransDigm Group, Inc.

   10,500    352
         
 

Total

      7,728
         
 

Information Technology (0.4%)

*

 

Advanced Energy Industries,
Inc.

   25,278    251

*

 

Amkor Technology, Inc.

   1,950    4

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Information Technology continued

*

 

Atheros Communications,
Inc.

   13,200    189

*

 

Bankrate, Inc.

   11,819    449

*

 

Blackboard, Inc.

   5,250    138

*

 

comScore, Inc.

   13,973    178

*

 

Comtech
Telecommunications Corp.

   3,000    137

*

 

Concur Technologies, Inc.

   8,300    272

*

 

CyberSource Corp.

   14,600    175

*

 

DG Fastchannel, Inc.

   20,200    252

*

 

Diodes, Inc.

   30,850    187

*

 

EarthLink, Inc.

   600    4

*

 

F5 Networks, Inc.

   13,300    304

*

 

Harmonic, Inc.

   675    4

*

 

Infinera Corp.

   450    4

*

 

j2 Global Communications,
Inc.

   6,500    130

*

 

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd.

   22,500    177

*

 

Netlogic Microsystems, Inc.

   16,800    370

*

 

NeuStar, Inc. - Class A

   137,300    2,627

*

 

Novatel Wireless, Inc.

   975    5

*

 

Omniture, Inc.

   28,450    303

*

 

OmniVision Technologies,
Inc.

   800    4

*

 

PMC-Sierra, Inc.

   850    4

*

 

Rubicon Technology, Inc.

   16,165    69

*

 

Sigma Designs, Inc.

   400    4

*

 

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

   725    4

*

 

Switch and Data Facilities
Co., Inc.

   42,900    317

*

 

Synchronoss Technologies,
Inc.

   34,800    371

*

 

Take-Two Interactive
Software, Inc.

   475    4

*

 

TeleTech Holdings, Inc.

   450    4

*

 

TiVo, Inc.

   600    4

*

 

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.

   93,000    320

*

 

VanceInfo Technologies,
Inc., ADR

   69,470    330

*

 

VistaPrint, Ltd.

   23,700    441

*

 

Vocus, Inc.

   14,600    266
         
 

Total

      8,302
         
 

Materials (0.0%)

*

 

Apex Silver Mines, Ltd.

   2,950    3

*

 

Calgon Carbon Corp.

   22,100    339

*

 

Flotek Industries, Inc.

   1,725    4
 

Silgan Holdings, Inc.

   8,300    397

*

 

W.R. Grace & Co.

   700    4
 

Worthington Industries, Inc.

   325    4
         
 

Total

      751
         
 

Other Holdings (0.1%)

 

Financial Select Sector
SPDR Fund

   20,450    258
 

iShares Nasdaq
Biotechnology Index Fund

   4,550    324
 

SPDR Metals & Mining

   40,600    1,128
         
 

Total

      1,710
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    149


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (27.5%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Telecommunication Services (0.0%)

*

 

Centennial Communications
Corp.

   32,200    260
         
 

Total

      260
         
 

Utilities (0.0%)

 

ITC Holdings Corp.

   14,800    646
         
 

Total

      646
         
 

Total Small Cap Common Stocks

   41,345
         
 

Total Domestic Common Stocks and Warrants

(Cost: $729,669)

      547,878
         

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

         
 

Consumer Discretionary (0.4%)

 

Bridgestone Corp.

 

Japan

   11,600    174
 

Compass Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   210,110    1,058
 

Denso Corp.

 

Japan

   12,100    201
 

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   600    87
 

Grupo Televisa SA, ADR

 

Mexico

   77,000    1,150
 

Hennes & Mauritz AB - B
Shares

 

Sweden

   23,359    922
 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   18,300    397
 

Kingfisher PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   244,160    485
 

Next PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   21,445    341
 

Oriental Land Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,900    156
 

Panasonic Corp.

 

Japan

   24,000    300
 

Reed Elsevier PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   32,460    240
 

Sekisui House, Ltd.

 

Japan

   13,000    114
 

Toyota Industries Corp.

 

Japan

   7,500    161
 

Vivendi

 

France

   48,340    1,582
 

Yamada Denki Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,020    140
 

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   14,400    151
           
 

Total

        7,659
           
 

Consumer Staples (0.8%)

 

Aeon Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   16,300    163
 

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   13,000    141
 

Asahi Breweries, Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,100    139
 

British American Tobacco
PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   27,934    737
 

Cadbury PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   29,100    259
 

Imperial Tobacco Group
PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   26,062    707
 

ITC, Ltd.

 

India

   91,656    326
 

Japan Tobacco, Inc.

 

Japan

   59    195
 

Kao Corp.

 

Japan

   7,000    212
 

Kerry Group PLC - Class A

 

Ireland

   36,269    665
 

Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   15,000    198

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

 

Koninklijke Ahold NV

 

Netherlands

   44,140    545

*

 

KT&G Corp.

 

South Korea

   9,961    621
 

Lawson, Inc.

 

Japan

   2,400    138
 

Nestle SA

 

Switzerland

   76,205    2,995
 

Pernod-Ricard SA

 

France

   10,444    778
 

Reckitt Benckiser Group
PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   18,490    699
 

Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,900    305
 

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,000    204
 

Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.

 

Canada

   36,565    1,444
 

Tesco PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   125,405    663
 

Unilever NV

 

Netherlands

   61,460    1,496
 

UNY Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   14,000    154
 

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB
de CV

 

Mexico

   286,200    772
 

Woolworths, Ltd.

 

Australia

   64,505    1,228
           
 

Total

        15,784
           
 

Energy (0.8%)

*

 

Artumas Group, Inc.

 

Norway

   92,300    38
 

BG Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   20,225    285
 

BP PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   341,935    2,659
 

CNOOC, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   1,078,000    1,024
 

Eni SPA

 

Italy

   93,000    2,215
 

INPEX Corp.

 

Japan

   22    174
 

Nexen, Inc.

 

Canada

   81,700    1,440
 

Oil Search, Ltd.

 

Australia

   185,275    618
 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

 

Brazil

   56,400    1,381
 

Reliance Industries, Ltd.

 

India

   35,446    905
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class A

 

United

Kingdom

   94,230    2,500
 

Saipem SPA

 

Italy

   60,295    1,018
 

Seadrill, Ltd.

 

Norway

   27,100    222
 

Suncor Energy, Inc.

 

Canada

   42,435    827
           
 

Total

        15,306
           
 

Financials (1.4%)

 

Allianz SE

 

Germany

   5,382    580
 

AXA SA

 

France

   29,053    651
 

Banco Espirito Santo SA

 

Portugal

   61,655    582
 

Banco Santander SA

 

Spain

   167,950    1,629
 

The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.

 

Japan

   24,000    142
 

BNP Paribas

 

France

   27,980    1,187
 

Cathay Financial Holding
Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   435,150    489
 

Cheung Kong Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   40,000    381
 

China Life Insurance Co.,
Ltd.

 

China

   202,000    622
 

China Overseas Land &
Investment, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   290,000    408

(n)*

 

China Overseas Land &
Investment, Ltd. - Rights

 

Hong Kong

   11,600    4
 

The Chugoku Bank, Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,000    123
 

Credit Suisse Group AG

 

Switzerland

   26,150    715
 

Daito Trust Construction
Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,500    78

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

150    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

Erste Group Bank AG

 

Austria

   17,900    422
 

Hang Seng Bank, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   51,100    675
 

Housing Development
Finance Corp., Ltd.

 

India

   34,146    1,067
 

HSBC Holdings PLC, ADR

 

United

Kingdom

   36,400    1,772
 

Industrial and Commercial
Bank of China, Ltd. -
Class H

 

China

   2,111,000    1,122
 

Intesa Sanpaolo SPA

 

Italy

   222,495    805
 

Julius Baer Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   28,600    1,097
 

Man Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   72,880    255
 

Manulife Financial Corp.

 

Canada

   60,555    1,031
 

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   13,000    214
 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   102,500    635
 

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   11,000    183
 

Mizuho Financial Group,
Inc.

 

Japan

   131    390
 

Muenchener
Rueckversicherungs-
Gesellschaft AG

 

Germany

   3,261    515
 

National Bank of Greece SA

 

Greece

   19,655    366
 

Nomura Real Estate
Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   6,000    120
 

Piraeus Bank SA

 

Greece

   34,957    316

*

 

QBE Insurance Group, Ltd.

 

Australia

   32,030    594
 

Resona Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   74    117
 

Samsung Fire & Marine
Insurance Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   8,839    1,341
 

Societe Generale

 

France

   9,185    468
 

Sompo Japan Insurance, Inc.

 

Japan

   18,000    132
 

Sony Financial Holdings,
Inc.

 

Japan

   59    226
 

Standard Chartered PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   24,165    314
 

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   94    407
 

The Sumitomo Trust and
Banking Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   26,000    154
 

T&D Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   4,300    180
 

TAG Tegernsee Immobilien
und Beteiligungs AG

 

Germany

   63,416    180
 

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   8,900    261
 

The Toronto-Dominion Bank

 

Canada

   40,205    1,436

*

 

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS

 

Turkey

   169,988    291
 

Unicredit SPA

 

Italy

   254,675    637
 

Westpac Banking Corp.

 

Australia

   87,315    1,061
 

Zurich Financial Services
AG

 

Switzerland

   9,919    2,147
           
 

Total

        28,522
           
 

Health Care (1.0%)

*

 

Actelion, Ltd.

 

Switzerland

   7,130    400
 

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

 

Japan

   5,700    232
 

CSL, Ltd.

 

Australia

   64,752    1,560
 

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   9,300    221
 

Eisai Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   4,600    190

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

 

Fresenius Medical Care AG
& Co. KGaA

 

Germany

   23,846    1,124
 

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   2,800    114
 

Novartis AG

 

Switzerland

   54,135    2,705
 

Novo Nordisk A/S

 

Denmark

   13,444    688
 

Roche Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   18,310    2,811
 

Synthes, Inc.

 

Switzerland

   6,070    765
 

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   6,000    127
 

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   7,900    409
 

Terumo Corp.

 

Japan

   2,500    117
 

Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Ltd., ADR

 

Israel

   169,180    7,202
           
 

Total

        18,665
           
 

Industrials (0.7%)

 

ABB, Ltd., ADR

 

Switzerland

   55,790    837
 

All Nippon Airways Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   22,000    87
 

Alstom SA

 

France

   16,125    957
 

Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   30,000    170

*

 

BAE Systems PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   334,445    1,850
 

Balfour Beatty PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   60,525    293
 

Central Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   23    199
 

Chemring Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   27,930    798

*

 

China Railway Construction
Corp. - Class H

 

China

   398,000    597
 

ComfortDelGro Corp., Ltd.

 

Singapore

   286,000    291
 

Companhia de Concessoes Rodoviarias

 

Brazil

   45,400    468
 

Dai Nippon Printing Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   14,000    154
 

East Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   46    359
 

Fanuc, Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,900    206
 

IHI Corp.

 

Japan

   97,000    123
 

Itochu Corp.

 

Japan

   33,000    166
 

The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,000    112
 

JTEKT Corp.

 

Japan

   22,200    171
 

Kamigumi Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   13,000    116
 

Keio Corp.

 

Japan

   29,000    174
 

Kintetsu Corp.

 

Japan

   41,000    188
 

Komatsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   17,800    225

*

 

LG Corp.

 

South Korea

   19,884    693
 

Marubeni Corp.

 

Japan

   48,000    183
 

Mitsubishi Corp.

 

Japan

   17,000    239
 

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

 

Japan

   30,000    188
 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   46,000    205
 

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   25,000    256
 

Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd.

 

Japan

   25,000    153

*

 

Morphic Technologies AB

 

Sweden

   353,158    60
 

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha

 

Japan

   25,000    154
 

Secom Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   5,100    263

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    151


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials continued

 

Serco Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   122,660    810
 

SMC Corp.

 

Japan

   1,400    143
 

Sumitomo Corp.

 

Japan

   17,100    151
 

Tokyu Corp.

 

Japan

   30,000    151
 

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   17,000    131
 

Vinci SA

 

France

   14,130    598
 

West Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   37    168
 

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   10,000    130
           
 

Total

        13,217
           
 

Information Technology (0.3%)

*

 

Autonomy Corp. PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   115,910    1,619
 

Canon, Inc.

 

Japan

   12,400    389
 

EVS Broadcast Equipment
SA

 

Belgium

   10,070    361
 

Fujitsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   41,000    198

*

 

Gresham Computing PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   203,462    109
 

Hitachi, Ltd.

 

Japan

   49,000    190
 

Hoya Corp.

 

Japan

   13,000    226
 

Kontron AG

 

Germany

   49,650    517
 

NEC Corp.

 

Japan

   60,000    201
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,000    384
 

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   13,000    165
 

Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.

 

South Korea

   2,619    948

*

 

Temenos Group AG

 

Switzerland

   95,145    1,266
           
 

Total

        6,573
           
 

Materials (0.7%)

 

Angang Steel Co., Ltd.

 

China

   534,000    604
 

Anglo American PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   27,574    639

*

 

Anhui Conch Cement Co.,
Ltd.

 

China

   108,000    502
 

Asahi Kasei Corp.

 

Japan

   49,000    215
 

BHP Billiton, Ltd.

 

Australia

   59,145    1,271
 

Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce, ADR

 

Brazil

   56,650    686
 

Givaudan SA

 

Switzerland

   390    306
 

Goldcorp, Inc.

 

Canada

   55,170    1,740
 

Huabao International
Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   960,000    631

*

 

Intex Resources ASA

 

Norway

   404,600    77
 

JFE Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   7,200    190
 

K+S AG

 

Germany

   20,535    1,185
 

Mitsubishi Chemical
Holdings Corp.

 

Japan

   31,500    139
 

Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

 

Japan

   54,000    136
 

Nippon Steel Corp.

 

Japan

   69,000    226
 

POSCO

 

South Korea

   1,338    394
 

Potash Corp. of
Saskatchewan, Inc.

 

Canada

   15,545    1,138
 

Rio Tinto PLC, ADR

 

United

Kingdom

   3,565    317
 

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   5,100    234

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials continued

 

Sumitomo Metal Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   55,000    136
 

Syngenta AG

 

Switzerland

   5,997    1,159
           
 

Total

        11,925
           
 

Other Holdings (0.3%)

 

Hang Seng Investment Index
Funds Series - H-Share

 

Hong Kong

   73,600    764
 

iShares MSCI EAFE Index
Fund

 

United States

   30,900    1,387
 

iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Index

 

United States

   8,625    215
 

iShares MSCI Hong Kong
Index Fund

 

Hong Kong

   145,929    1,513
 

iShares MSCI Japan Index
Fund

 

Japan

   27,928    268
 

iShares MSCI Singapore
Index Fund

 

Singapore

   162,857    1,151
 

iShares MSCI South Korea
Index Fund

 

South Korea

   26,114    728
 

iShares MSCI Taiwan Index
Fund

 

Taiwan

   156,458    1,188
           
 

Total

        7,214
           
 

Telecommunication Services (0.6%)

*

 

Bharti Airtel, Ltd.

 

India

   22,813    338
 

China Mobile, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   33,000    335
 

Chunghwa Telecom Co.,
Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   932,910    1,491
 

Deutsche Telekom AG

 

Germany

   104,622    1,597
 

France Telecom SA

 

France

   41,369    1,163
 

KDDI Corp.

 

Japan

   33    235
 

Koninklijke (Royal) KPN
NV

 

Netherlands

   133,403    1,944
 

Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corp.

 

Japan

   60    322
 

NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

 

Japan

   153    301
 

SOFTBANK Corp.

 

Japan

   7,900    143
 

Telefonica SA

 

Spain

   107,715    2,426
 

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri
AS

 

Turkey

   79,056    456
 

Vodafone Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   810,864    1,657
           
 

Total

        12,408
           
 

Utilities (0.4%)

 

Centrica PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   129,025    503
 

CEZ

 

Czech

Republic

   10,325    422
 

Chubu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   8,500    258
 

The Chugoku Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   6,500    171
 

E.ON AG

 

Germany

   20,030    814
 

Electricite de France

 

France

   10,045    587
 

Enagas

 

Spain

   34,895    769
 

GDF Suez

 

France

   44,310    2,205
 

Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

 

Japan

   4,100    116

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

152    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(7.4%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities continued

 

The Kansai Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   9,400    272
 

Kyushu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   7,200    191
 

National Grid PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   78,190    784
 

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   38,000    176
 

PT Perusahaan Gas Negara

 

Indonesia

   2,110,000    382
 

RWE AG

 

Germany

   10,415    941
 

Shikoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   4,800    162
 

Toho Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   19,000    125
 

Tohoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   7,400    200
 

The Tokyo Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   12,300    410
 

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   34,000    172
           
 

Total

        9,660
           
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks

(Cost: $208,489)

      146,933
           

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

         
 

Aerospace/Defense (0.3%)

 

BAE Systems Holdings, Inc.,
5.20%, 8/15/15 144A

   180,000    167
 

General Dynamics Corp., 4.25%, 5/15/13

   765,000    765
 

Lockheed Martin Corp., 6.15%, 9/1/36

   1,720,000    1,865
 

Raytheon Co., 5.50%, 11/15/12

   3,584,000    3,623
         
 

Total

      6,420
         
 

Auto Manufacturing (0.1%)

 

Daimler Finance North America LLC,
5.75%, 5/18/09

   2,590,000    2,514
 

Daimler Finance North America LLC,
8.50%, 1/18/31

   315,000    230
         
 

Total

      2,744
         
 

Banking (2.5%)

 

American Express Bank, FSB,
3.15%, 12/9/11

   2,210,000    2,228
 

BA Covered Bond Issuer,
5.50%, 6/14/12 144A

   2,105,000    2,168
 

Bank of America Corp., 5.42%, 3/15/17

   515,000    458
 

Bank of America Corp., 5.65%, 5/1/18

   2,655,000    2,671
 

Bank of America Corp., 8.125%, 12/29/49

   1,175,000    879
 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.,
4.95%, 11/1/12

   310,000    315
 

Bank One Corp., 5.25%, 1/30/13

   4,480,000    4,369
 

Barclays Bank PLC, 6.05%, 12/4/17 144A

   210,000    185
 

Barclays Bank PLC, 7.70%, 4/26/49 144A

   480,000    317
 

The Bear Stearns Companies LLC,
7.25%, 2/1/18

   480,000    526
 

BNP Paribas, 7.195%, 6/29/49 144A

   300,000    191
 

Citigroup Capital XXI, 8.30%, 12/21/57

   245,000    189
 

Citigroup, Inc., 5.125%, 5/5/14

   1,985,000    1,865
 

Citigroup, Inc., 8.40%, 4/29/49

   890,000    588
 

Countrywide Financial Corp.,
5.80%, 6/7/12

   730,000    711
 

Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,
4.00%, 3/22/11

   1,155,000    1,100

 

   

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
   

Banking continued

     
   

Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,
4.125%, 9/15/09

   235,000    232
   

Credit Agricole SA/London,
6.637%, 5/31/49 144A

   310,000    139
   

Credit Suisse Guernsey, Ltd.,
5.86%, 5/29/49

   105,000    49
   

Credit Suisse/New York NY,
6.00%, 2/15/18

   90,000    83
   

Deutsche Bank Capital Funding Trust VII,
5.628%, 1/19/49 144A

   1,080,000    462
   

Fifth Third Bancorp, 8.25%, 3/1/38

   425,000    351
   

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.,
5.15%, 1/15/14

   3,465,000    3,121
   

HSBC Holdings PLC, 6.80%, 6/1/38

   390,000    412
   

HSBC USA, Inc., 3.125%, 12/16/11

   2,200,000    2,285
   

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 4.75%, 3/1/15

   110,000    103
   

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 7.90%, 4/29/49

   1,675,000    1,393
 

      (d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.,
5.50%, 4/4/16

   490,000    47
   

M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank,
5.15%, 2/22/12

   2,480,000    2,242
   

Mellon Bank NA, 5.45%, 4/1/16

   1,390,000    1,358
   

Merrill Lynch & Co., 6.22%, 9/15/26

   375,000    346
   

Merrill Lynch & Co., 6.40%, 8/28/17

   2,185,000    2,189
   

Morgan Stanley, 2.00%, 9/22/11

   2,210,000    2,224
   

Morgan Stanley, 5.375%, 10/15/15

   700,000    603
   

Morgan Stanley, 6.25%, 8/28/17

   700,000    596
   

Morgan Stanley, 6.25%, 8/9/26

   830,000    675
   

Northern Trust Corp., 5.30%, 8/29/11

   795,000    810
   

State Street Bank and Trust Co.,
5.30%, 1/15/16

   1,780,000    1,740
   

SunTrust Bank, 3.00%, 11/16/11

   2,210,000    2,285
   

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 5.75%, 4/25/18

   920,000    835
   

UBS Preferred Funding Trust V,
6.243%, 5/29/49

   200,000    109
   

UnionBanCal Corp., 5.25%, 12/16/13

   810,000    690
   

Wachovia Bank NA, 6.60%, 1/15/38

   515,000    559
   

Wachovia Corp., 5.35%, 3/15/11

   2,080,000    1,985
   

Wachovia Corp., 7.98%, 2/28/49

   570,000    486
 

(d)(m)

 

Washington Mutual Bank, 6.75%, 5/20/36

   580,000    0
 

(d)(m)

 

Washington Mutual Bank, 6.875%, 6/15/11

   1,115,000    0
   

Wells Fargo Capital XIII, 7.70%, 12/29/49

   2,150,000    1,774
   

Zions Bancorporation, 5.50%, 11/16/15

   2,290,000    1,619
           
   

Total

      50,562
           
   

Beverage/Bottling (0.5%)

     
   

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.,
4.50%, 4/1/18

   40,000    34
   

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.,
5.75%, 4/1/36

   255,000    207
   

Bottling Group LLC, 4.625%, 11/15/12

   535,000    541
   

Bottling Group LLC, 5.50%, 4/1/16

   1,120,000    1,121
   

The Coca-Cola Co., 5.35%, 11/15/17

   985,000    1,063
   

Diageo Capital PLC, 4.375%, 5/3/10

   1,578,000    1,563
   

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.,
6.82%, 5/1/18 144A

   665,000    656
   

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.,
7.45%, 5/1/38 144A

   145,000    144
   

PepsiCo, Inc., 4.65%, 2/15/13

   540,000    555
   

PepsiCo, Inc., 5.00%, 6/1/18

   330,000    342
   

PepsiCo, Inc., 7.90%, 11/1/18

   85,000    104
   

SABMiller PLC, 6.20%, 7/1/11 144A

   2,595,000    2,570
           
   

Total

      8,900
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    153


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)

Building Products (0.0%)

     

CRH America, Inc., 6.00%, 9/30/16

   810,000    504

CRH America, Inc., 8.125%, 7/15/18

   335,000    242
       

Total

      746
       

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite

(0.7%)

     

CBS Corp., 6.625%, 5/15/11

   460,000    408

Comcast Corp., 5.90%, 3/15/16

   2,270,000    2,167

Comcast Corp., 6.40%, 5/15/38

   740,000    738

Comcast Corp., 6.50%, 11/15/35

   190,000    189

Cox Communications, Inc.,
4.625%, 1/15/10

   1,390,000    1,345

Historic TW, Inc., 6.625%, 5/15/29

   565,000    501

Historic TW, Inc., 6.875%, 6/15/18

   195,000    174

Rogers Cable, Inc., 5.50%, 3/15/14

   1,625,000    1,499

Rogers Cable, Inc., 6.25%, 6/15/13

   200,000    192

TCI Communications, Inc., 8.75%, 8/1/15

   1,030,000    1,096

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 5.40%, 7/2/12

   1,310,000    1,223

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 6.75%, 7/1/18

   170,000    164

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 8.75%, 2/14/19

   425,000    462

Time Warner Entertainment Co. LP,
8.375%, 3/15/23

   1,650,000    1,662

Viacom, Inc., 5.75%, 4/30/11

   1,080,000    981

Viacom, Inc., 6.125%, 10/5/17

   185,000    153
       

Total

      12,954
       

Conglomerate/Diversified Manufacturing
(0.0%)

     

The Dow Chemical Co., 5.70%, 5/15/18

   45,000    40

Monsanto Co., 5.125%, 4/15/18

   135,000    142
       

Total

      182
       

Consumer Products (0.1%)

     

Colgate-Palmolive Co., 4.20%, 5/15/13

   280,000    287

Fortune Brands, Inc., 5.375%, 1/15/16

   720,000    601

The Procter & Gamble Co., 5.55%, 3/5/37

   645,000    716
       

Total

      1,604
       

Electric Utilities (2.8%)

     

Bruce Mansfield Unit, 6.85%, 6/1/34

   510,000    435

Carolina Power & Light, Inc.,
5.15%, 4/1/15

   420,000    421

Carolina Power & Light, Inc.,
6.50%, 7/15/12

   415,000    409

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC,
5.70%, 3/15/13

   260,000    247

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC,
6.95%, 3/15/33

   270,000    248

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 5/1/18

   380,000    310

CMS Energy Corp., 6.875%, 12/15/15

   1,270,000    1,083

Commonwealth Edison Co., 5.875%, 2/1/33

   115,000    96

Connecticut Light and Power Co.,
5.65%, 5/1/18

   150,000    149

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc.,
5.375%, 12/15/15

   560,000    550

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc.,
5.50%, 9/15/16

   605,000    599

Consolidated Natural Gas Co., 5.00%, 12/1/14

   2,050,000    1,882

Dominion Resources, Inc., 6.00%, 11/30/17

   40,000    38

Dominion Resources, Inc., 6.40%, 6/15/18

   160,000    157

DTE Energy Co., 7.05%, 6/1/11

   7,520,000    7,439

Duke Energy Carolinas LLC,
6.45%, 10/15/32

   1,675,000    1,773

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)

Electric Utilities continued

     

Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc.,
5.50%, 8/15/15

   1,000,000    839

Entergy Louisiana LLC, 6.50%, 9/1/18

   360,000    342

Entergy Mississippi, Inc., 6.25%, 4/1/34

   1,030,000    872

Exelon Generation Co. LLC,
6.20%, 10/1/17

   1,070,000    920

Florida Power & Light Co., 5.625%, 4/1/34

   245,000    260

Florida Power Corp., 4.50%, 6/1/10

   3,636,000    3,601

Indiana Michigan Power Co.,
5.05%, 11/15/14

   2,660,000    2,396

Kiowa Power Partners LLC,
4.811%, 12/30/13 144A

   1,061,731    993

Kiowa Power Partners LLC,
5.737%, 3/30/21 144A

   1,185,000    907

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.,
5.95%, 5/15/37

   260,000    236

Monongahela Power Co.,
5.70%, 3/15/17 144A

   860,000    722

Nevada Power Co., 5.875%, 1/15/15

   1,941,000    1,858

Nevada Power Co., 5.95%, 3/15/16

   60,000    57

Northern States Power Co., 5.25%, 10/1/18

   270,000    269

Ohio Edison Co., 6.875%, 7/15/36

   145,000    132

Oncor Electric Delivery Co.,
6.375%, 1/15/15

   1,340,000    1,284

Oncor Electric Delivery Co., 7.00%, 9/1/22

   240,000    224

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 5.80%, 3/1/37

   255,000    265

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 6.05%, 3/1/34

   415,000    441

PacifiCorp, 5.45%, 9/15/13

   4,040,000    4,132

Potomac Electric Power Co.,
6.50%, 11/15/37

   180,000    176

PPL Electric Utilities Corp., 4.30%, 6/1/13

   2,475,000    2,324

PPL Electric Utilities Corp., 6.25%, 8/15/09

   215,000    216

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.00%, 12/15/36

   425,000    275

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.50%, 5/1/18

   340,000    276

Public Service Co. of Colorado,
5.50%, 4/1/14

   1,320,000    1,254

Public Service Electric & Gas Co.,
5.00%, 1/1/13

   1,500,000    1,463

Public Service Electric & Gas Co.,
5.70%, 12/1/36

   1,600,000    1,477

Puget Sound Energy, Inc., 6.274%, 3/15/37

   1,125,000    1,001

San Diego Gas & Electric Co.,
5.30%, 11/15/15

   250,000    257

San Diego Gas & Electric Co.,
6.125%, 9/15/37

   200,000    220

SCANA Corp., 6.25%, 4/1/20

   115,000    106

Sierra Pacific Power Co., 6.75%, 7/1/37

   525,000    468

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.,
6.05%, 1/15/38

   295,000    308

Southern California Edison Co.,
5.55%, 1/15/37

   320,000    337

Southern California Edison Co.,
5.625%, 2/1/36

   85,000    90

Tampa Electric Co., 6.10%, 5/15/18

   2,305,000    2,098

Tampa Electric Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   385,000    313

Tampa Electric Co., 6.55%, 5/15/36

   520,000    445

The Toledo Edison Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   1,265,000    1,017

Union Electric Co., 6.40%, 6/15/17

   180,000    164

Union Electric Co., 6.70%, 2/1/19

   180,000    164

Virginia Electric and Power Co.,
5.25%, 12/15/15

   3,790,000    3,683

Xcel Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 7/1/36

   780,000    716
       

Total

      55,434
       

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

154    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Food Processors (0.4%)

     
 

General Mills, Inc., 5.70%, 2/15/17

   970,000    975
 

H.J. Heinz Co., 5.35%, 7/15/13

   1,370,000    1,359
 

Kellogg Co., 6.60%, 4/1/11

   875,000    916
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.25%, 6/1/12

   4,020,000    4,158
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.50%, 8/11/17

   430,000    432
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.875%, 1/26/39

   500,000    501
         
 

Total

      8,341
         
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure (0.0%)

     
 

Harrah’s Operating Co., 5.75%, 10/1/17

   590,000    91
         
 

Total

      91
         
 

Gas Pipelines (0.1%)

     
 

CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp.,
6.125%, 11/1/17

   140,000    118
 

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP,
6.50%, 2/1/37

   280,000    214
 

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP,
7.30%, 8/15/33

   1,520,000    1,262
 

Rockies Express Pipeline LLC,
6.85%, 7/15/18 144A

   300,000    277
 

Southern Natural Gas Co.,
5.90%, 4/1/17 144A

   200,000    158
 

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.,
7.50%, 4/1/17

   200,000    176
         
 

Total

      2,205
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (0.2%)

     
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.,
5.875%, 11/15/36

   65,000    69
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 6.125%, 5/1/38

   470,000    516
 

GlaxoSmithKline Capital, Inc.,
5.65%, 5/15/18

   570,000    599
 

Wyeth, 5.50%, 2/1/14

   1,060,000    1,077
 

Wyeth, 5.95%, 4/1/37

   685,000    760
         
 

Total

      3,021
         
 

Independent Finance (0.7%)

     
 

American General Finance Corp.,
5.40%, 12/1/15

   95,000    35
 

American General Finance Corp.,
6.90%, 12/15/17

   470,000    203
 

General Electric Capital Corp.,
5.375%, 10/20/16

   1,000,000    989
 

General Electric Capital Corp.,
5.625%, 5/1/18

   4,365,000    4,397
 

General Electric Capital Corp.,
5.875%, 1/14/38

   195,000    191
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
6.00%, 12/15/11 144A

   1,351,000    1,093

(n)

 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.50%, 12/31/13 144A

   238,000    174

(n)

 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
8.00%, 12/31/18 144A

   286,000    143
 

HSBC Finance Corp., 4.125%, 11/16/09

   4,400,000    4,359
 

International Lease Finance Corp.,
4.75%, 1/13/12

   2,190,000    1,531
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 5.15%, 3/1/12

   1,580,000    498
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 8.625%, 6/1/13

   565,000    175
         
 

Total

      13,788
         
 

Industrials - Other (0.0%)

     
 

Centex Corp., 7.875%, 2/1/11

   335,000    296
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 5.375%, 6/15/12

   540,000    398

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Industrials - Other continued

     
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 7.875%, 8/15/11

   160,000    138
         
 

Total

      832
         
 

Information/Data Technology (0.1%)

     
 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.125%, 11/20/12

   1,075,000    1,010
 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.80%, 11/20/17

   1,075,000    952
 

Seagate Technology HDD Holdings,
6.80%, 10/1/16

   715,000    372
         
 

Total

      2,334
         
 

Life Insurance (0.0%)

     
 

Prudential Financial, Inc., 5.70%, 12/14/36

   170,000    106
         
 

Total

      106
         
 

Machinery (0.1%)

     
 

Case Corp., 7.25%, 1/15/16

   2,085,000    1,449
         
 

Total

      1,449
         
 

Metals/Mining (0.1%)

     
 

Alcoa, Inc., 5.55%, 2/1/17

   1,000,000    787
 

Alcoa, Inc., 5.90%, 2/1/27

   465,000    306
 

Alcoa, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/18

   355,000    290
 

Barrick North America Fiance LLC,
6.80%, 9/15/18

   370,000    331
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.25%, 4/1/15

   195,000    166
 

Rio Tinto Finance USA, Ltd.,
6.50%, 7/15/18

   365,000    268
         
 

Total

      2,148
         
 

Natural Gas Distributors (0.1%)

     
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.25%, 9/15/17

   415,000    252
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.40%, 7/15/14

   785,000    537
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.45%, 9/15/20

   180,000    96
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 6.40%, 3/15/18

   210,000    131
         
 

Total

      1,016
         
 

Oil & Gas Field Machines and Services
(0.0%)

     
 

Pride International, Inc., 7.375%, 7/15/14

   805,000    749
         
 

Total

      749
         
 

Oil and Gas (0.8%)

     
 

Anadarko Finance Co., 7.50%, 5/1/31

   930,000    822
 

Apache Corp., 6.90%, 9/15/18

   125,000    135
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
5.70%, 5/15/17

   430,000    375
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
5.85%, 2/1/35

   90,000    67
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
6.25%, 3/15/38

   585,000    460
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
6.45%, 6/30/33

   335,000    271
 

Devon Energy Corp., 7.95%, 4/15/32

   250,000    276
 

Devon Financing Corp. ULC,
6.875%, 9/30/11

   3,040,000    3,068
 

EnCana Corp., 6.50%, 2/1/38

   340,000    273
 

EnCana Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/37

   70,000    56
 

EnCana Holdings Finance Corp.,
5.80%, 5/1/14

   1,075,000    1,007
 

Hess Corp., 7.125%, 3/15/33

   355,000    316
 

Marathon Oil Corp., 6.60%, 10/1/37

   140,000    106
 

Nexen, Inc., 5.875%, 3/10/35

   1,855,000    1,397
 

Nexen, Inc., 6.40%, 5/15/37

   160,000    125

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    155


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Oil and Gas continued

     
 

Pemex Project Funding Master Trust, 6.625%, 6/15/35 144A

   245,000    207
 

Petro-Canada, 5.95%, 5/15/35

   820,000    564
 

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.,
6.875%, 5/1/18

   1,840,000    1,287
 

Suncor Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 6/15/38

   415,000    314
 

Suncor Energy, Inc., 6.85%, 6/1/39

   265,000    211
 

Sunoco, Inc., 5.75%, 1/15/17

   825,000    686
 

Talisman Energy, Inc., 5.85%, 2/1/37

   910,000    633
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/17

   2,615,000    1,435
 

Valero Energy Corp., 6.625%, 6/15/37

   1,200,000    883
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 5.30%, 6/30/15

   260,000    237
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 12/15/18

   335,000    324
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 6.75%, 8/1/37

   290,000    271
         
 

Total

      15,806
         
 

Other Finance (0.3%)

     
 

Capmark Financial Group, Inc.,
6.30%, 5/10/17

   320,000    88
 

Eaton Vance Corp., 6.50%, 10/2/17

   100,000    89
 

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.,
8.25%, 5/21/13

   2,310,000    1,861
 

SLM Corp., 5.375%, 1/15/13

   80,000    59
 

SLM Corp., 5.375%, 5/15/14

   520,000    351
 

SLM Corp., 5.45%, 4/25/11

   4,560,000    3,599
         
 

Total

      6,047
         
 

Other Services (0.1%)

     
 

Waste Management, Inc., 5.00%, 3/15/14

   855,000    734
 

Waste Management, Inc., 6.10%, 3/15/18

   925,000    800
         
 

Total

      1,534
         
 

Paper and Forest Products (0.0%)

     
 

International Paper Co., 7.95%, 6/15/18

   390,000    308
 

International Paper Co., 8.70%, 6/15/38

   375,000    262
 

Weyerhaeuser Co., 6.875%, 12/15/33

   130,000    87
         
 

Total

      657
         
 

Property and Casualty Insurance (0.0%)

     
 

The Progressive Corp., 6.70%, 6/15/37

   315,000    155
         
 

Total

      155
         
 

Railroads (0.1%)

     
 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.,
6.15%, 5/1/37

   175,000    161
 

Canadian National Railway Co.,
5.85%, 11/15/17

   140,000    145
 

Canadian Pacific Railway Co.,
5.95%, 5/15/37

   185,000    130
 

CSX Corp., 5.60%, 5/1/17

   985,000    875
 

Union Pacific Corp., 5.65%, 5/1/17

   625,000    600
 

Union Pacific Corp., 5.75%, 11/15/17

   315,000    299
 

Union Pacific Corp., 6.65%, 1/15/11

   390,000    389
         
 

Total

      2,599
         
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (0.7%)

     
 

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.,
5.50%, 1/15/12

   500,000    400
 

BRE Properties, Inc., 5.50%, 3/15/17

   420,000    214
 

Colonial Realty LP, 6.05%, 9/1/16

   360,000    210
 

Developers Diversified Realty Corp., 5.375%, 10/15/12

   1,535,000    644
 

Duke Realty LP, 5.95%, 2/15/17

   835,000    417
 

ERP Operating LP, 5.25%, 9/15/14

   1,950,000    1,303
 

ERP Operating LP, 5.75%, 6/15/17

   515,000    355

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts continued

     
 

First Industrial LP, 5.25%, 6/15/09

   1,925,000    1,777
 

HCP, Inc., 6.00%, 1/30/17

   400,000    193
 

HCP, Inc., 6.70%, 1/30/18

   200,000    96
 

HRPT Properties Trust, 5.75%, 11/1/15

   1,225,000    652
 

ProLogis, 5.50%, 3/1/13

   2,000,000    1,160
 

ProLogis, 5.75%, 4/1/16

   1,190,000    593
 

Rouse Co. LP/TRC Co-Issuer, Inc., 6.75%, 5/1/13 144A

   3,640,000    1,310
 

Simon Property Group LP, 5.375%, 6/1/11

   3,555,000    3,004
 

Simon Property Group LP, 5.60%, 9/1/11

   890,000    744
 

Simon Property Group LP, 6.10%, 5/1/16

   1,560,000    997
         
 

Total

      14,069
         
 

Restaurants (0.1%)

     
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc., 6.20%, 10/15/17

   140,000    104
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc., 6.80%, 10/15/37

   635,000    410
 

Yum! Brands, Inc., 6.875%, 11/15/37

   800,000    634
         
 

Total

      1,148
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (0.2%)

     
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 4.875%, 9/15/14

   985,000    909
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 6.125%, 8/15/16

   445,000    431
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 6.25%, 6/1/27

   715,000    665
 

Delhaize Group, 6.50%, 6/15/17

   770,000    699
 

The Kroger Co., 6.15%, 1/15/20

   395,000    390
 

The Kroger Co., 7.00%, 5/1/18

   245,000    256
         
 

Total

      3,350
         
 

Retail Stores (0.5%)

     
 

The Home Depot, Inc., 5.875%, 12/16/36

   1,160,000    910
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 5.75%, 2/15/18

   130,000    86
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.375%, 10/15/36

   260,000    157
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.875%, 10/15/15

   515,000    410
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 7.95%, 4/1/17

   610,000    465
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.25%, 12/15/17

   720,000    577
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.875%, 12/15/37

   540,000    384
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., 6.30%, 4/1/09

   3,785,000    3,691
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc.,
6.65%, 7/15/24

   90,000    50
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc.,
7.00%, 2/15/28

   120,000    66
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc.,
7.875%, 7/15/15

   780,000    562
 

Nordstrom, Inc., 7.00%, 1/15/38

   265,000    157
 

Target Corp., 5.375%, 5/1/17

   595,000    541
 

Target Corp., 6.50%, 10/15/37

   735,000    631
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 5.875%, 4/5/27

   685,000    722
         
 

Total

      9,409
         
 

Telecommunications (1.2%)

     
 

AT&T Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/31

   2,380,000    2,990
 

AT&T Mobility LLC, 7.125%, 12/15/31

   2,740,000    2,880
 

British Telecommunications PLC,
9.125%, 12/15/30

   620,000    659
 

Deutsche Telekom International Finance
BV, 5.75%, 3/23/16

   665,000    636
 

Embarq Corp., 6.738%, 6/1/13

   835,000    706
 

Embarq Corp., 7.082%, 6/1/16

   1,940,000    1,494
 

Embarq Corp., 7.995%, 6/1/36

   230,000    155
 

France Telecom SA, 8.50%, 3/1/31

   975,000    1,224
 

Rogers Wireless, Inc., 6.375%, 3/1/14

   875,000    832
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.375%, 3/15/12

   3,625,000    2,900
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.75%, 3/15/32

   470,000    317
 

Telecom Italia Capital SA, 4.00%, 1/15/10

   2,360,000    2,171

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

156    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (13.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunications continued

     
 

Telecom Italia Capital SA, 6.20%, 7/18/11

   1,620,000    1,438
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.,
5.85%, 9/15/35

   1,425,000    1,418
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.,
6.10%, 4/15/18

   2,125,000    2,117
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.,
8.95%, 3/1/39

   400,000    517
 

Vodafone Group PLC, 5.50%, 6/15/11

   1,980,000    1,973
         
 

Total

      24,427
         
 

Tobacco (0.3%)

     
 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.70%, 11/10/18

   555,000    600
 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.95%, 11/10/38

   680,000    740
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.,
5.65%, 5/16/18

   735,000    729
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.,
6.375%, 5/16/38

   735,000    764
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 6.75%, 6/15/17

   215,000    171
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 7.25%, 6/15/37

   215,000    145
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 7.625%, 6/1/16

   2,175,000    1,811
         
 

Total

      4,960
         
 

Vehicle Parts (0.1%)

     
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.25%, 1/15/11

   1,390,000    1,277
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.50%, 1/15/16

   845,000    655
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 6.00%, 1/15/36

   520,000    329
         
 

Total

      2,261
         
 

Yankee Sovereign (0.1%)

     
 

Mexico Government International Bond, 5.625%, 1/15/17

   2,050,000    2,050
 

Mexico Government International Bond, 6.05%, 1/11/40

   490,000    475
         
 

Total

      2,525
         
 

Total Investment Grade Segment (Cost:
$298,720)

      264,573
         
 

Governments (5.0%)

 

Governments (5.0%)

 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.875%, 6/13/18

   27,553,000    31,667
 

Israel Government AID Bond,
0.00%, 11/15/22

   11,600,000    7,045
 

Israel Government AID Bond,
0.00%, 11/15/23

   11,500,000    6,656
 

Israel Government AID Bond,
5.50%, 4/26/24

   9,840,000    12,223

(n)

 

Overseas Private Investment,
4.10%, 11/15/14

   2,604,160    2,570

(e)

 

Tennesse Valley Authority Stripped,
0.00%, 4/15/42

   6,100,000    5,368
 

US Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 6.17%, 8/1/14

   14,981,000    16,502

(g)

 

US Treasury, 2.00%, 11/30/13

   1,000,000    1,026
 

US Treasury, 3.75%, 11/15/18

   85,000    96

(g)

 

US Treasury, 4.375%, 2/15/38

   4,370,000    5,853
 

US Treasury Inflation Index Bond,
2.00%, 4/15/12

   5,928,549    5,781

 

 

Governments (5.0%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Governments continued

     
 

US Treasury Inflation Index Bond,
2.625%, 7/15/17

   5,522,320    5,659
         
 

Total Governments (Cost: $87,174)

      100,446
         
 

Municipal Bonds (0.1%)

 

Municipal Bonds (0.1%)

 

Indiana Finance Authority Environmental
Facillities, Series 2006A,
4.47%, 9/1/41 RB, AMBAC

   2,835,000    2,835
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $2,835)

      2,835
         
 

Structured Products (24.3%)

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

 

AEP Texas Central Transition Funding
LLC, Series 2006-A, Class A5,
5.306%, 7/1/21

   22,665,000    20,240
 

Asset Securitization Corp., Series 1997-D5,
Class PS1,
1.418%, 2/14/43 IO

   51,118,153    1,432
 

Banc of America Alternative Loan
Trust, Series 2006-3, Class 1CB1,
6.00%, 4/25/36

   1,891,437    907
 

Banc of America Alternative Loan
Trust, Series 2006-4, Class 4CB1,
6.50%, 5/25/46

   2,250,904    1,099
 

Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-3, Class A4,
5.658%, 6/10/49

   2,907,000    2,126
 

Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-2, Class A4,
5.688%, 4/10/49

   11,274,000    8,565
 

Banc of America Funding Corp., Series
2007-1, Class TA1A,
0.531%, 1/25/37

   2,564,839    1,216
 

Banc of America Funding Corp., Series
2007-4, Class TA1A,
0.561%, 5/25/37

   3,495,777    3,037
 

Banc of America Mortgage Securities,
Inc., Series 2004-G, Class 2A6,
4.648%, 8/25/34

   5,332,000    5,122
 

CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Co.
LLC,
5.17%, 8/1/19

   2,580,000    2,603
 

Citigroup Commercial Mortgage
Trust, Series 2007-C6, Class A4,
5.70%, 12/10/49

   6,462,000    4,871
 

Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2004-NCM2, Class 2CB1,
5.50%, 8/25/34

   852,820    746
 

Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2005-1, Class 3A1,
6.50%, 4/25/35

   1,325,933    1,271
 

Countrywide Alternative Loan Trust, Series
2003-J1, Class 1A8,
5.25%, 10/25/33

   1,070,235    855

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    157


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Countrywide Home Loan Mortgage Pass
Through Trust, Series 2005-31, Class
2A1,
5.471%, 1/25/36

   1,365,688    980
 

Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage
Securities Corp., Series 2005-7, Class
6A1,
5.50%, 8/25/20

   2,413,577    2,235

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage Capital
Certificates, Series 2007-5, Class 3A9,
6.00%, 8/25/37

   2,074,558    1,411

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage Capital
Certificates, Series 2007-5, Class 3A19,
6.00%, 8/25/37

   2,783,252    2,033

(n)

 

Criimi Mae Commercial Mortgage
Trust, Series 1998-C1, Class B,
7.00%, 6/2/33 144A

   2,978,778    2,979
 

DLJ Commercial Mortgage Corp., Series
1998-CF1, Class S,
0.728%, 2/18/31 IO

   31,358,421    714
 

DLJ Mortgage Acceptance Corp., Series
1997-CF2, Class S,
0.62%, 10/15/30 IO 144A

   1,474,252    29
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.00%, 10/1/20

   1,924,267    1,945
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.50%, 5/1/19

   2,329,677    2,391
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
3065, Class TN,
4.50%, 10/15/33

   1,907,273    1,945
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
3248, Class LN,
4.50%, 7/15/35

   13,744,894    14,028
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 10/1/19

   1,405,620    1,448
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 2/1/20

   652,621    671
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 5/1/20

   2,554,815    2,630
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 11/1/35

   17,789,184    18,204
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 12/1/35

   17,723,182    18,137
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 6/1/38

   16,453,282    16,832
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 9/1/19

   934,307    965
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 11/1/19

   1,842,662    1,903
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 12/1/19

   345,026    356
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 3/1/20

   2,499,319    2,580
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 6/1/35

   3,834,667    3,930

 

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
K001, Class A2,
5.651%, 4/25/16

   7,523,644    7,846
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
2840, Class LK,
6.00%, 11/15/17

   3,159,644    3,271
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
2439, Class LH,
6.00%, 4/15/32

   2,125,000    2,189
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
6.00%, 10/1/37

   19,549,969    20,161
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
6.50%, 4/1/11

   278,865    290
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.00%, 6/1/19

   1,250,703    1,271
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.50%, 6/1/19

   8,923,333    9,156
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.50%, 12/1/19

   1,058,174    1,086
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 3/1/20

   3,155,731    3,250
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 4/1/20

   1,246,073    1,282
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 5/1/20

   4,829,454    4,971
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 4/1/35

   3,627,053    3,708
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 7/1/35

   4,804,664    4,912
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 10/1/35

   1,924,575    1,968
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.32%, 4/1/14

   2,634,229    2,738
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.38%, 1/1/17

   2,848,000    2,939
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 4/1/21

   2,198,051    2,268
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 9/1/34

   994,457    1,021
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 3/1/35

   8,349,754    8,569
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 7/1/35

   1,808,710    1,856
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 8/1/35

   3,191,816    3,276
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 9/1/35

   18,154,161    18,631
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 10/1/35

   8,367,936    8,588
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 11/1/35

   19,635,363    20,152
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 2/1/38

   36,345,063    37,296
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 5/1/35

   403,122    416

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

158    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 6/1/35

   1,087,653    1,121
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 7/1/35

   6,826,762    7,038
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 10/1/35

   1,625,650    1,676
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 11/1/35

   7,408,981    7,637
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 9/1/36

   3,636,408    3,748
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 1/1/38

   6,664,892    6,868
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 3/1/38

   1,721,635    1,774
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 6/1/38

   10,384,699    10,702
 

Federal National Mortgage
Association, Series 2002-W4, Class A4,
6.25%, 5/25/42

   6,527,883    6,681
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 9/1/37

   7,702,846    8,009
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.50%, 9/1/38

   15,937,080    16,570
 

Federal National Mortgage
Association, Series 1989-20, Class A,
6.75%, 4/25/18

   1,937,101    2,029
 

Federal National Mortgage Association
Aces, Series 2006-M1, Class C,
5.355%, 2/25/16

   10,762,000    11,180

(n)

 

Final Maturity Amortizing Notes, Series
2004-1, Class 1,
4.45%, 8/25/12

   7,446,995    7,492
 

First Horizon Alternative Mortgage
Securities, Series 2004-FA1, Class 1A1,
6.25%, 10/25/34

   3,516,053    2,983
 

First Union National Bank Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series 1999-C4, Class E,
7.939%, 12/15/31 144A

   3,100,000    2,928
 

Government National Mortgage
Association,
5.00%, 7/15/33

   1,954,109    2,012
 

Government National Mortgage
Association, 5.50%, 1/15/32

   172,050    178
 

Government National Mortgage
Association,
5.50%, 2/15/32

   1,907,430    1,972
 

Government National Mortgage
Association,
5.50%, 9/15/32

   56,373    58
 

Greenwich Capital Commerical Funding
Corp., Series 2006-FL4A, Class A1,
1.98%, 11/5/21 144A

   733,206    542
 

Louisiana Public Facilities Authority, Series
2008,
6.65%, 8/1/20 RB

   2,250,000    2,208

 

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Massachusetts RRB Special Purpose
Trust, Series 2001-1, Class A,
6.53%, 6/1/15

   1,470,609    1,516
 

MASTR Asset Securitization Trust, Series
2003-12, Class 1A1,
5.25%, 12/25/24

   1,126,860    1,087
 

Merrill Lynch Alternative Note Asset, Series
2007-A1, Class A2A,
0.541%, 1/25/37

   3,504,766    1,828
 

Merrill Lynch/Countrywide Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series 2007-7, Class A4,
5.749%, 6/12/50

   2,817,000    2,000
 

Nissan Auto Receivables Owner
Trust, Series 2006-A, Class A3,
4.74%, 9/15/09

   888,267    888
 

Nordstrom Private Label Credit Card Master
Note Trust, Series 2007-1A, Class A,
4.92%, 5/15/13 144A

   7,031,000    6,710

(n)

 

RMF Commercial Mortgage Pass-Through
Certificates, Series 1997-1, Class F,
7.471%, 1/15/19 144A

   538,446    431
 

TBW Mortgage Backed Pass Through
Certificates, Series 2007-1, Class A1,
0.561%, 3/25/37

   2,839,957    2,501
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2006-5, Class A1,
0.591%, 9/25/46

   3,309,461    2,742
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2006-1, Class A3,
0.641%, 1/25/46

   8,382,697    8,351
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2007-1, Class A1,
1.505%, 3/25/37

   2,441,040    2,016
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2007-2, Class A3A,
1.525%, 6/25/37

   3,908,786    3,259
 

Washington Mutual Alternative Mortgage
Pass-Through Certficates, Series 2006-6,
Class 4A,
6.708%, 11/25/34

   1,510,578    1,297
 

Washington Mutual Commercial Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series 2003-C1A,
Class A,
3.83%, 1/25/35 144A

   2,124,742    2,015
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed
Securities, Series 2006-2, Class 1A1,
5.00%, 3/25/36

   2,413,789    1,861
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2004-N, Class A6,
4.00%, 8/25/34

   8,006,000    7,648
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-1, Class 2A1,
5.00%, 1/25/20

   1,271,076    1,235
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-7, Class A1,
5.25%, 9/25/35

   4,569,553    3,907

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    159


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products (24.3%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-11, Class 1A1,
5.50%, 11/25/35

   4,212,115    3,580
 

Total Structured Products

(Cost: $493,560)

      485,825
         
 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

 

Aerospace/Defense (0.4%)

 

BE Aerospace, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/18

   381,000    343
 

Bombardier, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/14 144A

   150,000    132
 

DRS Technologies, Inc., 7.625%, 2/1/18

   500,000    500

(c)

 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
8.875%, 4/1/15

   390,000    133
 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
9.75%, 4/1/17

   465,000    125
 

L-3 Communications Corp.,
6.375%, 10/15/15

   5,735,000    5,362
 

L-3 Communications Corp.,
7.625%, 6/15/12

   850,000    831
         
 

Total

      7,426
         
 

Autos/Vehicle Parts (0.1%)

     
 

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.,
7.875%, 3/1/17

   588,000    182
 

Ford Motor Co., 7.45%, 7/16/31

   1,155,000    323
 

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC,
8.00%, 12/15/16

   320,000    209
 

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC,
9.875%, 8/10/11

   2,000,000    1,476
 

General Motors Corp., 7.20%, 1/15/11

   405,000    85
 

General Motors Corp., 8.375%, 7/15/33

   1,080,000    189
 

Lear Corp., 5.75%, 8/1/14

   385,000    143
 

Lear Corp., 8.75%, 12/1/16

   615,000    178
 

Visteon Corp., 8.25%, 8/1/10

   516,000    160
 

Visteon Corp., 12.25%, 12/31/16 144A

   543,000    130
         
 

Total

      3,075
         
 

Basic Materials (0.4%)

     
 

Ball Corp., 6.625%, 3/15/18

   395,000    353
 

Berry Plastics Holding Corp.,
8.875%, 9/15/14

   450,000    196
 

Cascades, Inc., 7.25%, 2/15/13

   350,000    178
 

Crown Americas LLC/Crown Americas
Capital Corp., 7.625%, 11/15/13

   310,000    307
 

FMG Finance Property, Ltd.,
10.625%, 9/1/16 144A

   1,200,000    696
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.375%, 4/1/17

   1,955,000    1,603
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC, 7.00%, 1/15/15 144A

   1,250,000    1,062
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC,
7.125%, 1/15/17 144A

   370,000    311
 

Graphic Packaging International, Inc.,
9.50%, 8/15/13

   600,000    414
 

Hexion US Finance Corp./Hexion Nova
Scotia Finance ULC, 9.75%, 11/15/14

   1,250,000    356
 

Huntsman International LLC,
7.375%, 1/1/15

   405,000    213
 

Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.,
9.75%, 12/1/14

   305,000    130
 

The Mosaic Co., 7.625%, 12/1/16 144A

   285,000    228

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Basic Materials continued

     
 

NewPage Corp., 10.00%, 5/1/12

   405,000    178
 

Novelis, Inc., 7.25%, 2/15/15

   784,000    455
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.375%, 11/1/16

   330,000    310
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.875%, 11/1/26

   670,000    553
 

Texas Industries, Inc., 7.25%, 7/15/13 144A

   255,000    197
         
 

Total

      7,740
         
 

Capital Goods (0.1%)

     
 

Case New Holland, Inc., 7.125%, 3/1/14

   680,000    483
 

RSC Equipment Rental, Inc.,
9.50%, 12/1/14

   345,000    190
 

SPX Corp., 7.625%, 12/15/14 144A

   510,000    443
 

Terex Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/17

   675,000    574
 

United Rentals North America, Inc.,
6.50%, 2/15/12

   270,000    213
         
 

Total

      1,903
         
 

Consumer Products/Retailing (0.1%)

     
 

Education Management LLC/Education
Management Finance Corp.,
10.25%, 6/1/16

   1,185,000    859
 

Levi Strauss & Co., 8.875%, 4/1/16

   850,000    578
 

The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.,
10.375%, 10/15/15

   395,000    170
 

New Albertson’s, Inc., 7.25%, 5/1/13

   485,000    410
 

Rite Aid Corp., 9.375%, 12/15/15

   325,000    114
 

Rite Aid Corp., 10.375%, 7/15/16

   255,000    187
         
 

Total

      2,318
         
 

Energy (0.9%)

     
 

Basic Energy Services, Inc.,
7.125%, 4/15/16

   825,000    470
 

Chaparral Energy, Inc., 8.875%, 2/1/17

   800,000    160
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 6.625%, 1/15/16

   1,000,000    790
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.25%, 12/15/18

   420,000    328
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.625%, 7/15/13

   170,000    146
 

Cimarex Energy Co., 7.125%, 5/1/17

   585,000    456
 

Complete Production Services, Inc.,
8.00%, 12/15/16

   500,000    315
 

Connacher Oil and Gas, Ltd.,
10.25%, 12/15/15 144A

   450,000    180
 

El Paso Corp., 7.00%, 6/15/17

   1,110,000    869
 

El Paso Corp., 7.25%, 6/1/18

   640,000    508
 

El Paso Corp., 7.75%, 1/15/32

   670,000    435
 

Forest Oil Corp., 7.25%, 6/15/19 144A

   250,000    183
 

Forest Oil Corp., 7.25%, 6/15/19

   390,000    285
 

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., 9.50%, 1/15/16 144A

   680,000    360
 

Key Energy Services, Inc., 8.375%, 12/1/14

   675,000    446
 

Kinder Morgan Finance Co. ULC,
5.35%, 1/5/11

   3,030,000    2,704
 

Linn Energy LLC, 9.875%, 7/1/18 144A

   380,000    222
 

Mariner Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 5/15/17

   548,000    285
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 6.625%, 4/15/16

   850,000    676
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 7.125%, 5/15/18

   315,000    249
 

OPTI Canada, Inc., 8.25%, 12/15/14

   395,000    213
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp.,
7.875%, 6/1/15 144A

   520,000    385
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp., 9.125%, 7/15/13

   1,150,000    931
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 6.75%, 5/1/14 144A

   420,000    267
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 7.00%, 5/1/17 144A

   350,000    213
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.,
7.625%, 6/1/18

   260,000    178

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

160    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

     
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.,
7.75%, 6/15/15

   550,000    415
 

Range Resources Corp., 6.375%, 3/15/15

   750,000    607
 

Range Resources Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/18

   85,000    71
 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.,
8.00%, 6/1/18 144A

   260,000    144
 

Sonat, Inc., 7.625%, 7/15/11

   190,000    173
 

Southwestern Energy Co.,
7.50%, 2/1/18 144A

   490,000    429
 

Targa Resources Partners LP,
8.25%, 7/1/16 144A

   305,000    189
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.25%, 11/1/12

   2,340,000    1,615
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.625%, 11/1/15

   660,000    383
 

W&T Offshore, Inc., 8.25%, 6/15/14 144A

   620,000    335
 

Whiting Petroleum Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/13

   850,000    604
         
 

Total

      17,219
         
 

Financials (0.2%)

     
 

E*TRADE Financial Corp.,
7.375%, 9/15/13

   35,000    13
 

E*TRADE Financial Corp.,
7.875%, 12/1/15

   755,000    272
 

E*TRADE Financial Corp., 8.00%, 6/15/11

   775,000    353
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.25%, 3/2/11

   1,415,000    1,202
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.75%, 1/19/10

   330,000    294
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
8.00%, 11/1/31 144A

   859,000    511
 

International Lease Finance Corp.,
5.875%, 5/1/13

   215,000    143
 

Nuveen Investments, Inc.,
10.50%, 11/15/15 144A

   500,000    111
 

Wells Fargo Capital XV, 9.75%, 12/29/49

   820,000    828
         
 

Total

      3,727
         
 

Foods (0.3%)

     
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 9/1/16

   2,265,000    2,141
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 5/15/17

   575,000    543
 

Constellation Brands, Inc.,
8.375%, 12/15/14

   285,000    271
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle
Foods Finance Corp., 9.25%, 4/1/15

   450,000    290
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle
Foods Finance Corp., 10.625%, 4/1/17

   950,000    513
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 5/15/13

   1,875,000    1,205
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 7/1/17

   455,000    259
         
 

Total

      5,222
         
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure (0.5%)

     
 

AMC Entertainment, Inc., 11.00%, 2/1/16

   175,000    122
 

Caesars Entertainment, Inc.,
7.875%, 3/15/10

   435,000    287
 

Caesars Entertainment, Inc.,
8.125%, 5/15/11

   1,250,000    612
 

Felcor Lodging LP, 8.50%, 6/1/11

   750,000    555
 

Harrah’s Operating Co., Inc., 5.50%, 7/1/10

   415,000    264
 

Harrah’s Operating Co., Inc.,
10.75%, 2/1/16 144A

   1,495,000    426
 

Host Hotels & Resorts LP, 7.125%, 11/1/13

   1,000,000    805
 

Las Vegas Sands Corp., 6.375%, 2/15/15

   1,090,000    632
 

Mashantucket Western Pequot Tribe,
8.50%, 11/15/15 144A

   840,000    330
 

MGM MIRAGE, 7.50%, 6/1/16

   1,100,000    697

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure continued

     
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 6.75%, 9/1/12

   1,230,000    861
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 8.375%, 2/1/11

   620,000    369
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority,
6.875%, 2/15/15

   675,000    341
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority,
8.00%, 4/1/12

   210,000    128
 

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.,
7.00%, 6/15/13

   1,555,000    886
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.00%, 4/1/12

   875,000    175
 

Wynn Las Vegas LLC/Wynn Las Vegas
Capital Corp., 6.625%, 12/1/14

   4,295,000    3,243
         
 

Total

      10,733
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (0.4%)

     

(c)

 

Biomet, Inc., 10.375%, 10/15/17

   1,195,000    944
 

CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc.,
8.875%, 7/15/15

   1,530,000    1,408
 

DaVita, Inc., 7.25%, 3/15/15

   590,000    560
 

FMC Finance III SA, 6.875%, 7/15/17

   760,000    711
 

HCA, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/13

   650,000    409
 

HCA, Inc., 9.25%, 11/15/16

   2,250,000    2,064

(c)

 

HCA, Inc., 9.625%, 11/15/16

   900,000    702
 

Health Management Associates, Inc.,
6.125%, 4/15/16

   590,000    366
 

Service Corp. International, 6.75%, 4/1/15

   600,000    474
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 7.375%, 2/1/13

   550,000    392
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 9.875%, 7/1/14

   590,000    475
 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp.,
6.50%, 6/1/16

   405,000    297
         
 

Total

      8,802
         
 

Media (0.5%)

     
 

CCH I Holdings LLC/CCH I Holdings
Capital Corp., 11.00%, 10/1/15

   2,235,000    346
 

CCH I Holdings LLC/CCH I Holdings
Capital Corp., 11.75%, 5/15/14

   555,000    29
 

CCH II LLC/CCH II Capital Corp.,
10.25%, 9/15/10

   720,000    317
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.625%, 4/1/11

   2,250,000    2,121
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.875%, 2/15/18

   1,005,000    789
 

Dex Media, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/13

   805,000    149
 

DirecTV Holdings LLC/DirecTV Financing
Co., 7.625%, 5/15/16

   1,120,000    1,086
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.00%, 10/1/13

   435,000    377
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.125%, 2/1/16

   775,000    647
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.75%, 5/31/15

   785,000    667
 

Kabel Deutschland GmbH, 10.625%, 7/1/14

   215,000    191
 

Lamar Media Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/15

   1,140,000    823
 

LIN Television Corp., 6.50%, 5/15/13

   425,000    202
 

Mediacom Broadband LLC/Mediacom
Broadband Corp., 8.50%, 10/15/15

   600,000    391
 

Quebecor Media, Inc., 7.75%, 3/15/16

   660,000    446
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 6.875%, 1/15/13

   880,000    119
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 8.875%, 10/15/17

   220,000    33

(c)

 

Univision Communications, Inc.,
9.75%, 3/15/15 144A

   710,000    89
 

Videotron Ltee, 6.875%, 1/15/14

   491,000    435
 

Videotron Ltee, 9.125%, 4/15/18 144A

   110,000    102
         
 

Total

      9,359
         
 

Real Estate (0.0%)

     
 

Icahn Enterprises LP/Icahn Enterprises
Finance Corp., 7.125%, 2/15/13

   500,000    345
         
 

Total

      345
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    161


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Services (0.1%)

     
 

Allied Waste North America, Inc.,
6.125%, 2/15/14

   305,000    276
 

Allied Waste North America, Inc.,
7.25%, 3/15/15

   1,000,000    930
 

Crum & Forster Holdings Corp.,
7.75%, 5/1/17

   562,000    396
         
 

Total

      1,602
         
 

Structured Products (0.4%)

     
 

CDX North America High Yield, 8.875%, 6/29/13 144A

   10,000,000    9,000
         
 

Total

      9,000
         
 

Technology (0.2%)

     
 

Expedia, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/16 144A

   50,000    37
 

First Data Corp., 9.875%, 9/24/15

   775,000    469
 

Flextronics International, Ltd.,
6.50%, 5/15/13

   750,000    593
 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.,
8.875%, 12/15/14

   650,000    286

(c)

 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.,
9.125%, 12/15/14

   900,000    207
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 7.75%, 1/15/15

   470,000    422
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 8.00%, 6/15/20

   775,000    622
 

Nortel Networks, Ltd.,
10.75%, 7/15/16 144A

   590,000    156
 

Sabre Holdings Corp., 8.35%, 3/15/16

   500,000    111
 

STATS ChipPAC, Ltd., 7.50%, 7/19/10

   360,000    296
 

Sungard Data Systems, Inc.,
10.625%, 5/15/15 144A

   425,000    363
 

Unisys Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/12

   450,000    126
         
 

Total

      3,688
         
 

Telecommunications (0.4%)

     

(c)

 

ALLTEL Communications LLC, 10.375%, 12/1/17 144A

   680,000    762
 

American Tower Corp.,
7.00%, 10/15/17 144A

   500,000    445
 

Cricket Communications, Inc.,
10.00%, 7/15/15 144A

   255,000    233
 

Frontier Communications Corp.,
9.00%, 8/15/31

   1,480,000    932
 

Frontier Communications Corp.,
9.25%, 5/15/11

   1,370,000    1,302
 

Intelsat Corp., 9.25%, 8/15/14 144A

   400,000    372
 

Intelsat Jackson Holdings, Ltd.,
11.25%, 6/15/16

   395,000    359
 

Intelsat, Ltd., 7.625%, 4/15/12

   400,000    268
 

Qwest Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/17

   750,000    555
 

Qwest Corp., 7.625%, 6/15/15

   415,000    340
 

Sprint Nextel Corp., 6.00%, 12/1/16

   950,000    670
 

Windstream Corp., 7.00%, 3/15/19

   500,000    385
 

Windstream Corp., 8.625%, 8/1/16

   865,000    766
         
 

Total

      7,389
         
 

Transportation (0.1%)

     
 

American Railcar Industries, Inc.,
7.50%, 3/1/14

   235,000    155
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de
CV, 7.375%, 6/1/14

   1,500,000    1,228
 

Stena AB, 7.50%, 11/1/13

   200,000    132
         
 

Total

      1,515
         
 

Below Investment Grade Segment (5.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities (0.6%)

     
 

The AES Corp., 7.75%, 10/15/15

   795,000    668
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/17

   500,000    410
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 6/1/20 144A

   405,000    314
 

Aquila, Inc., 11.875%, 7/1/12

   405,000    409
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.50%, 6/1/15

   730,000    511
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.75%, 6/1/19

   485,000    335
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 8.375%, 5/1/16

   1,075,000    763
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.00%, 5/15/17

   1,050,000    913
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.20%, 5/15/19

   1,225,000    1,005
 

Elwood Energy LLC, 8.159%, 7/5/26

   543,608    369
 

Energy Future Holdings Corp., 10.875%, 11/1/17 144A

   670,000    476
 

Indiantown Cogeneration LP,
9.77%, 12/15/20

   1,280,000    1,014
 

Mirant Americas Generation LLC,
8.50%, 10/1/21

   1,215,000    923
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.25%, 2/1/14

   500,000    467
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 2/1/16

   130,000    121
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 1/15/17

   490,000    451
 

Reliant Energy, Inc., 7.625%, 6/15/14

   1,015,000    842
 

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Co.
LLC, 10.50%, 11/1/15 144A

   2,660,000    1,889
         
 

Total

      11,880
         
 

Total Below Investment Grade Segment

(Cost: $153,575)

      112,943
         
 

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

 

Financials (0.0%)

(n)*

 

Preferred Blocker, Inc.,
9.00%, 12/31/49 144A

   500    125
         
 

Total

      125
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks

(Cost: $125)

      125
         
 

Short-Term Investments (15.7%)

 

Aircraft (2.0%)

(b)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding Corp.,
0.28%, 1/20/09

   10,000,000    9,999

(b)

 

Kitty Hawk Funding Corp.,
0.40%, 1/26/09

   10,000,000    9,997

(b)

 

Textron, Inc., 6.25%, 1/5/09

   10,000,000    9,993

(b)

 

Textron, Inc., 6.25%, 1/6/09

   10,000,000    9,991
         
 

Total

      39,980
         
 

Autos (1.5%)

(b)

 

American Honda Finance
Corp., 2.319%, 8/26/09
144A

   3,200,000    3,178

(b)

 

American Honda Finance
Corp., 2.989%, 5/5/09
144A

   2,370,000    2,363

(b)

 

American Honda Finance
Corp., 4.389%, 1/8/09
144A

   3,600,000    3,601

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

162    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(15.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Autos continued

     

(b)

 

Toyota Motor Credit Corp.,
1.15%, 1/14/09

   20,000,000    19,992
         
 

Total

      29,134
         
 

Commercial Banks Non-US (0.6%)

     

(b)

 

Bank of Scotland PLC,
1.868%, 10/9/09 144A

   3,000,000    2,994

(b)

 

Barclays US Funding Corp.,
1.79%, 1/12/09

   10,000,000    9,995
         
 

Total

      12,989
         
 

Electric Utilities (0.5%)

     

(b)

 

Duke Energy Corp.,
4.00%, 1/6/09

   10,000,000    9,994
         
 

Total

      9,994
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (1.4%)

     

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.65%, 3/13/09

   7,300,000    7,299

(b)

 

Federal National Mortgage
Association,
0.20%, 3/30/09

   21,500,000    21,498
         
 

Total

      28,797
         
 

Finance Lessors (0.7%)

     

(b)

 

International Lease Finance
Corp., 3.50%, 4/1/09

   3,530,000    3,352

(b)

 

Thunder Bay Funding LLC,
0.60%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,998
         
 

Total

      13,350
         
 

Finance Services (4.0%)

     

(b)

 

Alpine Securitization Corp.,
1.35%, 1/7/09

   10,000,000    9,998

(b)

 

Alpine Securitization Corp.,
1.35%, 1/9/09

   10,000,000    9,997

(b)

 

Atlantic Asset Securitization
LLC, 0.65%, 1/12/09

   10,000,000    9,998

(b)

 

Barton Capital LLC,
1.45%, 1/2/09

   10,000,000    9,999

(b)

 

Bryant Park Funding LLC,
0.45%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,998

(b)

 

Bryant Park Funding LLC,
1.20%, 1/5/09

   10,000,000    9,999

(b)

 

Gemini Securitization Corp.
LLC, 0.50%, 1/23/09

   10,000,000    9,997

(b)

 

Gemini Securitization Corp.
LLC, 1.45%, 1/8/09

   10,000,000    9,997
         
 

Total

      79,983
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments

(15.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Industrial - Other (0.3%)

     

(b)

 

John Deere Capital Corp.,
0.55%, 1/16/09

   5,000,000    4,999
         
 

Total

      4,999
         
 

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institutions (0.3%)

     

(b)

 

General Electric Capital
Corp., 1.971%, 2/2/09

   6,200,000    6,192
         
 

Total

      6,192
         
 

Oil and Gas (1.9%)

     

(b)

 

Devon Energy Corp.,
1.15%, 1/2/09

   7,500,000    7,500
 

Devon Energy Corp.,
1.25%, 1/2/09

   10,390,000    10,389
 

Sempra Global,
4.50%, 1/5/09

   10,000,000    9,995
 

Sempra Global,
4.50%, 1/6/09

   10,000,000    9,994
         
 

Total

      37,878
         
 

Personal Credit Institutions (1.2%)

     

(b)

 

Associates Corp. of North
America, 8.55%, 7/15/09

   4,440,000    4,433
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
0.30%, 1/6/09

   9,000,000    9,000
 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
0.35%, 1/13/09

   10,000,000    9,999
         
 

Total

      23,432
         
 

Short Term Business Credit (1.3%)

     

(b)

 

Caterpillar Financial
Services Corp.,
2.259%, 3/10/09

   6,320,000    6,296
 

Liberty Street Funding LLC,
0.55%, 2/17/09

   10,000,000    9,993
 

Old Line Funding LLC,
0.35%, 1/15/09

   10,000,000    9,999
         
 

Total

      26,288
         
 

Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost: $313,340)

      313,016
         
 

Total Investments (99.0%)
(Cost: $2,287,487)(a)

      1,974,574
         
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (1.0%)

      20,127
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      1,994,701
         

 

* Non-Income Producing

ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

     144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $62,599 representing 3.14% of the net assets.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    163


Balanced Portfolio

 

     IO—Interest Only Security

 

     RB—Revenue Bond

 

     AMBAC — American Municipal Bond Assurance Corp.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $2,298,705 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $324,131 which is comprised of $74,293 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $398,424 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)   Number of
Contracts
  Expiration Date   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 

Midcap 400 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $7,597)

  29   3/09   $ 193  

Russell 2000 Mini Index Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $21,098)

  440   3/09     807  

S&P 500 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $190,288)

  834   3/09     (2,621 )

US Five Year Note Commodity (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $38,338)

  330   3/09     949  

US Long Bond (CBT) Commodity (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $28,367)

  207   3/09     (210 )

US Ten Year Treasury Note (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $102,867)

  865   3/09     (5,909 )

US Two Year Treasury Note (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $66,043)

  307   3/09     901  

 

(c) PIK - Payment In Kind

 

(d) Defaulted Security

 

(e) Step bond security that presently receives no coupon payments. At the predetermined date the stated coupon rate becomes effective.

 

(g) All or portion of the securities have been loaned. See Note 2M in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

     Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty   Reference    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received
by the Fund
  Expiration
Date
  Notional
Amount (000’s)
  Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell Midcap Value Index    3 Month USD- LIBOR - 8 Basis Points (Bps)    Russell Midcap Value Index Total Return   5/09   65,212   $ (2,455 )

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell 2000 Growth Index    Russell 2000 Growth Index Total Return    3 Month USD- LIBOR + 125 Bps   5/09   15,195     607  

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell 1000 Growth Index    Russell 1000 Growth Index Total Return    3 Month USD- LIBOR - 19 Bps   5/09   89,315     4,057  

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell 2000 Value Index    3 Month USD- LIBOR - 90 Bps    Russell 2000 Value Index Total Return   5/09   16,231     (205 )

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell Midcap Growth Index    Russell Midcap Growth Index Total Return    3 Month USD- LIBOR - 35 Bps   5/09   65,109     3,080  

Credit Suisse Securities

(Europe) Ltd.

  Russell 1000 Value Index    3 Month USD- LIBOR + 4 Bps    Russell 1000 Value Index Total Return   5/09   87,279     (3,822 )
Goldman Sachs International   Russell 1000 Value Index    3 Month USD- LIBOR + 10 Bps    Russell 1000 Value Index Total Return   5/09   67,942     (2,975 )
Goldman Sachs International   Russell 1000 Growth Index    Russell 1000 Growth Index Total Return    3 Month USD- LIBOR - 13 Bps   5/09   67,093     3,048  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

164    Balanced Portfolio      


Balanced Portfolio

 

 

CounterParty   Reference    Payment Made by
the Fund
   Payment Received
by the Fund
  Expiration
Date
  Notional
Amount (000’s)
  Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
JPMorgan Chase   Russell 2000 Growth Biotechnology Industry Index    3 Month USD- LIBOR -120 Bps    Russell 2000 Growth Biotechnology Industry Index Total Return   12/09   700     83    
JPMorgan Chase   Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Daily Net Japan    3 Month USD- LIBOR +15 Bps    MSCI Daily Net Japan Total Return   3/09   9,481     295    
                 
              $ 1,713    
                 

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $116,838 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(m) Amount is less than one thousand.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $17,362 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Balanced Portfolio    165


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

Objective:    Portfolio Strategy:    Net Assets:

Realize as high a level of total return
as is consistent with reasonable
investment risk.

   Actively manage the Portfolio through a flexible policy of allocating assets among stocks, bonds and cash, adjusting the mix to capitalize on changing financial markets and economic conditions    $200 million

 

Portfolio Overview

Mason Street Advisors acts as the investment adviser for the Asset Allocation Portfolio. The investment objective of the Portfolio is to realize as high a level of total return as is consistent with reasonable investment risk. The Portfolio will follow a flexible policy for allocating assets among equity securities, debt investments, and cash or cash equivalents. The Asset Allocation Portfolio invests in seven categories of assets: large-capitalization stocks, medium-capitalization stocks, small-capitalization stocks, foreign stocks, investment-grade bonds, below investment-grade bonds, and cash equivalents. The proportion of investments in each category is adjusted as appropriate to take advantage of market trends and opportunities, and securities within each category are actively managed by an investment professional with experience in that category. Under normal conditions, the Portfolio will typically invest between 55% and 75% of its assets in equity securities and between 25%-45% of its assets in fixed income securities. The Portfolio is managed to maintain broad diversification, while blending asset classes to attempt to achieve both capital appreciation and current income.

Market Overview

Financial markets endured a brutal 2008, which saw the failure of a number of leading financial institutions, credit markets freeze up, and the U.S. government take a series of extraordinary steps to support the economy and financial system. The crisis was a result of the ongoing sub-prime mortgage meltdown, which spread rapidly through the financial sector and into virtually every segment of global financial markets. Economic conditions deteriorated sharply over the course of the year, as unemployment jumped above 7% and the economy entered its first recession since 2002.

Against that backdrop, the S&P 500® Stock Index fell 37.00%. Equity returns were negative across all market capitalization ranges, sectors, and investment styles. Fixed income returns varied widely, with the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index (a broad-based bond index) up 7.02%, as Treasury and government-backed mortgage debt had positive returns, while corporate bonds endured their worst year ever. What’s more, the Citigroup High-Yield Cash-Pay Index suffered its most difficult year on record, falling 24.74%. Meanwhile, cash-equivalent investments had modest returns as the Fed slashed short-term rates. For the full year, the Merrill Lynch Three-Month T-Bill Index was up 2.06%. International equities offered no relief, as the MSCI EAFE Index—a measure of large-cap stock performance in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East—tumbled 43.06%.

Portfolio Results

The Asset Allocation Portfolio returned –30.13% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. That compares with the –37.00% return of the broad stock market, as measured by the S&P 500® Index. At the same time, the Asset Allocation Portfolio Blended Composite Benchmark returned –28.17%. (The Portfolio’s blended benchmark weights are detailed in the “Benchmark Definitions” section of this annual report.) The Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds peer group had an average return of –29.60%, according to Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., an independent mutual fund ranking agency.

The Portfolio’s absolute return reflected the unprecedented turmoil affecting the economy and financial markets in a year in which only cash and government-backed securities had positive returns. The Portfolio outperformed the equity-only S&P 500® Index thanks to positive performance from its cash and bond allocations. Relative to the blended benchmark, it helped to be underrepresented in equities overall, and international stocks in particular. It was also beneficial to be overweight investment grade bonds and underweight high yield. However, our stock allocation has a growth bias, which hurt in a year when value outperformed growth. Our stock selection also detracted from performance. In the fixed income slice, our sector allocation decisions among investment grade bonds hurt, as we were underrepresented in Treasuries during one of the best years for Treasuries on record.

Many of the changes we made to the Portfolio’s asset mix over the course of the year were to address imbalances created by sharp volatility in the markets. For example, stocks’ poor performance shrank the equity slice of the Portfolio, so we consistently used our cash allocation to bring equities back closer to neutral. Nevertheless, equities finished the year a little below our target allocation at 64% of assets. The fixed income allocation ended the year a little above our neutral weight at 34% of assets. Within this slice, we maintained a bias toward high quality bonds and an underweight position in high yield debt. We ended the year with cash below our target allocation at just 2% of assets, preferring to put this money to work in more attractively valued segments of the market.

 

166    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Outlook

After the unprecedented events of 2008, we have a somewhat hopeful outlook for 2009—we are hoping for the reemergence of a more rational, less volatile market environment where fundamentals matter again. Unfortunately, the economic fundamentals remain challenging, and it’s difficult to see a quick rebound.

In terms of the Portfolio’s asset allocation, the extreme market conditions of the last year have created some significant disparities in valuations across and within asset classes. So, for example, at a time when cash yields are approaching zero and Treasury bond yields are at record lows, we find that stocks and credit-sensitive bonds are very attractive by comparison. As a result, we expect to underweight cash in favor of our equity and bond allocations. Within equities, we anticipate favoring growth-oriented shares, which historically have done better than value when investors desire earnings certainty. And within fixed income, we favor high quality assets trading at distressed levels, particularly those with government backing.

 

Relative Performance

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For Periods Ended December 31, 2008

     1 Year    5 Years    Since  
Inception*

Asset Allocation Portfolio

   -30.13%    -0.22%    0.64%

S&P 500 Index

   -37.00%    -2.19%    -2.08%

Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment
Grade Index

   7.02%    5.10%    5.67%

Asset Allocation Portfolio Blended
Composite Benchmark

   -28.17%    0.81%    1.66%

Lipper Variable Insurance Products
(VIP) Mixed Asset Target
Allocation Growth Funds Average

   -29.60%    -0.50%   

*Inception date of 7/31/01

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is historical and does not guarantee future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance information visit www.nmfn.com.

 

 

This chart assumes an initial investment of $10,000 made on 7/31/01 (commencement of the Portfolio’s operations). Returns shown reflect fee waivers, deductions for management and other portfolio expenses, and reinvestment of all dividends. In the absence of fee waivers, total return would be reduced. Returns exclude deductions for separte account sale loads and account fees. Please refer to the Benchmark Definitions section of this report for information about the indices cited in the above chart and graph.

 

Investors should be aware of the risks of investments in foreign securities, particularly investments in securities of companies in developing nations. These include the risks of currency fluctuation, of political and economic instability and of less well-developed government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, as well as differences in accounting standards. Small cap stocks also may carry additional risk. Smaller or newer issuers are more likely to realize more substantial growth as well as suffer more significant losses than larger or more established issuers. Investments in such companies can be both volatile and more speculative. Bonds and other debt obligations are affected by changes in interest rates, inflation risk and the creditworthiness of their issuers. High yield bonds generally have greater price swings and higher default risks than investment grade bonds.

 

The Portfolio may use derivative instruments for hedging purposes as part of its investment strategy. Use of these instruments may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, management risk and the risk that the Portfolio could not close out a position when it would be most advantageous to do so. Portfolios investing in derivatives could lose more than the principal amount invested in those instruments.


 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    167


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

 

   Top 5 Equity Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Microsoft Corp.

   0.8%

  Celgene Corp.

   0.6%

  Hewlett-Packard Co.

   0.6%

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   0.6%

  Abbott Laboratories

   0.5%

 

    Top 5 Fixed Income Holdings 12/31/08

  Security Description

   % of Net Assets

  Federal National Mortgage Association, Various

   7.7%

  US Treasury, Various

   2.2%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Various

   1.6%

  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. ,

  4.875%, 6/13/18

   1.1%

  AEP Texas Central Transition Funding LLC,

  5.306%, 7/01/21

   0.5%

Sector Allocation 12/31/08

LOGO

Sector Allocation is based on Net Assets.

Sector Allocation and Top 10 Holdings are subject to change.


 

168    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2008

 

    Domestic Common Stocks and
Warrants (32.8%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Large Cap Common Stocks (20.4%)

 

Consumer Discretionary (1.9%)

 

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. -
Class A

   7,200    166

*

 

Amazon.com, Inc.

   3,200    164
 

Comcast Corp. - Class A

   32,750    553
 

Johnson Controls, Inc.

   18,100    329

*

 

Kohl’s Corp.

   14,300    518
 

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

   15,500    334
 

McDonald’s Corp.

   6,600    410
 

The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc.

   13,500    313
 

NIKE, Inc. - Class B

   9,100    464
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

   11,200    301
 

Target Corp.

   8,800    304
         
 

Total

      3,856
         
 

Consumer Staples (3.2%)

 

Avon Products, Inc.

   15,200    365
 

The Coca-Cola Co.

   15,400    697
 

CVS Caremark Corp.

   28,005    805

*

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

   5,300    287

*

 

Hansen Natural Corp.

   14,400    483
 

The Kroger Co.

   23,900    631
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

   14,100    772
 

Philip Morris International,
Inc.

   21,000    914
 

The Procter & Gamble Co.

   7,200    445
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

   19,400    1,088
         
 

Total

      6,487
         
 

Energy (1.7%)

 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

   9,200    734
 

Halliburton Co.

   13,100    238
 

Hess Corp.

   4,200    225

*

 

National-Oilwell Varco, Inc.

   22,700    555
 

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

   8,200    492
 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

   11,800    500

*

 

Transocean, Ltd.

   3,100    146
 

XTO Energy, Inc.

   11,700    413
         
 

Total

      3,303
         
 

Financials (0.5%)

 

American Express Co.

   6,900    128
 

CME Group, Inc.

   800    166
 

The Goldman Sachs Group,
Inc.

   2,300    194
 

Prudential Financial, Inc.

   5,800    176
 

State Street Corp.

   9,700    382
         
 

Total

      1,046
         

 

    Domestic Common Stocks and
Warrants (32.8%)
   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care (3.6%)

 

Abbott Laboratories

   20,000    1,067
 

Allergan, Inc.

   9,300    375
 

Baxter International, Inc.

   16,200    868
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

   4,600    107

*

 

Celgene Corp.

   20,400    1,128

*

 

Genentech, Inc.

   6,100    506

*

 

Genzyme Corp.

   5,100    339

*

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

   15,700    803
 

Johnson & Johnson

   5,100    305

*

 

Medco Health Solutions, Inc.

   19,800    830

*

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

   7,900    260

*

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

   6,200    211
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

   11,300    301
         
 

Total

      7,100
         
 

Industrials (2.0%)

 

Danaher Corp.

   7,800    441
 

Deere & Co.

   6,700    257
 

FedEx Corp.

   5,700    366

*

 

First Solar, Inc.

   2,000    276
 

Honeywell International, Inc.

   15,900    522
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

   3,200    269
 

Norfolk Southern Corp.

   8,900    419
 

Raytheon Co.

   7,100    362
 

Textron, Inc.

   12,900    179
 

Union Pacific Corp.

   9,800    468
 

United Technologies Corp.

   9,900    531
         
 

Total

      4,090
         
 

Information Technology (5.7%)

 

Accenture, Ltd. - Class A

   14,100    462

*

 

Apple, Inc.

   9,300    794
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

   12,100    123

*

 

Broadcom Corp. - Class A

   19,800    336

*

 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

   60,700    989
 

Corning, Inc.

   22,700    216

*

 

eBay, Inc.

   17,600    246

*

 

Electronic Arts, Inc.

   10,400    167

*

 

Google, Inc. - Class A

   3,400    1,046
 

Hewlett-Packard Co.

   30,600    1,111
 

Intel Corp.

   62,100    910
 

International Business
Machines Corp.

   11,800    993
 

MasterCard, Inc.

   600    86

*

 

MEMC Electronic Materials,
Inc.

   12,700    181
 

Microsoft Corp.

   80,000    1,555

*

 

Oracle Corp.

   42,600    755
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

   27,700    993

*

 

Research In Motion, Ltd.

   4,800    195
 

Visa, Inc. - Class A

   3,800    199

*

 

Yahoo!, Inc.

   9,600    117
         
 

Total

      11,474
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    169


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

   

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials (0.9%)

 

Ecolab, Inc.

   5,800    204
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper &
Gold, Inc.

   6,300    154
 

Monsanto Co.

   10,500    739
 

Praxair, Inc.

   11,100    659
         
 

Total

      1,756
         
 

Other Holdings (0.4%)

 

iShares Russell 1000 Growth
Index Fund

   20,000    741
         
 

Total

      741
         
 

Telecommunication Services (0.3%)

*

 

American Tower Corp. - Class
A

   13,000    381

*

 

NII Holdings, Inc.

   12,500    227
         
 

Total

      608
         
 

Utilities (0.2%)

 

Exelon Corp.

   6,100    339
         
 

Total

      339
         
  Total Large Cap Common Stocks       40,800
         
    Mid Cap Common Stocks (9.5%)          
 

Consumer Discretionary (1.4%)

*

 

Collective Brands, Inc.

   33,700    395
 

DeVry, Inc.

   11,100    637

*

 

Dollar Tree, Inc.

   15,500    648

*

 

Focus Media Holding, Ltd.,
ADR

   13,200    120

*

 

GameStop Corp. - Class A

   22,800    494

*

 

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.

   10,550    324

*

 

Urban Outfitters, Inc.

   11,600    174
         
 

Total

      2,792
         
 

Energy (1.0%)

*

 

Cameron International Corp.

   24,100    494
 

Diamond Offshore Drilling,
Inc.

   4,900    289
 

Range Resources Corp.

   10,100    347

*

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

   8,900    55
 

Smith International, Inc.

   6,700    153

*

 

Southwestern Energy Co.

   22,300    646
         
 

Total

      1,984
         
 

Financials (0.9%)

 

Assured Guaranty, Ltd.

   11,500    131

*

 

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc.

   1,815    150

*

 

MBIA, Inc.

   18,500    75
 

Northern Trust Corp.

   8,200    428
 

Raymond James Financial,
Inc.

   18,200    312
 

SEI Investments Co.

   11,100    174
 

Synovus Financial Corp.

   21,400    178
 

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

   6,500    230

 

   

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

W.R. Berkley Corp.

   5,200    161
         
 

Total

      1,839
         
 

Health Care (1.2%)

*

 

Cerner Corp.

   8,400    323

*

 

Charles River Laboratories
International, Inc.

   7,200    189

*

 

DaVita, Inc.

   11,250    558

*

 

Express Scripts, Inc.

   8,500    467

*

 

Immucor, Inc.

   24,576    653

*

 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

   1,200    152
         
 

Total

      2,342
         
 

Industrials (2.0%)

 

C.H. Robinson Worldwide,
Inc.

   10,650    586

*

 

Corrections Corp. of America

   33,150    542
 

Cummins, Inc.

   2,600    69
 

Expeditors International of
Washington, Inc.

   9,600    319

*

 

Foster Wheeler, Ltd.

   13,500    316

*

 

FTI Consulting, Inc.

   1,000    45
 

Harsco Corp.

   10,800    299
 

J.B. Hunt Transport Services,
Inc.

   13,900    365
 

L-3 Communications
Holdings, Inc.

   3,100    229
 

MSC Industrial Direct Co.,
Inc. - Class A

   4,200    155
 

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Inc.

   13,100    281

*

 

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings,
Inc. - Class A

   38,600    392

*

 

Stericycle, Inc.

   9,500    495
         
 

Total

      4,093
         
 

Information Technology (2.5%)

*

 

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

   15,142    131

*

 

Alliance Data Systems Corp.

   11,100    516
 

Amphenol Corp. - Class A

   14,100    338

*

 

Citrix Systems, Inc.

   9,100    215

*

 

Cognizant Technology
Solutions Corp. - Class A

   13,200    238
 

FactSet Research Systems,
Inc.

   8,300    367
 

Global Payments, Inc.

   15,400    505
 

Intersil Corp. - Class A

   36,000    331
 

KLA-Tencor Corp.

   17,200    375

*

 

McAfee, Inc.

   15,200    525

*

 

Mettler-Toledo International,
Inc.

   6,200    418
 

Microchip Technology, Inc.

   18,400    359

*

 

Varian Semiconductor
Equipment Associates, Inc.

   23,100    419

*

 

VeriFone Holdings, Inc.

   18,200    89
 

Western Union Co.

   9,100    131
         
 

Total

      4,957
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

170    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Materials (0.3%)

*

 

Owens-Illinois, Inc.

   12,900    353
 

Titanium Metals Corp.

   18,100    159
         
 

Total

      512
         
 

Utilities (0.2%)

 

Equitable Resources, Inc.

   11,800    396
         
 

Total

      396
         
 

Total Mid Cap Common Stocks

      18,915
         
 

Small Cap Common Stocks (2.9%)

     
 

Consumer Discretionary (0.4%)

(m)*

 

Aeropostale, Inc.

   25    0

*

 

American Public Education,
Inc.

   1,700    63
 

Arbitron, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.

   1,150    29

(m)*

 

The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.

   50    0

(m)

 

Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store, Inc.

   25    0

*

 

Exide Technologies

   125    1

*

 

Fossil, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

J. Crew Group, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

Jack in the Box, Inc.

   18,500    409

*

 

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc.

   25    1

*

 

Life Time Fitness, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

LKQ Corp.

   4,800    56

*

 

Lumber Liquidators, Inc.

   2,750    29
 

The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

New Oriental Education &
Technology Group, Inc.,
ADR

   1,500    82
 

PetSmart, Inc.

   1,850    34
 

Polaris Industries, Inc.

   25    1

(m)*

 

Retail Ventures, Inc.

   175    0
 

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. -
Class A

   200    1

*

 

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. - Class
A

   50    1
 

Snap-on, Inc.

   550    22
 

Sotheby’s

   75    1
 

Tempur-Pedic International,
Inc.

   100    1

*

 

True Religion Apparel, Inc.

   1,700    21

(m)

 

Tupperware Brands Corp.

   25    0

(m)*

 

The Warnaco Group, Inc.

   25    0

*

 

Zumiez, Inc.

   2,700    20
         
 

Total

      777
         
 

Consumer Staples (0.1%)

(m)*

 

AgFeed Industries, Inc.

   250    0
 

Alberto-Culver Co.

   1,900    47

*

 

Central European Distribution
Corp.

   1,000    20

(m)*

 

Darling International, Inc.

   100    0
 

Flowers Foods, Inc.

   2,000    49

*

 

TreeHouse Foods, Inc.

   900    24
         
 

Total

      140
         

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy (0.1%)

*

 

Arena Resources, Inc.

   1,800    51

(m)*

 

ATP Oil & Gas Corp.

   75    0
 

Berry Petroleum Co.

   75    1

(m)*

 

Bill Barrett Corp.

   25    0

*

 

Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.

   1,325    21

*

 

Contango Oil & Gas Co.

   600    34
 

Crosstex Energy, Inc.

   225    1

(m)*

 

Dril-Quip, Inc.

   25    0
 

Energy XXI, Ltd.

   825    1

*

 

EXCO Resources, Inc.

   2,600    24

(m)*

 

Gasco Energy, Inc.

   900    0

(m)

 

General Maritime Corp.

   50    0

*

 

IHS, Inc. - Class A

   900    34

*

 

ION Geophysical Corp.

   4,900    17

(m)*

 

McMoRan Exploration Co.

   50    0

*

 

Oceaneering International, Inc.

   700    20

*

 

Parker Drilling Co.

   200    1
 

Penn Virginia Corp.

   25    1

*

 

PetroQuest Energy, Inc.

   100    1
 

Ship Finance International,
Ltd.

   50    1

(m)*

 

Stone Energy Corp.

   50    0

*

 

T-3 Energy Services, Inc.

   1,400    13

*

 

Whiting Petroleum Corp.

   1,100    37

*

 

Willbros Group, Inc.

   75    1
         
 

Total

      259
         
 

Financials (0.3%)

     
 

Boston Private Financial
Holdings, Inc.

   6,600    45
 

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

   1,400    46

*

 

Encore Bancshares, Inc.

   961    10

(m)*

 

FCStone Group, Inc.

   125    0
 

GFI Group, Inc.

   175    1

*

 

Investment Technology
Group, Inc.

   13,300    302

*

 

KBW, Inc.

   1,291    30
 

MFA Mortgage Investments,
Inc.

   10,300    61
 

optionsXpress Holdings, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

Portfolio Recovery Associates,
Inc.

   350    12
         
 

Total

      508
         
 

Health Care (0.6%)

*

 

Affymetrix, Inc.

   225    1

*

 

Alkermes, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

athenahealth, Inc.

   1,350    51

*

 

BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.

   3,100    55

*

 

CardioNet, Inc.

   1,400    35

*

 

Genoptix, Inc.

   2,208    75

*

 

Illumina, Inc.

   2,400    63

*

 

IPC The Hospitalist Co.

   1,150    19

(m)*

 

K-V Pharmaceutical Co. -
Class A

   100    0

*

 

Masimo Corp.

   3,564    106

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    171


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

 

Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

   2,900    74

*

 

NuVasive, Inc.

   1,200    42

*

 

PAREXEL International Corp.

   75    1

*

 

Phase Forward, Inc.

   3,145    39

*

 

Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

   23,500    654

*

 

Thoratec Corp.

   1,600    52

*

 

United Therapeutics Corp.

   200    12
         
 

Total

      1,280
         
 

Industrials (0.5%)

(m)*

 

AAR Corp.

   25    0

(m)

 

Actuant Corp.

   25    0
 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

   25    1

*

 

Aerovironment, Inc.

   900    33

*

 

Allegiant Travel Co.

   350    17

*

 

Astec Industries, Inc.

   550    17

*

 

Astronics Corp.

   3,777    34

*

 

Axsys Technologies, Inc.

   382    21

(m)

 

Belden, Inc.

   25    0
 

Bucyrus International, Inc.

   1,100    20

(m)*

 

Chart Industries, Inc.

   50    0

*

 

Cornell Cos., Inc.

   3,400    63
 

Deluxe Corp.

   50    1

(m)

 

Eagle Bulk Shipping, Inc.

   75    0

*

 

EMCOR Group, Inc.

   25    1

*

 

Energy Recovery, Inc.

   1,233    9

(m)*

 

EnerSys

   50    0

*

 

Flow International Corp.

   300    1

*

 

Force Protection, Inc.

   125    1
 

Genco Shipping & Trading,
Ltd.

   50    1

*

 

GrafTech International, Ltd.

   75    1

*

 

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.

   125    1
 

Herman Miller, Inc.

   50    1

*

 

Hexcel Corp.

   75    1

*

 

Hill International, Inc.

   1,700    12

*

 

Hub Group, Inc. - Class A

   1,750    46

*

 

Huron Consulting Group, Inc.

   1,000    57

*

 

ICF International, Inc.

   2,050    50
 

Kaydon Corp.

   900    31
 

Knight Transportation, Inc.

   24,899    401
 

Knoll, Inc.

   75    1

*

 

Korn/Ferry International

   50    1

*

 

Perini Corp.

   25    1

*

 

Stanley, Inc.

   1,950    71

*

 

TBS International, Ltd. - Class
A

   75    1

*

 

Team, Inc.

   3,600    100

*

 

Titan Machinery, Inc.

   2,450    34

*

 

TransDigm Group, Inc.

   1,600    54
         
 

Total

      1,084
         
 

Information Technology (0.6%)

*

 

Advanced Energy Industries,
Inc.

   3,741    37

*

 

Amkor Technology, Inc.

   300    1

*

 

Atheros Communications, Inc.

   2,000    29

*

 

Bankrate, Inc.

   1,779    68

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology continued

*

 

Blackboard, Inc.

   800    21

*

 

comScore, Inc.

   2,099    27

*

 

Comtech Telecommunications
Corp.

   400    18

*

 

Concur Technologies, Inc.

   1,250    41

*

 

CyberSource Corp.

   2,200    26

*

 

DG Fastchannel, Inc.

   3,000    37

*

 

Diodes, Inc.

   4,600    28

*

 

EarthLink, Inc.

   100    1

*

 

F5 Networks, Inc.

   2,000    46

*

 

Harmonic, Inc.

   100    1

*

 

Infinera Corp.

   75    1

*

 

j2 Global Communications,
Inc.

   950    19

*

 

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd.

   4,100    32

*

 

Netlogic Microsystems, Inc.

   2,500    55

*

 

NeuStar, Inc. - Class A

   16,900    323

*

 

Novatel Wireless, Inc.

   150    1

*

 

Omniture, Inc.

   4,200    45

*

 

OmniVision Technologies,
Inc.

   125    1

*

 

PMC-Sierra, Inc.

   125    1

*

 

Rubicon Technology, Inc.

   2,401    10

(m)*

 

Sigma Designs, Inc.

   50    0

(m)*

 

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

   100    0

*

 

Switch and Data Facilities Co.,
Inc.

   6,132    45

*

 

Synchronoss Technologies,
Inc.

   5,000    53

*

 

Take-Two Interactive
Software, Inc.

   75    1

*

 

TeleTech Holdings, Inc.

   75    1

*

 

TiVo, Inc.

   100    1

*

 

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.

   13,800    47

*

 

VanceInfo Technologies, Inc.,
ADR

   9,950    47

*

 

VistaPrint, Ltd.

   3,500    65

*

 

Vocus, Inc.

   2,100    38
         
 

Total

      1,167
         
 

Materials (0.1%)

(m)*

 

Apex Silver Mines, Ltd.

   450    0

*

 

Calgon Carbon Corp.

   3,300    51

*

 

Flotek Industries, Inc.

   250    1
 

Silgan Holdings, Inc.

   1,250    60

*

 

W.R. Grace & Co.

   100    1

(m)

 

Worthington Industries, Inc.

   50    0
         
 

Total

      113
         
 

Other Holdings (0.1%)

 

Financial Select Sector SPDR
Fund

   3,050    38
 

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology
Index Fund

   650    46
 

SPDR Metals & Mining

   4,600    128
         
 

Total

      212
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

172    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Domestic Common Stocks and

Warrants (32.8%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunication Services (0.0%)

*

 

Centennial Communications
Corp.

   4,800    39
         
 

Total

      39
         
 

Utilities (0.1%)

 

ITC Holdings Corp.

   2,200    96
         
 

Total

      96
         
 

Total Small Cap Common Stocks

   5,675
         
 

Total Domestic Common Stocks and Warrants

(Cost: $88,715)

      65,390
         

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

         
 

Consumer Discretionary (0.6%)

 

Bridgestone Corp.

 

Japan

   1,800    27
 

Compass Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   34,745    175
 

Denso Corp.

 

Japan

   1,900    32
 

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   200    29
 

Grupo Televisa SA, ADR

 

Mexico

   12,400    185
 

Hennes & Mauritz AB - B
Shares

 

Sweden

   3,717    147
 

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,900    63
 

Kingfisher PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   38,970    77
 

Next PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   3,410    54
 

Oriental Land Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   400    33
 

Panasonic Corp.

 

Japan

   4,000    50
 

Reed Elsevier PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   5,170    38
 

Sekisui House, Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    17
 

Toyota Industries Corp.

 

Japan

   1,200    26
 

Vivendi

 

France

   7,790    255
 

Yamada Denki Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   320    22
 

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,300    24
           
 

Total

        1,254
           
 

Consumer Staples (1.3%)

 

Aeon Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,600    26
 

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   2,000    22
 

Asahi Breweries, Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,400    24
 

British American Tobacco
PLC

 

United Kingdom

   4,511    119
 

Cadbury PLC

 

United Kingdom

   4,720    42
 

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   4,225    115
 

ITC, Ltd.

 

India

   14,693    52
 

Japan Tobacco, Inc.

 

Japan

   9    30
 

Kao Corp.

 

Japan

   2,000    61
 

Kerry Group PLC - Class A

 

Ireland

   5,949    109
 

Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    26
 

Koninklijke Ahold NV

 

Netherlands

   7,025    87

*

 

KT&G Corp.

 

South Korea

   1,610    100
 

Lawson, Inc.

 

Japan

   500    29

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Consumer Staples continued

 

Nestle SA

 

Switzerland

   12,240    481
 

Pernod-Ricard SA

 

France

   1,685    126
 

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   2,945    111
 

Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,500    51
 

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,000    20
 

Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.

 

Canada

   5,975    236
 

Tesco PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   20,145    107
 

Unilever NV

 

Netherlands

   10,030    244
 

UNY Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   3,000    33
 

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de
CV

 

Mexico

   46,100    124
 

Woolworths, Ltd.

 

Australia

   10,270    196
           
 

Total

        2,571
           
 

Energy (1.2%)

*

 

Artumas Group, Inc.

 

Norway

   15,020    6
 

BG Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   3,220    45
 

BP PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   55,620    433
 

CNOOC, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   175,000    166
 

Eni SPA

 

Italy

   15,200    362
 

INPEX Corp.

 

Japan

   3    24
 

Nexen, Inc.

 

Canada

   13,440    237
 

Oil Search, Ltd.

 

Australia

   30,075    100
 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR

 

Brazil

   9,300    228
 

Reliance Industries, Ltd.

 

India

   5,848    149
 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC -
Class A

 

United

Kingdom

   15,085    400
 

Saipem SPA

 

Italy

   9,890    167
 

Seadrill, Ltd.

 

Norway

   4,400    36
 

Suncor Energy, Inc.

 

Canada

   7,005    137
           
 

Total

        2,490
           
 

Financials (2.3%)

 

Allianz SE

 

Germany

   868    93
 

AXA SA

 

France

   4,677    105
 

Banco Espirito Santo SA

 

Portugal

   9,975    94
 

Banco Santander SA

 

Spain

   27,550    267
 

The Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.

 

Japan

   3,000    18
 

BNP Paribas

 

France

   4,520    192
 

Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   70,200    79
 

Cheung Kong Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   6,000    57
 

China Life Insurance Co., Ltd.

 

China

   32,000    99
 

China Overseas Land & Investment, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   44,000    62

(n)*

 

China Overseas Land & Investment, Ltd. - Rights

 

Hong Kong

   1,760    1
 

The Chugoku Bank, Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,000    15
 

Credit Suisse Group AG

 

Switzerland

   4,205    115
 

Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   300    16
 

Erste Group Bank AG

 

Austria

   2,900    68
 

Hang Seng Bank, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   8,300    110
 

Housing Development Finance Corp., Ltd.

 

India

   5,624    176

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    173


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

 

HSBC Holdings PLC, ADR

 

United

Kingdom

   5,800    282
 

Industrial and Commercial
Bank of China, Ltd. - Class
H

 

China

   341,000    181
 

Intesa Sanpaolo

 

Italy

   36,505    132
 

Julius Baer Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   4,630    178
 

Man Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   11,765    41
 

Manulife Financial Corp.

 

Canada

   10,020    171
 

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    33
 

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   16,600    103
 

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,000    17
 

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   21    62
 

Muenchener
Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG

 

Germany

   525    83
 

National Bank of Greece SA

 

Greece

   3,165    59
 

Nomura Real Estate Holdings,
Inc.

 

Japan

   900    18
 

Piraeus Bank SA

 

Greece

   5,854    53
 

QBE Insurance Group, Ltd.

 

Australia

   5,115    95
 

Resona Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   12    19
 

Samsung Fire & Marine
Insurance Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   1,443    219
 

Societe Generale

 

France

   1,480    75
 

Sompo Japan Insurance, Inc.

 

Japan

   2,000    15
 

Sony Financial Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   9    34
 

Standard Chartered PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   4,045    52
 

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial
Group, Inc.

 

Japan

   15    65
 

The Sumitomo Trust and
Banking Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   4,000    24
 

T&D Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   700    29
 

TAG Tegernsee Immobilien
und Beteiligungs AG

 

Germany

   9,926    28
 

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   1,400    41
 

The Toronto-Dominion Bank

 

Canada

   6,570    235

*

 

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS

 

Turkey

   27,508    47
 

Unicredit SPA

 

Italy

   41,985    105
 

Westpac Banking Corp.

 

Australia

   14,086    171
 

Zurich Financial Services AG

 

Switzerland

   1,600    346
           
 

Total

        4,580
           
 

Health Care (1.4%)

*

 

Actelion, Ltd.

 

Switzerland

   1,135    64
 

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

 

Japan

   1,000    41
 

CSL, Ltd.

 

Australia

   10,307    248
 

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,500    36
 

Eisai Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   800    33
 

Fresenius Medical Care AG &
Co. KGaA

 

Germany

   3,872    182
 

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   500    20
 

Novartis AG

 

Switzerland

   8,930    446
 

Novo Nordisk A/S

 

Denmark

   2,141    109
 

Roche Holding AG

 

Switzerland

   2,930    450
 

Synthes, Inc.

 

Switzerland

   965    122

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care continued

 

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,200    62
 

Terumo Corp.

 

Japan

   400    19
 

Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Ltd., ADR

 

Israel

   22,000    937
           
 

Total

        2,769
           
 

Industrials (1.1%)

 

ABB, Ltd., ADR

 

Switzerland

   9,150    137
 

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   3,000    12
 

Alstom SA

 

France

   2,650    157
 

Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   4,000    23

*

 

BAE Systems PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   54,975    304
 

Balfour Beatty PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   9,645    47
 

Central Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   4    35
 

Chemring Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   4,520    129
 

China Railway Construction
Corp. - Class H

 

China

   63,000    95
 

ComfortDelGro Corp., Ltd.

 

Singapore

   45,000    46
 

Companhia de Concessoes Rodoviarias

 

Brazil

   7,200    74
 

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    22
 

East Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   7    55
 

Fanuc, Ltd.

 

Japan

   400    28
 

IHI Corp.

 

Japan

   15,000    19
 

Itochu Corp.

 

Japan

   6,000    30
 

The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    28
 

JTEKT Corp.

 

Japan

   3,600    28
 

Kamigumi Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    18
 

Keio Corp.

 

Japan

   5,000    30
 

Kintetsu Corp.

 

Japan

   6,000    28
 

Komatsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,900    37

*

 

LG Corp.

 

South

Korea

   3,235    113
 

Marubeni Corp.

 

Japan

   8,000    30
 

Mitsubishi Corp.

 

Japan

   2,800    39
 

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

 

Japan

   4,000    25
 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,000    36
 

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   5,000    51
 

Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd.

 

Japan

   5,000    31

*

 

Morphic Technologies AB

 

Sweden

   58,066    10
 

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha

 

Japan

   5,000    31
 

Secom Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   800    41
 

Serco Group PLC

 

United

Kingdom

   19,690    130
 

SMC Corp.

 

Japan

   200    20
 

Sumitomo Corp.

 

Japan

   2,800    25
 

Tokyu Corp.

 

Japan

   4,000    20
 

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    15
 

Vinci SA

 

France

   2,250    95
 

West Japan Railway Co.

 

Japan

   6    27
 

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   1,000    13
           
 

Total

        2,134
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

174    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Information Technology (0.5%)

*

 

Autonomy Corp. PLC

 

United Kingdom

   18,997    265
 

Canon, Inc.

 

Japan

   2,000    63
 

EVS Broadcast Equipment SA

 

Belgium

   1,650    59
 

Fujitsu, Ltd.

 

Japan

   6,000    29

*

 

Gresham Computing PLC

 

United Kingdom

   36,400    20
 

Hitachi, Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,000    31
 

Hoya Corp.

 

Japan

   2,100    36
 

Kontron AG

 

Germany

   8,130    85
 

NEC Corp.

 

Japan

   9,000    30
 

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   200    77
 

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   2,000    25
 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

 

South Korea

   422    153

*

 

Temenos Group AG

 

Switzerland

   15,563    207
           
 

Total

        1,080
           
 

Materials (1.0%)

 

Angang Steel Co., Ltd.

 

China

   84,000    95
 

Anglo American PLC

 

United Kingdom

   4,519    105

*

 

Anhui Conch Cement Co.,
Ltd.

 

China

   16,000    74
 

Asahi Kasei Corp.

 

Japan

   8,000    35
 

BHP Billiton, Ltd.

 

Australia

   9,755    209
 

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce,
ADR

 

Brazil

   9,435    114
 

Givaudan SA

 

Switzerland

   60    47
 

Goldcorp, Inc.

 

Canada

   8,875    280
 

Huabao International
Holdings, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   155,000    102

*

 

Intex Resources ASA

 

Norway

   63,255    12
 

JFE Holdings, Inc.

 

Japan

   1,200    32
 

K+S AG

 

Germany

   3,332    192
 

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
Corp.

 

Japan

   5,000    22
 

Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

 

Japan

   8,000    20
 

Nippon Steel Corp.

 

Japan

   11,000    36
 

POSCO

 

South Korea

   214    63
 

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan,
Inc.

 

Canada

   2,580    189
 

Rio Tinto PLC, ADR

 

United Kingdom

   575    51
 

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   800    37
 

Sumitomo Metal Industries,
Ltd.

 

Japan

   8,000    20
 

Syngenta AG

 

Switzerland

   988    191
           
 

Total

        1,926
           
 

Other Holdings (0.5%)

 

Hang Seng Investment Index
Funds Series - H-Share

 

Hong Kong

   11,800    123
 

iShares MSCI Hong Kong
Index Fund

 

Hong Kong

   23,416    243
 

iShares MSCI Japan Index
Fund

 

Japan

   6,730    65
 

iShares MSCI Singapore
Index Fund

 

Singapore

   26,506    187

 

 

Foreign Common Stocks

(11.7%)

 

Country

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Other Holdings continued

 

iShares MSCI South Korea
Index Fund

 

South Korea

   4,184    117
 

iShares MSCI Taiwan Index
Fund

 

Taiwan

   25,098    190
           
 

Total

        925
           
 

Telecommunication Services (1.0%)

*

 

Bharti Airtel, Ltd.

 

India

   3,657    54
 

China Mobile, Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

   5,000    51
 

Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.

 

Taiwan

   150,040    240
 

Deutsche Telekom AG

 

Germany

   16,914    258
 

France Telecom SA

 

France

   6,663    187
 

KDDI Corp.

 

Japan

   6    43
 

Koninklijke (Royal) KPN NV

 

Netherlands

   21,511    313
 

Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corp.

 

Japan

   10    54
 

NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

 

Japan

   25    49
 

SOFTBANK Corp.

 

Japan

   1,200    22
 

Telefonica SA

 

Spain

   17,426    392
 

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri
AS

 

Turkey

   12,793    74
 

Vodafone Group PLC

 

United Kingdom

   130,733    267
           
 

Total

        2,004
           
 

Utilities (0.8%)

 

Centrica PLC

 

United Kingdom

   20,545    80
 

CEZ

 

Czech Republic

   1,675    68
 

Chubu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   1,400    43
 

The Chugoku Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   1,000    26
 

E.ON AG

 

Germany

   3,270    133
 

Electricite de France

 

France

   1,600    93
 

Enagas

 

Spain

   5,555    123
 

GDF Suez

 

France

   7,245    361
 

Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

 

Japan

   600    17
 

The Kansai Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   1,500    43
 

Kyushu Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   1,200    32
 

National Grid PLC

 

United Kingdom

   12,450    125
 

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   7,000    32
 

PT Perusahaan Gas Negara

 

Indonesia

   345,000    62
 

RWE AG

 

Germany

   1,660    150
 

Shikoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   700    24
 

Toho Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   4,000    26
 

Tohoku Electric Power Co.,
Inc.

 

Japan

   1,200    33
 

The Tokyo Electric Power
Co., Inc.

 

Japan

   2,000    67
 

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

 

Japan

   6,000    30
           
 

Total

        1,568
           
 

Total Foreign Common Stocks (Cost: $32,626)

   23,301
           

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    175


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Aerospace/Defense (0.2%)

 

BAE Systems Holdings, Inc.,
5.20%, 8/15/15 144A

   15,000    14
 

General Dynamics Corp., 4.25%, 5/15/13

   55,000    55
 

Raytheon Co., 5.50%, 11/15/12

   305,000    308
         
 

Total

      377
         
 

Auto Manufacturing (0.1%)

 

Daimler Finance North America LLC,
5.75%, 5/18/09

   155,000    150
 

Daimler Finance North America LLC,
8.50%, 1/18/31

   20,000    15
         
 

Total

      165
         
 

Banking (1.7%)

 

American Express Bank, FSB, 3.15%, 12/9/11

   140,000    141
 

BA Covered Bond Issuer, 5.50%, 6/14/12 144A

   195,000    201
 

Bank of America Corp., 5.65%, 5/1/18

   145,000    146
 

Bank of America Corp., 8.125%, 12/29/49

   110,000    82
 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.,
4.95%, 11/1/12

   15,000    15
 

Bank One Corp., 5.25%, 1/30/13

   235,000    229
 

Barclays Bank PLC, 6.05%, 12/4/17 144A

   15,000    13
 

The Bear Stearns Companies LLC,
7.25%, 2/1/18

   25,000    27
 

Citigroup Capital XXI, 8.3%, 12/21/57

   10,000    8
 

Citigroup, Inc., 5.125%, 5/5/14

   120,000    113
 

Citigroup, Inc., 8.40%, 4/29/49

   85,000    56
 

Countrywide Financial Corp., 5.80%, 6/7/12

   40,000    39
 

Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,
4.00%, 3/22/11

   55,000    52
 

Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,
4.125%, 9/15/09

   15,000    15
 

Credit Suisse Guernsey, Ltd., 5.86%, 5/29/49

   5,000    2
 

Credit Suisse/New York NY, 6.00%, 2/15/18

   10,000    9
 

Deutsche Bank Capital Funding Trust VII, 5.628%, 1/19/49 144A

   60,000    26
 

Fifth Third Bancorp, 8.25%, 3/1/38

   25,000    21
 

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.,
5.15%, 1/15/14

   180,000    162
 

HSBC USA, Inc., 3.125%, 12/16/11

   140,000    145
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 4.75%, 3/1/15

   5,000    5
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co., 7.90%, 4/29/49

   85,000    71

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.,
5.50%, 4/4/16

   35,000    3

(d)

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.,
6.875%, 5/2/18

   25,000    2
 

M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank, 5.25%, 9/4/12

   250,000    225
 

Mellon Funding Corp., 6.375%, 2/15/10

   260,000    265
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., 6.22%, 9/15/26

   20,000    19
 

Merrill Lynch & Co., 6.40%, 8/28/17

   120,000    120
 

Morgan Stanley, 2.00%, 9/22/11

   140,000    141
 

Morgan Stanley, 5.375%, 10/15/15

   100,000    86
 

Morgan Stanley, 6.25%, 8/9/26

   50,000    41
 

Northern Trust Corp., 5.30%, 8/29/11

   45,000    46
 

Pemex Project Funding Master Trust, 6.625%, 6/15/35 144A

   15,000    13
 

State Street Bank and Trust Co.,
5.30%, 1/15/16

   250,000    244
 

SunTrust Bank, 3.00%, 11/16/11

   140,000    145
 

UBS AG/Stamford Branch, 5.75%, 4/25/18

   100,000    91
 

UnionBanCal Corp., 5.25%, 12/16/13

   50,000    43
 

Wachovia Corp., 5.35%, 3/15/11

   175,000    167
 

Wachovia Corp., 7.98%, 2/28/49

   40,000    34
 

Wells Fargo Capital XIII, 7.70%, 12/29/49

   125,000    103
 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Banking continued

 

Zions Bancorporation, 5.50%, 11/16/15

   125,000    88
         
 

Total

      3,454
         
 

Beverage/Bottling (0.3%)

 

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.,
4.50%, 4/1/18

   5,000    4
 

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.,
5.75%, 4/1/36

   15,000    12
 

Bottling Group LLC, 4.625%, 11/15/12

   35,000    35
 

Bottling Group LLC, 5.50%, 4/1/16

   65,000    65
 

The Coca-Cola Co., 5.35%, 11/15/17

   50,000    54
 

Diageo Capital PLC, 4.375%, 5/3/10

   45,000    45
 

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.,
6.82%, 5/1/18 144A

   35,000    34
 

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.,
7.45%, 5/1/38 144A

   30,000    30
 

PepsiCo, Inc., 4.65%, 2/15/13

   30,000    31
 

PepsiCo, Inc., 5.00%, 6/1/18

   20,000    21
 

PepsiCo, Inc., 7.90%, 11/1/18

   40,000    49
 

SABMiller PLC, 6.20%, 7/1/11 144A

   155,000    154
         
 

Total

      534
         
 

Building Products (0.0%)

 

CRH America, Inc., 6.00%, 9/30/16

   40,000    25
 

CRH America, Inc., 8.125%, 7/15/18

   50,000    36
         
 

Total

      61
         
 

Cable/Media/Broadcasting/Satellite (0.3%)

 

CBS Corp., 6.625%, 5/15/11

   25,000    22
 

Comcast Corp., 5.90%, 3/15/16

   115,000    110
 

Comcast Corp., 6.40%, 5/15/38

   40,000    40
 

Comcast Corp., 6.50%, 11/15/35

   15,000    15
 

Cox Communications, Inc., 4.625%, 1/15/10

   45,000    44
 

Historic TW, Inc., 6.625%, 5/15/29

   90,000    80
 

Historic TW, Inc., 6.875%, 6/15/18

   10,000    9
 

News America, Inc., 6.15%, 3/1/37

   40,000    37
 

Rogers Cable, Inc., 6.25%, 6/15/13

   10,000    10
 

TCI Communications, Inc., 8.75%, 8/1/15

   60,000    64
 

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 5.40%, 7/2/12

   40,000    37
 

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 6.75%, 7/1/18

   10,000    10
 

Time Warner Cable, Inc., 8.75%, 2/14/19

   25,000    27
 

Time Warner Entertainment Co. LP,
8.375%, 3/15/23

   55,000    55
 

Viacom, Inc., 5.75%, 4/30/11

   65,000    59
 

Viacom, Inc., 6.125%, 10/5/17

   10,000    8
         
 

Total

      627
         
 

Conglomerate/Diversified Manufacturing (0.0%)

 

The Dow Chemical Co., 5.70%, 5/15/18

   5,000    5
 

Monsanto Co., 5.125%, 4/15/18

   5,000    5
 

United Technologies Corp., 6.35%, 3/1/11

   60,000    63
         
 

Total

      73
         
 

Consumer Products (0.0%)

 

Colgate-Palmolive Co., 4.20%, 5/15/13

   15,000    15
 

Fortune Brands, Inc., 5.375%, 1/15/16

   35,000    29
 

The Procter & Gamble Co., 5.55%, 3/5/37

   40,000    45
         
 

Total

      89
         
 

Electric Utilities (1.8%)

 

Bruce Mansfield Unit, 6.85%, 6/1/34

   30,000    26
 

Carolina Power & Light, Inc., 5.15%, 4/1/15

   25,000    25
 

Carolina Power & Light, Inc., 6.50%, 7/15/12

   20,000    20

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

176    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities continued

 

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC, 5.70%, 3/15/13

   15,000    14
 

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC, 6.95%, 3/15/33

   15,000    14
 

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 5/1/18

   20,000    16
 

CMS Energy Corp., 6.875%, 12/15/15

   100,000    85
 

Connecticut Light and Power Co.,
5.65%, 5/1/18

   10,000    10
 

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc., 5.375%, 12/15/15

   30,000    29
 

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc., 5.50%, 9/15/16

   35,000    35
 

Consolidated Natural Gas Co., 5.00%, 12/1/14

   130,000    119
 

Consumers Energy Co., 4.80%, 2/17/09

   310,000    309
 

Dominion Resources, Inc., 6.00%, 11/30/17

   10,000    10
 

Dominion Resources, Inc., 6.40%, 6/15/18

   5,000    5
 

DTE Energy Co., 7.05%, 6/1/11

   380,000    376
 

Duke Energy Carolinas LLC, 6.45%, 10/15/32

   100,000    106
 

Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc., 5.50%, 8/15/15

   55,000    46
 

Entergy Louisiana LLC, 6.50%, 9/1/18

   25,000    24
 

Entergy Mississippi, Inc., 6.25%, 4/1/34

   55,000    47
 

Exelon Generation Co. LLC, 6.20%, 10/1/17

   60,000    52
 

Florida Power & Light Co., 5.625%, 4/1/34

   15,000    16
 

Florida Power Corp., 4.50%, 6/1/10

   178,000    176
 

Florida Power Corp., 6.40%, 6/15/38

   20,000    22
 

Indiana Michigan Power Co., 5.05%, 11/15/14

   160,000    144
 

Kiowa Power Partners LLC,
4.811%, 12/30/13 144A

   47,258    44
 

Kiowa Power Partners LLC,
5.737%, 3/30/21 144A

   100,000    77
 

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.,
5.95%, 5/15/37

   15,000    14
 

Monongahela Power Co., 5.70%, 3/15/17 144A

   45,000    38
 

Nevada Power Co., 5.875%, 1/15/15

   115,000    110
 

Nevada Power Co., 5.95%, 3/15/16

   10,000    10
 

Northern States Power Co., 5.25%, 10/1/18

   15,000    15
 

Ohio Edison Co., 6.875%, 7/15/36

   5,000    5
 

Oncor Electric Delivery Co., 6.375%, 1/15/15

   75,000    72
 

Oncor Electric Delivery Co., 7.00%, 9/1/22

   15,000    14
 

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 5.80%, 3/1/37

   15,000    16
 

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 6.05%, 3/1/34

   25,000    27
 

PacifiCorp, 5.45%, 9/15/13

   240,000    245
 

PacifiCorp, 5.75%, 4/1/37

   55,000    54
 

Potomac Electric Power Co., 6.50%, 11/15/37

   5,000    5
 

PPL Electric Utilities Corp., 4.30%, 6/1/13

   125,000    117
 

PPL Electric Utilities Corp., 6.25%, 8/15/09

   10,000    10
 

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.00%, 12/15/36

   25,000    16
 

PPL Energy Supply LLC, 6.50%, 5/1/18

   20,000    16
 

Progress Energy, Inc., 6.85%, 4/15/12

   60,000    60
 

Public Service Co. of Colorado, 5.50%, 4/1/14

   110,000    104
 

Public Service Electric & Gas Co.,
5.00%, 1/1/13

   100,000    98
 

Public Service Electric & Gas Co.,
5.70%, 12/1/36

   95,000    88
 

Puget Sound Energy, Inc.,
6.274%, 3/15/37

   60,000    53
 

San Diego Gas & Electric Co.,
5.30%, 11/15/15

   15,000    15
 

San Diego Gas & Electric Co.,
6.125%, 9/15/37

   10,000    11
 

SCANA Corp., 6.25%, 4/1/20

   20,000    18
 

Sierra Pacific Power Co., 6.75%, 7/1/37

   30,000    27
 

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.,
6.05%, 1/15/38

   15,000    16

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Electric Utilities continued

 

Southern California Edison Co.,
5.55%, 1/15/37

   10,000    10
 

Southern California Edison Co.,
5.625%, 2/1/36

   5,000    5
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.10%, 5/15/18

   125,000    114
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   25,000    20
 

Tampa Electric Co., 6.55%, 5/15/36

   30,000    26
 

The Toledo Edison Co., 6.15%, 5/15/37

   75,000    60
 

Union Electric Co., 6.40%, 6/15/17

   10,000    9
 

Union Electric Co., 6.70%, 2/1/19

   10,000    9
 

Virginia Electric and Power Co.,
5.25%, 12/15/15

   210,000    204
 

Xcel Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 7/1/36

   50,000    46
         
 

Total

      3,624
         
 

Food Processors (0.2%)

 

General Mills, Inc., 5.25%, 8/15/13

   10,000    10
 

General Mills, Inc., 5.70%, 2/15/17

   55,000    55
 

H.J. Heinz Co., 5.35%, 7/15/13

   90,000    89
 

Kellogg Co., 6.60%, 4/1/11

   95,000    100
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.25%, 6/1/12

   165,000    171
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.50%, 8/11/17

   25,000    25
 

Kraft Foods, Inc., 6.875%, 1/26/39

   25,000    25
         
 

Total

      475
         
 

Gaming/Lodging/Leisure (0.0%)

 

Harrah’s Operating Co., 5.75%, 10/1/17

   40,000    6
         
 

Total

      6
         
 

Gas Pipelines (0.1%)

 

CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp.,
6.125%, 11/1/17

   10,000    8
 

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP,
6.50%, 2/1/37

   15,000    11
 

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP,
7.30%, 8/15/33

   85,000    71
 

Rockies Express Pipeline LLC,
6.85%, 7/15/18 144A

   20,000    19
 

Southern Natural Gas Co., 5.90%, 4/1/17 144A

   20,000    16
 

TransCanada Pipelines, Ltd., 5.85%, 3/15/36

   10,000    9
 

TransCanada Pipelines, Ltd., 6.20%, 10/15/37

   5,000    4
         
 

Total

      138
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (0.2%)

 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 5.875%, 11/15/36

   5,000    5
 

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 6.125%, 5/1/38

   25,000    28
 

Eli Lilly and Co., 5.55%, 3/15/37

   40,000    41
 

GlaxoSmithKline Capital, Inc., 5.65%, 5/15/18

   30,000    32
 

GlaxoSmithKline Capital, Inc.,
6.375%, 5/15/38

   45,000    51
 

Johnson & Johnson, 5.95%, 8/15/37

   40,000    49
 

Wyeth, 5.50%, 2/1/14

   60,000    61
 

Wyeth, 5.95%, 4/1/37

   40,000    44
         
 

Total

      311
         
 

Independent Finance (0.3%)

 

General Electric Capital Corp., 5.625%, 5/1/18

   270,000    272
 

General Electric Capital Corp.,
5.875%, 1/14/38

   10,000    10
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC, 6.00%, 12/15/11 144A

   79,000    64

(n)

 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC, 7.50%, 12/31/13 144A

   13,000    9

(n)

 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC, 8.00%, 12/31/18 144A

   16,000    8

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    177


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Independent Finance continued

     
 

HSBC Finance Corp., 4.125%, 11/16/09

   195,000    193
 

International Lease Finance Corp.,
4.75%, 1/13/12

   100,000    70
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 5.15%, 3/1/12

   75,000    24
 

iStar Financial, Inc., 8.625%, 6/1/13

   30,000    9
         
 

Total

      659
         
 

Industrials - Other (0.0%)

     
 

Centex Corp., 7.875%, 2/1/11

   15,000    13
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 5.375%, 6/15/12

   30,000    22
 

D.R. Horton, Inc., 7.875%, 8/15/11

   10,000    9
         
 

Total

      44
         
 

Information/Data Technology (0.1%)

     
 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.125%, 11/20/12

   65,000    61
 

Fiserv, Inc., 6.80%, 11/20/17

   65,000    57
 

Seagate Technology HDD Holdings,
6.80%, 10/1/16

   40,000    21
         
 

Total

      139
         
 

Life Insurance (0.0%)

     
 

Prudential Financial, Inc., 5.70%, 12/14/36

   5,000    3
         
 

Total

      3
         
 

Machinery (0.0%)

     
 

Case Corp., 7.25%, 1/15/16

   110,000    76
         
 

Total

      76
         
 

Metals/Mining (0.1%)

     
 

Alcoa, Inc., 5.90%, 2/1/27

   20,000    13
 

Alcoa, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/18

   30,000    25
 

Barrick North America Fiance LLC,
6.80%, 9/15/18

   25,000    22
 

Rio Tinto Finance USA, Ltd., 6.50%, 7/15/18

   40,000    29
         
 

Total

      89
         
 

Natural Gas Distributors (0.0%)

     
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.25%, 9/15/17

   35,000    21
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.40%, 7/15/14

   45,000    31
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 5.45%, 9/15/20

   10,000    6
 

NiSource Finance Corp., 6.40%, 3/15/18

   10,000    6
         
 

Total

      64
         
 

Oil & Gas Field Machines and Services

(0.0%)

     
 

Pride International, Inc., 7.375%, 7/15/14

   45,000    42
         
 

Total

      42
         
 

Oil and Gas (0.5%)

     
 

Anadarko Finance Co., 7.50%, 5/1/31

   55,000    49
 

Apache Corp., 6.00%, 1/15/37

   20,000    19
 

Apache Corp., 6.90%, 9/15/18

   5,000    5
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
5.70%, 5/15/17

   30,000    26
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
5.85%, 2/1/35

   5,000    4
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
6.25%, 3/15/38

   90,000    71
 

Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.,
6.45%, 6/30/33

   45,000    36
 

Devon Energy Corp., 7.95%, 4/15/32

   25,000    28
 

Devon Financing Corp. ULC, 6.875%, 9/30/11

   130,000    131
 

EnCana Corp., 6.50%, 2/1/38

   15,000    12
 

EnCana Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/37

   5,000    4

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Oil and Gas continued

     
 

EnCana Holdings Finance Corp.,
5.80%, 5/1/14

   60,000    56
 

Hess Corp., 7.125%, 3/15/33

   20,000    18
 

Marathon Oil Corp., 6.60%, 10/1/37

   10,000    8
 

Nexen, Inc., 5.875%, 3/10/35

   150,000    113
 

Nexen, Inc., 6.40%, 5/15/37

   10,000    8
 

Petro-Canada, 5.95%, 5/15/35

   45,000    31
 

Pioneer Natural Resources Co., 6.875%, 5/1/18

   110,000    77
 

Suncor Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 6/15/38

   20,000    15
 

Suncor Energy, Inc., 6.85%, 6/1/39

   15,000    12
 

Sunoco, Inc., 5.75%, 1/15/17

   65,000    54
 

Talisman Energy, Inc., 5.85%, 2/1/37

   53,000    37
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/17

   140,000    77
 

Valero Energy Corp., 6.625%, 6/15/37

   90,000    66
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 5.30%, 6/30/15

   15,000    14
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 6.50%, 12/15/18

   50,000    48
 

XTO Energy, Inc., 6.75%, 8/1/37

   10,000    9
         
 

Total

      1,028
         
 

Other Finance (0.2%)

     
 

Capmark Financial Group, Inc.,
6.30%, 5/10/17

   5,000    1
 

Eaton Vance Corp., 6.50%, 10/2/17

   5,000    5
 

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.,
8.25%, 5/21/13

   125,000    101
 

SLM Corp., 5.375%, 1/15/13

   10,000    7
 

SLM Corp., 5.375%, 5/15/14

   35,000    24
 

SLM Corp., 5.45%, 4/25/11

   255,000    201
         
 

Total

      339
         
 

Other Services (0.1%)

     
 

Waste Management, Inc., 5.00%, 3/15/14

   50,000    43
 

Waste Management, Inc., 6.10%, 3/15/18

   65,000    56
         
 

Total

      99
         
 

Paper and Forest Products (0.0%)

     
 

International Paper Co., 7.95%, 6/15/18

   40,000    32
 

International Paper Co., 8.70%, 6/15/38

   35,000    24
         
 

Total

      56
         
 

Property and Casualty Insurance (0.0%)

     
 

The Progressive Corp., 6.70%, 6/15/37

   15,000    7
         
 

Total

      7
         
 

Railroads (0.3%)

     
 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.,
6.15%, 5/1/37

   35,000    32
 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.,
6.20%, 8/15/36

   35,000    32
 

Canadian National Railway Co.,
5.85%, 11/15/17

   5,000    5
 

Canadian National Railway Co.,
6.375%, 11/15/37

   20,000    22
 

Canadian Pacific Railway Co., 5.95%, 5/15/37

   5,000    4
 

CSX Corp., 5.60%, 5/1/17

   55,000    49
 

Norfolk Southern Corp., 6.20%, 4/15/09

   45,000    45
 

Union Pacific Corp., 5.65%, 5/1/17

   15,000    14
 

Union Pacific Corp., 5.75%, 11/15/17

   5,000    5
 

Union Pacific Corp., 6.65%, 1/15/11

   45,000    45
 

Union Pacific Corp., 7.375%, 9/15/09

   240,000    241
         
 

Total

      494
         
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (0.4%)

     
 

AvalonBay Communities, Inc., 5.50%, 1/15/12

   25,000    20
 

BRE Properties, Inc., 5.50%, 3/15/17

   25,000    13

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

178    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Real Estate Investment Trusts continued

     
 

Colonial Realty LP, 6.05%, 9/1/16

   20,000    12
 

Developers Diversified Realty Corp.,
5.375%, 10/15/12

   80,000    33
 

Duke Realty LP, 5.95%, 2/15/17

   45,000    22
 

ERP Operating LP, 5.25%, 9/15/14

   120,000    80
 

ERP Operating LP, 5.75%, 6/15/17

   25,000    17
 

First Industrial LP, 5.25%, 6/15/09

   50,000    46
 

HCP, Inc., 6.00%, 1/30/17

   25,000    12
 

HCP, Inc., 6.70%, 1/30/18

   10,000    5
 

HRPT Properties Trust, 5.75%, 11/1/15

   65,000    35
 

ProLogis, 5.50%, 3/1/13

   115,000    67
 

ProLogis, 5.75%, 4/1/16

   65,000    32
 

Rouse Co. LP/TRC Co-Issuer, Inc.,
6.75%, 5/1/13 144A

   220,000    79
 

Simon Property Group LP, 5.375%, 6/1/11

   195,000    165
 

Simon Property Group LP, 5.60%, 9/1/11

   50,000    42
 

Simon Property Group LP, 6.10%, 5/1/16

   95,000    61
         
 

Total

      741
         
 

Restaurants (0.0%)

     
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc., 6.20%, 10/15/17

   10,000    7
 

Darden Restaurants, Inc., 6.80%, 10/15/37

   35,000    23
 

Yum! Brands, Inc., 6.875%, 11/15/37

   45,000    36
         
 

Total

      66
         
 

Retail Food and Drug (0.1%)

     
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 4.875%, 9/15/14

   60,000    55
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 6.125%, 8/15/16

   25,000    24
 

CVS/Caremark Corp., 6.25%, 6/1/27

   40,000    37
 

Delhaize Group, 6.50%, 6/15/17

   40,000    36
 

The Kroger Co., 6.15%, 1/15/20

   25,000    25
 

The Kroger Co., 7.00%, 5/1/18

   20,000    21
 

The Kroger Co., 7.50%, 4/1/31

   40,000    45
         
 

Total

      243
         
 

Retail Stores (0.3%)

     
 

The Home Depot, Inc., 5.875%, 12/16/36

   105,000    82
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 5.75%, 2/15/18

   5,000    3
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.375%, 10/15/36

   10,000    6
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 6.875%, 10/15/15

   30,000    24
 

J.C. Penney Corp., 7.95%, 4/1/17

   40,000    31
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.25%, 12/15/17

   20,000    16
 

Kohl’s Corp., 6.875%, 12/15/37

   15,000    11
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., 6.30%, 4/1/09

   320,000    312
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., 6.65%, 7/15/24

   5,000    3
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., 7.00%, 2/15/28

   10,000    5
 

Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., 7.875%, 7/15/15

   50,000    36
 

Nordstrom, Inc., 7.00%, 1/15/38

   15,000    9
 

Target Corp., 5.375%, 5/1/17

   35,000    32
 

Target Corp., 6.50%, 10/15/37

   20,000    17
         
 

Total

      587
         
 

Telecommunications (0.6%)

     
 

AT&T Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/31

   200,000    251
 

British Telecommunications PLC,
9.125%, 12/15/30

   35,000    37
 

Deutsche Telekom International Finance BV,
5.75%, 3/23/16

   35,000    33
 

Embarq Corp., 6.738%, 6/1/13

   50,000    42
 

Embarq Corp., 7.082%, 6/1/16

   35,000    27
 

Embarq Corp., 7.995%, 6/1/36

   10,000    7
 

France Telecom SA, 8.50%, 3/1/31

   55,000    69
 

Rogers Communications, Inc., 6.80%, 8/15/18

   50,000    50
 

Rogers Wireless, Inc., 6.375%, 3/1/14

   50,000    48

 

 

Investment Grade Segment (8.2%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Telecommunications continued

     
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.375%, 3/15/12

   295,000    236
 

Sprint Capital Corp., 8.75%, 3/15/32

   30,000    20
 

Telecom Italia Capital SA, 4.00%, 1/15/10

   130,000    120
 

Telecom Italia Capital SA, 6.20%, 7/18/11

   100,000    89
 

Verizon Communications, Inc., 5.85%, 9/15/35

   80,000    80
 

Verizon Communications, Inc., 6.10%, 4/15/18

   115,000    115
 

Verizon Communications, Inc., 8.95%, 3/1/39

   30,000    39
         
 

Total

      1,263
         
 

Tobacco (0.1%)

     
 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.70%, 11/10/18

   35,000    38
 

Altria Group, Inc., 9.95%, 11/10/38

   40,000    43
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.,
5.65%, 5/16/18

   40,000    40
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.,
6.375%, 5/16/38

   30,000    31
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 6.75%, 6/15/17

   15,000    12
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 7.25%, 6/15/37

   15,000    10
 

Reynolds American, Inc., 7.625%, 6/1/16

   115,000    96
         
 

Total

      270
         
 

Vehicle Parts (0.1%)

     
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.25%, 1/15/11

   45,000    41
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 5.50%, 1/15/16

   45,000    35
 

Johnson Controls, Inc., 6.00%, 1/15/36

   30,000    19
         
 

Total

      95
         
 

Yankee Sovereign (0.1%)

     
 

Mexico Government International Bond,
5.625%, 1/15/17

   110,000    110
 

Mexico Government International Bond,
6.05%, 1/11/40

   25,000    24
         
 

Total

      134
         
 

Total Investment Grade Segment

(Cost: $18,300)

      16,472
         
 

Governments (3.8%)

 

Governments (3.8%)

 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.875%, 6/13/18

   1,956,000    2,248

(n)

 

Overseas Private Investment, 4.10%, 11/15/14

   75,120    74

(e)

 

Tennesse Valley Authority Stripped,
0.00%, 4/15/42

   1,000,000    880
 

US Department of Housing & Urban
Development, 6.08%, 8/1/13

   100,000    110
 

US Treasury, 1.50%, 10/31/10

   350,000    355
 

US Treasury, 2.75%, 10/31/13

   1,480,000    1,573
 

US Treasury, 3.75%, 11/15/18

   5,000    6
 

US Treasury, 4.00%, 8/15/18

   335,000    387
 

US Treasury, 4.375%, 2/15/38

   200,000    268
 

US Treasury, 5.25%, 2/15/29

   986,000    1,308
 

US Treasury Inflation Index Bond,
2.00%, 4/15/12

   167,618    163
 

US Treasury Inflation Index Bond,
2.625%, 7/15/17

   288,503    296
         
 

Total Governments (Cost: $7,091)

      7,668
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    179


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Municipal Bonds (0.3%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Municipal Bonds (0.3%)

     
 

Indiana Finance Authority Environmental
Facillities, Series 2006A,
4.47%, 9/1/41 RB, AMBAC

   555,000    555
         
 

Total Municipal Bonds

(Cost: $555)

      555
         
 

Structured Products (14.1%)

 

Structured Products (14.1%)

 

AEP Texas Central Transition Funding
LLC, Series 2006-A, Class A5,
5.306%, 7/1/21

   1,183,000    1,056
 

Asset Securitization Corp., Series 1997-D5,
Class PS1, 1.418%, 2/14/43 IO

   2,893,344    81
 

Banc of America Alternative Loan Trust, Series
2006-3, Class 1CB1, 6.00%, 4/25/36

   98,427    47
 

Banc of America Alternative Loan Trust, Series
2006-4, Class 4CB1,
6.50%, 5/25/46

   117,258    57
 

Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-2, Class A4,
5.658%, 4/10/49

   724,000    550
 

Banc of America Commercial Mortgage,
Inc., Series 2007-3, Class A4,
5.688%, 6/10/49

   151,000    110
 

Banc of America Funding Corp., Series 2007-1,
Class TA1A,
0.531%, 1/25/37

   137,218    65
 

Banc of America Funding Corp., Series 2007-4,
Class TA1A,
0.561%, 5/25/37

   197,670    172
 

Banc of America Mortgage Securities,
Inc., Series 2004-G, Class 2A6,
4.648%, 8/25/34

   288,000    277
 

CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Co. LLC, 5.17%, 8/1/19

   140,000    141
 

Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust, Series
2007-C6, Class A4,
5.70%, 12/10/49

   336,000    253
 

Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2004-NCM2, Class 2CB1,
5.50%, 8/25/34

   47,023    41
 

Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, Inc., Series
2005-1, Class 3A1,
6.50%, 4/25/35

   69,238    66
 

Countrywide Alternative Loan Trust, Series
2003-J1, Class 1A8,
5.25%, 10/25/33

   1,144,902    914
 

Countrywide Home Loan Mortgage Pass
Through Trust, Series 2005-31, Class 2A1, 5.471%, 1/25/36

   71,170    51
 

Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Securities Corp., Series 2005-7, Class 6A1,
5.50%, 8/25/20

   147,496    137

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage Capital
Certificates, Series 2007-5, Class 3A9,
6.00%, 8/25/37

   131,072    89

 

 

Structured Products (14.1%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

     

(n)

 

Credit Suisse Mortgage Capital
Certificates, Series 2007-5, Class 3A19,
6.00%, 8/25/37

   143,728    105
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.00%, 10/1/20

   118,668    120
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.50%, 5/1/19

   166,406    171
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
4.50%, 7/1/20

   376,526    386
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
3065, Class TN, 4.50%, 10/15/33

   101,732    104
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 11/1/19

   242,926    250
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 2/1/20

   31,719    33
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 5/1/20

   125,157    129
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.00%, 10/1/20

   135,860    140
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 9/1/19

   45,576    47
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 11/1/19

   134,942    140
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 12/1/19

   25,317    26
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 3/1/20

   185,305    191
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 4/1/22

   483,840    499
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 6/1/35

   123,769    127
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
5.50%, 5/1/37

   741,107    759
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
K001, Class A2,
5.651%, 4/25/16

   410,893    428
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
2840, Class LK,
6.00%, 11/15/17

   156,156    162
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Series
2439, Class LH,
6.00%, 4/15/32

   125,000    129
 

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,
6.00%, 8/1/37

   170,636    176
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.50%, 6/1/19

   323,538    332
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.50%, 12/1/19

   38,553    40
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
4.50%, 7/1/20

   199,120    204
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 3/1/20

   154,013    159
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 4/1/20

   61,016    63

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

180    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products (14.1%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 5/1/20

   250,893    259
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 11/1/34

   886,823    907
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 4/1/35

   132,929    136
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 7/1/35

   372,973    381
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.00%, 10/1/35

   65,971    67
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.32%, 4/1/14

   135,660    141
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.38%, 1/1/17

   151,000    156
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 4/1/21

   145,179    150
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 10/1/34

   488,846    502
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 3/1/35

   160,002    165
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 7/1/35

   64,777    66
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 8/1/35

   110,652    114
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 9/1/35

   1,089,464    1,118
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 10/1/35

   1,193,355    1,225
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 11/1/35

   829,921    852
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 2/1/37

   738,830    758
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 2/1/38

   2,000,736    2,054
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
5.50%, 4/1/38

   2,894,453    2,970
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 10/1/34

   425,456    439
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 11/1/34

   318,891    329
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 5/1/35

   14,575    15
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 6/1/35

   3,147    3
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 7/1/35

   170,266    176
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 10/1/35

   143,006    147
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 11/1/35

   276,684    285
 

Federal National Mortgage Association,
6.00%, 9/1/36

   125,829    130
 

Federal National Mortgage Association, Series
2002-W4, Class A4,
6.25%, 5/25/42

   353,331    362

 

 

Structured Products (14.1%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Federal National Mortgage Association, 6.50%, 12/1/37

   1,060,116    1,102
 

Federal National Mortgage Association
Aces, Series 2006-M1, Class C,
5.355%, 2/25/16

   555,000    577

(n)

 

Final Maturity Amortizing Notes, Series 2004-
1, Class 1,
4.45%, 8/25/12

   361,067    363
 

First Horizon Alternative Mortgage
Securities, Series 2004-FA1, Class 1A1, 6.25%, 10/25/34

   192,294    163
 

Greenwich Capital Commerical Funding
Corp., Series 2006-FL4A, Class A1, 1.98%, 11/5/21 144A

   40,134    30
 

Louisiana Public Facilities Authority, Series
2008, 6.65%, 8/1/20 RB

   150,000    147
 

Massachusetts RRB Special Purpose
Trust, Series 2001-1, Class A,
6.53%, 6/1/15

   75,537    78
 

MASTR Asset Securitization Trust, Series
2003-12, Class 1A1,
5.25%, 12/25/24

   68,592    66
 

Merrill Lynch Alternative Note Asset, Series
2007-A1, Class A2A,
0.541%, 1/25/37

   190,784    100
 

Merrill Lynch/Countrywide Commercial
Mortgage Trust, Series 2007-7, Class A4, 5.749%, 6/12/50

   147,000    104
 

Nordstrom Private Label Credit Card Master
Note Trust, Series 2007-1A, Class A, 4.92%, 5/15/13 144A

   387,000    369
 

TBW Mortgage Backed Pass Through Certificates, Series 2007-1, Class A1, 0.561%, 3/25/37

   154,594    136
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2006-5, Class A1,
0.591%, 9/25/46

   174,926    145
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2006-1, Class A3,
0.641%, 1/25/09

   438,694    437
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2007-1, Class A1,
1.505%, 3/25/37

   126,881    105
 

Thornburg Mortgage Securities Trust, Series
2007-2, Class A3A,
1.525%, 6/25/37

   206,520    172
 

Washington Mutual Alternative Mortgage Pass-Through Certficates, Series 2006-6, Class
4A, 6.708%, 11/25/34

   78,265    67
 

Washington Mutual Commercial Mortgage
Securities Trust, Series 2003-C1A, Class A, 3.83%, 1/25/35 144A

   130,379    124
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed
Securities, Series 2006-2, Class 1A1, 5.00%, 3/25/36

   166,468    128

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    181


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Structured Products (14.1%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Structured Products continued

     
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2004-N, Class A6,
4.00%, 8/25/34

   437,000    417
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-1, Class 2A1,
5.00%, 1/25/20

   80,793    78
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-7, Class A1,
5.25%, 9/25/35

   251,482    215
 

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities
Trust, Series 2005-11, Class 1A1,
5.50%, 11/25/35

   217,940    185
         
 

Total Structured Products (Cost: $28,744)

      28,242
         
 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

 

Aerospace/Defense (0.3%)

 

BE Aerospace, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/18

   53,000    48
 

Bombardier, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/14 144A

   55,000    48
 

DRS Technologies, Inc., 7.625%, 2/1/18

   55,000    55
 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
8.50%, 4/1/15

   32,000    13

(c)

 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
8.875%, 4/1/15

   72,000    24
 

Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co.
LLC/Hawker Beechcraft Notes Co.,
9.75%, 4/1/17

   65,000    18
 

L-3 Communications Corp., 6.375%, 10/15/15

   410,000    383
 

L-3 Communications Corp., 7.625%, 6/15/12

   105,000    103
         
 

Total

      692
         
 

Autos/Vehicle Parts (0.2%)

 

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.,
7.875%, 3/1/17

   80,000    25
 

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., 8.00%, 12/15/19

   60,000    27
 

Ford Motor Co., 7.45%, 7/16/31

   215,000    60
 

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, 8.00%, 12/15/16

   45,000    29
 

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, 8.625%, 11/1/10

   55,000    42
 

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, 9.875%, 8/10/11

   225,000    166
 

General Motors Corp., 7.20%, 1/15/11

   55,000    12
 

General Motors Corp., 8.375%, 7/15/33

   150,000    26
 

Lear Corp., 5.75%, 8/1/14

   25,000    9
 

Lear Corp., 8.75%, 12/1/16

   39,000    11
 

Visteon Corp., 8.25%, 8/1/10

   75,000    23
 

Visteon Corp., 12.25%, 12/31/16 144A

   90,000    22
         
 

Total

      452
         
 

Basic Materials (0.6%)

 

Ball Corp., 6.625%, 3/15/18

   55,000    49
 

Berry Plastics Holding Corp., 8.875%, 9/15/14

   40,000    17
 

Cascades, Inc., 7.25%, 2/15/13

   35,000    18
 

Crown Americas LLC/Crown Americas Capital
Corp., 7.625%, 11/15/13

   36,000    36
 

Crown Americas LLC/Crown Americas Capital
Corp., 7.75%, 11/15/15

   50,000    50
 

FMG Finance Property, Ltd.,
10.625%, 9/1/16 144A

   185,000    107

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Basic Materials continued

     
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.,
8.25%, 4/1/15

   135,000    115
 

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., 8.375%, 4/1/17

   210,000    172
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC, 7.00%, 1/15/15 144A

   137,000    117
 

Georgia-Pacific LLC, 7.125%, 1/15/17 144A

   52,000    44
 

Graphic Packaging International, Inc.,
9.50%, 8/15/13

   65,000    45
 

Hexion US Finance Corp./Hexion Nova Scotia
Finance ULC, 9.75%, 11/15/14

   145,000    41
 

Huntsman International LLC, 7.375%, 1/1/15

   55,000    29
 

Huntsman LLC, 11.50%, 7/15/12

   50,000    40
 

Invista, 9.25%, 5/1/12 144A

   55,000    39
 

Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.,
9.75%, 12/1/14

   75,000    32
 

The Mosaic Co., 7.625%, 12/1/16 144A

   40,000    32
 

NewPage Corp., 10.00%, 5/1/12

   60,000    26
 

Norampac Industries, Inc., 6.75%, 6/1/13

   45,000    20
 

Novelis, Inc., 7.25%, 2/15/15

   162,000    94
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.375%, 11/1/16

   15,000    14
 

Peabody Energy Corp., 7.875%, 11/1/26

   90,000    74
 

Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc., 8.375%, 7/1/12

   50,000    8
 

Texas Industries, Inc., 7.25%, 7/15/13 144A

   35,000    27
         
 

Total

      1,246
         
 

Capital Goods (0.2%)

 

Case New Holland, Inc., 7.125%, 3/1/14

   100,000    71
 

Da-Lite Screen Co., Inc., 9.50%, 5/15/11

   45,000    40
 

RSC Equipment Rental, Inc., 9.50%, 12/1/14

   88,000    48
 

SPX Corp., 7.625%, 12/15/14 144A

   75,000    65
 

Terex Corp., 8.00%, 11/15/17

   85,000    72
 

United Rentals North America, Inc.,
6.50%, 2/15/12

   25,000    20
         
 

Total

      316
         
 

Consumer Products/Retailing (0.3%)

 

Education Management LLC/Education
Management Finance Corp., 10.25%, 6/1/16

   135,000    98
 

GameStop Corp./GameStop, Inc.,
8.00%, 10/1/12

   80,000    74
 

Levi Strauss & Co., 8.875%, 4/1/16

   90,000    61
 

The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.,
10.375%, 10/15/15

   55,000    24
 

New Albertson’s, Inc., 7.25%, 5/1/13

   70,000    59
 

Oxford Industries, Inc., 8.875%, 6/1/11

   118,000    89
 

Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., 8.125%, 5/1/13

   50,000    41
 

Rite Aid Corp., 7.50%, 3/1/17

   86,000    56
 

Rite Aid Corp., 8.625%, 3/1/15

   31,000    11
 

Rite Aid Corp., 9.375%, 12/15/15

   45,000    16
 

Rite Aid Corp., 10.375%, 7/15/16

   35,000    26
 

SUPERVALU, Inc., 7.50%, 11/15/14

   80,000    65
 

Warnaco, Inc., 8.875%, 6/15/13

   45,000    41
         
 

Total

      661
         
 

Energy (1.2%)

 

Basic Energy Services, Inc., 7.125%, 4/15/16

   95,000    54
 

Chaparral Energy, Inc., 8.875%, 2/1/17

   90,000    18
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 6.375%, 6/15/15

   58,000    46
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 6.625%, 1/15/16

   99,000    78
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.25%, 12/15/18

   55,000    43
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.50%, 9/15/13

   45,000    39
 

Chesapeake Energy Corp., 7.625%, 7/15/13

   45,000    39

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

182    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Energy continued

     
 

Cie Generale de Geophysique-Veritas,
7.50%, 5/15/15

   33,000    20
 

Cie Generale de Geophysique-Veritas,
7.75%, 5/15/17

   55,000    32
 

Cimarex Energy Co., 7.125%, 5/1/17

   80,000    62
 

Complete Production Services, Inc.,
8.00%, 12/15/16

   60,000    38
 

Connacher Oil and Gas, Ltd.,
10.25%, 12/15/15 144A

   60,000    24
 

Denbury Resources, Inc., 7.50%, 12/15/15

   60,000    43
 

El Paso Corp., 7.00%, 6/15/17

   110,000    86
 

El Paso Corp., 7.25%, 6/1/18

   90,000    71
 

El Paso Corp., 7.75%, 1/15/32

   90,000    58
 

Forest Oil Corp., 7.25%, 6/15/19 144A

   35,000    26
 

Forest Oil Corp., 7.25%, 6/15/19

   55,000    40
 

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.,
9.50%, 1/15/16 144A

   100,000    53
 

Key Energy Services, Inc., 8.375%, 12/1/14

   85,000    56
 

Kinder Morgan Finance Co. ULC,
5.35%, 1/5/11

   220,000    196
 

Kinder Morgan Finance Co. ULC,
5.70%, 1/5/16

   50,000    37
 

Linn Energy LLC, 9.875%, 7/1/18 144A

   55,000    32
 

Mariner Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 5/15/17

   74,000    39
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 6.625%, 9/1/14

   15,000    12
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 6.625%, 4/15/16

   65,000    52
 

Newfield Exploration Co., 7.125%, 5/15/18

   40,000    32
 

OPTI Canada, Inc., 8.25%, 12/15/14

   135,000    73
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp., 7.875%, 6/1/15 144A

   70,000    52
 

Petrohawk Energy Corp., 9.125%, 7/15/13

   113,000    92
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 6.75%, 5/1/14 144A

   51,000    32
 

Petroplus Finance, Ltd., 7.00%, 5/1/17 144A

   42,000    26
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.,
7.00%, 3/15/17

   55,000    38
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.,
7.625%, 6/1/18

   35,000    24
 

Plains Exploration & Production Co.,
7.75%, 6/15/15

   75,000    57
 

Range Resources Corp., 6.375%, 3/15/15

   72,000    58
 

Range Resources Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/18

   10,000    8
 

Range Resources Corp., 7.50%, 5/15/16

   15,000    13
 

SandRidge Energy, Inc., 8.00%, 6/1/18 144A

   35,000    19
 

SESI LLC, 6.875%, 6/1/14

   85,000    65
 

Sonat, Inc., 7.625%, 7/15/11

   25,000    23
 

Southwestern Energy Co., 7.50%, 2/1/18 144A

   70,000    61
 

Targa Resources Partners LP,
8.25%, 7/1/16 144A

   40,000    25
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.25%, 11/1/12

   160,000    110
 

Tesoro Corp., 6.625%, 11/1/15

   175,000    102
 

W&T Offshore, Inc., 8.25%, 6/15/14 144A

   85,000    46
 

Whiting Petroleum Corp., 7.25%, 5/1/13

   108,000    77
         
 

Total

      2,327
         
 

Financials (0.3%)

 

E*TRADE Financial Corp., 7.375%, 9/15/13

   5,000    2
 

E*TRADE Financial Corp., 7.875%, 12/1/15

   100,000    36
 

E*TRADE Financial Corp., 8.00%, 6/15/11

   110,000    50
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.25%, 3/2/11

   205,000    174
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC,
7.75%, 1/19/10

   40,000    36
 

General Motors Acceptance Corp. LLC, 8.00%, 11/1/31 144A

   113,000    67

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Financials continued

     
 

International Lease Finance Corp.,
5.875%, 5/1/13

   30,000    20
 

LaBranche & Co., Inc., 11.00%, 5/15/12

   38,000    33
 

Nuveen Investments, Inc.,
10.50%, 11/15/15 144A

   65,000    15
 

Wells Fargo Capital XV, 9.75%, 12/29/49

   115,000    116
         
 

Total

      549
         
 

Foods (0.3%)

 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 9/1/16

   170,000    161
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 7.25%, 5/15/17

   70,000    66
 

Constellation Brands, Inc., 8.375%, 12/15/14

   40,000    38

(d)

 

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., 7.625%, 5/1/15

   69,000    19
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle Foods
Finance Corp., 9.25%, 4/1/15

   55,000    35
 

Pinnacle Foods Finance LLC/Pinnacle Foods
Finance Corp., 10.625%, 4/1/17

   110,000    59
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 5/15/13

   138,000    89
 

Smithfield Foods, Inc., 7.75%, 7/1/17

   60,000    34
         
 

Total

      501
         
 

Gaming/Leisure/Lodging (0.7%)

 

AMC Entertainment, Inc., 11.00%, 2/1/16

   54,000    38
 

Caesars Entertainment, Inc., 7.875%, 3/15/10

   60,000    40
 

Caesars Entertainment, Inc., 8.125%, 5/15/11

   135,000    66
 

Felcor Lodging LP, 8.50%, 6/1/11

   83,000    61
 

Harrah’s Operating Co., Inc., 5.50%, 7/1/10

   55,000    35
 

Harrah’s Operating Co., Inc.,
10.75%, 2/1/16 144A

   205,000    58
 

The Hertz Corp., 8.875%, 1/1/14

   60,000    37
 

Host Hotels & Resorts LP, 7.125%, 11/1/13

   210,000    169
 

Las Vegas Sands Corp., 6.375%, 2/15/15

   150,000    87
 

Mandalay Resort Group, 9.375%, 2/15/10

   50,000    36
 

Mashantucket Western Pequot Tribe, 8.50%, 11/15/15 144A

   110,000    43
 

MGM MIRAGE, 7.50%, 6/1/16

   145,000    92
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 6.75%, 9/1/12

   105,000    73
 

MGM MIRAGE, Inc., 8.375%, 2/1/11

   85,000    51
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority,
6.875%, 2/15/15

   95,000    48
 

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority,
8.00%, 4/1/12

   30,000    18
 

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., 7.00%, 6/15/13

   160,000    91
 

Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc., 4.496%, 3/15/14 144A

   45,000    23
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.00%, 4/1/12

   120,000    24
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.625%, 3/15/18

   45,000    3
 

Station Casinos, Inc., 6.875%, 3/1/16

   45,000    3
 

Universal City Development Partners,
11.75%, 4/1/10

   44,000    28
 

Universal City Florida Holding Co. I & II, 8.375%, 5/1/10

   33,000    15
 

Wynn Las Vegas LLC/Wynn Las Vegas
Capital Corp., 6.625%, 12/1/14

   325,000    246
         
 

Total

      1,385
         
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals (0.7%)

(c)

 

Biomet, Inc., 10.375%, 10/15/17

   165,000    130
 

Catalent Pharma Solutions, Inc.,
9.50%, 4/15/15

   79,000    30
 

CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc.,
8.875%, 7/15/15

   210,000    193
 

DaVita, Inc., 7.25%, 3/15/15

   85,000    81
 

FMC Finance III SA, 6.875%, 7/15/17

   105,000    98

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    183


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Health Care/Pharmaceuticals continued

 

Fresenius Medical Care Capital Trust IV, 7.875%, 6/15/11

   30,000    28
 

HCA, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/13

   75,000    47
 

HCA, Inc., 9.125%, 11/15/14

   58,000    54
 

HCA, Inc., 9.25%, 11/15/16

   233,000    214

(c)

 

HCA, Inc., 9.625%, 11/15/16

   87,000    68
 

Health Management Associates, Inc.,
6.125%, 4/15/16

   85,000    53
 

Senior Housing Properties Trust,
8.625%, 1/15/12

   45,000    39
 

Service Corp. International, 6.75%, 4/1/15

   70,000    55
 

Service Corp. International, 6.75%, 4/1/16

   60,000    46
 

Service Corp. International, 7.375%, 10/1/14

   15,000    13
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 7.375%, 2/1/13

   85,000    61
 

Tenet Healthcare Corp., 9.875%, 7/1/14

   85,000    68
 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp.,
6.50%, 6/1/16

   80,000    59
 

Ventas Realty LP/Ventas Capital Corp.,
9.00%, 5/1/12

   50,000    44
         
 

Total

      1,381
         
 

Media (0.6%)

 

CCH I Holdings LLC/CCH I Holdings Capital
Corp., 11.00%, 10/1/15

   205,000    32
 

CCH I Holdings LLC/CCH I Holdings Capital
Corp., 11.75%, 5/15/14

   75,000    4
 

CCH II LLC/CCH II Capital Corp.,
10.25%, 9/15/10

   70,000    31
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.625%, 4/1/11

   150,000    141
 

CSC Holdings, Inc., 7.875%, 2/15/18

   132,000    104
 

Dex Media, Inc., 8.00%, 11/15/13

   100,000    18
 

DirecTV Holdings LLC/DirecTV Financing
Co., 7.625%, 5/15/16

   150,000    145
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.00%, 10/1/13

   145,000    126
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.125%, 2/1/16

   85,000    71
 

EchoStar DBS Corp., 7.75%, 5/31/15

   105,000    89
 

Kabel Deutschland GmbH, 10.625%, 7/1/14

   90,000    80
 

Lamar Media Corp., 6.625%, 8/15/15

   125,000    90
 

LIN Television Corp., 6.50%, 5/15/13

   60,000    29
 

Mediacom Broadband LLC/Mediacom
Broadband Corp., 8.50%, 10/15/15

   85,000    55
 

Mediacom LLC/Mediacom Capital Corp., 7.875%, 2/15/11

   30,000    23
 

Quebecor Media, Inc., 7.75%, 3/15/16

   90,000    61
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 6.875%, 1/15/13

   65,000    9
 

R.H. Donnelley Corp., 8.875%, 10/15/17

   30,000    5

(c)

 

Univision Communications, Inc.,
9.75%, 3/15/15 144A

   95,000    12
 

Videotron Ltee, 6.375%, 12/15/15

   25,000    20
 

Videotron Ltee, 6.875%, 1/15/14

   70,000    62
 

Videotron Ltee, 9.125%, 4/15/18 144A

   15,000    14
         
 

Total

      1,221
         
 

Real Estate (0.1%)

 

Icahn Enterprises LP/Icahn Enterprises Finance
Corp., 7.125%, 2/15/13

   110,000    76
 

The Rouse Co. LP, 7.20%, 9/15/12

   85,000    29
         
 

Total

      105
         
 

Services (0.1%)

 

Allied Waste North America, Inc.,
6.125%, 2/15/14

   40,000    37
 

Allied Waste North America, Inc.,
7.25%, 3/15/15

   70,000    65

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/
$ Par
   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Services continued

 

Crum & Forster Holdings Corp., 7.75%, 5/1/17

   64,000    45
 

UnumProvident Finance Co. PLC, 6.85%, 11/15/15 144A

   60,000    49
 

WCA Waste Corp., 9.25%, 6/15/14

   65,000    48
         
 

Total

      244
         
 

Technology (0.3%)

     
 

Expedia, Inc., 8.50%, 7/1/16 144A

   10,000    7
 

First Data Corp., 9.875%, 9/24/15

   100,000    60
 

Flextronics International, Ltd., 6.50%, 5/15/13

   75,000    59
 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.,
8.875%, 12/15/14

   80,000    35

(c)

 

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.,
9.125%, 12/15/14

   99,000    23
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 7.75%, 1/15/15

   70,000    63
 

Iron Mountain, Inc., 8.00%, 6/15/20

   115,000    92
 

Nortel Networks, Ltd., 10.75%, 7/15/16 144A

   85,000    22
 

Sabre Holdings Corp., 8.35%, 3/15/16

   75,000    17
 

STATS ChipPAC, Ltd., 6.75%, 11/15/11

   43,000    32
 

STATS ChipPAC, Ltd., 7.50%, 7/19/10

   50,000    41
 

Sungard Data Systems, Inc.,
10.625%, 5/15/15 144A

   65,000    56
 

SunGard Data Systems, Inc., 9.125%, 8/15/13

   45,000    39
 

Travelport LLC, 11.875%, 9/1/16

   20,000    6
 

Unisys Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/12

   60,000    17
         
 

Total

      569
         
 

Telecommunications (0.5%)

(c)

 

ALLTEL Communications LLC,
10.375%, 12/1/17 144A

   85,000    95
 

American Tower Corp., 7.00%, 10/15/17 144A

   65,000    58
 

Cricket Communications, Inc.,
10.00%, 7/15/15 144A

   35,000    32
 

Frontier Communications Corp.,
9.00%, 8/15/31

   165,000    104
 

Frontier Communications Corp.,
9.25%, 5/15/11

   145,000    138
 

Intelsat Corp., 9.25%, 8/15/14 144A

   55,000    51
 

Intelsat Jackson Holdings, Ltd.,
11.25%, 6/15/16

   55,000    50
 

Intelsat, Ltd., 7.625%, 4/15/12

   55,000    37
 

Qwest Corp., 6.50%, 6/1/17

   85,000    63
 

Qwest Corp., 7.50%, 10/1/14

   16,000    13
 

Qwest Corp., 7.625%, 6/15/15

   55,000    45
 

Qwest Corp., 7.875%, 9/1/11

   67,000    62
 

Rogers Wireless, Inc., 8.00%, 12/15/12

   74,000    71
 

Sprint Nextel Corp., 6.00%, 12/1/16

   100,000    71
 

Windstream Corp., 7.00%, 3/15/19

   55,000    42
 

Windstream Corp., 8.125%, 8/1/13

   85,000    78
 

Windstream Corp., 8.625%, 8/1/16

   95,000    84
         
 

Total

      1,094
         
 

Transportation (0.2%)

 

American Railcar Industries, Inc.,
7.50%, 3/1/14

   25,000    16
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 7.375%, 6/1/14

   95,000    78
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 7.625%, 12/1/13

   35,000    29
 

Kansas City Southern de Mexico SAB de CV, 9.375%, 5/1/12

   67,000    61
 

Stena AB, 7.50%, 11/1/13

   215,000    142
         
 

Total

      326
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

184    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

 

Below Investment Grade Segment (7.4%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value
$ (000’s)
 

Utilities (0.8%)

 

The AES Corp., 7.75%, 10/15/15

   110,000    92
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 10/15/17

   65,000    53
 

The AES Corp., 8.00%, 6/1/20 144A

   55,000    43
 

Aquila, Inc., 7.95%, 2/1/11

   6,000    6
 

Aquila, Inc., 11.875%, 7/1/12

   55,000    56
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.50%, 6/1/15

   100,000    70
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 7.75%, 6/1/19

   65,000    45
 

Dynegy Holdings, Inc., 8.375%, 5/1/16

   110,000    78
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.00%, 5/15/17

   125,000    109
 

Edison Mission Energy, 7.20%, 5/15/19

   149,000    122
 

Elwood Energy LLC, 8.159%, 7/5/26

   90,601    62
 

Energy Future Holdings Corp.,
10.875%, 11/1/17 144A

   85,000    60
 

Indiantown Cogeneration LP, 9.77%, 12/15/20

   130,000    103
 

Mirant Americas Generation LLC,
8.50%, 10/1/21

   165,000    125
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.25%, 2/1/14

   65,000    61
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 2/1/16

   45,000    42
 

NRG Energy, Inc., 7.375%, 1/15/17

   66,000    61
 

NSG Holdings LLC/NSG Holdings, Inc., 7.75%, 12/15/25 144A

   81,000    63
 

NV Energy, Inc., 8.625%, 3/15/14

   27,000    24
 

Reliant Energy, Inc., 7.625%, 6/15/14

   145,000    120
 

Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Co. LLC, 10.50%, 11/1/15 144A

   350,000    248
         
 

Total

      1,643
         
 

Total Below Investment Grade Segment (Cost: $20,435)

      14,712
         
 

Preferred Stocks (0.0%)

         
 

Financials (0.0%)

(n)*

 

Preferred Blocker, Inc.,
9.00%, 12/31/49 144A

   44    11
         
 

Total

      11
         
 

Total Preferred Stocks
(Cost: $11)

      11
         
 

Short-Term Investments (20.7%)

         
 

Electric Utilities (1.5%)

     
 

Duke Energy Corp.,
4.00%, 1/5/09

   3,000,000    2,999
         
 

Total

      2,999
         
 

Federal Government & Agencies (6.0%)

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.38%, 1/15/09

   5,900,000    5,899

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank,
0.47%, 3/13/09

   3,000,000    3,000

(b)

 

Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.65%, 3/13/09

   3,000,000    3,000
         
 

Total

      11,899
         

 

 

Short-Term Investments (20.7%)

   Shares/

$ Par

   Value

$ (000’s)

 

Finance Services (7.5%)

 

Alpine Securitization,
1.25%, 1/8/09

   3,000,000    2,999
 

Bryant Park Funding LLC,
1.00%, 1/9/09

   3,000,000    2,999

(b)

 

Ciesco LP, 0.20%, 1/12/09

   3,000,000    3,000
 

Falcon Asset Securitization
Co. LLC, 0.20%, 1/27/09

   3,000,000    3,000
 

Gemini Securitization Corp.
LLC, 1.45%, 1/8/09

   3,000,000    2,999
         
 

Total

      14,997
         
 

Oil and Gas (1.7%)

 

Devon Energy Corp.,
0.95%, 1/2/09

   400,000    400
 

Sempra Global, 4.50%, 1/5/09

   3,000,000    2,998
         
 

Total

      3,398
         
 

Personal Credit Institutions (1.5%)

 

HSBC Finance Corp.,
1.50%, 1/7/09

   3,000,000    2,999
         
 

Total

      2,999
         
 

Retail Stores (1.0%)

 

Home Depot, Inc.,
2.50%, 1/2/09

   2,000,000    2,000
         
 

Total

      2,000
         
 

Short Term Business Credit (1.5%)

 

Liberty Street Funding LLC,
0.55%, 1/12/09

   3,000,000    2,999
         
 

Total

      2,999
 

Total Short-Term Investments

(Cost: $41,285)

      41,291
         
 

Total Investments (99.0%)

(Cost: $237,762)(a)

      197,642
         
 

Other Assets, Less
Liabilities (1.0%)

      1,998
         
 

Net Assets (100.0%)

      199,640
         

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Asset Allocation Portfolio    185


Asset Allocation Portfolio

 

 

* Non-Income Producing

 

     ADR after the name of a security represents—American Depositary Receipt.

 

     144A after the name of a security represents a security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold as transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2008 the value of these securities (in thousands) was $3,286, representing 1.65% of the net assets.

IO — Interest Only Security

RB — Revenue Bond

AMBAC — American Municipal Bond Assurance Corp.

 

(a) At December 31, 2008 the aggregate cost of securities for federal tax purposes (in thousands) was $238,597 and the net unrealized depreciation of investments based on that cost was $40,955 which is comprised of $4,843 aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and $45,798 aggregate gross unrealized depreciation.

 

(b) All or a portion of the securities have been committed as collateral for open futures positions or when-issued securities. Information regarding open futures contracts as of period end is summarized below.

 

Issuer (000’s)   Number of
Contracts
  Expiration Date   Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
Midcap 400 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $1,310)   5   3/09   $ 33    
Russell 2000 Mini Index Future (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $4,555)   95   3/09     174    
S&P 500 Index Futures (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $30,802)   135   3/09     (424)    
US Five Year Note Commodity (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $230)   2   3/09     8    
US Long Bond (CBT) Commodity (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $2,631)   20   3/09     (130)    
US Ten Year Treasury Note (Short) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $4,519)   38   3/09     (259)    
US Two Year Treasury Note (Long) (Total Notional Value at December 31, 2008, $5,163)   24   3/09     71    

 

(c) PIK - Payment In Kind

 

(d) Defaulted Security

 

(e) Step bond security that presently receives no coupon payments. At the predetermined date the stated coupon rate becomes effective.

 

(j) Swap agreements outstanding on December 31, 2008

 

     Total Return Swaps

 

CounterParty

   Reference    Payment Made by

the Fund

   Payment Received

by the Fund

   Expiration

Date

   Notional

Amount (000’s)

    

 

 

 

Unrealized

Appreciation/

(Depreciation)

(000’s)

JPMorgan Chase

  

Russell 2000 Growth

Biotechnology Industry Index

   3 Month USD-
LIBOR -120 Bps
   Russell 2000
Growth
Biotechnology
Industry Index
Total Return
   12/09    100    $             12    

JPMorgan Chase

  

Morgan Stanley Capital

International (MSCI) Daily Net

Japan

   3 Month USD-
LIBOR +15 Bps
   MSCI Daily Net
Japan Total
Return
   3/09    1,525      47    
                     
                  $             59    
                     

 

(l) As of December 31, 2008, portfolio securities with an aggregate value of $18,881 (in thousands) were fair valued under procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

 

(m) Amount is less than one thousand.

 

(n) At December 31, 2008 portfolio securities with a aggregate value of $660 (in thousands) were valued with reference to securities whose values are more readily available.

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

186    Asset Allocation Portfolio      


Benchmark Definitions

 

The following indices are used to illustrate investment market, sector or style performance or to serve as Portfolio performance comparisons. Unlike the Portfolios, the indices are not professionally managed and do not incur fees or expenses. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

33%: Barclays Capital Global Aggregate Credit Component, Hedged USD, Merrill Lynch Global High- Yield BB-B Rated Constrained Index and JPMorgan EMBI Global — The benchmark is an equally weighted blend of the following three indexes: Barclays Capital Global Aggregate —Credit Component, Hedged USD, Merrill Lynch Global High Yield BB-B Rated Constrained Index and JPMorgan EMBI Global. The Barclays Capital Global Aggregate — Credit Component, Hedged USD Index provides a broad-based measure of the global investment grade fixed income markets. The Global High Yield BB-B Rated Constrained Index tracks the performance of below investment grade bonds of corporate issuers domiciled in countries having an investment grade foreign currency long term debt rating (based on a composite of Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch). The Index includes bonds denominated in U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, sterling, and euro (or euro legacy currency), but excludes all multi-currency denominated bonds. Bonds must be rated below investment grade but at least B3 based on a composite of Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch. Qualifying bonds are capitalization-weighted provided the total allocation to an individual issuer (defined by Bloomberg tickers) does not exceed 2%. Issuers that exceed the limit are reduced to 2% and the face value of each of their bonds is adjusted on a pro-rata basis. Similarly, the face value of bonds of all other issuers that fall below the 2% cap are increased on a pro-basis. The index is re-balanced on the last calendar day of the month. JPMorgan EMBI Global tracks total returns for United States Dollar denominated debt instruments issued by emerging market sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities, Brady bonds, loans, Eurobonds and local market instruments. This index only tracks the particular region or country.

Asset Allocation Portfolio Blended Composite — The Asset Allocation Portfolio Blended Composite Benchmark is an unmanaged, hypothetical combination of unmanaged indexes that correspond to the Asset Allocation Portfolio’s model allocation and consists of the Russell 1000 Index (50%), the S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap Index (15%), the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index (25%), and the Citigroup High Yield Cash Pay Index (10%).

Balanced Portfolio Blended Composite — The Balanced Portfolio Blended Composite Benchmark is an unmanaged, hypothetical combination of unmanaged indexes that correspond to the Balanced Portfolio’s model allocation and consists of the Russell 1000 Index (40%), the S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap Index (10%), the Citigroup U.S. Broad

Investment Grade Bond Index (45%) and the Citigroup High Yield Cash Pay Index (5%).

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index — The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index is an unmanaged index of publicly issued investment-grade fixed rate debt securities including corporate, U.S. Treasury and government agency securities, mortgage pass-through and asset-backed securities with remaining maturities of one to three years.

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index — The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index is an unmanaged index of publicly issued investment-grade fixed-rate debt securities including corporate, U.S. Treasury and government agency securities, mortgage pass-through and asset-backed securities with remaining maturities of at least one year regardless of call features.

Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index — The Barclays Capital U. S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. dollar denominated, non-convertible, fixed rate, noninvestment grade debt. Issuers are capped at 2% of the Index. Index holdings must have at least one year to final maturity, at least $150 million par amount outstanding, and be publicly issued with a rating of Ba1 or lower.

Barclays Capital Global Credit Hedged USD Index — The Barclays Capital Global Credit Hedged USD Index is an unmanaged index composed of investment grade and high yield credit securities from the Multiverse represented in U.S. Dollars on a hedged bases (Multiverse is the merger of two groups: the Global Aggregate and the Global High Yield).

Barclays Capital Long-Term U.S. Treasury Index — The Barclays Capital Long-Term U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index comprised of fixed-income securities with various maturities greater than 10 years.

Citigroup High Yield Cash Pay Index — The Citigroup High Yield Cash Pay Index is an unmanaged index that captures the performance of below-investment-grade debt issued by corporations domiciled in the United States or Canada. The index includes only cash-pay bonds (bond registered and Rule 144A) with maturities of at least one year, a minimum amount outstanding of US $100 million (subject to an entry criteria of $200 million per issue or $400 million per issuer), and a speculative-grade rating by both Moody’s Investor Service and Standard & Poor’s.


 

      Benchmark Definitions    187


Benchmark Definitions

Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index — The Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index is an unmanaged index designed to track the performance of bonds issued in the U.S. investment-grade bond market. The index is market-capitalization-weighted and includes institutionally traded U.S. Treasury, government sponsored (U.S. agency and supranational), mortgages, asset-backed, and investment grade (BBB-/Baa3) issues with a maturity of one year or longer.

Citigroup U.S. Inflation-Linked Securities Index — The Citigroup U.S. Inflation-Linked Securities Index is an unmanaged index designed to track the performance of U.S. Treasury and Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) with fixed rate coupon payments that are adjusted for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The index is market capitalization weighted and includes U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected issues with a maturity of one year or longer.

Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Average — Each Lipper Variable Insurance Products (VIP) Average is calculated by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. and reflects the investment return of certain portfolios underlying variable life and annuity products. The returns are net of investment fees and fund expenses but not product charges, and returns would have been lower if they included the effect of these charges. Source: Lipper, Inc.

MSCI EAFE (Europe-Australia-Far-East) Index — The MSCI EAFE (“Europe-Australasia-Far East”) Index is an unmanaged, free float-adjusted, market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. & Canada.

MSCI All Country World (ex-US) Index — The MSCI All Country World (ex-US) Index is an unmanaged, free float- adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity performance in the developed and emerging markets, excluding the U.S.

MSCI Emerging Markets Index — The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is an unmanaged, free float-adjusted, market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets.

Russell 1000 Growth Index — The Russell 1000 Growth Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those companies in the Russell 1000 Index with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 1000 Index is an unmanaged, market capitalization-weighted, large cap index that measures the performance of the 1000 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index (the 3000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies based on total market capitalization and representing approximately 98% of the investible U.S. equity market).

 

Russell 1000 Value Index — The Russell 1000 Value Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those companies in the Russell 1000 Index with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 1000 Index is an unmanaged, market capitalization-weighted, large cap index that measures the performance of the 1000 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index (the 3000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies based on total market capitalization and representing approximately 98% of the investible U.S. equity market).

Russell 2000 Growth Index — The Russell 2000 Growth Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those companies in the Russell 2000 Index with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged, market capitalization- weighted index that measures the performance of the 2000 smallest of the 3000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies, based on total market capitalization.

Russell 2000 Value Index — The Russell 2000 Value Index is an unmanaged index measures the performance of those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged, market-capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the 2000 smallest of the 3000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies, based on total market capitalization.

Russell 2500 Value Index — The Russell 2500 Value Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those companies in the Russell 2500 Index with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values.

Russell 2500 Index — The Russell 2500 Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 2500 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represents approximately 16% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index.

Russell MidCap Growth Index — The Russell MidCap Growth Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the Russell MidCap companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell MidCap Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 800 smallest companies in the Russell 1000 Index, which represents approximately 25% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000 Index.

Russell MidCap Value Index — The Russell MidCap Value Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the Russell MidCap companies with lower price-to-book and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell MidCap Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 800 smallest companies in the Russell 1000 Index, which represents approximately 25% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000 Index.


 

188    Benchmark Definitions      


Benchmark Definitions

 

S&P 500 Index — The S&P 500® Composite Stock Price Index is an unmanaged, capitalization-weighted index of 500 selected common stocks designed to measure the performance of the broad domestic economy.

S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap Index — The S&P Global ex-US LargeMidCap Index is an unmanaged, capitalization-weighted index which includes companies in the top 85% of the S&P Global Broad Market Index (BMI) , by capitalization. The S&P Global BMI includes companies in developed and emerging markets (excluding the U.S.) with more than $100 million (USD) of free float capitalization.

S&P MidCap 400 Index — The Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index is an unmanaged, capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of the mid-range sector of the U.S. stock market.

S&P SmallCap 600 Index — The Standard & Poor’s SmallCap 600 Index is an unmanaged index of 600 selected common stocks of U.S.-based companies with small market capitalizations.

 


 

      Benchmark Definitions    189


Statements of Assets and Liabilities

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

December 31, 2008

(in thousands)

 

      Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Focused
Appreciation
Portfolio
    Large Cap Core
Stock Portfolio
    Large Cap
Blend Portfolio
   

Index 500 Stock

Portfolio

 

Assets

          

Investment, at Value (1)

   $ 406,324     $ 171,176     $ 310,375     $ 29,384     $ 1,229,006  

Cash & Cash Equivalents

     7,596       344       70       230       42  

Foreign Currency, at Value (2)

                              

Collateral for Derivative Positions

                              

Receivables:

          

Portfolio Shares Sold

     142       132       250       5       564  

Investment Securities Sold

           477                    

Futures Variation Margin

     494             140             354  

Outstanding Swap Contracts, at Value

                              

Foreign Currency Sold

                              

Due from Investment Advisor

                              

Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets

                              

Dividends and Interest

     551             465       82       2,727  
                                        

Total Assets

     415,107       172,129       311,300       29,701       1,232,693  
                                        

Liabilities

          

Payables:

          

Portfolio Shares Redeemed

     271       51       184       1       846  

Investment Securities Purchased

     859       394       310       284        

Futures Variation Margin

                              

Securities Sold Short, at Value

                              

Outstanding Swap Contracts, at Value

                              

Foreign Currency Purchased

                              

Collateral for Securities on Loan (3)

                              

Investment Advisory Fees

     159       117       123       18       216  

Accrued Expenses

     17       16       18       16       21  
                                        

Total Liabilities

     1,306       578       635       319       1,083  
                                        

Net Assets

   $ 413,801     $ 171,551     $ 310,665     $ 29,382     $ 1,231,610  
                                        

Represented By:

          

Aggregate Paid in Capital (8), (9)

   $ 544,534     $ 224,671     $ 490,627     $ 50,091     $ 1,303,199  

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

     5,283             6,039       3       35,664  

Undistributed Accumulated Net Realized Gain (Loss) on
Investments

     (26,087 )     (9,878 )     (105,625 )     (10,150 )     23,973  

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of:

          

Investment Securities

     (109,407 )     (43,242 )     (80,228 )     (10,562 )     (130,896 )

Futures Contracts

     (522 )           (148 )           (330 )

Options Written

                              

Short Sales

                              

Swap Contracts

                              

Foreign Currency Transactions

                              
                                        

Net Assets for Shares Outstanding (9)

   $ 413,801     $ 171,551     $ 310,665     $ 29,382     $ 1,231,610  
                                        

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price per Share

   $ 1 .41     $ 1 .20     $ 0 .88     $ 0 .55     $ 1 .95  
                                        

(1) Investments, at Cost

   $ 515,731     $ 214,418     $ 390,603     $ 39,946     $ 1,359,902  

(2) Foreign Currency, at Cost

                              

(3) Securities on Loan

                              

(4) Premiums Received on Options Written

                              

(5) Proceeds Received from Short Sales

                              

(6) Premiums Paid on Swap Contracts

                              

(7) Premiums Received from Swap Contracts

                              

(8) Shares Outstanding

     293,045       143,414       354,351       53,893       632,811  

(9) Shares Authorized, $.01 Par Value

     2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

190    Statements of Assets and Liabilities      


 

Large Company
Value Portfolio
  Domestic
Equity Portfolio
    Equity Income
Portfolio
    Mid Cap
Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 400 Stock
Portfolio
    Mid Cap Value
Portfolio
    Small Cap
Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 600 Stock
Portfolio
    Small Cap
Value Portfolio
 
               
$ 28,488   $ 281,129     $ 151,252     $ 705,876     $ 316,429     $ 74,129     $ 281,897     $ 18,585     $ 240,508  
      139       128       1       42       281       5,465       1,055       93  
                                                 
                                          1,620        
               
  17     185       108       272       200       77       137       21       108  
  91                       3,636       259       2,661       4       173  
  14                 295       696             179              
                                    781       198        
                                                 
                                          1        
                                                 
  65     886       380       356       435       118       196       24       437  
                                                                   
  28,675     282,339       151,868       706,800       321,438       74,864       291,316       21,508       241,319  
                                                                   
               
               
      178       124       551       232       50       190       1       241  
  71     446             10,282       1,604       63       6,340       307       67  
                                                 
                                                 
                                    5       4        
                                                 
                                                 
  17     142       86       323       68       53       141             174  
  17     17       17       18       19       17       19       22       20  
                                                                   
  105     783       227       11,174       1,923       183       6,695       334       502  
                                                                   
$ 28,570   $ 281,556     $ 151,641     $ 695,626     $ 319,515     $ 74,681     $ 284,621     $ 21,174     $ 240,817  
                                                                   
               
$ 46,747   $ 470,810     $ 220,590     $ 967,189     $ 417,579     $ 113,706     $ 487,343     $ 30,720     $ 289,427  
  92     10,653       4,885       2,018       6,402       945       50       (101 )     2,183  

 

(5,652)

    (132,742 )     (8,231 )     (21,233 )     6,520       (6,445 )     (131,057 )     (843 )     6,382  
               
  (12,612)     (67,165 )     (65,603 )     (252,680 )     (111,828 )     (33,525 )     (72,726 )     (8,703 )     (57,175 )
  (5)                 332       842             229              
                                                 
                                                 
                                    782       101        
                                                 
                                                                   
$ 28,570   $ 281,556     $ 151,641     $ 695,626     $ 319,515     $ 74,681     $ 284,621     $ 21,174     $ 240,817  
                                                                   
$ 0 .57   $ 0 .63     $ 0 .87     $ 1 .92     $ 0 .90     $ 0 .81     $ 1 .09     $ 0 .64     $ 1 .14  
                                                                   
$ 41,100   $ 348,294     $ 216,856     $ 958,556     $ 428,257     $ 107,654     $ 354,623     $ 27,288     $ 297,683  
                                                 
                                                 
                                                 
                                                 
                                                 
                                                 
  50,357     446,202       174,785       362,680       353,569       91,672       261,780       33,330       212,040  
  2,000,000     2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Assets and Liabilities    191


Statements of Assets and Liabilities

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

December 31, 2008

(in thousands)

 

      International
Growth
Portfolio
    Research
International
Core Portfolio
    International
Equity Portfolio
    Emerging
Markets Equity
Portfolio
    Money Market
Portfolio
 

Assets

          

Investment, at Value (1)

   $ 191,812     $ 32,929     $ 1,007,061     $ 51,422     $ 621,299  

Cash & Cash Equivalents

     935       369       87       880       98  

Foreign Currency, at Value (2)

     1,235       11       1,495       1        

Collateral for Derivative Positions

     3,220                          

Receivables:

          

Portfolio Shares Sold

     110       25       472       37       724  

Investment Securities Sold

     394       164       160       53        

Futures Variation Margin

                              

Outstanding Swap Contracts, at Value

     316                          

Foreign Currency Sold

           1                    

Due from Investment Advisor

           10                    

Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets

                             109  

Dividends and Interest

     452       34       1,533       148       2,073  
                                        

Total Assets

     198,474       33,543       1,010,808       52,541       624,303  
                                        

Liabilities

          

Payables:

          

Portfolio Shares Redeemed

     88       1       792       35       1,518  

Investment Securities Purchased

     824       61             14        

Futures Variation Margin

                              

Securities Sold Short, at Value

                              

Outstanding Swap Contracts, at Value

     5                          

Foreign Currency Purchased

     9                   5        

Collateral for Securities on Loan (3)

                              

Investment Advisory Fees

     119             524       34       165  

Accrued Expenses

     46       46       125       67        
                                        

Total Liabilities

     1,091       108       1,441       155       1,683  
                                        

Net Assets

   $ 197,383     $ 33,435     $ 1,009,367     $ 52,386     $ 622,620  
                                        

Represented By:

          

Aggregate Paid in Capital (8), (9)

   $ 310,852     $ 55,822     $ 1,156,349     $ 99,445     $ 623,107  

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

     690       304       47,108       377        

Undistributed Accumulated Net Realized Gain (Loss) on
Investments

     (43,708 )     (10,305 )     20,801       (19,028 )      

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of:

          

Investment Securities

     (70,753 )     (12,386 )     (214,812 )     (28,405 )     (487 )

Futures Contracts

                              

Options Written

                              

Short Sales

                              

Swap Contracts

     316                          

Foreign Currency Transactions

     (14 )           (79 )     (3 )      
                                        

Net Assets for Shares Outstanding (9)

   $ 197,383     $ 33,435     $ 1,009,367     $ 52,386     $ 622,620  
                                        

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price per Share

   $ 0 .86     $ 0 .58     $ 1 .32     $ 0 .53     $ 1 .00  
                                        

(1) Investments, at Cost

   $ 262,566     $ 45,315     $ 1,221,873     $ 79,828     $ 621,786  

(2) Foreign Currency, at Cost

     1,234       11       1,548       1        

(3) Securities on Loan

                              

(4) Premiums Received on Options Written

                              

(5) Proceeds Received from Short Sales

                              

(6) Premiums Paid on Swap Contracts

                              

(7) Premiums Received from Swap Contracts

                              

(8) Shares Outstanding

     230,205       57,611       763,228       97,919       623,107  

(9) Shares Authorized, $.01 Par Value

     2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

192    Statements of Assets and Liabilities      


 

Short-Term
Bond Portfolio
  Select Bond
Portfolio
    Long-Term
U.S.
Government
Bond Portfolio
  Inflation
Protection
Portfolio
    High Yield
Bond Portfolio
    Multi-Sector
Bond Portfolio
    Balanced
Portfolio
   

Asset
Allocation

Portfolio

 
             
$68,164   $ 1,145,734     $ 109,530   $ 70,690     $ 206,931     $ 119,209     $ 1,974,574     $ 197,642  
1,210     491                 417       11,594       1,134       188  
                          1,171       708       113  
          824                 960       9,390       320  
             
5     273       150     109       66       113       396       109  
          10,125                 719       571       86  
    2,181                             5,133       691  
                          233       9,881       59  
                                       
                                       
                                106       16  
496     9,139       623     596       5,384       1,064       11,668       992  
                                                       
69,875     1,157,818       121,252     71,395       212,798       135,063       2,013,561       200,216  
                                                       
             
             
37     1,018       23     1       84       17       1,082       124  
    1       30,460           604       33,812       2,251       322  
          499                 82              
                          727              
              2,204             5,267       8,305       1  
                          958       1        
    67,859                             6,694        
22     293       43     35       85       65       527       88  
19           21     15       22       14             41  
                                                       
78     69,171       31,046     2,255       795       40,942       18,860       576  
                                                       
$69,797   $ 1,088,647     $ 90,206   $ 69,140     $ 212,003     $ 94,121     $ 1,994,701     $ 199,640  
                                                       
             
$70,854   $ 1,069,699     $ 77,767   $ 72,199     $ 314,949     $ 108,748     $ 2,369,845     $ 261,791  
24     55,080       18     73       22,518       (264 )     88,315       6,075  
    
(120)
    (12,499 )     7,760     (439 )     (51,896 )     (1,245 )     (146,363 )     (27,637 )
             
(979)     (18,040 )     2,520     (490 )     (73,568 )     (12,022 )     (312,913 )     (40,120 )
18     (5,593 )     2,141                 4,098       (5,890 )     (527 )
                                       
                          (7 )            
              (2,203 )           (4,216 )     1,713       59  
                          (971 )     (6 )     (1 )
                                                       
$69,797   $ 1,088,647     $ 90,206   $ 69,140     $ 212,003     $ 94,121     $ 1,994,701     $ 199,640  
                                                       
$0 .99   $ 1 .21     $ 1 .22   $ 0 .99     $ 0 .51     $ 0 .85     $ 1 .10     $ 0 .77  
                                                       
$69,143   $ 1,163,774     $ 107,010   $ 71,180     $ 280,499     $ 131,231     $ 2,287,487     $ 237,762  
                          1,174       708       113  
    65,591                             6,383        
                                       
                          720              
                          207              
                          1,071              
70,618     901,270       73,870     69,923       414,894       110,586       1,812,296       257,740  
2,000,000     2,000,000       2,000,000     2,000,000       2,000,000       2,000,000       3,000,000       2,000,000  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Assets and Liabilities    193


Statements of Operations

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

For the Year Ended December 31, 2008

(in thousands)

 

      Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Focused
Appreciation
Portfolio
    Large Cap
Core Stock
Portfolio
    Large Cap
Blend
Portfolio
    Index 500
Stock Portfolio
    Large
Company
Value
Portfolio
 

Investment Income

            

Income

            

Interest

   $ 1,120     $ 725     $ 386     $ 26     $ 867     $ 31  

Dividends (1)

     6,752       904       7,628       661       38,768       1,011  
                                                

Total Income

     7,872       1,629       8,014       687       39,635       1,042  
                                                

Expenses

            

Investment Advisory Fees

     2,553       1,808       1,940       265       3,399       234  

Custodian Fees

     15       7       14       15       31       9  

Audit Fees

     18       17       18       18       16       17  

Other Expenses

     4       3       4       3       5       3  
                                                

Total Expenses

     2,590       1,835       1,976       301       3,451       263  
                                                

Less Waived Fees:

            

Paid by Affiliate

                       (8 )           (3 )

Paid Indirectly

     (1 )     (1 )     (1 )     (1 )     (1 )      
                                                

Total Net Expenses

     2,589       1,834       1,975       292       3,450       260  
                                                

Net Investment Income (Loss)

     5,283       (205 )     6,039       395       36,185       782  

Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

            

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on:

            

Investment Securities

     (15,660 )     (9,230 )     (19,745 )     (9,683 )     43,254       (4,885 )

Futures Contracts

     (10,391 )           (583 )           (12,205 )     (709 )

Options Written

                                    

Swap Contracts

                                    

Foreign Currency Transactions

                                    
                                                

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (26,051 )     (9,230 )     (20,328 )     (9,683 )     31,049       (5,594 )
                                                

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of:

            

Investment Securities

     (253,472 )     (103,914 )     (190,481 )     (8,222 )     (804,194 )     (10,220 )

Futures Contracts

     (535 )           (207 )           (360 )     11  

Options Written

                                    

Short Sales

                                    

Swap Contracts

                                    

Foreign Currency Transactions

                                    
                                                

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation

(Depreciation) of Investments

     (254,007 )     (103,914 )     (190,688 )     (8,222 )     (804,554 )     (10,209 )
                                                

Net Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (280,058 )     (113,144 )     (211,016 )     (17,905 )     (773,505 )     (15,803 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ (274,775 )   $ (113,349 )   $ (204,977 )   $ (17,510 )   $ (737,320 )   $ (15,021 )
                                                

(1) Less Foreign Dividend Tax

   $ 45     $ 40     $ 6     $ 7     $ 1     $ 7  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

194    Statements of Operations      


 

Domestic
Equity
Portfolio
    Equity Income
Portfolio
    Mid Cap
Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 400
Stock Portfolio
    Mid Cap Value
Portfolio
    Small Cap
Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 600
Stock Portfolio
    Small Cap
Value
Portfolio
 
             
             
$ 686     $ 266     $ 1,690     $ 907     $ 64     $ 1,062     $ 136     $ 399  
  12,097       5,866       5,716       7,207       1,820       1,320       273       4,954  
                                                             
  12,783       6,132       7,406       8,114       1,884       2,382       409       5,353  
                                                             
             
  2,072       1,216       5,355       1,153       846       2,283       59       2,622  
  11       13       13       22       14       27       51       28  
  17       18       19       17       17       18       17       17  
  4       4       4       5       4       4       4       4  
                                                             
  2,104       1,251       5,391       1,197       881       2,332       131       2,671  
                                                             
             
                                      (48 )      
  (1)       (1 )     (1 )     (2 )     (1 )     (2 )     (1 )     (2 )
                                                             
  2,103       1,250       5,390       1,195       880       2,330       82       2,669  
                                                             
  10,680       4,882       2,016       6,919       1,004       52       327       2,684  
             
             
  (131,784)       (7,481 )     (14,370 )     26,654       (6,480 )     (121,597 )     (367 )     6,023  
              (6,534 )     (18,432 )           (7,958 )            
                                108              
                                (6 )     (1,811 )      
        3                                      
                                                             
  (131,784)       (7,478 )     (20,904 )     8,222       (6,480 )     (129,453 )     (2,178 )     6,023  
                                                             
             
  (53,357)       (77,745 )     (466,658 )     (203,275 )     (33,639 )     (99,034 )     (7,053 )     (103,713 )
              129       562             (374 )            
                                             
                                             
                                781       144        
                                             
                                                             
  (53,357)       (77,745 )     (466,529 )     (202,713 )     (33,639 )     (98,627 )     (6,909 )     (103,713 )
                                                             
  (185,141)       (85,223 )     (487,433 )     (194,491 )     (40,119 )     (228,080 )     (9,087 )     (97,690 )
                                                             

$

(174,461

)

  $ (80,341 )   $ (485,417 )   $ (187,572 )   $ (39,115 )   $ (228,028 )   $ (8,760 )   $ (95,006 )
                                                             
$ 160     $ 24     $ 24     $     $ 3     $ 5     $     $ 2  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Operations    195


Statements of Operations

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

For the Year Ended December 31, 2008

(in thousands)

 

     International
Growth
Portfolio
    Research
International
Core
Portfolio
    International
Equity
Portfolio
    Emerging
Markets
Equity
Portfolio
    Money Market
Portfolio
    Short-Term
Bond Portfolio
 

Investment Income

           

Income

           

Interest

  $ 647     $ 26     $ 2,810     $ 24     $ 16,141     $ 3,054  

Dividends (1)

    6,382       1,432       54,856       2,876              
                                               

Total Income

    7,029       1,458       57,666       2,900       16,141       3,054  
                                               

Expenses

           

Investment Advisory Fees

    1,894       375       9,701       919       1,625       227  

Custodian Fees

    322       312       719       465             10  

Audit Fees

    19       19       19       19             20  

Other Expenses

    43       14       5       41       93       3  
                                               

Total Expenses

    2,278       720       10,444       1,444       1,718       260  
                                               

Less Waived Fees:

           

Paid by Affiliate

    (39 )     (230 )     (920 )     (235 )     (5 )      

Paid Indirectly

                                  (1 )
                                               

Total Net Expenses

    2,239       490       9,524       1,209       1,713       259  
                                               

Net Investment Income (Loss)

    4,790       968       48,142       1,691       14,428       2,795  

Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

           

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on:

           

Investment Securities

    (43,416 )     (10,187 )     21,995       (18,560 )     115       (196 )

Futures Contracts

                                  170  

Options Written

                                   

Swap Contracts

    (4,165 )                              

Foreign Currency Transactions

    (104 )     (15 )     (688 )     (85 )           (1 )
                                               

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

    (47,685 )     (10,202 )     21,307       (18,645 )     115       (27 )
                                               

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of:

           

Investment Securities

    (123,333 )     (13,515 )     (874,701 )     (42,134 )     (487 )     (1,136 )

Futures Contracts

                                  18  

Options Written

                                   

Short Sales

                                   

Swap Contracts

    316                                

Foreign Currency Transactions

    (22 )     (2 )     (83 )     2              
                                               

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation

(Depreciation) of Investments

    (123,039 )     (13,517 )     (874,784 )     (42,132 )     (487 )     (1,118 )
                                               

Net Gain (Loss) on Investments

    (170,724 )     (23,719 )     (853,477 )     (60,777 )     (372 )     (1,145 )
                                               

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

  $ (165,934 )   $ (22,751 )   $ (805,335 )   $ (59,086 )   $ 14,056     $ 1,650  
                                               

(1) Less Foreign Dividend Tax

  $ 235     $ 69     $ 2,132     $ 116     $     $  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

196    Statements of Operations      


Select
Bond

Portfolio

   

Long-Term

U.S.

Government

Bond Portfolio

    Inflation
Protection
Portfolio
   

High Yield

Bond Portfolio

   

Multi-Sector

Bond Portfolio

    Balanced
Portfolio
   

Asset

Allocation
Portfolio

 
           
           
$ 60,723     $ 1,794     $ 2,791     $ 23,745     $ 4,727     $ 75,289     $ 6,328  
                                13,779       1,818  
                                                     
  60,723       1,794       2,791       23,745       4,727       89,068       8,146  
                                                     
           
  3,402       319       326       1,203       708       7,505       1,378  
        8       4       16       49             126  
        25       18       21       24             19  
        2       2       5       4             24  
                                                     
  3,402       354       350       1,245       785       7,505       1,547  
                                                     
           
                                      (142 )
                    (1 )                 (1 )
                                                     
  3,402       354       350       1,244       785       7,505       1,404  
                                                     
  57,321       1,440       2,441       22,501       3,942       81,563       6,742  
           
           
  1,337       2,638       (344 )     (18,668 )     (1,364 )     (70,481 )     (11,533 )
  1,778       5,375       (60 )           416       (76,175 )     (15,891 )
        10                   266       13       2  
                          128       4,679       (576 )
  (15 )                       1,986       33       6  
                                                     
  3,100       8,023       (404 )     (18,668 )     1,432       (141,931 )     (27,992 )
                                                     
           
  (20,860 )     1,876       (1,658 )     (63,360 )     (11,183 )     (561,942 )     (68,292 )
  (5,593 )     2,165                   3,634       (5,927 )     (564 )
        (4 )                 188              
                          (14 )            
              (2,195 )           (4,192 )     6,584       59  
                          (844 )     (10 )     (2 )
                                                     

 

(26,453

)

    4,037       (3,853 )     (63,360 )     (12,411 )     (561,295 )     (68,799 )
                                                     
  (23,353 )     12,060       (4,257 )     (82,028 )     (10,979 )     (703,226 )     (96,791 )
                                                     
$ 33,968     $ 13,500     $ (1,816 )   $ (59,527 )   $ (7,037 )   $ (621,663 )   $ (90,049 )
                                                     
$     $     $     $     $     $ 719     $ 115  

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Operations    197


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

(Amounts in thousands)

 

     Growth Stock Portfolio     Focused Appreciation
Portfolio
    Large Cap Core Stock
Portfolio
 
     For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 

Change in Net Assets

            

Operations

            

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 5,283     $ 6,332     $ (205 )   $ 764     $ 6,039     $ 7,217  

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (26,051 )     48,892       (9,230 )     5,886       (20,328 )     42,659  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation
(Depreciation) of Investments

     (254,007 )     10,608       (103,914 )     36,115       (190,688 )     (1,994 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

Resulting from Operations

     (274,775 )     65,832       (113,349 )     42,765       (204,977 )     47,882  
                                                

Distributions to Shareholders from:

            

Net Investment Income

     (6,333 )     (6,654 )     (815 )     (79 )     (7,218 )     (6,345 )

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     (39,360 )           (6,315 )     (272 )            

Tax Return of Capital

                                    
                                                

Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from
Distributions to Shareholders

     (45,693 )     (6,654 )     (7,130 )     (351 )     (7,218 )     (6,345 )
                                                

Capital Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     35,635       42,356       88,311       75,333       33,098       39,350  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     45,693       6,654       7,130       351       7,218       6,345  

Shares Redeemed

     (95,388 )     (94,914 )     (33,848 )     (26,242 )     (74,351 )     (65,790 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Capital Transactions

     (14,060 )     (45,904 )     61,593       49,442       (34,035 )     (20,095 )
                                                

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     (334,528 )     13,274       (58,886 )     91,856       (246,230 )     21,442  

Net Assets

            

Beginning of Period

     748,329       735,055       230,437       138,581       556,895       535,453  
                                                

End of Period

   $ 413,801     $ 748,329     $ 171,551     $ 230,437     $ 310,665     $ 556,895  
                                                

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 5,283     $ 6,332     $     $ 764     $ 6,039     $ 7,217  
                                                

Portfolio Share Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     18,488       17,436       47,993       41,606       27,824       27,616  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     22,366       2,751       3,786       199       5,783       4,487  

Shares Redeemed

     (48,615 )     (39,135 )     (20,932 )     (14,867 )     (62,192 )     (46,263 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares
Resulting from Portfolio Share
Transactions

     (7,761 )     (18,948 )     30,847       26,938       (28,585 )     (14,160 )
                                                

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

198    Statements of Changes in Net Assets      


Large Cap Blend Portfolio

    Index 500 Stock Portfolio     Large Company Value Portfolio     Domestic Equity Portfolio  
For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
   

For the

Period Ended
December
31, 2007

    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
   

For the

Period Ended
December
31, 2007

    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 
             
             
$ 395     $ 199     $ 36,185     $ 40,347     $ 782     $ 398     $ 10,680     $ 10,859  
  (9,683 )     (290 )     31,049       50,827       (5,594 )     33       (131,784 )     30,468  

 

(8,222

)

    (2,345 )     (804,554 )     21,806       (10,209 )     (2,409 )     (53,357 )     (72,032 )
                                                             

 

(17,510

)

    (2,436 )     (737,320 )     112,980       (15,021 )     (1,978 )     (174,461 )     (30,705 )
                                                             
             
  (394 )     (193 )     (38,107 )     (34,512 )     (693 )     (393 )     (10,737 )     (6,574 )
  —         (176 )     (53,885 )     (77,447 )     (86 )     (6 )     (31,436 )     (19,663 )
  —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                                             

 

(394

)

    (369 )     (91,992 )     (111,959 )     (779 )     (399 )     (42,173 )     (26,237 )
                                                             
             
  14,572       38,144       109,588       134,701       13,988       35,398       60,559       107,643  
  394       370       91,992       111,959       779       399       42,173       26,237  
  (2,615 )     (774 )     (229,493 )     (240,245 )     (3,092 )     (725 )     (44,438 )     (46,878 )
                                                             

 

12,351

 

    37,740       (27,913 )     6,415       11,675       35,072       58,294       87,002  
                                                             
  (5,553 )     34,935       (857,225 )     7,436       (4,125 )     32,695       (158,340 )     30,060  
             
  34,935       —         2,088,835       2,081,399       32,695       —         439,896       409,836  
                                                             
$ 29,382     $ 34,935     $ 1,231,610     $ 2,088,835     $ 28,570     $ 32,695     $ 281,556     $ 439,896  
                                                             

$

3

 

  $ 1     $ 35,664     $ 38,166     $ 92     $ 4     $ 10,653     $ 10,731  
                                                             
             
  19,125       38,147       42,447       40,287       18,076       35,531       66,504       82,272  
  749       396       34,147       34,555       1,373       422       49,672       20,839  
  (3,744 )     (781 )     (85,290 )     (71,813 )     (4,301 )     (745 )     (51,263 )     (35,684 )
                                                             

 

16,130

 

    37,762       (8,696 )     3,029       15,148       35,208       64,913       67,427  
                                                             

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Changes in Net Assets    199


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

(Amounts in thousands)

 

     Equity Income Portfolio     Mid Cap Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 400 Stock Portfolio  
     For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 

Change in Net Assets

            

Operations

            

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 4,882     $ 4,325     $ 2,016     $ 3,214     $ 6,919     $ 8,206  

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (7,478 )     23,724       (20,904 )     138,437       8,222       46,979  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation

(Depreciation) of Investments

     (77,745 )     (19,879 )     (466,529 )     90,846       (202,713 )     (12,722 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Operations

     (80,341 )     8,170       (485,417 )     232,497       (187,572 )     42,463  
                                                

Distributions to Shareholders from:

            

Net Investment Income

     (48 )     (4,277 )     (3,036 )     (9,438 )     (7,152 )     (7,054 )

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     (4,448 )     (21,762 )     (137,000 )     (106,812 )     (48,480 )     (31,212 )

Tax Return of Capital

     —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                                

Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from
Distributions to Shareholders

     (4,496 )     (26,039 )     (140,036 )     (116,250 )     (55,632 )     (38,266 )
                                                

Capital Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     42,432       75,621       48,167       60,263       34,167       59,015  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     4,496       26,039       140,036       116,250       55,632       38,266  

Shares Redeemed

     (22,878 )     (71,870 )     (161,827 )     (181,541 )     (85,216 )     (77,082 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Capital Transactions

     24,050       29,790       26,376       (5,028 )     4,583       20,199  
                                                

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     (60,787 )     11,921       (599,077 )     111,219       (238,621 )     24,396  

Net Assets

            

Beginning of Period

     212,428       200,507       1,294,703       1,183,484       558,136       533,740  
                                                

End of Period

   $ 151,641     $ 212,428     $ 695,626     $ 1,294,703     $ 319,515     $ 558,136  
                                                

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 4,885     $ 70     $ 2,018     $ 3,036     $ 6,402     $ 7,713  
                                                

Portfolio Share Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     37,085       47,810       17,090       16,769       26,944       35,292  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     3,820       18,789       49,941       34,404       41,923       23,886  

Shares Redeemed

     (19,618 )     (44,381 )     (56,525 )     (50,577 )     (64,738 )     (46,264 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares
Resulting from Portfolio Share
Transactions

     21,287       22,218       10,506       596       4,129       12,914  
                                                

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

200    Statements of Changes in Net Assets      


Mid Cap Value Portfolio

    Small Cap Growth Stock
Portfolio
    Index 600 Stock Portfolio     Small Cap Value Portfolio  

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2008

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2007

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2008

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2007

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2008

   

For the

Period Ended
December

31, 2007

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2008

   

For the Year
Ended
December

31, 2007

 
             
             
$ 1,004     $ 929     $ 52     $ 722     $ 327     $ 317     $ 2,684     $ 2,808  
  (6,480 )     18,111       (129,453 )     79,942       (2,178 )     (174 )     6,023       24,507  

 

(33,639

)

    (17,131 )     (98,627 )     (32,057 )     (6,909 )     (1,704 )     (103,713 )     (31,256 )
                                                             

 

(39,115

)

    1,909       (228,028 )     48,607       (8,760 )     (1,561 )     (95,006 )     (3,941 )
                                                             
             
  —         (936 )     (722 )     (423 )     —         —         (1,067 )     (1,455 )
  (2,153 )     (17,985 )     (81,232 )     (48,710 )     (196 )     (105 )     (26,003 )     (18,704 )
  —         —         —         —         —         (102 )     —         —    
                                                             

 

(2,153

)

    (18,921 )     (81,954 )     (49,133 )     (196 )     (207 )     (27,070 )     (20,159 )
                                                             
             
  17,996       52,486       39,211       50,122       8,257       26,427       40,790       61,401  
  2,153       18,921       81,954       49,133       196       207       27,070       20,159  
  (18,655 )     (70,956 )     (70,548 )     (83,355 )     (2,362 )     (827 )     (42,940 )     (44,460 )
                                                             

 

1,494

 

    451       50,617       15,900       6,091       25,807       24,920       37,100  
                                                             
  (39,774 )     (16,561 )     (259,365 )     15,374       (2,865 )     24,039       (97,156 )     13,000  
             
  114,455       131,016       543,986       528,612       24,039       —         337,973       324,973  
                                                             
$ 74,681     $ 114,455     $ 284,621     $ 543,986     $ 21,174     $ 24,039     $ 240,817     $ 337,973  
                                                             
$ 945     $ —       $ 50     $ 722     $ (101 )   $ —       $ 2,183     $ 2,251  
                                                             
             
  16,651       32,178       23,939       20,309       10,546       26,383       26,705       32,719  
  1,806       14,457       50,527       21,635       308       220       17,122       11,306  
  (16,153 )     (43,074 )     (42,075 )     (34,363 )     (3,293 )     (834 )     (28,440 )     (24,158 )
                                                             

 

2,304

 

    3,561       32,391       7,581       7,561       25,769       15,387       19,867  
                                                             

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Changes in Net Assets    201


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

(Amounts in thousands)

 

     International Growth
Portfolio
    Research International
Core Portfolio
    International Equity
Portfolio
 
     For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 

Change in Net Assets
Operations

            

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 4,790     $ 4,469     $ 968     $ 320     $ 48,142     $ 39,263  

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     (47,685 )     34,002       (10,202 )     691       21,307       145,061  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation
(Depreciation) of Investments

     (123,039 )     (2,767 )     (13,517 )     1,130       (874,784 )     100,652  
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Operations

     (165,934 )     35,704       (22,751 )     2,141       (805,335 )     284,976  
                                                

Distributions to Shareholders from:

            

Net Investment Income

     (4,245 )     (2,658 )     (616 )     (366 )     (39,219 )     (32,959 )

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     (33,233 )     (24,249 )     (363 )     (432 )     (144,743 )     (21,809 )

Tax Return of Capital

     —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                                

Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from
Distributions to Shareholders

     (37,478 )     (26,907 )     (979 )     (798 )     (183,962 )     (54,768 )
                                                

Capital Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     45,946       85,606       10,966       45,845       135,959       223,184  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     37,478       26,907       979       798       183,962       54,768  

Shares Redeemed

     (36,055 )     (40,766 )     (2,127 )     (639 )     (223,869 )     (161,778 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Capital Transactions

     47,369       71,747       9,818       46,004       96,052       116,174  
                                                

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     (156,043 )     80,544       (13,912 )     47,347       (893,245 )     346,382  

Net Assets

            

Beginning of Period

     353,426       272,882       47,347       —         1,902,612       1,556,230  
                                                

End of Period

   $ 197,383     $ 353,426     $ 33,435     $ 47,347     $ 1,009,367     $ 1,902,612  
                                                

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 690     $ 4,292     $ 304     $ (37 )   $ 47,108     $ 38,873  
                                                

Portfolio Share Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     35,167       46,314       13,012       45,498       69,463       87,178  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     28,851       15,142       1,506       774       94,728       21,410  

Shares Redeemed

     (27,512 )     (22,286 )     (2,563 )     (617 )     (113,584 )     (63,346 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares
Resulting from Portfolio Share
Transactions

     36,506       39,170       11,955       45,655       50,607       45,242  
                                                

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

202    Statements of Changes in Net Assets      


 

Emerging Markets Equity
Portfolio
    Money Market Portfolio     Short-Term Bond
Portfolio
    Select Bond Portfolio  
For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 
             
$ 1,691     $ 479     $ 14,428     $ 21,766     $ 2,795     $ 1,726     $ 57,321     $ 53,429  
  (18,645 )     327       115       —         (27 )     (197 )     3,100       3,056  
  (42,132 )     13,724       (487 )     —         (1,118 )     156       (26,453 )     7,509  
                                                             
  (59,086 )     14,530       14,056       21,766       1,650       1,685       33,968       63,994  
                                                             
             
  (1,853 )     (234 )     (14,428 )     (21,766 )     (2,714 )     (1,678 )     (52,811 )     (40,788 )
  (422 )     —         (115 )     —         —         —         —         —    
  —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                                             
  (2,275 )     (234 )     (14,543 )     (21,766 )     (2,714 )     (1,678 )     (52,811 )     (40,788 )
                                                             
             
  29,358       76,101       389,014       308,514       18,093       57,456       146,289       235,919  
  2,276       234       14,543       21,766       2,714       1,678       52,811       40,788  
  (7,450 )     (1,068 )     (242,542 )     (258,777 )     (7,944 )     (1,143 )     (206,257 )     (109,722 )
                                                             
  24,184       75,267       161,015       71,503       12,863       57,991       (7,157 )     166,984  
                                                             
  (37,177 )     89,563       160,528       71,503       11,799       57,998       (26,000 )     190,190  
             
  89,563       —         462,092       390,589       57,998       —         1,114,647       924,457  
                                                             
$ 52,386     $ 89,563     $ 622,620     $ 462,092     $ 69,797     $ 57,998     $ 1,088,647     $ 1,114,647  
                                                             
$ 377     $ 176     $ —       $ —       $ 24     $ 7     $ 55,080     $ 52,668  
                                                             
             
  30,221       72,758       389,001       308,514       17,763       57,367       119,122       195,357  
  3,820       188       14,543       21,766       2,755       1,682       44,529       34,802  
  (8,111 )     (958 )     (242,542 )     (258,777 )     (7,818 )     (1,130 )     (171,786 )     (91,076 )
                                                             
  25,930       71,988       161,002       71,503       12,700       57,919       (8,135 )     139,083  
                                                             

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Changes in Net Assets    203


Statements of Changes in Net Assets

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

(Amounts in thousands)

 

    

Long-Term U.S.

Government Bond

Portfolio

   

Inflation Protection

Portfolio

    High Yield Bond Portfolio  
     For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 

Change in Net Assets
Operations

            

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 1,440     $ 848     $ 2,441     $ 997     $ 22,501     $ 21,679  

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments

     8,023       928       (404 )     (7 )     (18,668 )     (145 )

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation
(Depreciation) of Investments

     4,037       623       (3,853 )     1,160       (63,360 )     (15,150 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Operations

     13,500       2,399       (1,816 )     2,150       (59,527 )     6,384  
                                                

Distributions to Shareholders from:

            

Net Investment Income

     (1,430 )     (837 )     (2,377 )     (983 )     (21,340 )     (17,960 )

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     (1,013 )     (180 )     (96 )     —         —         —    

Tax Return of Capital

     —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                                

Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from
Distributions to Shareholders

     (2,443 )     (1,017 )     (2,473 )     (983 )     (21,340 )     (17,960 )
                                                

Capital Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     55,267       34,266       44,745       35,809       27,796       51,602  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     2,443       1,017       2,473       983       21,340       17,960  

Shares Redeemed

     (14,376 )     (850 )     (11,251 )     (497 )     (49,194 )     (41,697 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Resulting from Capital Transactions

     43,334       34,433       35,967       36,295       (58 )     27,865  
                                                

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     54,391       35,815       31,678       37,462       (80,925 )     16,289  

Net Assets

            

Beginning of Period

     35,815       —         37,462       —         292,928       276,639  
                                                

End of Period

   $ 90,206     $ 35,815     $ 69,140     $ 37,462     $ 212,003     $ 292,928  
                                                

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 18     $ 11     $ 73     $ 10     $ 22,518     $ 21,340  
                                                

Portfolio Share Transactions:

            

Shares Sold

     50,916       34,146       42,212       35,573       43,277       70,220  

Reinvestment of Distributions Paid

     2,078       1,002       2,478       949       33,554       26,296  

Shares Redeemed

     (13,437 )     (836 )     (10,805 )     (485 )     (78,163 )     (57,143 )
                                                

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares
Resulting from Portfolio Share
Transactions

     39,557       34,312       33,885       36,037       (1,332 )     39,373  
                                                

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

204    Statements of Changes in Net Assets      


 

Multi-Sector Bond
Portfolio
    Balanced Portfolio     Asset Allocation Portfolio  
For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the
Period
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2008
    For the Year
Ended
December
31, 2007
 
         
$ 3,942     $ 2,180     $ 81,563     $ 95,163     $ 6,742     $ 7,718  
  1,432       (381 )     (141,931 )     640,384       (27,992 )     21,061  
  (12,411 )     (706 )     (561,295 )     (559,751 )     (68,799 )     (2,699 )
                                             
  (7,037 )     1,093       (621,663 )     175,796       (90,049 )     26,080  
                                             
         
  (6,192 )     (2,039 )     (32,256 )     (89,386 )     (7,584 )     (6,586 )
  (452 )     —         (695,941 )     (52,696 )     (21,178 )     (13,969 )
  —         —         —         —         —         —    
                                             
  (6,644 )     (2,039 )     (728,197 )     (142,082 )     (28,762 )     (20,555 )
                                             
         
  34,950       74,493       113,319       145,041       33,330       34,341  
  6,644       2,039       728,197       142,082       28,762       20,555  
  (8,621 )     (757 )     (393,150 )     (374,274 )     (45,933 )     (39,992 )
                                             
  32,973       75,775       448,366       (87,151 )     16,159       14,904  
                                             
  19,292       74,829       (901,494 )     (53,437 )     (102,652 )     20,429  
         
  74,829       —         2,896,195       2,949,632       302,292       281,863  
                                             
$ 94,121     $ 74,829     $ 1,994,701     $ 2,896,195     $ 199,640     $ 302,292  
                                             
$ (264 )   $ (196 )   $ 88,315     $ 36,624     $ 6,075     $ 7,610  
                                             
         
  36,195       74,759       71,372       72,345       31,039       27,471  
  7,780       2,087       548,339       73,542       28,533       17,230  
  (9,476 )     (759 )     (261,404 )     (186,840 )     (45,438 )     (31,988 )
                                             
  34,499       76,087       358,307       (40,953 )     14,134       12,713  
                                             

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Statements of Changes in Net Assets    205


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout the period)

 

      Net Asset Value,
Beginning
of Period
   Net Investment
Income (Loss)
    Net Realized and
Unrealized Gain
(Loss) on
Investments
    Total from
Investment
Operations
    Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income
    Distributions
from Realized
Gains on
Investments
    Total
Distributions
    Net Asset Value,
End of Period

Growth Stock Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 2.49    $ 0.02     $ (0.94 )   $ (0.92 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.16 )   $ 1.41

2007

     2.30      0.02       0.19       0.21       (0.02 )     —         (0.02 )     2.49

2006

     2.11      0.02       0.19       0.21       (0.02 )     —         (0.02 )     2.30

2005

     1.98      0.02       0.13       0.15       (0.02 )     —         (0.02 )     2.11

2004

     1.87      0.01       0.11       0.12       (0.01 )     —         (0.01 )     1.98
 

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 2.05    $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.80 )   $ (0.80 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.04 )   $ (0.05 )   $ 1.20

2007

     1.62      0.01       0.42       0.43       0.00 (e)     0.00 (e)     0.00 (e)     2.05

2006

     1.63      0.01       0.07       0.08       (0.01 )     (0.08 )     (0.09 )     1.62

2005

     1.43      —         0.25       0.25       —         (0.05 )     (0.05 )     1.63

2004

     1.20      0.00 (e)     0.23       0.23       —         —         —         1.43
 

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 1.45    $ 0.02     $ (0.57 )   $ (0.55 )   $ (0.02 )   $ —       $ (0.02 )   $ 0.88

2007

     1.35      0.02       0.10       0.12       (0.02 )     —         (0.02 )     1.45

2006

     1.22      0.02       0.12       0.14       (0.01 )     —         (0.01 )     1.35

2005

     1.14      0.01       0.09       0.10       (0.02 )     —         (0.02 )     1.22

2004

     1.07      0.02       0.06       0.08       (0.01 )     —         (0.01 )     1.14
 

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 0.93    $ 0.01     $ (0.38 )   $ (0.37 )   $ (0.01 )   $ —       $ (0.01 )   $ 0.55

2007(h)

     1.00      0.01       (0.07 )     (0.06 )     (0.01 )     0.00 (e)     (0.01 )     0.93
 

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 3.26    $ 0.06     $ (1.22 )   $ (1.16 )   $ (0.06 )   $ (0.09 )   $ (0.15 )   $ 1.95

2007

     3.26      0.06       0.12       0.18       (0.06 )     (0.12 )     (0.18 )     3.26

2006

     2.97      0.06       0.39       0.45       (0.05 )     (0.11 )     (0.16 )     3.26

2005

     2.94      0.05       0.08       0.13       (0.05 )     (0.05 )     (0.10 )     2.97

2004

     2.72      0.05       0.24       0.29       (0.04 )     (0.03 )     (0.07 )     2.94
 

Large Company Value Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 0.93    $ 0.02     $ (0.36 )   $ (0.34 )   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.57

2007(h)

     1.00      0.01       (0.07 )     (0.06 )     (0.01 )     —         (0.01 )     0.93
 

Domestic Equity Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 1.15    $ 0.03     $ (0.44 )   $ (0.41 )   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.08 )   $ (0.11 )   $ 0.63

2007

     1.31      0.03       (0.11 )     (0.08 )     (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.08 )     1.15

2006

     1.13      0.02       0.17       0.19       —         (0.01 )     (0.01 )     1.31

2005

     1.14      0.02       0.07       0.09       (0.02 )     (0.08 )     (0.10 )     1.13

2004

     1.00      0.02       0.15       0.17       (0.01 )     (0.02 )     (0.03 )     1.14
 

Equity Income Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 1.38    $ 0.03     $ (0.51 )   $ (0.48 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.03 )   $ 0.87

2007

     1.53      0.03       0.01       0.04       (0.03 )     (0.16 )     (0.19 )     1.38

2006

     1.33      0.02       0.24       0.26       (0.02 )     (0.04 )     (0.06 )     1.53

2005

     1.35      0.02       0.04       0.06       (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.08 )     1.33

2004

     1.22      0.02       0.17       0.19       (0.02 )     (0.04 )     (0.06 )     1.35

 

(e)

Amount is less than $0.005.

(h)

For the period April 30, 2007 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2007

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

206    Financial Highlights      


 

Total Return(d)     Net Assets, End
of Period
(thousands)
  Ratio of Gross
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Investment
Income (Loss) to
Average Net
Assets
    Portfolio
Turnover Rate
 
         
(38.86 )%   $ 413,801   —   %   0.43 %   0.88 %   38.18 %
9.20       748,329   —       0.42     0.84     36.62  
9.57       735,055   —       0.43     0.94     36.05  
7.71       702,526   —       0.43     0.78     31.74  
6.67       686,849   —       0.43     1.07     34.53  
   
         
(40.01 )%   $ 171,551   —   %   0.78 %   (0.09 )%   67.79 %
26.84       230,437   —       0.80     0.44     57.89  
4.88       138,581   —       0.81     0.38     61.84  
17.00       132,679   —       0.82     0.18     45.20  
19.67       56,690   —       0.84     (0.03 )   25.42  
   
         
(38.74 )%   $ 310,665   —   %   0.44 %   1.35 %   50.12 %
9.12       556,895   —       0.43     1.30     43.86  
11.49       535,453   —       0.44     1.25     39.39  
8.46       494,020   —       0.44     1.15     32.23  
8.16       469,935   —       0.44     1.41     33.64  
   
         
(40.25 )%   $ 29,382   0.87 %   0.85 %   1.15 %   59.53 %
(6.52 )%     34,935   0.89 (c)   0.85 (c)   0.95 (c)   22.41 %
   
         
(36.94 )%   $ 1,231,610   —   %   0.20 %   2.13 %   4.10 %
5.43       2,088,835   —       0.20     1.89     4.44  
15.62       2,081,399   —       0.20     1.78     4.47  
4.72       1,903,641   —       0.20     1.68     5.36  
10.70       1,904,122   —       0.20     1.83     3.45  
   
         
(37.23 )%   $ 28,570   0.81 %   0.80 %   2.41 %   26.04 %
(5.97 )     32,695   0.85 (c)   0.80 (c)   2.03 (c)   16.92  
   
         
(38.49 )%   $ 281,556   —   %   0.57 %   2.89 %   60.11 %
(6.33 )     439,896   —       0.56     2.37     38.86  
16.56       409,836   —       0.58     1.99     31.59  
8.04       273,934   —       0.60     1.77     35.19  
16.85       211,977   —       0.62     1.63     32.97  
   
         
(35.81 )%   $ 151,641   —   %   0.67 %   2.61 %   28.82 %
3.26       212,428   —       0.67     1.93     41.94  
19.15       200,507   —       0.67     1.88     15.50  
4.19       132,923   —       0.68     1.76     16.01  
15.16       89,747   —       0.69     1.74     15.21  

 

(c)

Computed on an annualized basis.

(d)

Total Return includes deductions for management and other fund expenses; excludes deductions for sales loads and account fees, not annualized for periods less than one year.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Financial Highlights    207


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout the period)

 

      Net Asset Value,
Beginning
of Period
   Net Investment
Income (Loss)
        
Net Realized and
Unrealized Gain
(Loss) on
Investments
    Total from
Investment
Operations
    Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income
    Distributions
from Realized
Gains on
Investments
    Total
Distributions
    Net Asset Value,
End of Period
 

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 3.68    $ 0.01     $ (1.35 )   $ (1.34 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.41 )   $ (0.42 )   $ 1.92  

2007

     3.37      0.01       0.66       0.67       (0.03 )     (0.33 )     (0.36 )     3.68  

2006

     3.30      0.03       0.12       0.15             (0.08 )     (0.08 )     3.37  

2005

     3.11            0.19       0.19                         3.30  

2004

     2.72      0.00 (e)     0.39       0.39                         3.11  
   

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

              

2008

   $ 1.60    $ 0.02     $ (0.55 )   $ (0.53 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.15 )   $ (0.17 )   $ 0.90  

2007

     1.59      0.02       0.10       0.12       (0.02 )     (0.09 )     (0.11 )     1.60  

2006

     1.55      0.02       0.14       0.16       (0.02 )     (0.10 )     (0.12 )     1.59  

2005

     1.46      0.02       0.15       0.17       (0.01 )     (0.07 )     (0.08 )     1.55  

2004

     1.28      0.01       0.19       0.20       (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.02 )     1.46  
   

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

              

2008

   $ 1.28    $ 0.01     $ (0.46 )   $ (0.45 )   $     $ (0.02 )   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.81  

2007

     1.53      0.01       (0.02 )     (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.23 )     (0.24 )     1.28  

2006

     1.45      0.02       0.20       0.22       (0.02 )     (0.12 )     (0.14 )     1.53  

2005

     1.45      0.01       0.08       0.09       (0.01 )     (0.08 )     (0.09 )     1.45  

2004

     1.32      0.01       0.22       0.23       (0.01 )     (0.09 )     (0.10 )     1.45  
   

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 2.37    $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.92 )   $ (0.92 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.36 )   $ (0.36 )   $ 1.09  

2007

     2.38      0.00 (e)     0.22       0.22       0.00 (e)     (0.23 )     (0.23 )     2.37  

2006

     2.53            0.18       0.18             (0.33 )     (0.33 )     2.38  

2005

     2.30            0.25       0.25             (0.02 )     (0.02 )     2.53  

2004

     1.94      (0.01 )     0.37       0.36                         2.30  
   

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

              

2008

   $ 0.93    $ 0.01     $ (0.29 )   $ (0.28 )   $     $ (0.01 )   $ (0.01 )   $ 0.64  

2007(h)

     1.00            (0.06 )     (0.06 )           (0.01 )     (0.01 )     0.93  
   

Small Cap Value Portfolio

              

2008

   $ 1.72    $ 0.01     $ (0.45 )   $ (0.44 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.13 )   $ (0.14 )   $ 1.14  

2007

     1.84      0.01       (0.02 )     (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.10 )     (0.11 )     1.72  

2006

     1.64      0.01       0.26       0.27             (0.07 )     (0.07 )     1.84  

2005

     1.58      0.01       0.10       0.11       (0.01 )     (0.04 )     (0.05 )     1.64  

2004

     1.29      0.01       0.30       0.31             (0.02 )     (0.02 )     1.58  
   

International Growth Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 1.82    $ 0.02     $ (0.79 )   $ (0.77 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.17 )   $ (0.19 )   $ 0.86  

2007

     1.77      0.02       0.19       0.21       (0.02 )     (0.14 )     (0.16 )     1.82  

2006

     1.48      0.02       0.29       0.31             (0.02 )     (0.02 )     1.77  

2005

     1.32      0.01       0.23       0.24       (0.01 )     (0.07 )     (0.08 )     1.48  

2004

     1.09      0.01       0.23       0.24       (0.01 )           (0.01 )     1.32  
   

Research International Core Portfolio

 

           

2008

   $ 1.04    $ 0.02     $ (0.46 )   $ (0.44 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.58  

2007(h)

     1.00      0.01       0.05       0.06       (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.02 )     1.04  

 

(e)

Amount is less than $0.005.

(h)

For the period April 30, 2007 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2007

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

208    Financial Highlights      


 

Total Return(d)     Net Assets, End
of Period
(thousands)
  Ratio of Gross
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Investment
Income (Loss) to
Average Net
Assets
    Portfolio
Turnover Rate
 
         
(40.08 )%   $ 695,626   —   %   0.53 %   0.20 %   43.67 %
20.70       1,294,703   —       0.52     0.26     66.20  
4.40       1,183,484   —       0.52     0.77     72.15  
6.14       1,252,702   —       0.52     0.13     83.42  
14.22       1,278,495   —       0.52     0.05     71.24  
   
         
(36.28 )%   $ 319,515   —   %   0.26 %   1.50 %   15.94 %
7.93       558,136   —       0.26     1.44     24.49  
10.04       533,740   —       0.26     1.42     12.43  
12.37       490,626   —       0.26     1.26     18.63  
16.26       426,827   —       0.26     0.96     16.46  
   
         
(35.07 )%   $ 74,681   —   %   0.89 %   1.01 %   50.78 %
(0.16 )     114,455   —       0.87     0.66     41.37  
14.49       131,016   —       0.87     1.26     43.75  
5.46       97,557   —       0.87     0.61     31.15  
18.67       72,131   —       0.89     1.00     33.05  
   
         
(43.87 )%   $ 284,621   —   %   0.57 %   0.01 %   146.28 %
9.54       543,986   —       0.55     0.13     143.29  
6.68       528,612   —       0.55     0.08     82.48  
11.18       503,008   —       0.56     (0.09 )   69.50  
18.80       442,420   —       0.57     (0.30 )   87.74  
   
         
(31.30 )%   $ 21,174   0.55 %   0.35 %   1.38 %   71.09 %
(5.89 )     24,039   0.51 (c)   0.35 (c)   2.02 (c)   51.76  
   
         
(28.13 )%   $ 240,817   —   %   0.87 %   0.87 %   22.94 %
(0.83 )     337,973   —       0.86     0.80     33.39  
16.55       324,973   —       0.86     0.66     21.70  
7.21       245,041   —       0.87     0.63     17.74  
24.57       200,143   —       0.88     0.81     19.22  
   
         
(46.19 )%   $ 197,383   0.80 %   0.79 %   1.69 %   134.71 %
12.62       353,426   —       0.78     1.39     105.82  
21.48       272,882   —       0.86     1.14     82.62  
18.00       167,550   —       0.95     1.01     70.60  
21.59       110,498   —       0.98     0.81     70.84  
   
         
(42.54 )%   $ 33,435   1.69 %   1.15 %   2.27 %   77.80 %
5.49       47,347   1.71 (c)   1.15 (c)   1.16 (c)   45.53  

 

(d)

Total Return includes deductions for management and other fund expenses; excludes deductions for sales loads and account fees, not annualized for periods less than one year.

(c)

Computed on an annualized basis.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Financial Highlights    209


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout the period)

 

      Net Asset Value,
Beginning
of Period
   Net Investment
Income (Loss)
       
Net Realized and
Unrealized Gain
(Loss) on
Investments
    Total from
Investment
Operations
    Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income
    Distributions
from Realized
Gains on
Investments
    Total
Distributions
    Net Asset Value,
End of Period

International Equity Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 2.67    $ 0.07    $ (1.16 )   $ (1.09 )   $ (0.05 )   $ (0.21 )   $ (0.26 )   $ 1.32

2007

     2.33      0.05      0.37       0.42       (0.05 )     (0.03 )     (0.08 )     2.67

2006

     1.81      0.05      0.51       0.56       (0.04 )           (0.04 )     2.33

2005

     1.65      0.04      0.15       0.19       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     1.81

2004

     1.41      0.03      0.24       0.27       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     1.65
 

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 1.24    $ 0.02    $ (0.71 )   $ (0.69 )   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.02 )   $ 0.53

2007(h)

     1.00      0.01      0.23       0.24       0.00 (e)           0.00 (e)     1.24
 

Money Market Portfolio

               

2008

   $ 1.00    $ 0.03    $     $ 0.03     $ (0.03 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.03 )   $ 1.00

2007

     1.00      0.05            0.05       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     1.00

2006

     1.00      0.05            0.05       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     1.00

2005

     1.00      0.03            0.03       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     1.00

2004

     1.00      0.01            0.01       (0.01 )           (0.01 )     1.00
 

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 1.00    $ 0.04    $ (0.01 )   $ 0.03     $ (0.04 )   $     $ (0.04 )   $ 0.99

2007(h)

     1.00      0.03      0.00 (e)     0.03       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     1.00
 

Select Bond Portfolio

               

2008

   $ 1.23    $ 0.06    $ (0.02 )   $ 0.04     $ (0.06 )   $     $ (0.06 )   $ 1.21

2007

     1.20      0.05      0.03       0.08       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     1.23

2006

     1.20      0.05            0.05       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     1.20

2005

     1.23      0.05      (0.03 )     0.02       (0.04 )     (0.01 )     (0.05 )     1.20

2004

     1.26      0.05      0.01       0.06       (0.05 )     (0.04 )     (0.09 )     1.23
 

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

 

         

2008

   $ 1.04    $ 0.03    $ 0.19     $ 0.22     $ (0.02 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.04 )   $ 1.22

2007(h)

     1.00      0.03      0.05       0.08       (0.03 )     (0.01 )     (0.04 )     1.04
 

Inflation Protection Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 1.04    $ 0.05    $ (0.06 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.04 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.04 )   $ 0.99

2007(h)

     1.00      0.03      0.04       0.07       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     1.04
 

High Yield Bond Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 0.70    $ 0.05    $ (0.19 )   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.05 )   $     $ (0.05 )   $ 0.51

2007

     0.73      0.05      (0.03 )     0.02       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     0.70

2006

     0.72      0.05      0.01       0.06       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     0.73

2005

     0.76      0.05      (0.04 )     0.01       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     0.72

2004

     0.73      0.05      0.03       0.08       (0.05 )           (0.05 )     0.76

 

(e)

Amount is less than $0.005.

(h)

For the period April 30, 2007 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2007

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

210    Financial Highlights      


 

Total Return(d)     Net Assets, End
of Period
(thousands)
  Ratio of Gross
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Investment
Income (Loss) to
Average Net
Assets
    Portfolio
Turnover Rate
 
         
(43.78 )%   $ 1,009,367   0.71 %(f)   0.65 %(f)   3.26 %   2.98 %
18.06       1,902,612   0.70 (f)   0.63 (f)   2.21     15.70  
30.90       1,556,230   0.71 (f)   0.70 (f)   2.53     12.15  
11.52       1,139,260   —       0.71     2.24     3.71  
19.33       980,977   —       0.72     2.23     18.65  
   
         
(55.22 )%   $ 52,386   1.79 %   1.50 %   2.10 %   109.36 %
24.73       89,563   1.85 (c)   1.50 (c)   1.05 (c)   73.03  
   
         
2.76 %   $ 622,620   0.32 %(l)(m)   0.32 %(l)(m)   2.66 %   —   %
5.28       462,092   —       0.30     5.16     —    
4.86       390,589   —       0.30     4.77     —    
2.98       339,858   —       0.30     2.94     —    
1.43       344,468   0.30 (f)   0.00 (f)   1.41     —    
   
         
2.71 %   $ 69,797   —   %   0.40 %   4.29 %   74.86 %(g)
3.10       57,998   0.00 (c)   0.44 (c)   4.80 (c)   72.69 (g)
   
         
3.26 %   $ 1,088,647   —   %   0.30 %   5.06 %   85.39 %(g)
6.39       1,114,647   —       0.30     5.26     104.07 (g)
3.74       924,457   —       0.30     4.85     169.55 (g)
2.22       786,544   —       0.30     4.34     179.05 (g)
4.75       661,027   —       0.30     3.99     213.87  
   
         
20.76 %   $ 90,206   —   %   0.62 %   2.51 %   272.80 %(g)
7.55       35,815   0.72 (c)   0.65 (c)   4.31 (c)   175.03 (g)
   
         
(1.38 )%   $ 69,140   —   %   0.62 %   4.34 %   48.63 %(g)
6.83       37,462   0.70 (c)   0.65 (c)   4.95 (c)   94.74 (g)
   
         
(21.35 )%   $ 212,003   —   %   0.47 %   8.55 %   43.30 %
2.38       292,928   —       0.47     7.43     61.65  
9.77       276,639   —       0.47     7.00     80.94  
1.39       244,554   —       0.48     7.16     118.63  
12.76       229,312   —       0.50     7.42     162.00  

 

(c)

Computed on an annualized basis.

(d)

Total Return includes deductions for management and other fund expenses; excludes deductions for sales loads and account fees, not annualized for periods less than one year.

(f)

For the International Equity Portfolio, expense ratios reflect total expenses before a management fee waiver in effect from November 15, 2006, (“Gross Expense Ratio”) and after such waiver (“Net Expense Ratio”). For the Money Market Portfolio, expense ratios reflect total expenses before a management fee in effect for the perios December 2, 2002 through December 31, 2004 (“Gross Expense Ratio”) and after such waiver (“Net Expense Ration”). The fee waiver ended on December 31, 2004.

(g)

Portfolio Turnover rate excludes the impact of mortgage dollar roll transactions.

(l)

For the Money Market Portfolio, expense ratios reflect total expenses before a management fee waiver effective December 31, 2008, (“Gross Expense Ratio”) and after such waiver (“Net Expense Ratio”).

(m)

Reflects fee paid by the Portfolio to participate in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Temporary Guarantee Program for Money Market Funds from the Program’s inception on September 19, 2008 through April 30, 2009. Due to the temporary nature of the Program, this fee has not been annualized. It is not known whether the Program will extend beyond April 30, 2009, and if so, on what terms. If the Portfolio participates in any extension, it would be required to pay an additional fee, which would cause expenses to be higher than those reflected.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Financial Highlights    211


Financial Highlights

(For a share outstanding throughout the period)

 

      Net Asset Value,
Beginning
of Period
   Net Investment
Income (Loss)
       
Net Realized and
Unrealized Gain
(Loss) on
Investments
    Total from
Investment
Operations
    Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income
    Distributions
from Realized
Gains on
Investments
    Total
Distributions
    Net Asset Value,
End of Period

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

            

2008

   $ 0.98    $ 0.04    $ (0.11 )   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.00 (e)   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.85

2007(h)

     1.00      0.03      (0.02 )     0.01       (0.03 )           (0.03 )     0.98
 

Balanced Portfolio

               

2008

   $ 1.99    $ 0.05    $ (0.41 )   $ (0.36 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.51 )   $ (0.53 )   $ 1.10

2007

     1.97      0.03      0.09       0.12       (0.06 )     (0.04 )     (0.10 )     1.99

2006

     1.86      0.06      0.12       0.18       (0.05 )     (0.02 )     (0.07 )     1.97

2005

     1.87      0.05      0.02       0.07       (0.05 )     (0.03 )     (0.08 )     1.86

2004

     1.85      0.05      0.09       0.14       (0.05 )     (0.07 )     (0.12 )     1.87
 

Asset Allocation Portfolio

               

2008

   $ 1.24    $ 0.03    $ (0.38 )   $ (0.35 )   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.09 )   $ (0.12 )   $ 0.77

2007

     1.22      0.03      0.08       0.11       (0.03 )     (0.06 )     (0.09 )     1.24

2006

     1.16      0.03      0.08       0.11       (0.02 )     (0.03 )     (0.05 )     1.22

2005

     1.12      0.02      0.06       0.08       (0.02 )     (0.02 )     (0.04 )     1.16

2004

     1.02      0.02      0.08       0.10                         1.12

 

(e)

Amount is less than $0.005.

(h)

For the period April 30, 2007 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2007

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

212    Financial Highlights      


 

Total Return(d)     Net Assets, End
of Period
(thousands)
  Ratio of Gross
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
    Ratio of Net
Investment
Income (Loss) to
Average Net
Assets
    Portfolio
Turnover Rate
 
         
(6.86 )%   $ 94,121   —   %   0.88 %   4.40 %   23.40 %(g)
1.09       74,829   —       0.93 (c)   5.39 (c)   72.85 (g)
   
         
(22.72 )%   $ 1,994,701   —   %   0.30 %   3.26 %   68.34 %(g)
6.15       2,896,195   —       0.30     3.23     106.64 (g)
10.42       2,949,632   —       0.30     3.11     70.12 (g)
3.59       2,905,741   —       0.30     2.85     80.21 (g)
7.89       2,983,179   —       0.30     2.71     100.02  
   
         
(30.13 )%   $ 199,640   0.60 %   0.54 %   2.59 %   74.22 %(g)
9.40       302,292   0.58     0.54     2.64     85.44 (g)
9.91       281,863   —       0.59     2.53     86.85 (g)
6.99       244,807   —       0.61     2.18     90.04 (g)
10.02       196,568   —       0.64     1.90     116.65  

 

(c)

Computed on an annualized basis.

(d)

Total Return includes deductions for management and other fund expenses; excludes deductions for sales loads and account fees, not annualized for periods less than one year.

 

The Accompanying Notes are an Integral Part of the Financial Statements.

 

      Financial Highlights    213


Notes to Financial Statements

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

December 31, 2008

 

Note 1. Organization

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. (the “Series Fund”) is registered as a diversified, open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Series Fund consists of the Growth Stock Portfolio, Focused Appreciation Portfolio, Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio, Large Cap Blend Portfolio, Index 500 Stock Portfolio, Large Company Value Portfolio, Domestic Equity Portfolio, Equity Income Portfolio, Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio, Index 400 Stock Portfolio, Mid Cap Value Portfolio, Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio, Index 600 Stock Portfolio, Small Cap Value Portfolio, International Growth Portfolio, Research International Core Portfolio, International Equity Portfolio, Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio, Money Market Portfolio, Short-Term Bond Portfolio, Select Bond Portfolio, Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio, Inflation Protection Portfolio, High Yield Bond Portfolio, Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio, Balanced Portfolio, and the Asset Allocation Portfolio (each, a “Portfolio” or collectively, the “Portfolios”). Shares are presently offered only to The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (“Northwestern Mutual”) and its segregated asset accounts.

On April 30, 2008, the following Portfolio names changed:

 

Prior Name

  

Current Name

Janus Capital Appreciation Portfolio    Focused Appreciation Portfolio
Capital Guardian Large Cap Blend Portfolio    Large Cap Blend Portfolio
American Century Large Company Value Portfolio    Large Company Value Portfolio
Capital Guardian Domestic Equity Portfolio    Domestic Equity Portfolio
T. Rowe Price Equity Income Portfolio    Equity Income Portfolio
AllianceBernstein Mid Cap Value Portfolio    Mid Cap Value Portfolio
T. Rowe Price Small Cap Value Portfolio    Small Cap Value Portfolio
MFS® Research International Core Portfolio    Research International Core Portfolio
Franklin Templeton International Equity Portfolio    International Equity Portfolio
MFS® Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio    Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio
PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio    Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio
American Century Inflation Protection Portfolio    Inflation Protection Portfolio
PIMCO Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio    Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Series Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

A. Use of Estimates — The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

B. Security Valuation — Equity securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last sale or official closing price as reported by an independent pricing service on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, securities are valued at the last quoted bid price. Equity securities traded only in the over-the-counter market and not on a securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or closing bid price, if no sales have occurred. Bonds are generally valued on the basis of vendor prices. Futures are valued at settlement prices. Non-exchange traded derivatives are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or pricing services. Securities for which current market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value determined by procedures approved by the Board of Directors. The fair value procedures are used if a significant event that is likely to have affected the value of the securities takes place after the time of the most recent market quotations or the market quotations for other reasons do not reflect information material to the value of those securities. Generally, money market investments, other than in the Money Market Portfolio, with maturities exceeding sixty days are valued by a pricing service. Generally, money market investments with maturities of sixty days or less and all securities in the Money Market

 

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Portfolio are valued on an amortized cost basis or, if the current market value differs substantially from the amortized cost, by marking to market.

C. Delayed Delivery Transactions and When-Issued Securities — Certain Portfolios may engage in securities transactions on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis. In these transactions, the securities’ prices and yields are fixed on the date of the commitment, with payment and delivery scheduled for a future date. During this period, the securities are subject to market fluctuations. When delayed-delivery purchases are outstanding, a Portfolio will segregate liquid assets on their records in amounts sufficient to meet the purchase price. A Portfolio may dispose of or renegotiate a delayed-delivery transaction, which may result in a capital gain or loss.

D. Repurchase Agreements — Certain Portfolios may engage in repurchase transactions. Under the terms of a typical repurchase agreement, a Portfolio takes possession of an underlying debt obligation subject to an obligation of the seller to repurchase, and a Portfolio to resell, the obligation at an agreed-upon price and time. The underlying securities for all repurchase agreements are held in safekeeping at the Portfolio’s custodian or designated sub-custodians under tri-party repurchase agreements. The market value of the collateral must be equal to or exceed at all times the total amount of the repurchase obligations, including interest. Securities purchased under repurchase agreements are reflected as an asset on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. Generally, in the event of counterparty default, a Portfolio has the right to use the collateral to offset losses incurred. If the counterparty should default, a Portfolio will seek to sell the securities which it holds as collateral. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price.

E. Restricted Securities — Certain Portfolios may invest in securities that are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. These securities may be sold privately, but are required to be registered or exempted from registration before being sold to the public. Disposal of these securities may involve time-consuming negotiations and expense, and prompt sale at an acceptable price may be difficult.

F. Futures Contracts — Certain Portfolios invest in futures contracts as an alternative to investing in individual securities and could be exposed to market risk due to changes in the value of the underlying securities or due to an illiquid secondary market. Futures contracts are marked to market daily based upon quoted settlement prices. The Portfolios receive from or pay to brokers an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contracts. Such receipts or payments, known as the “variation margin,” are recorded by the Portfolios as unrealized gains or losses. When a contract is closed, the Portfolios record a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. For federal income tax purposes, net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open futures contracts is generally required to be treated as realized gains (losses).

G. Foreign Currency Transactions — Certain Portfolios may have securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies which are translated into U.S. dollar amounts on the date of valuation. Purchases and sales of securities and income items denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar amounts on the respective dates of such transactions. When the Portfolios purchase or sell a foreign security they may enter into a foreign currency exchange contract to minimize exchange rate risk from the trade date to the settlement date of such transaction. Such foreign currency exchange contracts are marked to market daily.

The Portfolios may enter into forward foreign currency contracts to hedge against exchange rate risk arising from investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies or as part of an investment strategy. Contracts are valued at the contractual forward rate and are marked to market daily, with the change in market value recorded as an unrealized gain or loss. When the contracts are closed, a realized gain or loss is recorded. Risks may arise from changes in market value of the underlying instruments and from the possible inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts.

The Portfolios do not separately report the results of operations due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates on investments from the changes arising from changes in market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized or unrealized gain or loss from investments.

Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade date and the settlement date on security transactions, and the differences between the amounts of dividends and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolios’ books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid.

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    215


Notes to Financial Statements

 

H. Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities – Certain Portfolios may invest in mortgage-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans and asset-backed securities are interests in pools of other assets, including various types of loans and credit card receivables. These securities provide a monthly payment, consisting of both a principal and interest component. Interest payments may be based on either fixed rates or adjustable rates. Receipt of principal payment reduces the outstanding par amount of the security and may generate realized gains or losses. Yields on mortgage-backed securities are affected by interest and prepayment rates, which, in turn, are influenced by a variety of economic, geographical, social and other factors. Maturities on mortgage-backed securities represent stated maturity dates. Actual maturity dates may differ based on prepayment rates. Unlike mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its sponsored entities, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities issued by private issuers do not have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. These issuers may provide credit enhancements through external entities such as financial institutions or through the structuring of the transaction itself. There is no guarantee that credit enhancements, if any, will be sufficient to prevent losses.

During the year, the broader credit markets including the non-agency mortgage markets experienced significant deterioration characterized by wider spreads and reduced levels of liquidity. This negatively impacted the prices of certain of these securities, and, to the extent that the Portfolio sought to do so, may have impacted its ability to sell securities. The decline in liquidity and prices of these types of securities may have made it more difficult to determine fair market value.

Since late 2007, the asset-backed commercial paper (“ABCP”) market has been under unprecedented pressure and scrutiny as concerns over the subprime mortgage sector are impacting the short term fixed income markets. ABCP is a type of commercial paper that is backed by a pool of assets. That pool of assets is generally a mix of debt obligations, including credit card debt, automobile loans and leases, prime and sub-prime mortgage-backed securities, student loans and other asset-backed securities. The value of asset-backed securities may be affected by changes in interest rates, the quality of the underlying assets or the market’s assessment thereof, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, or the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any credit enhancements, among other factors. The ABCP market continues to function, although at wider spreads and under liquidity pressure.

I. Short Sales – Certain Portfolios may enter into short sale transactions. A short sale is a transaction in which a Portfolio sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market price of the security. Securities sold in short sale transactions and the interest payable on such securities, if any, are reflected as a liability on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. A Portfolio is obligated to deliver the security at the market price at the time the short position is closed. The risk of loss on a short sale transaction is theoretically unlimited, because there is no limit to the cost of replacing the security sold short, whereas losses from purchase transactions cannot exceed the total amount invested.

J. Inflation-Indexed Bonds — Certain Portfolios may invest in inflation-indexed bonds. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed-income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted to the rate of inflation. The interest rate on these bonds is generally fixed at issuance at a rate lower than typical bonds. Over the life of an inflation-indexed bond, interest will be paid based on a principal value, which is adjusted for inflation. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be included as interest income in the Statements of Operations even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

K. Options —Certain Portfolios may write call and put options on futures, swaps, securities or currencies it owns or in which it may invest. Writing put options tends to increase a Portfolio’s exposure to the underlying instrument. Writing call options tends to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to the underlying instrument. The Portfolio receives a premium on the sale of a call option but gives up the opportunity to profit from any increase in the value of the security above the exercise price of the option. When a Portfolio writes a put option, it is exposed to a decline in the price of the underlying security. When a Portfolio writes a call or put option, an amount equal to the premium received is recorded as a liability and subsequently marked to market to reflect the current value of the option written. These liabilities are reflected as written options outstanding in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. Payments received or made, if any, from writing options with premiums to be determined on a future date are reflected as such on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. Premiums received from writing options which expire are treated as realized gains. Premiums received from writing options which are exercised or closed are added to the proceeds or offset against amounts paid on the underlying future, swap, security or currency transaction to determine the realized gain or loss. A Portfolio as a writer of an option has no control over whether the underlying future, swap, security or currency may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and as a result bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the

 

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Notes to Financial Statements

 

future, swap, security or currency underlying the written option. There is a risk a Portfolio may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market.

Transactions in written call and put options were as follows (amounts in thousands, except number of contracts):

 

     Balance at
12/31/2007
   Sales    Closing
Buys
     Expirations      Exercised      Balance at
12/31/2008
    

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

                    

# of Contracts

        3,000    (1,175 )    (1,087 )    (738 )        

Notional Amount in $

   $    300    (117 )    (109 )    (74 )    $   

Premium

   $    343    (53 )    (61 )    (229 )    $   

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond

                    

Portfolio

                    

# of Contracts

     11    8    (19 )                  

Notional Amount in $

   $ 28    8    (36 )              $   

Premium

   $ 6    4    (10 )              $   

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

                    

# of Contracts

     196    390    (122 )    (464 )             

Notional Amount in $

   $ 196    390    (122 )    (464 )         $   

Premium

   $ 94    172    (79 )    (187 )         $   

Balanced Portfolio

                    

# of Contracts

        322    (114 )    (137 )    (71 )        

Notional Amount in $

   $    32    (11 )    (14 )    (7 )    $   

Premium

   $    35    (5 )    (8 )    (22 )    $   

Asset Allocation Portfolio

                    

# of Contracts

        45    (17 )    (17 )    (11 )        

Notional Amount in $

   $    5    (2 )    (2 )    (1 )    $   

Premium

   $    5    (1 )    (1 )    (3 )    $   

Certain Portfolios may also purchase call and put options on futures, swap, securities or currencies it owns or in which it may invest. Purchasing call options tends to increase a Portfolio’s exposure to the underlying instrument. Purchasing put options tends to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to the underlying instrument. The Portfolio pays a premium on the purchase of a put option but receives the opportunity to profit from any increase in the value of the security above the exercise price of the option. When a Portfolio purchases a call option, it is exposed to a decline in the price of the underlying security. Premiums paid are reflected in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities as an investment and are subsequently marked to market to reflect the current value of the option. Premiums paid from purchasing options which expire are treated as realized losses. Premiums paid for purchasing options which are exercised or closed are added to the amount paid or offset against the proceeds on the underlying future, swap, security or currency transaction to determine realized gain or loss. The risk associated with a Portfolio purchasing call or put options is limited to the premium paid.

L. Swap Agreements — The Portfolios may enter into swap agreements on interest rate, total return and credit default to manage their exposure to interest rates, investment style risk and credit risk. In connection with these agreements, securities may be identified as collateral in accordance with the terms of the respective swap agreements.

Swaps are marked to market daily based upon quotations from market makers and the change in value, if any, is recorded as unrealized gain or loss in the Statements of Operations. Payments received or made at the beginning of the measurement period of the swap are reflected on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. Upfront payments are recorded as realized gain or loss in the Statements of Operations upon termination or maturity of the swap. A liquidation payment received or made at the termination of the swap is recorded as realized gain or loss in the Statements of Operations. Net periodic payments received by the Portfolios are included as part of realized gain (loss) on the Statements of Operations. Entering into these agreements involves, to varying degrees, elements of credit and market risk in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for these agreements, that the counterparty to the agreements may default on its obligation to perform and that there may be unfavorable changes in interest rates.

Certain Portfolios maintain restricted cash deposits with brokers to cover margin requirements for derivative positions. These amounts are denoted as “Collateral for Derivative Positions” on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    217


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Interest Rate Swaps Interest rate swap agreements involve the exchange by a Portfolio with another party to pay or receive interest, e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments based on a notional amount of principal.

Total Return Swaps Total return swap agreements involve commitments to pay interest or a return in exchange for a market-linked return, both based on notional amounts. To the extent the total return of the security or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, a Portfolio will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty.

Credit Default Swaps Credit default swap agreements involve one party making a series of payments to another party in exchange for the right to receive a certain return in the event of a default by a third party, typically corporate issues or sovereign issues of an emerging market country, on its obligation. The Portfolio may use credit default swaps to provide a measure of protection against defaults of the issuers where the Portfolio owns or has exposure to the sovereign issue or to take an active long or short position on the likelihood of a particular issuer’s default.

As a seller of protection, the Portfolio generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Portfolio adds leverage to its investments because the Portfolio has investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. As a buyer of protection, the Portfolio generally makes an upfront payment or pays a fixed rate of interest throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. The Portfolio generally receives an amount up to the notional value of the swap if a credit event occurs.

Implied credit spreads, represented in absolute terms, utilized in determining the market value of credit default swap agreements on corporate issues or sovereign issues of an emerging market country serve as an indicator of the current status of the payment/performance risk and represent the likelihood or risk of default for the credit derivative. The implied credit spread of a particular referenced entity reflects the cost of selling protection and may include upfront payments required to be made to enter into the agreement. For credit default swap agreements on credit indices, the quoted market prices and resulting values serve as the indicator of the current status of the payment/performance risk. Wider credit spreads and increasing market values, in absolute terms when compared to the notional amount of the swap, represent a deterioration of the referenced entity’s credit soundness and a greater likelihood or risk of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement. As of December 31, 2008, open credit default swap agreements were as follows:

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

Credit Default Swap on Corporate or Sovereign Issues

 

CounterParty   Reference Entity   Buy/Sell
Protection
  (Pay)/Receive
Fixed Rate
  Expiration
Date
  Implied
Credit
Spread
    Upfront
Premiums Paid/
(Received)
(000’s)
    Notional
Amount
(000’s)
  Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 

Morgan Stanley

Capital Services, Inc.

  Philippine Government International Bond, 10.625%, 3/16/25   Sell   2.44%   9/17     3.66 %   $ -       USD    100   $ (8 )

Credit Default Swaps on Credit Indices

 

 

   
CounterParty   Reference Entity   Buy/Sell
Protection
  (Pay)/Receive
Fixed Rate
  Expiration
Date
  Market
Value
    Upfront
Premiums Paid/
(Received)
(000’s)
    Notional
Amount
(000’s)
  Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
(000’s)
 
JPMorgan Chase   Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging Markets Index, Series 10   Sell   3.35%   12/13   $ (300 )   $ (305 )   USD  2,000   $ 5  
JPMorgan Chase   Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging Markets Index, Series 9   Sell   2.65%   6/13     (1,725 )     99     USD  11,000     (1,824 )

Morgan Stanley

Capital Services, Inc.

  Dow Jones CDX NA High Yield Index, Series 9   Sell   3.75%   12/12     (864 )     (221 )   USD   4,900     (643 )

Morgan Stanley

Capital Services, Inc.

  Dow Jones CDX NA Emerging Markets Index, Series 9   Sell   2.65%   6/13     (1,567 )     55     USD  10,000     (1,622 )

If the Portfolio is a seller of protection and a credit event occurs, the Portfolio will either pay to the buyer of the protection an amount equal to the notional value of the swap and may take delivery of the obligation or pay a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap less the recovery value of the referenced obligation. The

 

218    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) that a Portfolio as a seller of protection could be required to make under a credit default swap agreement would be equal to the notional amount of the agreement. Notional amounts and fair market value of all credit swap agreements outstanding as of December 31, 2008 for which each Portfolio was the seller of protection are disclosed in the footnotes to the Schedules of Investments. These potential amounts would be partially offset by any recovery values of the referenced obligations, upfront payments received upon entering into the agreement, or net amounts received by the Portfolio from the settlement of credit default swap agreements purchasing protection for the same referenced obligation.

The treatment of credit default swaps and other swap agreements that provide for contingent, non-periodic, bullet-type payments as “notional principal contracts” for U.S. federal income tax purposes is uncertain. Were the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to take the position that a credit default swap is not a “notional principal contract” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, payments received by the Portfolios from such investments might be subject to U.S. excise or income taxes.

M. Securities Lending — Each Portfolio is authorized to participate in securities lending, however, only the Select Bond and Balanced Portfolios currently have an established securities lending program that enables each to loan securities to approved broker-dealers. The Portfolios receive cash (U.S. currency), U.S. Government or U.S. Government agency obligations as collateral against the loaned securities. To the extent that a loan is collateralized by cash, such collateral is invested by the Portfolios to earn interest in accordance with the Portfolios’ investment policies. For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Select Bond and Balanced Portfolios earned $1,682,645 and $853,789, respectively, in interest from securities lending activity. The collateral received under the securities lending program is recorded on each Portfolio’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities along with the related obligation to return the collateral.

Income generated from the investment of cash collateral, less negotiated rebate fees paid to participating brokers and transaction costs, is recorded as income for the Portfolios. All collateral received will be in an amount at least equal to 102% (for loans of U.S. securities) or 105% (for non-U.S. securities) of the market value of the loaned securities at the inception of each loan. Thereafter, each loan must be continuously secured by collateral at least equal at all times to the value of the securities lent. In addition, the Portfolios are entitled to terminate a securities loan at any time. As of December 31, 2008, the value of outstanding securities on loan and the value of collateral amounted to the following:

 

Portfolio

   Values of
Securities

on Loan
   Value of
Collateral
    

Select Bond Portfolio

   $     65,591,466    $     67,859,500   

Balanced Portfolio

     6,383,438      6,693,750   

As of December 31, 2008, collateral received for securities on loan is invested in money market instruments and included in Investments on each Portfolio’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

N. Foreign Income and Capital Gains Taxes — The Portfolios may be subject to dividend income taxes imposed by certain countries in which they invest. Foreign withholding taxes on dividends are netted against dividend income and separately disclosed in the Statements of Operations.

The International Growth, Research International Core, International Equity, Emerging Markets Equity, Balanced and Asset Allocation Portfolios may be subject to capital gains taxes and repatriation taxes imposed by certain countries in which they invest. The Portfolios may record a deferred tax liability in respect of unrealized appreciation on foreign securities for capital gains and repatriation taxes. The provision for income taxes is included in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and net realized gain (loss) on investments in the Statement of Operations for the Portfolios.

O. Investment Income and Securities Transactions — Interest income is recorded daily on the accrual basis and dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as information from foreign issuers is available. Where applicable, dividends are recorded net of foreign dividend tax. Discounts and premiums on securities purchased are amortized over the life of the respective securities using the effective interest method. Securities transactions are accounted for on trade date. The basis for determining cost on sale of securities is identified cost. For the year ended December 31, 2008, transactions in securities other than money market investments were:

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    219


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Portfolios

   Total
Security
Purchases
   U.S. Govt.
Security
Purchases
   Total Security
Sales/Maturities
   U.S. Govt.
Security
Sales/Maturities
    

 

(Amounts in Thousands)

Growth Stock Portfolio

   $ 216,983    $ —      $ 297,269    $ —  

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

     184,245      —        137,272      —  

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

     219,140      —        248,326      —  

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

     31,975      —        20,162      —  

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

     69,061      —        169,032      —  

Large Company Value Portfolio

     18,973      —        8,078      —  

Domestic Equity Portfolio

     233,667      —        214,596      —  

Equity Income Portfolio

     81,017      —        52,189      —  

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     430,267      —        542,809      —  

Index 400 Stock Portfolio (a)

     69,394      —        133,417      —  

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

     49,821      —        51,500      —  

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     565,983      —        589,774      —  

Index 600 Stock Portfolio (b)

     19,829      —        13,896      —  

Small Cap Value Portfolio

     77,466      —        68,962      —  

International Growth Portfolio

     354,671      —        357,756      —  

Research International Core Portfolio

     43,014      —        33,125      —  

International Equity Portfolio

     111,495      —        41,633      —  

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

     117,467      —        87,777      —  

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

     51,647      22,937      18,542      30,772

Select Bond Portfolio

     762,957      434,025      552,676      584,565

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

     111,082      117,068      95,443      86,824

Inflation Protection Portfolio

     32,667      30,420      13,509      13,348

High Yield Bond Portfolio

     106,049      —        102,681      —  

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

     355,089      —        309,285      —  

Balanced Portfolio

     1,267,176      389,148      1,426,844      573,172

Asset Allocation Portfolio

     142,486      28,914      155,023      37,821

(a) Includes (in thousands) $1,327 of purchases and $122 of sales with affiliates

(b) Includes (in thousands) $122 of purchases and $1,327 of sales with affiliates

P. Distributions — Dividends from net investment income and net realized capital gains are declared each business day for the Money Market Portfolio and at least annually for the remaining portfolios of the Series Fund, when applicable.

Q. Fair Value Measurements — In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Standard No. 157, Fair Value Measurements (“FAS 157”) effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. FAS 157 clarifies the definition of fair value for financial reporting, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and requires additional disclosure about the use of fair value measurements in an effort to make the measurement of fair value more consistent and comparable. The Portfolios have adopted FAS 157 effective January 1, 2008. A summary of the fair value hierarchy under FAS 157 is described below:

 

   

Level 1 — fair value is determined by unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities or derivatives

   

Level 2 — fair value is determined by other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, and other data used in fair valuation)

   

Level 3 — fair value is determined by significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolios’ own assumptions in determining fair value)

The categorization of a value determined for a financial instrument within the hierarchy is based upon the pricing transparency of the instrument and does not necessarily correspond to the Fund’s perceived risk of that instrument. For example, money market securities are generally valued using amortized cost, unless the current market value differs substantially from amortized cost. Generally, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Portfolios’ assets at December 31, 2008:

 

220    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

    Level 1 - Quoted Prices     Level 2 - Other Significant
Observable Inputs
    Level 3 - Significant
Unobservable Inputs
  Total  
    Investments in
Securities
  Other
Financial
Instruments^
    Investments in
Securities
  Other
Financial
Instruments^
    Investments in
Securities
  Other
Financial
Instruments^
  Investments in
Securities
  Other
Financial
Instruments^
 
    (Amounts in thousands)  

Growth Stock Portfolio

  $ 364,830   $ (522 )   $ 41,494   $ —       $ —     $ —     $ 406,324   $ (522 )

Focused Appreciation
Portfolio *

    141,082     —         30,094     —         —       —       171,176     —    

Large Cap Core Stock
Portfolio

    288,678     (148 )     21,697     —         —       —       310,375     (148 )

Large Cap Blend
Portfolio *

    28,384     —         1,000     —         —       —       29,384     —    

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

    1,202,611     (330 )     26,395     —         —       —       1,229,006     (330 )

Large Company Value
Portfolio

    26,893     (5 )     1,595     —         —       —       28,488     (5 )

Domestic Equity
Portfolio *

    264,902     —         16,227     —         —       —       281,129     —    

Equity Income Portfolio * .

    144,547     —         6,705     —         —       —       151,252     —    

Mid Cap Growth Stock
Portfolio

    650,996     332       54,880     —         —       —       705,876     332  

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

    285,234     842       31,195     —         —       —       316,429     842  

Mid Cap Value Portfolio *

    71,411     —         2,718     —         —       —       74,129     —    

Small Cap Growth Stock
Portfolio

    260,718     229       21,179     782       —       —       281,897     1,011  

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

    17,885     —         700     101       —       —       18,585     101  

Small Cap Value
Portfolio *

    231,604     —         8,904     —         —       —       240,508     —    

International Growth
Portfolio

    29,022     —         162,790     316       —       —       191,812     316  

Research International
Core Portfolio *

    2,470     —         30,459     —         —       —       32,929     —    

International Equity
Portfolio *

    120,664     —         886,397     —         —       —       1,007,061     —    

Emerging Markets Equity
Portfolio

    21,314     —         30,108     (5 )     —       —       51,422     (5 )

Money Market Portfolio *.

    —       —         621,299     —         —       —       621,299     —    

Short-Term Bond
Portfolio

    —       18       68,151     —         13     —       68,164     18  

Select Bond Portfolio

    —       (5,593 )     1,141,901     —         3,833     —       1,145,734     (5,593 )

Long-Term U.S.
Government Bond
Portfolio

    —       2,141       109,530     —         —       —       109,530     2,141  

Inflation Protection
Portfolio

    —       —         70,690     (2,203 )     —       —       70,690     (2,203 )

High Yield Bond
Portfolio *

    —       —         206,836     —         95     —       206,931     —    

Multi-Sector Bond
Portfolio

    —       4,098       119,209     (5,901 )     —       —       119,209     (1,803 )

Balanced Portfolio

    579,407     (5,877 )     1,390,851     1,714       4,316     —       1,974,574     (4,163 )

Asset Allocation Portfolio

    70,219     (527 )     127,200     59       223     —       197,642     (468 )

^ Other financial instruments are derivative instruments such as futures, forwards, written options and swaps contracts, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument and short sales, which are valued at market value.

* On December 31, 2008, this Portfolio did not hold any derivative instruments.

R. Recent Accounting Pronouncements — In September 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Staff Position FSP FAS 133-1, Disclosures about Credit Derivatives and Certain Guarantees: An Amendment of FASB Statement No. 133 (“FAS 133-1”) effective for fiscal years and interim periods ending after November 15, 2008. FAS 133-1 requires enhanced disclosures about the Portfolios’ credit derivative positions, including the nature and term of credit derivatives, the reasons for entering into credit derivatives, the fair value of credit derivatives as of the date of the financial report, the circumstances under which the seller of the credit derivative would be required to perform and the maximum potential amount of future payments along with recourse provisions enabling recovery of such payment from a third party. Management has adopted FAS 133-1 and included necessary disclosures in these Notes to Financial Statements.

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    221


Notes to Financial Statements

 

In March 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Standard No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (“FAS 161”) effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008. FAS 161 requires enhanced disclosures about the Portfolios’ derivative and hedging activities. Management does not believe the adoption of FAS 161 will materially impact the financial statement amounts, but will require additional disclosures. This will include quantitative and qualitative disclosures on derivative positions existing at the period end and the effect of using derivatives during the reporting period.

Note 3. Market Conditions and Portfolio Risk

Recent events in the financial sector have resulted in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets and the net asset value of many mutual funds, including the Portfolios. Such events include, but are not limited to, the seizure of the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation by U.S. banking regulators, the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America and sale of Bear Stearns to JP Morgan, and the government bailout of AIG. These companies represent financial institutions with which certain of the Portfolios conduct business and/or whose securities are or may be held by the Portfolios. The potential investment of each Portfolio in these issuers, and the financial sector in general, as reflected in each Portfolio’s Schedule of Investments, exposes investors to the negative (or positive) performance resulting from these and other events. U.S. Government Agency securities and collateral received by the Portfolios under various arrangements may include securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

In the normal course of business the Portfolios trade financial instruments and enter into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists. Security values fluctuate (market risk) and may decline due to factors affecting securities markets in general, particular industries represented in the securities markets or conditions specifically related to a particular company. Failure of the other party to a transaction to perform (credit risk), for example by not making principal and interest payments when due, reduces the value of the issuer’s debt and could reduce the Portfolio’s income.

Similar to credit risk, the Portfolios may be exposed to counterparty risk, or the risk that an institution or other entity with which the Portfolios have unsettled or open transactions will default. The potential loss could exceed the value of the financial assets recorded in the financial statements. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Portfolios to credit risk, consist principally of cash due from counterparties and investments. The extent of the Portfolios’ exposure to credit and counterparty risks in respect to these financial assets approximates their carrying value as recorded in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

Some of the Portfolios’ investments may be illiquid and the Portfolios may not be able to vary the portfolio investments in response to changes in economic and other conditions. If the Portfolio is required to liquidate all or a portion of its investments quickly, the Portfolio may realize significantly less than the value at which it previously recorded those investments.

Note 4. Investment Advisory and Sub-Advisory Fees

The Series Fund and its Portfolios are parties to annually renewable contracts pursuant to which each Portfolio pays a charge for investment management and administrative services. Certain Portfolios, listed below, pay at a fixed annual rate based on the average daily net asset values of the Portfolio.

 

Portfolio

   Fee  

Index 500 Stock

   0.20 %

Index 400 Stock

   0.25 %

Mid Cap Value

   0.85 %

Small Cap Value

   0.85 %

Money Market

   0.30 %

Select Bond

   0.30 %

Balanced

   0.30 %

For the other Portfolios, the rate for the investment advisory fee is graded by the asset size of the Portfolio according to the following schedules:

 

222    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Portfolio

   First
$50
Million
  Next
$50
Million
  Excess Over
$100
Million
   

Growth Stock

   0.60%   0.50%   0.40%  

Large Cap Core Stock

   0.60%   0.50%   0.40%  

Mid Cap Growth Stock

   0.80%   0.65%   0.50%  

Small Cap Growth Stock

   0.80%   0.65%   0.50%  

International Equity

   0.85%   0.65%   0.65%  

High Yield Bond

   0.60%   0.50%   0.40%  
        

Portfolio

   First
$100
Million
  Next
$400
Million
  Excess Over
$500
Million
 

Focused Appreciation

   0.80%   0.75%   0.70%  
        

Portfolio

   First
$100
Million
  Next
$150
Million
  Excess Over
$250

Million
 

Domestic Equity

   0.65%   0.55%   0.50%  

Large Company Value

   0.72%   0.67%   0.62%  

International Growth

   0.75%   0.65%   0.55%  

Short-Term Bond

   0.35%   0.33%   0.30%  

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond

   0.555%   0.515%   0.495%  

Inflation Protection

   0.58%   0.55%   0.49%  

Multi-Sector Bond

   0.79%   0.78%   0.77%  

Asset Allocation

   0.60%   0.50%   0.40%  

Portfolio

   First
$150
Million
  Next
$150
Million
  Next
$200
Million
  Excess
Over $500

Million

Large Cap Blend

   0.77%   0.70%   0.62%   0.56%

Research International Core

   0.88%   0.82%   0.75%   0.68%

Portfolio

   First
$500
Million
  Excess
Over $500

Million
       

Equity Income

   0.65%   0.60%    

Portfolio

   First
$200
Million
  Excess
Over $200
Million
       

Index 600 Stock

   0.25%   0.20%    

Portfolio

   First
$250
Million
  Next
$250
Million
  Next
$500
Million
  Excess
Over $1.0
Billion

Emerging Markets Equity

   1.14%   1.08%   0.96%   0.78%

Mason Street Advisors, LLC (“MSA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual, which is the manager and investment adviser of the Series Fund, contractually agreed to waive the management fee and absorb certain other operating expenses to the extent necessary so that Total Operating Expenses will not exceed the following amounts:

 

Portfolio

         Expiration

Focused Appreciation

   0.90 %   April 30, 2009

Large Cap Blend

   0.85 %   April 30, 2009

Large Company Value

   0.80 %   April 30, 2009

Domestic Equity

   0.75 %   April 30, 2009

Equity Income

   0.75 %   April 30, 2009

Mid Cap Value

   1.00 %   April 30, 2009

Index 600 Stock

   0.35 %   April 30, 2009

Small Cap Value

   1.00 %   April 30, 2009

International Growth

   1.10 %   April 30, 2009

Research International Core

   1.15 %   April 30, 2009

Emerging Markets Equity

   1.50 %   April 30, 2009

Short-Term Bond

   0.45 %   April 30, 2009

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond

   0.65 %   April 30, 2009

Inflation Protection

   0.65 %   April 30, 2009

Multi-Sector Bond

   0.95 %   April 30, 2009

Asset Allocation

   0.75 %   April 30, 2009

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    223


Notes to Financial Statements

 

With respect to the International Equity Portfolio, MSA has agreed to waive its management fee effective November 15, 2006, such that its management fee is 0.80% on the Portfolio’s first $50 million of assets, 0.60% on Portfolio assets from $50 million to $1 billion, 0.58% on assets from $1 billion to $1.5 billion, and 0.51% on Portfolio assets in excess of $1.5 billion (the latter waiver was added effective December 12, 2006). MSA’s fee waiver agreement extends at least until April 30, 2009.

With respect to the Money Market Portfolio, MSA has voluntarily agreed to waive its 0.30% management fee effective December 31, 2008, on a temporary basis. The waiver is limited to MSA’s management fee, and as a result, the Money Market Portfolio will continue to bear the expenses associated with its participation in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Temporary Guarantee Program for Money Market Funds, as well as any other expenses that MSA has not contractually agreed to assume. This voluntary waiver will be reviewed periodically by MSA and may be revised or discontinued at any time.

With respect to the Asset Allocation Portfolio, MSA has agreed to waive its management fee such that its management fee is 0.55% on the Portfolio’s first $100 million of assets, 0.45% on the Portfolio’s assets from $100 million to $250 million, and 0.35% on assets in excess of $250 million. MSA’s fee waiver agreement extends at least until April 30, 2009.

The investment advisory fee is paid to MSA. Other costs for each Portfolio are paid either by the Portfolios or MSA depending upon the applicable agreement in place.

All of the Portfolios, except for the Balanced, Select Bond and Money Market Portfolios, pay their own custodian fees. Certain Portfolios, listed below, pay a portion of their custodian fees indirectly through expense offset arrangements. Custodian fees are reduced for Portfolios that maintain compensating balances in non-interest bearing accounts. These Portfolios could have invested the assets used to pay for the custodian fees, had the assets not been used in the expense offset arrangements. For the year ended December 31, 2008, the amounts paid through expense offset arrangements were as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Amount

Growth Stock Portfolio

   $ 878

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

     969

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

     858

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

     656

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

     1,482

Domestic Equity Portfolio

     1,184

Equity Income Portfolio

     823

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     1,054

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

     1,505

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

     1,170

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     1,731

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

     681

Small Cap Value Portfolio

     1,984

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

     1,310

High Yield Bond Portfolio

     1,271

Asset Allocation Portfolio

     1,012

Janus Capital Management LLC (“Janus”), Capital Guardian Trust Company (“Capital Guardian”), American Century Investment Management, Inc. (“American Century”), T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”), AllianceBernstein L.P. (“AllianceBernstein”), Massachusetts Financial Services Company (“MFS®”), Templeton Investment Counsel LLC (“Templeton”), and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) have been retained under investment sub-advisory agreements to provide investment advice and, in general, to conduct the management investment programs of the Focused Appreciation Portfolio, Large Cap Blend and Domestic Equity Portfolios, Large Company Value and Inflation Protection Portfolios, Equity Income and Small Cap Value Portfolios, Mid Cap Value Portfolio, Research International Core and Emerging Markets Equity Portfolios, International Equity Portfolio, and the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond and Multi-Sector Bond Portfolios, respectively. Pursuant to an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated May 6, 2008, Templeton has appointed Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited as an additional sub-adviser for the International Equity Portfolio.

MSA pays Janus 0.55% on the first $100 million of the Focused Appreciation Portfolio’s assets, 0.50% on the next $400 million, and 0.45% on assets in excess of $500 million. For the Large Cap Blend Portfolio, MSA pays Capital Guardian 0.46% on the first $150 million of the Portfolio’s assets, 0.40% on the next $150 million, 0.35% on the next $200 million, and 0.30% on assets in excess of $500 million. For the Domestic Equity Portfolio, MSA pays Capital Guardian a flat annual fee of $375,000 on the Portfolio’s assets of $100 million or less, and 0.275% on net assets in excess of $100 million. A fee discount

 

224    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

may apply based on the aggregated annual fees paid on assets managed by Capital Guardian for Northwestern Mutual and its affiliates. MSA pays American Century 0.47% on the first $100 million, 0.42% on the next $150 million, and 0.38% on assets in excess of $250 million for the Large Company Value Portfolio. MSA pays American Century 0.32% on the first $100 million, 0.30% on the next $150 million, and 0.25% on assets in excess of $250 million for the Inflation Protection Portfolio. For the Equity Income Portfolio, MSA pays T. Rowe Price 0.40% on the first $250 million of the Portfolio’s assets, 0.375% on the next $250 million, and 0.35% on assets in excess of $500 million. MSA pays T. Rowe Price an annual rate of 0.60% of the Small Cap Value Portfolio’s average daily net assets. MSA pays AllianceBernstein 0.72% on the first $25 million of the Mid Cap Value Portfolio’s assets, 0.54% on the next $225 million, and 0.50% on assets in excess of $250 million, with a minimum amount of $16,000. MSA pays MFS® 0.55% on the first $250 million, 0.50% on the next $250 million, 0.45% on the next $500 million and 0.40% on assets in excess of $1 billion for the Research International Core Portfolio. MSA pays MFS® 0.80% on the first $250 million, 0.75% on the next $250 million, 0.65% on the next $500 million, and 0.50% on assets in excess of $1 billion for the Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio. MSA pays Templeton 0.50% on the first $100 million of the International Equity Portfolio’s assets, 0.35% on the next $50 million, 0.30% on the next $350 million, 0.25% on the next $500 million, 0.20% on the next $500 million, and 0.15% in excess of $1.5 billion, and Templeton pays Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited seven-tenths of the compensation it receives from MSA. For the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio, MSA pays PIMCO 0.225% of the average daily net assets of the portfolio and for the Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio, MSA pays PIMCO 0.455% of the average daily net assets of the Portfolio.

At its November 4, 2008 meeting, the Series Fund Board approved an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between MSA and American Century relating to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio for an initial period of two years, to be effective as of February 23, 2009. Under the Agreement, MSA will pay American Century 0.57% on the first $50 million of the Mid Cap Value Portfolio’s average daily net assets, 0.52% on the next $50 million, 0.50% on the next $200 million, 0.45% on the next $200 million, and 0.40% on net assets in excess of $500 million.

Note 5. Federal Income Tax Matters

Each of the Portfolios of the Series Fund has elected to be taxed as a regulated investment company meeting certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code. Since each expects to distribute all net investment income and net realized capital gains, the Portfolios anticipate incurring no federal income taxes.

In accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“FIN 48”), management of the Portfolios has reviewed all open tax years for major jurisdictions and concluded the adoption of FIN 48 resulted in no material impact to the Portfolios’ net assets or results of operations. There is no material tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in future tax returns. The Portfolios are also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next 12 months.

Taxable distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains in the Portfolios may differ from book amounts earned during the period due to differences in the timing of capital gains recognition and due to the reclassification of certain gains or losses between capital and income. The differences between cost amounts for book purposes and tax purposes are primarily due to treatment of deferred losses.

It is the policy of the Portfolios to reclassify the net effect of permanent differences between book and taxable income to capital accounts on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

Certain losses incurred by the Portfolios after October 31st are deferred and deemed to have occurred in the next fiscal year for income tax purposes. Net realized capital losses for federal income tax purposes are carried forward to offset future net realized gains. A summary of the Portfolios’ post- October losses and capital loss carryovers as of December 31, 2008 is provided below:

 

     Post-October Losses    Capital Loss Carryovers
     Capital    Foreign
Currency
   Amount    Expiration    Utilized in
2008
   Expired in
2008
     (Amount in Thousands)

Growth Stock Portfolio

   $ 6,634    $    $ 19,884    $ 2016    $    $

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

     4,719           3,503      2016          

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    225


Notes to Financial Statements

 

     Post-October Losses    Capital Loss Carryovers
     Capital    Foreign
Currency
   Amount    Expiration    Utilized in
2008
   Expired in
2008
     (Amount in Thousands)

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

   9,567       94,178    2011-2016      

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

   778       9,246    2016      

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

   5,434               

Large Company Value Portfolio

   1,150       3,845    2016      

Domestic Equity Portfolio

   17,705       114,488    2016      

Equity Income Portfolio

   4,783       2,147    2016      

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   16,132               

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

   2,277               

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

   7,259               

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

   29,840       89,244    2016      

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

   535               

Small Cap Value Portfolio

   2,575               

International Growth Portfolio

   19,640    6    22,220    2016      

Research International Core Portfolio

   3,971    7    5,433    2016      

International Equity Portfolio

   337    123            

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

   3,861       13,927    2016      

Money Market Portfolio

               13   

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

         99    2015-2016      

Select Bond Portfolio

         7,116    2014    9,580   

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

                 

Inflation Protection Portfolio

   84       272    2016      

High Yield Bond Portfolio

   4,102       46,872    2009-2016       21,129

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

      358            

Balanced Portfolio

   53,694       83,295    2016      

Asset Allocation Portfolio

   7,763    1    19,182    2016      

When applicable, each of the Portfolios made distributions during the year of ordinary income and long-term capital gains. The tax character of distributions paid for the year ended December 31, 2008 was as follows:

 

     2008 Distributions
Paid From:
Portfolio    Ordinary Income    Long-term
Capital Gain
     (Amounts in Thousands)

Growth Stock Portfolio

   $ 6,333    $ 39,360

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

     815      6,315

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

     7,218      —  

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

     394      —  

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

     38,985      53,007

Large Company Value Portfolio

     779      —  

Domestic Equity Portfolio

     19,626      22,547

Equity Income Portfolio

     651      3,845

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     31,442      108,595

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

     9,608      46,024

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

     114      2,039

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

     26,366      55,587

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

     —        196

Small Cap Value Portfolio

     4,323      22,747

International Growth Portfolio

     5,348      32,130

Research International Core Portfolio

     979      —  

International Equity Portfolio

     62,359      121,603

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

     2,276      —  

Money Market Portfolio

     14,543      —  

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

     2,714      —  

Select Bond Portfolio

     52,811      —  

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

     2,100      343

Inflation Protection Portfolio

     2,473      —  

High Yield Bond Portfolio

     21,340      —  

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

     6,192      452

Balanced Portfolio

     32,256      695,941

Asset Allocation Portfolio

     9,606      19,156

Each Portfolio intends to distribute the maximum allowable amount permitted by law.

 

226    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Portfolio   Ordinary Income   2007 Distributions
Paid From:
Long-term
Capital Gain
  Return of Capital
    (Amounts in Thousands)

Growth Stock Portfolio

  $ 6,654   $ —     $ —  

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

    79     272     —  

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

    6,345     —       —  

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

    370     —       —  

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

    35,452     76,507     —  

Large Company Value Portfolio

    397     2     —  

Domestic Equity Portfolio

    10,843     15,394     —  

Equity Income Portfolio

    5,943     20,097     —  

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

    9,438     106,812     —  

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

    8,654     29,612     —  

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

    5,009     13,911     —  

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

    3,407     45,726     —  

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

    105     —       102

Small Cap Value Portfolio

    4,900     15,260     —  

International Growth Portfolio

    2,744     24,163     —  

Research International Core Portfolio

    798     —       —  

International Equity Portfolio

    32,959     21,809     —  

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

    234     —       —  

Money Market Portfolio

    21,766     —       —  

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

    1,678     —       —  

Select Bond Portfolio

    40,788     —       —  

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

    837     —       —  

Inflation Protection Portfolio

    983     —       —  

High Yield Bond Portfolio

    17,960     —       —  

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

    2,006     33     —  

Balanced Portfolio

    91,830     50,253     —  

Asset Allocation Portfolio

    7,648     12,908     —  

As of December 31, 2008, the tax basis amounts were as follows:

 

Portfolio

  Undistributed
Ordinary
Income
  Undistributed
Long-Term
Gains
  Accumulated
Losses
  Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
    (Amount in Thousands)

Growth Stock Portfolio

  $ 5,283   $   $ (26,519)   $ (109,498)

Focused Appreciation Portfolio

            (8,222)     (44,898)

Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio

    6,039         (103,745)     (82,256)

Large Cap Blend Portfolio

    3         (10,024)     (10,688)

Index 500 Stock Portfolio

    35,665     35,754     (5,434)     (137,575)

Large Company Value Portfolio

    92         (4,996)     (13,274)

Domestic Equity Portfolio

    10,666         (132,193)     (67,728)

Equity Income Portfolio

    4,885         (6,930)     (66,905)

Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

    2,018     924     (16,132)     (258,373)

Index 400 Stock Portfolio

    6,402     11,120     (2,277)     (113,308)

Mid Cap Value Portfolio

    944     858     (7,259)     (33,568)

Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio

    839         (119,084)     (84,477)

Index 600 Stock Portfolio

        3     (535)     (9,014)

Small Cap Value Portfolio

    2,192     9,196     (2,575)     (57,423)

International Growth Portfolio

    1,029         (41,860)     (72,620)

Research International Core Portfolio

    335         (9,411)     (13,311)

International Equity Portfolio

    47,284     22,331     (460)     (216,006)

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

    377         (17,789)     (29,646)

Money Market Portfolio

                (487)

Short-Term Bond Portfolio

    24         (99)     (982)

Select Bond Portfolio

    56,503         (7,116)     (22,714)

Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio

    5,461     4,469         2,509

Inflation Protection Portfolio

    121         (355)     (621)

High Yield Bond Portfolio

    22,564         (50,973)     (74,536)

Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio

    1,213     1,172     (358)     (12,373)

Balanced Portfolio

    92,107         (136,989)     (324,131)

Asset Allocation Portfolio

    6,142         (26,945)     (40,955)

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    227


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Note 6. Voluntary Reimbursements

Northwestern Mutual voluntarily reimburses foreign equity portfolios for the benefit Northwestern Mutual receives from foreign dividend taxes charged against the Portfolios. The amounts reimbursed represent approximately 65% of the foreign dividend taxes withheld from the Portfolios. Reimbursements are recorded when foreign dividend taxes are accrued. Voluntary reimbursements for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the year ended December 31, 2007 are summarized below:

 

Portfolio

   2008
Reimbursements
   2007
Reimbursements

International Growth Portfolio

   $ 420,110    $ 379,759

Research International Core Portfolio

     127,658      50,124

International Equity Portfolio

     3,855,801      3,435,866

Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

     203,843      74,978

Note 7. Guarantees

In the normal course of business the Portfolios enter into contracts that contain a variety of representations which provide general indemnifications. The Portfolios’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Portfolios that have not yet occurred. However, the Portfolios expect the risk of loss to be remote.

A. Capital Support Agreement - On September 26, 2008, Northwestern Mutual, the parent of the investment advisor for the Money Market Portfolio, entered into a capital support agreement with the Series Fund on behalf of the Money Market Portfolio relating to three securities (“Covered Securities”) to assist the Portfolio in seeking to maintain a stable net asset value. Under the Agreement, Northwestern Mutual is obligated to make a capital contribution to the Money Market Portfolio if the Portfolio realizes losses on the Covered Securities through a sale, bankruptcy or other final payment, or exchange or restructuring of the Covered Security. The amount of the capital contribution would be the lower of (i) the amount necessary to maintain the Portfolio’s market-based net asset value per share at no less than $0.995, (ii) the loss incurred by the Portfolio as a result of the disposition of the Covered Security, or (iii) the aggregate maximum contribution amount set forth in the Agreement less any previous contribution made under the Agreement. The Agreement terminates upon the earlier to occur of (i) the repayment in full by the issuers of all Covered Securities, (ii) the payment by Northwestern Mutual, in the aggregate, of the maximum contribution amount in the Agreement ($23,570,000 representing the aggregate par value of the Covered Securities), and (iii) July 17, 2009.

Securities covered under the capital support agreement as of December 31, 2008:

 

Description

   Maturity    Amortized Cost    Market Value    Market Value as
a Percent

of Net Assets
 
     (Amounts in Thousands)  

Associates Corp. of North America

   7/15/09    $ 7,172    $ 7,001    1.12 %

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

   1/15/09      10,003      9,996    1.61 %

International Lease Finance Corp.

   4/01/09      6,539      6,229    1.00 %

B. Participation in Treasury’s Temporary Guarantee Program for Money Market Funds - At a meeting held on October 6, 2008, the Board of Directors of the Series Fund determined that the Series Fund’s Money Market Portfolio would participate in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (the “Treasury”) Temporary Guarantee Program for Money Market Funds (the “Program”), and subsequently determined that the Money Market Portfolio would participate under the Program’s extension, as discussed below. Under the Program, the Treasury guarantees to investors in participating money market funds that they will receive $1.00 for each money market fund share held as of the close of business on September 19, 2008, subject to certain limitations which are described below. The guarantee will be triggered if the Money Market Portfolio “breaks the buck;” that is, if its net asset value per share falls below $0.995 (a “Guarantee Event”). The Money Market Portfolio is responsible for the payment of fees required to participate in the Program, including any Program extensions. These fees are included in the expenses of the Portfolio in the Statements of Operations.

 

228    Notes to Financial Statements      


Notes to Financial Statements

 

The Program applies only to shares held in the Money Market Portfolio as of the close of business on September 19, 2008. The Program’s guarantee does not apply to shares purchased after September 19, 2008 or to shares redeemed or exchanged into or out of the Money Market Portfolio after September 19, 2008. There is no per-account cap on the amount of coverage; however, the number of shares of each shareholder covered by the Program will be the lesser of (a) the number of shares owned by the shareholder on September 19, 2008 or (b) the number of shares owned by the shareholder in the same account on the date of the Guarantee Event.

If a Guarantee Event occurs, the Money Market Portfolio would be required to liquidate and comply with certain other requirements for any shareholder to be entitled to payments under the Program. The Program covers the difference between the amount received by a shareholder in connection with such liquidation and $1.00 per share, for any shares covered by the guarantee, subject to the overall amount available to all funds participating in the Program. In liquidation, those shares not covered by the Program may receive less than $1.00 per share. Guarantee payments under the Program to all participating money market funds will not exceed the amount available within the U.S. Treasury Department’s Exchange Stabilization Fund on the date of payment. Currently, assets available to the Program are approximately $50 billion.

The Program’s initial three month term ran from September 19, 2008 through December 18, 2008. The Secretary of the Treasury has extended the Program through April 30, 2009, after which the Secretary will review the need to further extend the Program, and the terms of any extension. If the Program is extended, the Money Market Portfolio would have to renew its participation and pay any additional fees required to maintain coverage. If the Secretary chooses not to extend the Program beyond April 30, 2009, the Program will terminate. There is no guarantee that the Secretary of the Treasury will extend the Program, or that the Money Market Portfolio will elect or be eligible to participate in the Program if it is extended beyond April 30, 2009. If a Guarantee Event occurs after the Program expires, or, if sooner, after the Money Market Portfolio ceases to participate in the Program, neither the Money Market Portfolio nor its shareholders will be entitled to any payment under the Program.

The Money Market Portfolio is not in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored or authorized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

 

      Notes to Financial Statements    229


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

LOGO

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the schedules of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Growth Stock Portfolio, Focused Appreciation Portfolio, Large Cap Core Stock Portfolio, Large Cap Blend Portfolio, Index 500 Stock Portfolio, Large Company Value Portfolio, Domestic Equity Portfolio, Equity Income Portfolio, Mid Cap Growth Stock Portfolio, Index 400 Stock Portfolio, Mid Cap Value Portfolio, Small Cap Growth Stock Portfolio, Index 600 Stock Portfolio, Small Cap Value Portfolio, International Growth Portfolio, Research International Core Portfolio, International Equity Portfolio, Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio, Money Market Portfolio, Short-Term Bond Portfolio, Select Bond Portfolio, Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio, Inflation Protection Portfolio, High Yield Bond Portfolio, Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio, Balanced Portfolio and Asset Allocation Portfolio (constituting Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc., hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at December 31, 2008, the results of each of their operations, the changes in each of their net assets and their financial highlights for each of the periods presented, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards set forth by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at December 31, 2008 by correspondence with the custodians and brokers, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

LOGO

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

February 19, 2009

 

230    Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm      


Proxy Voting and Portfolio Holdings

 

Proxy Voting Guidelines

A description of the policies and procedures that the Portfolios use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll free 1-888-455-2232. It is also available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Information regarding how the Portfolios voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll free 1-888-455-2232. It is also available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Quarterly Filing of Portfolio Holdings

Each Portfolio files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Portfolio’s Form N-Q filings are available (i) on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov, and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The Portfolios also make their complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the most recent quarter of their fiscal year available on the Internet at www.nmfn.com.

 

      Proxy Voting and Portfolio Holdings    231


Director and Officer Information (Unaudited)

 

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

The name, address and year of birth of the directors, as well as their affiliations, positions held with the Fund, principal occupations during the past five years and the number of portfolios overseen in the Northwestern Mutual fund complex, are shown below as of December 31, 2008. Each director (whenever elected) shall hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal, provided no director shall serve a term or successive terms totaling more than twelve (12) years. The twelve-year service limitation commences for all directors on the later of May 1, 2003, or the date of his or her election or appointment to the Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund’s By-Laws provide that a director who has attained the age of seventy (70) on or before the first quarterly Board meeting in a calendar year shall retire effective at the end of the meeting. If a director attains age seventy (70) after the first quarterly Board meeting in a calendar year, he or she shall retire effective at the end of the first quarterly Board meeting in the following calendar year. The statement of additional information contains additional information about Fund directors and is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-455-2232.

Independent Directors

 

Name, Address, and
Year of Birth
   Position    Length of
Time Served
   Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by Director
   Other Directorships Held

William A. McIntosh

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1939

   Director    Since 1997    27   

MGIC Investment

Corporation

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Financial consulting. Adjunct Faculty Member, Howard University (1998-2004).

Michael G. Smith

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1944

   Director    Since 2003    27    Trustee of The Ivy Family of Funds (2 registered investment companies — 29 portfolios), Director of the TDAX Funds, Inc. (5 portfolios) and CTMG, Inc.
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Private investor; retired since 1999.

Miriam M. Allison

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1947

   Director    Since 2006    27    None
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Rancher since 2004. Real estate developer since 2002. From 2001 to 2005, Chairman of UMB Fund Services, Inc. (formerly Sunstone Financial Group, Inc.), a mutual fund service provider.

Robert H. Huffman III

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1959

   Director    Since 2007    27    None
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Relative Value Partners, LLC, a registered investment adviser since 2004; prior thereto, Head of Fixed Income Sales, Midwest Region, Citigroup, Inc. (formerly Salomon Brothers).

Michael M. Knetter

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1960

   Director    Since 2007    27    Trustee of The Neuberger Berman Family of Funds (11 registered investment companies — 61 portfolios), Wausau Paper Corp. and Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Dean of University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business since 2002.

 

232    Director and Officer Information      


Director and Officer Information (Unaudited)

 

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Other Directors

 

Name, Address, and

Year o f Birth

 

  

Position

 

  

Length of Time
Served

 

  

Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by Director

 

  

Other Directorships
Held

 

Edward J. Zore

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1945

   Chairman
of the Board
   Since 2000    27    Manpower, Inc. and Trustee of Northwestern Mutual

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwestern Mutual since 2001.

 

Executive Officers            

Name, Address, and
Year o f Birth

 

        

Position

 

        

Length of Time Served

 

Patricia L. Van Kampen

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1951

      President       Since 2008

Principal Occupation: Managing Director – Head of Equities of Mason Street Advisors, LLC since 2002.

 

Walter M. Givler

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1957

      Vice President;

Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer

   Since 2003

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Vice President – Accounting Policy of Northwestern Mutual since 2007; Vice President of Investment Accounting for Northwestern Mutual, since 2002 – 2007.

 

Kate M. Fleming

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1962

      Vice President-Operations    Since 2004

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Vice President-Operations of Mason Street Advisors, LLC since 2004. Prior thereto, Assistant General Counsel of Northwestern Mutual.

 

Barbara E. Courtney

720 East Wisconsin

Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53202

1957

      Controller       Since 1996

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Director of Mutual Fund Accounting of Northwestern Mutual since 2002.

 

Michael W. Zielinski

720 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202

1974

      Chief Compliance Officer    Since 2006

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Chief Compliance Officer of Mason Street Advisors, LLC since 2006; Counsel, Northwestern Mutual from 2004 - 2006; Associate Counsel, Quasar Distributors, LLC (broker-dealer) from 2003 to 2004.

 

Randy M. Pavlick

720 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

1959

      Secretary       Since 2006

Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years: Assistant General Counsel of Northwestern Mutual and Assistant Secretary of Mason Street Advisors, LLC, each since 2004; prior thereto, Vice President and General Counsel of UMB Financial Services, Inc. (formerly Sunstone Financial Group, Inc.) (mutual fund service provider) from 1993 to 2004.

 

 

      Director and Officer Information    233


Approval and Continuance of Investment

Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc.

Annual Contract Review Process

Under Section 15(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, contracts for investment advisory services are required to be reviewed, evaluated and approved by a majority of an investment company’s independent directors each year. In addition, each investment company is required to disclose in its annual or semi-annual report, as appropriate, the material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the board’s approval or renewal of any investment advisory agreements within the investment company’s most recently completed fiscal half-year period.

At least annually, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. (the “Series Fund”), including its Independent Directors, considers and votes upon the renewal of the investment sub-advisory agreements between Mason Street Advisors, LLC (“Mason Street Advisors”) and each of the sub-advisers of those portfolios of the Series Fund (each, a “Portfolio” and collectively, the “Portfolios”) for which Mason Street Advisors has appointed a sub-adviser. In order to afford the Board the opportunity to focus on a smaller number of relationships at any one meeting, the Board considers the annual continuation of the sub-advisory agreements on a staggered basis.

At its August 6, 2008 meeting, the Series Fund Board, including the Independent Directors, unanimously approved the continuance of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, with certain non-substantive amendments, between Mason Street Advisors and Janus Capital Management LLC (“Janus”) relating to the Focused Appreciation Portfolio, and the continuance of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and American Century Investment Management, Inc. (“ACI”) relating to the Large Company Value Portfolio and the Inflation Protection Portfolio. The Series Fund Board, including the Independent Directors, also unanimously approved the continuance, subject to the limitations discussed below, of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with AllianceBernstein L.P. (“AllianceBernstein”) relating to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio.

At its November 4, 2008 meeting, the Series Fund Board, including the Independent Directors, unanimously approved an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and ACI relating to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio for an initial two year period, pursuant to which ACI would replace AllianceBernstein as the sub-adviser for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio as of February 23, 2009 (the “New Sub-Advisory Agreement”). At its November 4, 2008 meeting, the Series Fund Board, including the Independent Directors, also unanimously approved the continuance of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, with certain non-substantive amendments, between Mason Street Advisors and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”) relating to the Small Cap Value Portfolio and the Equity Income Portfolio and the continuance of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (“PIMCO”) relating to the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio and the Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio. (AllianceBernstein, Janus, ACI, T. Rowe Price and PIMCO are sometimes collectively referred to hereinafter as the “Sub-Advisers,” their respective sub-advised Portfolios are collectively referred to herein as the “Sub-Advised Portfolios” and the respective Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements with such Sub-Advisers are collectively referred to herein as the “Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements”).

Factors Considered

In determining whether to approve the New Sub-Advisory Agreement and the continuance of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements on behalf of the Series Fund, the Directors requested and received detailed information from Mason Street Advisors and the Sub-Advisers to assist them in their evaluation, including information compiled by certain independent providers of evaluative data. With respect to the continuation of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements, while particular focus is given to an evaluation of the services, performance, fees, costs, and certain other relevant information under such Agreements at the meeting at which their continuation is formally considered, the evaluation process with respect to the Sub-Advisers and the nature, extent and quality of the services they provide to the Sub-Advised Portfolios, and the related performance, costs and expenses, is an ongoing one. As a result, the Directors’ consideration of the nature, extent and quality of services, and the performance, costs and expenses, was informed by information provided and deliberations that occurred at other meetings throughout the year.

The Independent Directors also received a memorandum from their counsel advising the Directors of their responsibilities in connection with the approval of the New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement and the renewal of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements, and summarizing the legal standards governing the review of these Agreements. In addition, during the course of

 

234    Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements      


Approval and Continuance of Investment

Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

their deliberations, the Independent Directors had the opportunity to meet privately without representatives of Mason Street Advisors and the Sub-Advisers present, and were represented throughout the process by legal counsel to the Independent Directors.

Approval of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and American Century Investment Management, Inc.

At its November 4, 2008 meeting, the Series Fund Board selected ACI to replace AllianceBernstein as the sub-adviser for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s determination to approve the New Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio include those discussed below. In addition to the information provided to them at the November 4, 2008 meeting, including an in-person presentation from ACI, the Directors considered their experience with and knowledge of the nature and quality of services provided by ACI to other of the Series Fund’s Portfolios, and their interactions with representatives of ACI and its affiliates and their discussions with representatives of Mason Street Advisors. The Directors evaluated a variety of information they deemed relevant. No one particular factor was identified as controlling, but rather it was a combination of all the factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the determinations made by the Directors.

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. The Directors evaluated the nature, scope, extent and quality of services to be provided by ACI with respect to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio. The Directors considered the process followed to identify potential sub-advisers for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio, and the rationale for the recommendation of ACI as sub-adviser. The Directors also considered the breadth and depth of experience of ACI in managing other accounts using a similar investment strategy, including other mutual funds using a substantially similar strategy. The Directors’ considerations included information about ACI’s organization and the tenure, experience, performance and relative depth of ACI’s investment management team. The Board also considered the potential benefit of ACI’s private ownership structure in the current market environment. The Board acknowledged the synergy between the organizations’ core values. The investment processes to be employed by ACI were also considered, with the Board noting in particular the value style purity of ACI’s investment process. The Board also considered ACI’s explanation of the impact of its investment strategy on portfolio turnover and the materials presented regarding the consistency of the turnover with ACI’s investment process and the impact of turnover on performance. Finally, the Board took into consideration ACI’s general reputation and the resources available to be committed in managing the Mid Cap Value Portfolio. Based on their review of these factors and other factors deemed relevant, the Directors concluded that they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services to be provided by ACI with respect to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio, and the resources to be committed by ACI in providing such services.

Investment Performance. The Directors considered ACI’s performance record with another mutual fund with an investment objective, investment policies and investment strategies substantially similar to the Mid Cap Value Portfolio. In addition to absolute performance for this similar fund for both short and long-term periods, the Directors considered a comparison of the performance to the returns of a peer group and universe of comparable funds underlying variable insurance products as compiled by an independent research firm, and to the performance averages of the respective Morningstar and Lipper categories for the same periods. The Directors evaluated the similar fund’s relative performance, and considered independent rankings and ratings where applicable, to provide an objective comparative benchmark against which they could assess the experience and ability of ACI in managing similar accounts. The Directors also considered ACI’s knowledge and experience as a value manager and their experience with the value investment capabilities of ACI. Based on these and other factors deemed relevant, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the experience and capabilities of ACI and the personnel to be associated with the Mid Cap Value Portfolio.

Management Fees and Other Expenses. In evaluating the management fees paid by the Mid Cap Value Portfolio, the Directors considered the actual and contractual fees paid by the Portfolio under the Investment Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and the Series Fund. The Directors also considered a comparison of the actual and contractual management fees of the Portfolio and those of an independently selected peer group of mutual funds for the Portfolio. The Directors considered that the fee schedule for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio contained breakpoints, and that the fee schedule and breakpoints evidenced an appropriate sharing of economies of scale between the Portfolio and Mason Street Advisors. The Directors further considered the total operating expenses of the Portfolio and a comparison of those expenses with the Portfolio’s peer group. The fact that the Investment Advisory Agreement requires Mason Street Advisors to be responsible for many of the administrative and operational expenses, in addition to the investment management expenses, of the Portfolio was also considered. The Directors did not consider the management fees charged to other Mason Street Advisors clients as particularly relevant, because substantially all of those accounts were managed for affiliates of Mason Street Advisors and, as

 

      Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements    235


Approval and Continuance of Investment

Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

such, those accounts were priced based on different factors and considerations and, in some instances, had investment objectives and policies different than the Portfolio. The Directors considered the comparative data as a guide to help assess the reasonableness of the Portfolio’s advisory fee, although they acknowledged that it was difficult to make precise comparisons with other funds since the exact nature of services provided by peers is often not apparent. The Directors also separately considered the allocation between Mason Street Advisors and ACI of the Mid Cap Value Portfolio’s investment advisory fee (i.e. the amount of the advisory fee retained by Mason Street Advisors relative to that paid to ACI as a sub-advisory fee). They determined that the allocation was reasonable and the product of arm’s length negotiation between Mason Street Advisors and ACI.

The Directors noted that the Mid Cap Value Portfolio was projected to continue to be in one of the two top Lipper quintiles (meaning lowest expenses) of both its peer group and universe, with respect to total net operating expenses. In considering the level of management fees, the Directors also considered the structure and size of the Portfolio, the expenses assumed by Mason Street Advisors, the existing expense cap arrangement agreed to by Mason Street Advisors for the Portfolio and the amounts waived or reimbursed by Mason Street Advisors under the agreement. Based on their review of the management and other expenses, the comparative data, the performance of the Portfolio, and other factors deemed relevant by the Directors, the Directors concluded that the management fees and total operating expenses of the Portfolio were reasonable in relation to the nature, scope and quality of services provided and the performance of the Portfolio.

Costs and Profitability. The Directors also considered Mason Street Advisors’ pricing methodology for its services as investment adviser and for the products of which the Portfolio is an investment option. Also considered was the financial condition of Mason Street Advisors and information concerning Mason Street Advisors’ costs and profitability with respect to its relationship with the Portfolio in general as well as in light of the sub-advisory fees negotiated with ACI. Mason Street Advisors provided a profitability analysis for the Portfolio that included the expense allocation methodology used, net income for the Portfolio individually and the Series Fund Portfolios in the aggregate, net income earned from Mason Street Advisors for all of its clients in the aggregate, and net profit margins for the Portfolio individually and the Series Fund Portfolios in the aggregate. In connection with its review of the profitability of Mason Street Advisors’ services to the Portfolio, the Directors also considered services provided by affiliates of Mason Street Advisors. The Directors also received information on soft dollar arrangements, including its policies for allocating brokerage and research services, and any other benefits to Mason Street Advisors or its affiliates arising from the Portfolio.

The Directors recognized that there are limitations inherent in allocating costs and calculating profitability for an organization such as Mason Street Advisors, and that it is difficult to make comparisons of profitability among investment advisers and clients because comparative information is not generally publicly available and, when available, such information has been developed using a variety of assumptions and other factors. Based on their review of the profitability analysis for the Portfolio, the Directors concluded that they were satisfied that Mason Street Advisors’ level of profitability from its relationship with the Portfolio was not excessive.

Continuation of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements Between Mason Street Advisors and Certain Sub-Advisers

The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval of the continuance of each of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements with respect to each Sub-Advised Portfolio include those discussed below. In addition to the information provided to them at the meetings by Mason Street Advisers and the Sub-Advisers, the Directors considered their experience with and knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Sub-Advisers and their discussions with representatives of Mason Street Advisers, its affiliates and the Sub-Advisers. The Directors received a presentation from representatives of each Sub-Adviser involved in the management of the respective Sub-Advised Portfolios, as well as information from Mason Street Advisors regarding on-site due diligence visits which had been conducted with each Sub-Adviser. The Directors evaluated a variety of information they deemed relevant on a Portfolio by Portfolio basis. No one particular factor was identified as controlling, but rather it was a combination of all the factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the determinations made by the Directors.

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. In considering the nature, extent and quality of each Sub-Adviser’s services, factors considered by the Directors included the Sub-Adviser’s investment personnel, the experience of the portfolio managers of each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios, and any changes in key personnel. The Directors considered the recent portfolio manager change for the Focused Appreciation Portfolio and concluded that overall, they did not believe that the change had impacted the level of service provided. The Directors also considered the scope of the services provided by the Sub-Advisers, noting that there were no changes in the services provided. In connection with the Portfolios sub-advised by PIMCO, the Directors

 

236    Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements      


Approval and Continuance of Investment

Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

considered information relating to PIMCO’s appointment as the asset manager for the Federal Reserve’s Commercial Paper Funding Facility, as well as PIMCO’s explanation of how it intended to allocate resources to provide services to the Portfolios in light of such appointment. The Directors also considered the succession plans with respect to the management of certain of the Sub-Advised Portfolios. Consideration was also given to the Sub-Advisers’ reputations in the industry in providing investment management services, the Sub-Advisers’ experience and the performance of the Sub-Advised Portfolios. Based on their review of these factors, their discussions with the Sub-Advisers and their experience with the services provided by the Sub-Advisers for the respective Sub-Advised Portfolios, other than as discussed below, the Directors concluded that they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided by Sub-Advisers on behalf of the respective Sub-Advised Portfolios, and the resources committed by each Sub-Adviser in providing those services.

With respect to the Board’s decision to replace the sub-adviser for the Mid Cap Value Portfolio, the Directors considered ongoing discussions with AllianceBernstein relating to certain issues that had arisen based on AllianceBernstein’s portfolio management style, including certain difficulties created in terms of measuring the Portfolio’s performance relative to its mid cap value peers. The Board generally felt that AllianceBernstein’s approach to resolving the issues was not likely to be successful, particularly given the facts and circumstances relating to the manner in which AllianceBernstein managed accounts with a mandate similar to the Portfolio’s. While the Board considered the Portfolio’s long-term performance record and lower expense ratio to be satisfactory, the Board concluded that the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with AllianceBernstein should be continued only until such time as a sub-adviser whose management style more closely fit the Portfolio could be identified.

Investment Performance.    The Directors reviewed the investment performance of each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios over a variety of time periods. In addition to absolute performance for each Sub-Advised Portfolio for both short and long-term periods, the Directors considered (i) a comparison of each Sub-Advised Portfolio’s one-, three- and five-year (as applicable) performance to the returns of appropriate peer groups created by an independent research firm, certain benchmarks and indices, and to the performance averages of each Sub-Advised Portfolio’s respective Morningstar and Lipper categories for the same periods, (ii) the Morningstar overall star rating for each Portfolio, if available, and (iii) the Morningstar and the Lipper rankings for the one-, three- and five-year (as applicable) periods. The Directors evaluated each Sub-Advised Portfolio’s performance against these peer groups and industry benchmarks and indices, and viewed this information as providing an objective comparative benchmark against which they could assess the performance of the Sub-Advised Portfolios. The Directors noted in particular the consistently strong investment results of the Focused Appreciation Portfolio. The Directors also considered the performance of accounts managed in a similar manner by each of the Sub-Advisers and information from the Sub-Advisers regarding any significant differences in the performance of those accounts from that of the Sub-Advised Portfolios. In connection with their evaluation of the performance of the Sub-Advised Portfolios, the Directors also took into consideration the risk profile for each Sub-Advised Portfolio over the short and long term relative to its performance. In addition to performance information presented at the meeting, the Directors considered the detailed performance information, market commentary, portfolio analysis and portfolio manager presentations they received periodically throughout the year. Generally speaking, while attentive to short term performance and what trends it might indicate, the Directors provided greater weight to longer term performance.

With respect to the relative performance of the Inflation Protection Portfolio, the Directors considered ACI’s explanation for the slight underperformance. In particular, the Directors considered the impact on the performance of the Inflation Protection Portfolio of Internal Revenue Code provisions governing insurance products that limited the Portfolio’s allocation to non-inflation linked securities. The Directors also considered the explanations of T. Rowe Price and PIMCO for the recent performance of the Small Cap Value Portfolio and the Long-Term U.S. Government Bond Portfolio. For the reasons and based on the discussion summarized above, the Board concluded that, on balance, it was satisfied with the relative investment performance of the Sub-Advised Portfolios.

Management Fees and Other Expenses.    In evaluating the management fees and total expenses paid by the Sub-Advised Portfolios, the Directors considered the actual and contractual fees paid by each Sub-Advised Portfolio. The Directors also considered the sub-advisory fees, which fees are paid by Mason Street Advisers out of its management fee, including a comparison of those fees with fees charged by certain of the Sub-Advisers for similarly managed accounts. The Directors also considered a comparison of the actual and contractual management fees of the Sub-Advised Portfolios and those of an independently selected peer group of mutual funds for each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios. The Directors considered the comparative data as a tool to help assess the reasonableness of each Sub-Advised Portfolio’s advisory fee, though they noted that it was difficult to make precise comparisons with other funds because the exact nature of services provided to peer funds is often not apparent. The Directors considered that the fee schedules for certain of the Sub-Advised Portfolios contained

 

      Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements    237


Approval and Continuance of Investment

Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

breakpoints, and that the fee schedules and breakpoints evidenced an appropriate sharing of economies of scale between the each Sub-Advised Portfolio and Mason Street Advisors. In considering the level of management fees, the Directors also considered the size of the Sub-Advised Portfolios, the increase in management, compliance and related costs, expenses assumed by Mason Street Advisors, and the existing expense cap arrangements agreed to by Mason Street Advisors with respect to the Sub-Advised Portfolios.

The Directors also considered the total operating expenses of each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios and compared those expenses with those of each Sub-Advised Portfolio’s respective peer group. The Directors noted that four of the Sub-Advised Portfolios were in the top two Lipper quintiles (meaning lowest expenses) of their respective peer groups, two were in the third quintile, one was in the fourth quintile and one was in the fifth quintile, with respect to total net operating expenses. With respect to the two Portfolios in the fourth and fifth quintiles, the Directors considered the nature of the expenses that had contributed to the higher total net operating expenses and noted that expense cap agreements were in place with respect to each such Portfolio.

Based on their review of the above information and other factors deemed relevant by the Directors, the Directors concluded that the management fees and total expenses of each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios were reasonable in relation to the nature, scope and quality of services provided and the performance of the Sub-Advised Portfolios over time.

Costs and Profitability.    The Directors also considered the profitability information related to certain of the Sub-Advised Portfolios where such information had been provided and the financial statements of certain Sub-Advisers or their affiliates who had not provided specific profitability information. The Directors also considered the profitability of Mason Street Advisors. In cases where profitability information had not been provided, the Directors noted that the sub-advisory fees were the result of arm’s-length negotiations between Mason Street Advisors and such Sub-Advisers. The Directors also recognized that there are limitations inherent in allocating costs and calculating profitability for organizations such as the Sub-Advisers, and that it is difficult to make comparisons of profitability among investment advisers because comparative information is not generally publicly available and, when available, such information had been developed using a variety of assumptions and other factors. In connection with their review, the Directors were presented with information concerning the Sub-Advisers’ soft dollar arrangements, including the Sub-Advisers’ policies for allocating brokerage for brokerage and research services and any other benefits to the Sub-Advisers arising from the Sub-Advised Portfolios. Based on their review, the Directors concluded that they were satisfied that the fees paid by each of the Sub-Advised Portfolios was not excessive.

Other Information

The Directors were presented with other information intended to assist them in their consideration of the approval of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement and the continuation of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements, including information about the services provided by affiliates of Mason Street Advisors, pending or recent litigation or regulatory actions to which a Sub-Adviser or its affiliates may have been a party, and the applicable Sub-Adviser’s responses to those actions, reports from Mason Street Advisors on its review of the respective compliance programs of the Sub-Advisers, the inclusion of certain Sub-Advisers in various distribution programs of affiliates of Mason Street Advisors, and information regarding portfolio turnover, business continuity, codes of ethics, and business structure and history.

Conclusions of the Directors

Based on a consideration of all information they deemed relevant in its totality, the Board, including the Independent Directors, and assisted by the advice of legal counsel independent of Mason Street Advisors, in the exercise of its business judgment concluded that it was in the best interests of each Portfolio to approve the New Sub-Advisory Agreement between Mason Street Advisors and ACI and the continuation of each of the Existing Sub-Advisory Agreements between Mason Street Advisors and the Sub-Advisers.

 

238    Approval and Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements      


REPORT ON FORM N-CSR

RESPONSES FOR NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL SERIES FUND, INC.

 

Item 2. Code of Ethics

 

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer or controller.

 

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert

 

The Registrant’s board of directors has determined that the Registrant has five audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee. The names of the audit committee financial experts are Miriam M. Allison, Robert H. Huffman III, Michael M. Knetter, William A. McIntosh and Michael G. Smith. Each of the audit committee financial experts is independent.

 

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

(a) Audit Fees

             

Audit Fees and Expenses of Registrant

             
     2007

   2008

     $ 488,800    $ 504,000

(b) Audit Related Fees

             

Audit-Related Fees and Expenses of Registrant

             
     2007

   2008

     $ 0    $ 0

(c) Tax Fees

             
     2007

   2008

     $ 80,450    $ 86,500

Review of dividend declarations

             

Review of excise tax calculations

             

Non-U.S. tax compliance

             

(d) All Other Fees

             
     2007

   2008

     $ 0    $ 0

 

(e)(1) It is the audit committee’s policy to pre-approve all audit and non-audit service engagements for the Registrant; and any non-audit service engagement of the Registrant’s auditor by (1) the Registrant’s investment adviser and (2) any other entity in a control relationship with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant if, in each of (1) and (2) above, the non-audit service engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Registrant. (2) Not applicable.

 

(f) Not applicable.

 

(g) Aggregate non-audit fees of Registrant and related service providers

             
     2007

   2008

     $ 38,652    $ 24,550
    

  

 

(h) The Registrant’s audit committee has considered whether the auditor’s provision of non-audit services to the Registrant’s related service providers is compatible with the auditor’s independence.


Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Schedule of Investments

 

Full Schedule of Investments is included in Item 1.

 

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 11. Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

(a) The Registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have evaluated the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date, in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the Registrant in this filing was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported timely.

 

(b) There was no change in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) that occurred during the Registrant’s last fiscal half-year that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12. Exhibits

 

(a)(1) The code of ethics referred to in the response to Item 2 above is attached as exhibit EX-99.12(a)(1).

 

(a)(2) Separate certifications for the Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached as exhibit EX-99.CERT.

 

(b) Separate certifications for the Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached as exhibit EX-99.906CERT. The certifications furnished pursuant to this paragraph are not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL SERIES FUND, INC.

 

By:  

/s/ Patricia L. Van Kampen


    Patricia L. Van Kampen, President
Date: February 16, 2009

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:  

/s/ Patricia L. Van Kampen


    Patricia L. Van Kampen, President
     
Date: February 16, 2009


By:  

/s/ Walter M. Givler


    Walter M. Givler, Vice-President,
    Chief Financial Officer and
    Treasurer
Date: February 16, 2009