Equity Oriented or Fixed Income Oriented Funds | The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio

The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio

What is the Portfolio’s investment objective?

The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio seeks maximum long-term total return, consistent with reasonable risk.

What are the Portfolio’s fees and expenses? 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio.

Annual portfolio operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Equity Oriented or Fixed Income Oriented Funds The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio DPT CLASS
Management fees		0.43%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees		none
Other expenses		0.27%
Total annual portfolio operating expenses		0.70%
Fee waivers and expense reimbursements	[1]	(0.25%)
Total annual portfolio operating expenses after fee waivers and expense reimbursements		0.45%

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and reflects the Manager’s fee waivers and expense reimbursements for the 1-year period and the total operating expenses without waivers for years 2 through 10. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Equity Oriented or Fixed Income Oriented Funds The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio DPT CLASS	46	199	365	847

Portfolio turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 358% of the average value of its portfolio.

What are the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies?

The Portfolio allocates its investments principally among the following three sectors of the fixed income securities markets: the U.S. investment grade sector, the U.S. high yield sector, and the international sector. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities (80% Policy). The Portfolio’s 80% Policy may be changed without shareholder approval. However, shareholders will be given notice at least 60 days prior to any such change.

We will determine how much of the Portfolio to allocate to each of the three sectors, based on our evaluation of economic and market conditions and our assessment of the returns and potential for appreciation that can be achieved from investments in each of the three sectors. We will periodically reallocate the Portfolio’s assets, as deemed necessary. The relative proportion of the Portfolio’s assets to be allocated among sectors is described below.

• U.S. investment grade sector Under normal circumstances, between 50% and 100% of the Portfolio’s total assets will be invested in the U.S. investment grade sector. In managing the Portfolio’s assets allocated to the U.S. investment grade sector, we will invest principally in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, or instrumentalities, and by U.S. corporations. The corporate debt obligations in which the Portfolio may invest include bonds, notes, debentures, and commercial paper of U.S. companies. The U.S. government securities in which the Portfolio may invest include a variety of securities that are issued or guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government, and by various agencies or instrumentalities that have been established or sponsored by the U.S. government. 

The U.S. investment grade sector of the Portfolio’s assets may also be invested in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, or instrumentalities or by government-sponsored corporations. Other MBS in which the Portfolio may invest are issued by certain private, nongovernment entities. Subject to the quality limitations, the Portfolio may also invest in securities that are backed by assets such as receivables on home equity and credit card loans, automobile, mobile home, recreational vehicle, and other loans, wholesale dealer floor plans, and leases.

Securities purchased by the Portfolio within this sector will be rated in one of the four highest rating categories or will be unrated securities that we determine are of comparable quality.

The Portfolio may hold a substantial portion of its assets in cash or short-term fixed income obligations in unusual market conditions to meet redemption requests, for temporary defensive purposes, and pending investment. The Portfolio may also use a wide range of derivative instruments, typically including options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps. The Portfolio will use derivatives for both hedging and nonhedging purposes. For example, the Portfolio may invest in: futures and options to manage duration and for defensive purposes, such as to protect gains or hedge against potential losses in the portfolio without actually selling a security, or to stay fully invested; forward foreign currency contracts to manage foreign currency exposure; interest rate swaps to neutralize the impact of interest rate changes; credit default swaps to hedge against bond defaults, to manage credit exposure or to enhance total return; and index swaps to enhance return or to affect diversification. The Portfolio will not use derivatives for reasons inconsistent with its investment objective.

What are the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio?

Investing in any mutual fund involves the risk that you may lose part or all of the money you invest. Over time, the value of your investment in the Portfolio will increase and decrease according to changes in the value of the securities in its portfolio. Principal risks include:

Risk	Definition
Investment not guaranteed by the Manager or its affiliates	Investments in the Portfolio are not and will not be deposits with or liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 and its holding companies, including their subsidiaries or related companies (Macquarie Group), and are subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and capital invested. No Macquarie Group company guarantees or will guarantee the performance of the Portfolio, the repayment of capital from the Portfolio, or any particular rate of return.
Market risk	The risk that all or a majority of the securities in a certain market — such as the stock or bond market — will decline in value because of factors such as adverse political or economic conditions, future expectations, investor confidence, or heavy institutional selling.
Credit risk	The risk that an issuer of a debt security, including a governmental issuer, or an entity that insures a bond may be unable to make interest payments and repay principal in a timely manner.
Interest rate risk	The risk that securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise. The risk is generally associated with bonds; however, because companies in the real estate sector and smaller companies often borrow money to finance their operations, they may be adversely affected by rising interest rates. Swaps may be particularly sensitive to interest rate changes. Depending on the actual movements of interest rates and how well the portfolio manager anticipates them, a fund could experience a higher or lower return than anticipated.
Bank loans and other indebtedness risk	The risk that the portfolio will not receive payment of principal, interest, and other amounts due in connection with these investments and will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower and the lending institution.
Prepayment risk	The risk that the principal on a bond that is held by a portfolio will be prepaid prior to maturity at a time when interest rates are lower than what that bond was paying. A portfolio may then have to reinvest that money at a lower interest rate.
High yield risk	The risk that high yield securities, commonly known as “junk bonds”, are subject to reduced creditworthiness of issuers; increased risk of default and a more limited and less liquid secondary market than higher rated securities; and greater price volatility and risk of loss of income and principal than are higher rated securities because they are rated below investment grade. High yield bonds are sometimes issued by municipalities with less financial strength and therefore less ability to make projected debt payments on the bonds.
Foreign risk	The risk that foreign securities (particularly in emerging markets) may be adversely affected by political instability, inefficient markets and higher transaction costs, changes in currency exchange rates, foreign economic conditions, or inadequate or different regulatory and accounting standards.
Currency risk	The risk that the value of a portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Forward foreign currency risk	The use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts may substantially change a fund’s exposure to currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the fund if currencies do not perform as the Manager expects. The use of these investments as a hedging technique to reduce a fund’s exposure to currency risks may also reduce its ability to benefit from favorable changes in currency exchange rates.
Foreign government/ supranational risk	The risk that a foreign government or government-related issuer may be unable to make timely payments on its external debt obligations.
Derivatives risk	Derivative contracts, such as options, futures, and swaps, may involve additional expenses (such as the payment of premiums) and are subject to significant loss if a security or a securities index to which a derivative contract is associated moves in the opposite direction from what the portfolio manager anticipated. Derivative contracts are also subject to the risk that the counterparty may fail to perform its obligations under the contract due to financial difficulties (such as a bankruptcy or reorganization).
Liquidity risk	The possibility that securities cannot be readily sold within seven days at approximately the price at which a portfolio has valued them.

How has The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio performed?

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The returns reflect any expense caps in effect during these periods. The returns would be lower without the expense caps. You may obtain the Portfolio’s most recently available month-end performance by calling 800 231-8002 or by visiting our website at delawareinvestments.com/institutional.

Year-by-year total return (The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio)      

During the periods illustrated in this bar chart, The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio’s highest quarterly return was 9.22% for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2009 and its lowest quarterly return was -2.84% for the quarter ended June 30, 2013.

Average annual total returns for periods ended December 31, 2013

Average Annual Total Returns Equity Oriented or Fixed Income Oriented Funds The Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
DPT CLASS	(1.13%)	8.70%	5.89%
DPT CLASS Return after taxes on distributions	(2.09%)	7.05%	4.20%
DPT CLASS Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares	(0.64%)	6.22%	3.96%
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(2.02%)	4.44%	4.55%

Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s individual tax situation and may differ from the returns shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shares held in tax-deferred investment vehicles such as employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The after-tax returns shown are calculated using the highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the Portfolio’s lifetime and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. 

[1] The Portfolio's investment manager, Delaware Management Company (Manager), is contractually waiving its investment advisory fees and/or paying Portfolio expenses (excluding any 12b-1 fees, taxes, interest, short sale and dividend interest expenses, brokerage fees, certain insurance costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, and nonroutine expenses or costs, including, but not limited to, those relating to reorganizations, litigation, conducting shareholder meetings, and liquidations) to the extent necessary to prevent total annual portfolio operating expenses from exceeding 0.45% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets from Feb. 27, 2014 through Feb. 27, 2015. These waivers and reimbursements may only be terminated by agreement of the Manager and the Portfolio.