Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or
“turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating
Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 1.72% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund employs a “passive” management, or indexing, approach, which seeks to match approximately the performance of the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index (“S&P 500® Index”) before the deduction of Fund expenses. The S&P 500® Index includes equity securities of approximately 500 large U.S. companies in a wide range of businesses. Under normal circumstances, the Fund
invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies included in the S&P 500® Index. The Fund does not necessarily invest in all of the securities included in the S&P 500® Index or in the same weightings.
The Fund intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion
as the S&P 500® Index is diversified. The Fund may become “nondiversified,” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act, as amended (the “1940
Act”), solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the S&P 500® Index. A “nondiversified” fund generally invests a greater proportion of its assets in the securities of one or more issuers and invests overall in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Shareholder approval will not be sought if the Fund becomes
nondiversified due solely to a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the S&P 500® Index.
The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective.
As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of:
Equity securities risk – stock markets are volatile. The price of an equity
security fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
Index fund risk – the Fund does not use defensive strategies or attempt to reduce its exposure to poor performing securities.
Further, correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the index is likely to be negatively affected by the Fund’s expenses, changes in the composition of the index, and the timing of purchase and redemption of Fund shares.
Market risk – the risk that one or more markets
in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This occurs due to numerous factors, including
interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, and the fluctuation of other securities markets around the world. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts, trade disputes and social unrest or rapid technological developments such as artificial intelligence) adversely interrupt the global economy.
Nondiversified fund risk – in seeking to track the S&P 500 Index Index, the
Fund may become nondiversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents in the S&P 500 Index Index. Because the
Fund may hold larger positions in fewer securities than diversified funds, a single security’s increase or decrease in value may have a greater impact on the Fund’s value and total return.
Redemptions risk – the Fund is an investment option for other mutual funds that are
managed as “funds-of-funds.” As a result, from time to time, the Fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments. Large or continuous redemptions may
increase the Fund’s transaction costs and could cause the Fund’s operating expenses to be allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio. If funds-of-funds or other large shareholders redeem large amounts of shares rapidly or unexpectedly, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which could negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value and liquidity.
Sector risk – investments in particular industries or sectors may be more volatile
than the overall stock market. Therefore, if the Fund emphasizes one or more industries or economic sectors, it will be more susceptible to financial, market or economic events
affecting the particular issuers and industries participating in such sectors than funds that do not emphasize particular industries or sectors.