þ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
o | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |
o | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
o | Definitive Additional Materials | |
o | Soliciting Material Pursuant to § 240.14a-11(c) or § 240.14a-12 |
þ | No fee required. | |
o | Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
1) | Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: | ||
2) | Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: | ||
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o | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. | |
o | Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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| Renaming the Fund as Invesco V.I. Managed Volatility Fund; | ||
| Adopting a new investment objective to seek both capital appreciation and current income while managing portfolio volatility; | ||
| Adopting principal investment strategies that requires the Fund to invest primarily in equity and fixed income securities, derivatives, and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities as well as derivatives to decrease the volatility level of the Funds annual returns; | ||
| Removing the Funds non-fundamental investment restrictions related to the utilities industry; | ||
| Changing the Funds portfolio managers; | ||
| Changing the Funds benchmarks; and | ||
| Making an additional distribution to Fund shareholders of any capital gains realized from the repositioning of the Funds portfolio. |
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Number of Shares | ||||
Outstanding on | ||||
Share Class | January 6, 2014 | |||
Series I shares |
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Series II shares |
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Current | Proposed | |||
Name
|
Invesco V.I. Utilities Fund | Invesco V.I. Managed Volatility Fund | ||
Investment Objective
|
Long-term growth of capital and, secondarily, current income | Both capital appreciation and current income while managing portfolio volatility | ||
Portfolio Managers
|
Meggan Walsh and Robert Botard | Thomas Bastian, James Roeder, Mary Jayne Maly, Sergio Marcheli, Chuck Burge, and Duy Nguyen | ||
Principal Investment Strategies |
The Fund invests, under
normal circumstances, at
least 80% of its net assets
(plus any borrowings for
investment purposes) in
securities of issuers engaged
in utilities-related
industries and in other
instruments that have
economic characteristics
similar to such securities.
The Fund invests
predominantly in equity
securities. The principal
types of equity securities in
which the Fund invests are
common and preferred stocks.
The Fund considers an issuer to be doing business in utilities-related industries if it meets at least one of the following tests: (1) at least 50% of its gross income or its net sales come from activities in utilities-related industries; (2) at least 50% of its assets are devoted to producing revenues in utilities-related industries; or (3) based on other available information, the portfolio managers determine that its primary business is within utilities-related industries. Companies in utilities-related industries may include, but are not limited to, those that produce, generate, transmit, store or distribute natural gas, oil, water or electricity as well as companies that provide telecommunications services, including local, long distance and wireless services. |
The Fund invests primarily in equity
and fixed income securities, and
derivatives and other instruments
that have economic characteristics
similar to such securities. The Fund
will also invest in derivatives that
the Adviser believes will decrease
the volatility level of the Funds
annual returns. The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of its net assets in income-producing equity investments. Income producing equity investments are dividend paying common or preferred stocks, interest paying convertible debentures or bonds, or zero coupon convertible securities (on which the Fund accrues income for tax and accounting purposes, but receives no cash). The Fund may invest in income-producing equity instruments (subject to the 65% policy above), debt securities and warrants or rights to acquire such securities, in such proportions as economic conditions indicate would best accomplish the Funds objectives. It is the current operating policy of the Fund to invest in debt securities rated investment grade. Investment grade securities are: (i) securities rated BBB- or higher by S&P, Baa3 or higher by Moodys, or an equivalent rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or (ii) unrated securities determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase. It is also the operating policy of the Fund to invest not more than 10% of its net assets in debt securities |
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Current | Proposed | |||
The Fund may invest up to 25%
of its net assets in foreign
securities. The Fund may
invest in the securities of
issuers of all capitalization
sizes.
In selecting investments, the portfolio managers seek to identify issuers predominantly within the electric utility, natural gas, water and telecommunications industries. The investment team generally emphasizes issuers with solid balance sheets and operational cash flow that supports sustained or increasing dividends. Through fundamental research, financial statement analysis and multiple valuation metrics, the management team estimates a target price for each security over a two- to three-year investment horizon. The portfolio managers then construct a portfolio which they believe provides the best total return potential based on a combination of price appreciation, dividend income and a favorable risk profile. The portfolio managers consider selling or trimming a stock when it no longer materially meets their investment criteria, including when (1) a stock reaches its fair valuation (target price); (2) there is deterioration in the capital structure; or (3) a more attractive investment opportunity presents itself. In anticipation of or in response to market, economic, political or other conditions, the Funds portfolio managers may temporarily use a different investment strategy for defensive purposes. If the Funds portfolio managers do so, different factors could affect the Funds performance and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. The Funds investments in the types of securities described in this prospectus vary from time to time, and, at any time, the Fund may not be invested in all of the types of securities described in this prospectus. The Fund may also invest in securities and other investments not described in this prospectus. |
rated BBB by S&P, Baa by
Moodys, or in unrated securities
determined by the Adviser to be of
comparable quality at the time of
purchase. These operating policies do
not apply to convertible securities
which are selected primarily on the
basis of their equity characteristics. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers of all capitalization sizes; however, a substantial number of the issuers in which the Fund invests are large-capitalization issuers. The Fund considers an issuer to be a large-capitalization issuer if it has a market capitalization, at the time of purchase, within the range of the largest and smallest capitalized companies included in the Russell 1000 Index during the most recent 11-month period (based on month-end data) plus the most recent date during the current month. As of August 30, 2013, the capitalization of companies in the Russell 1000 Index ranged from $324 million to $442.6 billion. The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). REITs pool investors funds for investment primarily in commercial real estate properties or real-estate related loans. REITs generally derive their income from rents on the underlying properties or interest on the underlying loans, and their value is impacted by changes in the value of the underlying property or changes in interest rates affecting the underlying loans owned by the REITs. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers or depository receipts. A depositary receipt is generally issued by a bank or financial institution and represents an ownership interest in the common stock or other equity securities of a foreign company. The Fund can invest in derivative instruments including forward foreign currency contracts, futures contracts and options. A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between parties to exchange a specified amount of currency at a specified future time at a specified rate. The Fund can use forward foreign currency contracts to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. A futures contract is a standardized agreement between two parties to buy or sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset at a specified price at a specified future time. The value of the futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying asset. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled by purchasing an offsetting contract, physically delivering the underlying asset on the settlement date or paying of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. The Fund can use futures contracts to seek exposure to certain asset classes and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. An option is a derivative financial instrument that represents a contract between two parties for a future transaction on an asset at a reference price. The buyer of the option gains the right, but not the obligation, to engage in that transaction, while the seller incurs the corresponding obligation to fulfill the transaction. The price of an option derives from the difference between the reference price and the value of the underlying asset (commonly a stock, a bond, a currency or a futures contract) plus a premium based on the time remaining until the expiration of the option. Other types of options exist, and options can in principle be created for any type of valuable asset. The Fund can use options to seek alpha(return on |
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Current | Proposed | |||
investments in excess of the Russell
1000 Value Index) or to mitigate risk
and to hedge against adverse
movements in the foreign currencies
in which portfolio securities are
denominated. The Adviser also employs a risk management process intended to manage the volatility level of the Funds annual returns. The Adviser may sell exchange-traded futures contracts to target a maximum annual volatility level for the Funds returns of approximately 10%. Volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of changes in the Funds returns without regard to the direction of those changes. To implement this volatility management strategy, the Adviser will monitor the forecasted annualized volatility of the Funds returns, placing a greater weight on recent historic data. The Adviser may sell futures contracts as often as daily to lower the Funds expected volatility level but does not expect to sell futures contracts when the Funds volatility level is within the target range. Volatility is not a measure of investment performance. Volatility may result from rapid or dramatic price swings. Higher volatility generally indicates higher risk and is often reflected by frequent and sometimes significant movements up and down in value. The Fund could experience high levels of volatility in both rising and falling markets. Due to market conditions or other factors, the actual or realized volatility of the Fund for any particular period of time may be materially higher or lower than the target maximum annual level. The Funds target maximum annual volatility level of 10% is not a total return performance target. The Fund does not expect its total return performance to be within any specified targeted range. It is possible for the Fund to maintain its volatility at or under its target maximum annual volatility level while having negative performance returns. Efforts to manage the Funds volatility could limit the Funds gains in rising markets, may expose the Fund to costs to which it would otherwise not have been exposed, and if unsuccessful may result in substantial losses. In selecting securities, the Adviser focuses on a securitys potential for income with safety of principal and long-term growth of capital. The Adviser emphasizes a value style of investing, which focuses on undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. This catalyst could come from within the company in the form of new management, operational enhancements, restructuring or reorganization. It could also be an external factor, such as an improvement in industry conditions or a regulatory change. The Adviser may dispose of a security when it has reached the Advisers estimate of fair value or when the Adviser identifies a more attractive investment opportunity. In anticipation of or in response to market, economic, political or other conditions, the Funds Adviser may temporarily use a different investment strategy for defensive purposes. If the Funds Adviser does so, different factors could affect the Funds performance and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. The Funds investments in the types of securities described in this prospectus vary from time to time, and, at any time, the Fund may not be invested in all of the types of securities described in this prospectus. The Fund may also invest in securities and other investments not described in this prospectus. |
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Current | Proposed | |||
Principal Risks
|
Sector Fund Risk. The Funds investments are concentrated in a comparatively narrow segment of the economy. This means that the Funds investment concentration in the sector is higher than most mutual funds and the broad securities market. Consequently, the Fund may be more volatile than other mutual funds, and consequently the value of an investment in the Fund may tend to rise and fall more rapidly. | |||
Utilities Sector Risk. Governmental regulation, difficulties in obtaining adequate financing and investment return, environmental issues, prices of fuel for generation of electricity, availability of natural gas, risks associated with power marketing and trading, and risks associated with nuclear power facilities may adversely affect the market value of the Funds holdings. Deregulation in the utilities industry presents special risks. Some companies may be faced with increased competition and may become less profitable. | ||||
Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of debt securities with high interest rates will prepay or call their securities before their maturity dates. In this event, the proceeds from the called securities would likely be reinvested by the Fund in securities bearing the new, lower interest rates, resulting in a possible decline in the Funds income and distributions to shareholders. | ||||
Convertible Securities Risk. The values of convertible securities in which the Fund may invest may be affected by market interest rates. The values of convertible securities also may be affected by the risk of actual issuer default on interest or principal payments and the value of the underlying stock. Additionally, an issuer may retain the right to buy back its convertible securities at a time and price unfavorable to the Fund. | ||||
Credit Risk. The issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments. This risk is increased to the extent the Fund invests in junk bonds. An issuers securities may decrease in value if its financial strength weakens, which may reduce its credit rating and possibly its ability to meet its contractual obligations. | ||||
Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts involve many of the same risks as those associated with direct investment in foreign securities. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. | ||||
Derivatives Risk. The performance of derivative instruments is tied to the performance of an underlying currency, security, index, commodity or other asset. In addition to risks relating to their underlying instruments, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks. Risks associated with the use of derivatives may include counterparty, economic leverage, correlation, liquidity, tax, market, interest rate and management risks, as well as the risk of potential increased regulation of derivatives. Derivatives may also be more difficult to purchase, sell or value than other investments. The Fund may lose more than the cash amount invested on investments in derivatives. | ||||
o Correlation Risk. To the extent that the Fund uses derivatives for hedging or reducing exposure, there is the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the value of the derivative instrument and the value of an underlying asset, | ||||
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reference rate or index. To the extent that the Fund uses derivatives for hedging purposes, there is the risk during extreme market conditions that an instrument which would usually operate as a hedge provides no hedging benefits at all. | ||||
o Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a derivative transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations (including because of bankruptcy or insolvency) to make principal or interest payments to the Fund, when due, which may cause losses or additional costs to the Fund. | ||||
o Interest Rate Risk. Some derivatives are particularly sensitive to interest rate risk, which is the risk that prices of fixed income instruments generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, prices of fixed income instruments generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific fixed income instruments differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics. | ||||
o Leverage Risk. Leverage exists when the Fund purchases or sells a derivative instrument or enters into a transaction without investing cash in an amount equal to the full economic exposure of the asset or transaction and the Fund could lose more than it invested. The Fund mitigates leverage risk by segregating or earmarking liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. Leverage may cause the Fund to be more volatile because it may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Funds portfolio securities. The use of some derivative instruments may result in economic leverage, which does not result in the possibility of the Fund incurring obligations beyond its investment, but that nonetheless permits the Fund to gain exposure that is greater than would be the case in an unlevered instrument. The Fund does not segregate assets or otherwise cover investments in derivatives with economic leverage. | ||||
o Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to close out a derivative position because the trading market becomes illiquid or the availability of counterparties becomes limited for a period of time. To the extent that the Fund is unable to close out a derivative position because of market illiquidity, the Fund may not be able to prevent further losses of value in its derivatives holdings and the liquidity of the Funds other assets may be impaired to the extent that it has a substantial portion of its otherwise liquid assets marked as segregated to cover its obligations under such derivative instruments. The Fund may also be required to take or make delivery of an underlying asset that the Adviser would otherwise have attempted to avoid. | ||||
o Management Risk. The investment techniques and risk analysis used by the Funds portfolio managers in connection with investing in derivatives may not produce the desired results. | ||||
o Market Risk. Derivatives are subject to the market risks associated with their underlying asset, which may decline in response to, among other things, investor sentiment, general economic and market conditions, regional or global instability, and currency and interest rate fluctuations. Derivatives may be subject to heightened and evolving government regulations, which could increase the costs of owning certain derivatives. | ||||
o Margin Risk. With respect to futures and certain swaps and options, there is a risk of loss by an underlying fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a futures commission merchant (FCM) with which the underlying fund has an open position in a futures, swaps or options contract. The assets of an underlying fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty. The underlying fund is also |
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Current | Proposed | |||
subject to the risk that the FCM could use the underlying funds assets to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty. | ||||
o Tax Risk. The use of certain derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax rates for long-term capital gain. The Funds use of derivatives may be limited by the requirements for taxation of the Fund as a regulated investment company. The tax treatment of derivatives may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legal authority that could affect the character, timing and amount of the Funds taxable income or gains and distributions to shareholders. | ||||
o Risk of Potential Increased Regulation of Derivatives. The regulation of derivatives is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. It is not possible to predict fully the effects of current or future regulation. However, it is possible that developments in government regulation of various types of derivative instruments may limit or prevent a Fund from using or limit the Funds use of these instruments effectively as a part of its investment strategy, and could adversely affect the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. New requirements, even if not directly applicable to the Fund, may increase the cost of the Funds investments and cost of doing business. | ||||
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of securities held by the Fund will fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests, either directly or through derivative instruments. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of securities held by the Fund; the price of securities may be particularly sensitive to general movements in the stock market; or a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the securities held by the Fund. In addition, securities of an issuer in the Funds portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial condition. | ||||
Foreign Securities Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The value of the Funds foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability in their home countries, by changes in economic or taxation policies in those countries, or by the difficulty in enforcing obligations in those countries. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls. As a result, there generally is less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies. Trading in many foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities due to the size of the market or other factors. | Foreign Securities Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The value of the Funds foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability in their home countries, by changes in economic or taxation policies in those countries, or by the difficulty in enforcing obligations in those countries. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls. As a result, there generally is less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies. Trading in many foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities due to the size of the market or other factors. |
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Hedging Risk. A hedge is an investment made in order to reduce the risk of adverse price movements in a security, by taking an offsetting position in a related security (often a derivative, such as an option or a short sale). While hedging strategies can be very useful and inexpensive ways of reducing risk, they are sometimes ineffective due to unexpected changes in the market. Hedging also involves the risk that changes in the value of the related security will not match those of the instruments being hedged as expected, in which case any losses on the instruments being hedged may not be reduced. For gross currency hedges, there is an additional risk, to the extent that these transactions create exposure to currencies in which the Funds securities are not denominated. Moreover, while hedging can reduce or eliminate losses it can also reduce or eliminate gains. | ||||
Income Risk. The income you receive from the Fund is based primarily on prevailing interest rates, which can vary widely over the short- and long-term. If interest rates drop, your income from the Fund may drop as well. | ||||
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics. One measure of this sensitivity is called duration. The longer the duration of a particular bond, the greater is its price sensitivity is to interest rates. Similarly, a longer duration portfolio of securities has greater price sensitivity. Falling interest rates may also prompt some issuers to refinance existing debt, which could affect the Funds performance. | ||||
Management Risk. The investment techniques and risk analysis used by the Funds portfolio managers may not produce the desired results. | Management Risk. The investment techniques and risk analysis used by the Funds portfolio managers may not produce the desired results. In addition, the Funds investment strategy to manage volatility may cause the Fund to underperform the broader markets in which the Fund invests during market rallies. Such underperformance could be significant during sudden or significant market rallies. | |||
Market Risk. The prices of and the income generated by the Funds securities may decline in response to, among other things, investor sentiment, general economic and market conditions, regional or global instability, and currency and interest rate fluctuations. | Market Risk. The prices of and the income generated by the Funds securities may decline in response to, among other things, investor sentiment, general economic and market conditions, regional or global instability, and currency and interest rate fluctuations. | |||
Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received this income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments. | Preferred Securities Risk. There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received this income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments. | |||
REIT Risk/Real Estate Risk. Investments in real estate related instruments may be affected by economic, legal, cultural, environmental or technological factors that affect property values, rents or occupancies of real estate related to the Funds holdings. Real estate companies, including REITs or similar structures, tend to be small- and mid-cap companies, and their shares may be more volatile and less liquid. The value of investments in real estate related companies may be affected by the quality of management, the ability to repay loans, the |
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utilization of leverage and financial covenants related thereto, whether the company carries adequate insurance and environmental factors. If a real estate related company defaults, the Fund may own real estate directly, which involves the following additional risks: environmental liabilities; difficulty in valuing and selling the real estate; and economic or regulatory changes. | ||||
Short Sales Risk. If the Fund sells short a security that it does not own and the security increases in value, the Fund will pay a higher price to repurchase the security. The more the Fund pays, the more it will lose on the transaction, which adversely affects its share price. As there is no limit on how much the price of the security can increase, the Funds exposure is unlimited. | ||||
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Risks. Stocks of small- and mid-sized companies tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments and may have little or no operating history or track record of success, and limited product lines, markets, management and financial resources. The securities of small- and mid-sized companies may be more volatile due to less market interest and less publicly available information about the issuer. They also may be illiquid or restricted as to resale, or may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes, all of which may cause difficulty when establishing or closing a position at a desirable price. | Small- and Mid-Capitalization Risks. Stocks of small- and mid-sized companies tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments in the above factors and may have little or no operating history or track record of success, and limited product lines, markets, management and financial resources. The securities of small- and mid-sized companies may be more volatile due to less market interest and less publicly available information about the issuer. They also may be illiquid or restricted as to resale, or may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes, all of which may cause difficulty when establishing or closing a position at a desirable price. | |||
Value Investing Style Risk. The Fund emphasizes a value style of investing, which focuses on undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. This style of investing is subject to the risk that the valuations never improve or that the returns on value equity securities are less than returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. Value stocks also may decline in price, even though in theory they are already underpriced. | ||||
Volatility Management Risk The risk that the Advisers strategy for managing portfolio volatility may not produce the desired result or that the Adviser is unable to trade certain derivatives effectively or in a timely manner. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will maintain its target volatility level. Additionally, maintenance of the target volatility level will not ensure that the Fund will deliver competitive returns. The use of derivatives in connection with the Funds managed volatility strategy may expose the Fund to losses (some of which may be sudden) that it would not have otherwise been exposed to if it had only invested directly in equity and/or fixed income securities. Efforts to manage the Funds volatility could limit the Funds gains in rising markets and may expose the Fund to costs to which it would otherwise not have been exposed. The Funds managed volatility strategy may result in the Fund outperforming the general securities market during periods of flat or negative market performance, and underperforming the general securities market during periods of positive market performance. The gains and losses of the Funds futures positions may not correlate with the Funds direct investments in equity securities; as a result, these futures contracts may decline in value at the same time as the Funds direct investments in equity securities decline in value. The Funds managed volatility strategy also exposes shareholders to the risks of investing in derivative contracts. The Adviser uses a combination of proprietary and third-party systems to help it estimate the Funds expected volatility. Based on those estimates, the Adviser may adjust the Funds exposure to certain markets by selling exchange-traded futures contracts in |
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an attempt to manage the Funds expected volatility. The proprietary and third-party risk models used by the Adviser may perform differently than expected and may negatively affect performance and the ability of the Fund to maintain its volatility at or below its target maximum annual volatility level for various reasons, including errors in using or building the models, technical issues implementing the models and various non-quantitative factors (such as, market or trading system dysfunctions, and investor fear or over-reaction). | ||||
Zero Coupon Bonds. Zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities paying cash interest at regular interest payment periods. Prices on non-cash-paying instruments may be more sensitive to changes in the issuers financial condition, fluctuation in interest rates and market demand/supply imbalances than cash-paying securities with similar credit ratings, and thus may be more speculative. Investors may purchase zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity. Because such securities do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest prior to maturity, this prevents any reinvestment of interest payments at prevailing interest rates if prevailing interest rates rise. On the other hand, because there are no periodic interest payments to be reinvested prior to maturity, zero coupon securities eliminate the reinvestment risk and may lock in a favorable rate of return to maturity if interest rates drop. Special tax considerations are associated with investing in certain lower-grade securities, such as zero coupon or pay-in-kind securities. |
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Current | Proposed | |||
Benchmarks
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S&P 500® Index | Russell 1000 Value Index | ||
S&P 500® Utilities Sector Total Return Index | Barclays U.S. Government/Credit Index | |||
Lipper VUF Utility Funds Classification Average | Lipper VUF Equity Income Funds IX |
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| Fund Prospectus; | ||
| Fund Annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders; and | ||
| Fund SAI. |
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Number | Percent | |||||
of Shares | of Class | |||||
Name and | Owned of | Owned of | ||||
Address of Record Owner | Class of Shares | Record | Record (*) | |||
(*) | The Trust has no knowledge of whether all or any portion of the shares owned of record are also owned beneficially. |
EVERY SHAREHOLDER'S VOTE IS IMPORTANT EASY VOTING OPTIONS: VOTE ON THE INTERNET Log on to: www.proxy-direct.com or scan the QR code Follow the on-screen instructions available 24 hours VOTE BY PHONE Call 1-800-337-3503 Follow the recorded instructions available 24 hours VOTE BY MAIL Vote, sign and date this proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope Please detach at perforation before mailing. INVESCO V.I. UTILITIES FUND (the Fund) AN INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO OF AIM VARIABLE INSURANCE FUNDS (INVESCO VARIABLE INSURANCE FUNDS) (the Trust) PROXY SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES (the Board) PROXY FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 26, 2014 The undersigned hereby appoints John M. Zerr, Sheri Morris and Peter Davidson, and any one of them separately, proxies with full power of substitution in each, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse of this proxy card, at the Special Meeting of Shareholders on March 26, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof, all of the shares of the Fund which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present. IF THIS PROXY IS SIGNED AND RETURNED WITH NO CHOICE INDICATED, THE SHARES WILL BE VOTED FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSAL. NOTE: If you vote by telephone or on the Internet, please do NOT return this proxy card. VOTE VIA THE INTERNET: www.proxy-direct.com VOTE VIA TELEPHONE: 1-800-337-3503 NOTE: PLEASE SIGN EXACTLY AS YOUR NAME APPEARS ON THIS PROXY CARD. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian or as custodian for a minor, please give full title as such. If a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership, please sign in full entity name and indicate the signer's position with the entity. Signature Signature Date PLEASE VOTE, SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. |
EVERY SHAREHOLDER'S VOTE IS IMPORTANT! Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on March 26, 2014. The Proxy Statement is available at: https://www.proxy-direct.com/inv-25149 Please detach at perforation before mailing. THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD. THE BOARD RECOMMENDS VOTING FOR THE PROPOSAL. TO VOTE, MARK A BLOCK BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK. Example: To vote in accordance with the Board's recommendation mark this box. No other vote is necessary. FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN To approve the elimination of the Fund's fundamental investment restriction that requires the Fund to concentrate (as that term may be defined or interpreted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and by the federal securities laws, interpretations and exemptions) its investments in the securities of issuers engaged primarily in utilities-related industries. PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE, IN THEIR DISCRETION, UPON SUCH OTHER BUSINESS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING OR ANY ADJOURNMENT OR POSTPONEMENT THEREOF. PLEASE VOTE, SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. |