www.manning-napier.com

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

Ticker

Core Bond Series

Class I

EXCIX

Class S

EXCRX

Class W

MCBWX

Class Z

MCBZX

Credit Series

Class W

MCDWX

Diversified Tax Exempt Series

Class A

EXDVX

Class W

MNDWX

High Yield Bond Series

Class I

MNHAX

Class S

MNHYX

Class W

MHYWX

Class Z

MHYZX

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

Ticker

Real Estate Series

Class I

MNRIX

Class S

MNREX

Class W

MNRWX

Class Z

MNRZX

Unconstrained Bond Series

Class I

MNCPX

Class S

EXCPX

Class W

MUBWX

Class Z

No Ticker


The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any statement to the contrary is a crime.

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

Table of Contents

 

Summary Sections

Core Bond Series

1

Credit Series

6

Diversified Tax Exempt Series

11

High Yield Bond Series

15

Real Estate Series

20

Unconstrained Bond Series

25

More Information About the Series’
Principal Investment Strategies and Principal Risks

31

Management

40

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

42

Choosing a Share Class

43

How to Buy, Exchange, and Redeem Shares

44

Investment and Account Information

47

Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes

50

Financial Highlights

53

1

Core Bond Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ investment objective is to provide long-term total return by investing primarily in fixed income securities.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

None

None

None

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.23%

0.17%

0.13%

0.13%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.48%

0.67%

0.38%

0.38%

Less Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.03)%

None

(0.33)%

(0.08)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

0.45%

0.67%

0.05%

0.30%

1 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.45% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.30% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Advisor’s contractual waivers). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

1 Year

$46

$68 

$5

$31

3 Years

$144

$214

$16

$97

5 Years

$252

$373

$28

$169

10 Years

$567

$835

$64

$381

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 73% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in investment grade bonds and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to bonds. For purposes of this policy, bonds may include U.S. dollar denominated fixed income securities issued by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations (e.g., yankee bonds), the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or their agencies or instrumentalities (e.g., the Korean Development Bank) and supranational entities (e.g., the World Bank); municipal bonds; inflation protected securities; convertible securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Series sells a mortgage-backed security and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities on a specified future date at a predetermined price. The mortgage-and asset-backed securities in which the Series principally invests are issued by U.S. Government agencies (such as GNMA, FNMA, and FHLMC) and private issuers and entitle the holders to a pro rata share of the cash flows generated by the instruments underlying the security (principally residential and commercial mortgages, credit card receivables and car loans). The Series may purchase shares of ETFs, including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series’ portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

 

2

The Series may buy and sell futures contracts based on investment grade credit securities primarily for cash management purposes.

Bond Selection Process When investing in fixed income securities, the Advisor attempts to identify sectors, as well as individual securities within those sectors, that offer yields and credit spreads sufficient to compensate the Series for the risks specific to a given sector or security. A credit spread is the difference between the yield of a U.S. Treasury security and the yield of another fixed income security with a similar maturity. When investing in mortgage- and asset-backed securities, the Advisor also considers the prepayment speeds of the securities. Prepayment speed is the estimated rate at which borrowers will pay off the underlying loans ahead of schedule.

In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and/or individual securities, the Advisor considers:

The relevant economic conditions and sector trends.

The interest rate sensitivities of the particular sectors and securities.

The yield differentials across sectors, credit qualities, mortgage- and asset-backed security types, and maturities.

“Bottom-up” factors such as issuer-specific credit metrics for corporate bonds and scenario analysis, collateral-level analysis, and issuer/servicer analysis for mortgage- and asset-backed securities.

Maturity and Portfolio Duration — The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisor’s outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in longer-term bonds when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in shorter-term bonds when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer durations. For example, a 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%.

Credit Quality — The Series will principally invest in investment grade securities, those securities rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor). If a security purchased by the Series is downgraded below investment grade after purchase, the Advisor will review the security to determine if it remains an appropriate investment.

The Series may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs will rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions.

 

Securities issued by governments and supranational entities may be sold to adjust the Series’ duration and/or yield curve positioning.

Other securities may be sold for one or more of the following reasons:

they no longer meet the selection criteria under which they were purchased;

their relative value has declined (the spread has tightened such that they are no longer considered attractively priced);

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

There are no prescribed limits on the sector allocation of the Series’ investments and, from time to time, the Series may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, even though such changes will not affect the interest income derived from portfolio securities. The value of your investment will also fluctuate in response to changes in repayment speeds. You could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

U.S. and/or foreign bond markets decline.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for lower quality bonds.

Interest rates rise and/or credit spreads widen. These events alone or in combination can cause bond prices to fall and reduce the value of the Series’ portfolio. Longer-term bonds have greater sensitivity to, and will therefore experience greater fluctuations in response to, interest rate changes than shorter-term bonds.

The issuers of high interest debt obligations pay off the debts earlier than expected when interest rates fall, and the Series has to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields (prepayment risk), or the issuers of lower interest rate debt obligations pay off the debts later than expected when interest rates rise, thus keeping the Series’ assets tied up in lower yield debt obligations (extension risk).

 

3

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused interest rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

Risk of mortgage dollar rolls — The Series’ mortgage dollar rolls could lose money if the price of the mortgage-backed securities sold falls below the agreed upon repurchase price, or if the counterparty is unable to honor the agreement.

Foreign securities risk — Because the Series may invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Series is subject to additional risks. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions. The prices of foreign fixed income securities may, at times, move in a different direction than the prices of fixed income securities issued in the United States. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investment in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Series to sell such investments at inopportune times or prevent an investment the Advisor believes is attractive, each of which could result in losses to the Series. These restrictions may also negatively impact the market for securities of issuers that are similar to those directly impacted by the restrictions resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines in those securities as well.

Risks related to ETFs — The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. The Series will also bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the purchased ETF in addition to its own expenses.

Inflation protected security risk — The value of inflation protected fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), generally will fluctuate in response to changes in “real” interest rates, generally decreasing when real interest rates rise and increasing when real interest rates fall. Real interest rates represent nominal (or stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. In addition, interest payments

on inflation-indexed securities will generally vary up or down along with the rate of inflation.

Convertible securities risk — The Series’ investments in convertible securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk, similar to fixed income securities. In addition, they are also subject to the risk that the price of the underlying common stock will go down, which may cause a proportionate (or disproportionate) decline in the price of the convertible security.

U.S. Government securities risk — Although U.S. Government securities are considered to be among the safest investments, they are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the agency’s own resources, and, therefore, such obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities risks — The Series’ investments in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may subject it to the following additional risks:

Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Municipal bond risk — The Series’ investments in municipal bonds may subject it to the following additional risks:

Changes in the financial condition of municipal issuers may adversely affect the value of the Series’ securities.

Economic or political changes may affect the ability of issuers of municipal securities to repay principal and to make interest payments on securities owned by the Series.

Poor statewide or local economic results or changing political sentiments may reduce tax revenues and increase the expenses of municipal issuers, making it more difficult for them to meet their obligations.

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions.

 

4

Futures risk — The Series is subject to the following risks due to its ability to invest in futures:

Futures, like all derivatives, can be extremely sensitive to changes in the market value of the underlying investment, and changes in the value of a futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying investment.

The Series may not be able to receive amounts payable to it under its futures contracts as quickly as it may be able to sell or otherwise obtain payments from other investments, so the Series’ investments in such contracts may not be as liquid as the Series’ other investments.

Sector focus risk — Because the Series’ investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in a particular sector or sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors. As a result, the Series’ share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

LIBOR replacement risk — The Series may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings on a representative basis. In April 2023, however, the FCA announced that some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market, has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on the Series, including any negative effects on the Series’ liquidity and valuation of the Series’ investments, issuers of instruments in which the Series invests and financial markets generally.

Portfolio turnover risk — The Series is subject to portfolio turnover risk because it may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. Such a strategy often involves higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of capital gains (in particular, short term gains) realized by the Series. Shareholders may pay tax on such capital gains.

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

 

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class S shares of the Series for each of the last ten calendar years. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of a broad-based securities index. The Series’ Class I Shares commenced operation on August 3, 2015 and the Series’ Class Z Shares and Class W Shares commenced operations on March 1, 2019, and all returns shown for each such class include the returns of the Series’ Class S Shares (adjusted to reflect the higher class-related expenses of the class, where applicable) for periods prior to its inception date. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

5

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 12/31/2023): 6.70%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2022): (5.84)%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class S Shares

Return Before Taxes

5.46%

1.09%

1.41%

Return After Taxes
on Distributions

3.98%

(0.03)%

0.33%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

3.21%

0.45%

0.67%

Class I Shares – Return Before Taxes

5.75%

1.33%

1.62%

Class W Shares – Return Before Taxes

6.15%

1.69%

1.71%

Class Z Shares – Return Before Taxes

5.85%

1.45%

1.59%

Index: (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

5.53%

1.10%

1.81%

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. The after-tax figures are shown for one share class only, and would be different for the other share classes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Marc Bushallow, CFA®

Managing Director of Fixed Income, has managed the Series since 2008.

Brad Cronister, CFA®

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2021.

R. Keith Harwood

Director of Credit Research, has managed the Series since 2005.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. The minimum initial investment of the Class S shares of the Series is $2,000. The minimum initial investment for the Class I and Class Z shares of the Series is $1,000,000. The minimum initial investments of the Class S, Class I and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans and Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. In addition, the Class S shares investment minimum is waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. There is no minimum initial investment for the Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series held directly with the Fund by mail (Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 534449, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449), by Internet (www.manning-napier.com), by telephone (1-800-466-3863) or by wire. Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place purchase and redemption orders.

Shares of the Series may be purchased from time to time by the Advisor for the accounts of its advisory clients who utilize discretionary account management services provided by the Advisor or its affiliates. Purchases and sales of Series shares for these clients are made at the Advisor’s discretion pursuant to client authorization.

Tax Information

The distributions made by the Series generally are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, you will generally not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions until you begin receiving distributions from your tax-deferred arrangement.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Series’ shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Series and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Series shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Series over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

6

Credit Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ investment objective is to provide long-term total return.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

W

Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.25%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

Other Expenses

0.11%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.36%

Less Fee Waivers1

(0.26)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
After Fee Waivers

0.10%

1 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Series. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of the Series, exclusive of waived management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Series. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account

the Advisor’s contractual waiver). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

AFTER 1 YEAR

AFTER
3 YEARS

AFTER
5 YEARS

AFTER
10
YEARS

Class W

$10

$32

$56

$128

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in credit-related instruments and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to credit-related instruments. For purposes of this policy, credit-related instruments may include U.S. dollar denominated fixed income securities issued by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations (e.g., yankee bonds), the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or their agencies or instrumentalities (e.g., the Korean Development Bank) and supranational entities (e.g., the World Bank); convertible securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and taxable municipal bonds.

The mortgage- and asset-backed securities in which the Series principally invests are issued by U.S. Government agencies (such as GNMA, FNMA, and FHLMC) and private issuers and entitle the holders to a pro rata share of the cash flows generated by the instruments underlying the security (principally residential and commercial mortgages, credit card receivables and car loans).

The Series may purchase shares of ETFs, including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series’ portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

The Series may buy and sell futures contracts based on investment grade credit securities and fixed income indices primarily for cash management purposes.

Fixed Income Securities Selection Process — When investing in fixed income securities, the Advisor attempts to identify sectors, as well as individual securities within those sectors, that offer yields and credit spreads sufficient to compensate the Series for the risks specific to a given sector or security. A credit spread is the difference between the yield of a U.S. Treasury security and

7

the yield of another fixed income security with a similar maturity. When investing in mortgage- and asset-backed securities, the Advisor also considers the prepayment speeds of the securities. Prepayment speed is the estimated rate at which borrowers will pay off the underlying loans ahead of schedule.

In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and/or individual securities, the Advisor considers:

The relevant economic conditions and sector trends.

The interest rate sensitivities of the particular sectors and securities.

The yield differentials across sectors, credit qualities, asset-backed security types, and maturities.

“Bottom-up” factors such as issuer-specific credit metrics for corporate bonds and scenario analysis, collateral-level analysis, and issuer/servicer analysis for mortgage- and asset-backed securities.

Maturity and Portfolio Duration — The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisor’s outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in longer-term bonds when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in shorter-term bonds when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer durations. For example, a 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%.

Credit Quality The Series will principally invest in investment grade securities, those securities rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor). If a security purchased by the Series is downgraded below investment grade after purchase, the Advisor will review the security to determine if it remains an appropriate investment.

The Series may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs will rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions.

A security may be sold for one or more of the following reasons:

it no longer meets the selection criteria under which it was purchased;

its relative value has declined (the spread has tightened such that the security is no longer considered attractively priced);

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

 

There are no prescribed limits on the sector allocation of the Series’ investments and, from time to time, the Series may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, even though such changes will not affect the interest income derived from portfolio securities. The value of your investment will also fluctuate in response to changes in repayment speeds. You could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

U.S. and/or foreign bond markets decline.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for lower quality bonds.

Interest rates rise and/or credit spreads widen. These events alone or in combination can cause bond prices to fall and reduce the value of the Series’ portfolio. Longer-term bonds have greater sensitivity to, and will therefore experience greater fluctuations in response to, interest rate changes than shorter-term bonds.

The issuers of high interest debt obligations pay off the debts earlier than expected when interest rates fall, and the Series has to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields (prepayment risk), or the issuers of lower interest rate debt obligations pay off the debts later than expected when interest rates rise, thus keeping the Series’ assets tied up in lower yield debt obligations (extension risk).

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused interest rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of

8

the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

Foreign securities risk — Because the Series may invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Series is subject to additional risks. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions. The prices of foreign fixed income securities may, at times, move in a different direction than the prices of fixed income securities issued in the United States. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investment in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Series to sell such investments at inopportune times or prevent an investment the Advisor believes is attractive, each of which could result in losses to the Series. These restrictions may also negatively impact the market for securities of issuers that are similar to those directly impacted by the restrictions resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines in those securities as well.

Risks related to ETFs — The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. The Series will also bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the purchased ETF in addition to its own expenses.

Convertible securities risk — The Series’ investments in convertible securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk, similar to fixed income securities. In addition, they are also subject to the risk that the price of the underlying common stock will go down, which may cause a proportionate (or disproportionate) decline in the price of the convertible security.

U.S. Government securities risk — Although U.S. Government securities are considered to be among the safest investments, they are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the agency’s own resources, and, therefore, such obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities risks — The Series’ investments in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may subject it to the following additional risks:

Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

 

Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions.

Municipal bond risk — The Series’ investments in municipal bonds may subject it to the following additional risks:

Changes in the financial condition of municipal issuers may adversely affect the value of the Series’ securities.

Economic or political changes may affect the ability of issuers of municipal securities to repay principal and to make interest payments on securities owned by the Series.

Poor statewide or local economic results or changing political sentiments may reduce tax revenues and increase the expenses of municipal issuers, making it more difficult for them to meet their obligations.

Futures risk – The Series is subject to the following risks due to its ability to invest in futures:

Futures, like all derivatives, can be extremely sensitive to changes in the market value of the underlying investment, and changes in the value of a futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying investment.

The Series may not be able to receive amounts payable to it under its futures contracts as quickly as it may be able to sell or otherwise obtain payments from other investments, so the Series’ investments in such contracts may not be as liquid as the Series’ other investments.

Sector focus risk — Because the Series’ investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in a particular sector or sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors. As a result, the Series’ share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

LIBOR replacement risk – The Series may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings on a representative basis. In April 2023, however, the FCA announced that some USD

9

LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market, has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on the Series, including any negative effects on the Series’ liquidity and valuation of the Series’ investments, issuers of instruments in which the Series invests and financial markets generally.

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class W shares of the Series for each full calendar year since its inception. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of a broad-based securities index. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

 

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 12/31/2023): 6.21%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2022): (5.48)%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

1 Year

Since Inception

Class W Shares

Return Before Taxes

7.30%

0.99%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

5.43%

(0.54)%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

4.28%

0.15%

Indices: (reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate
Bond Index

5.53%

(1.89)%

Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate
Credit Index

6.94%

0.54%

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

10

Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Marc Bushallow, CFA®

Managing Director of Fixed Income, has managed the Series since 2020.

R. Keith Harwood

Director of Credit Research, has managed the Series since 2020.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment for the Series. The Series is offered exclusively to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients and other funds managed by Manning & Napier.

Tax Information

The distributions made by the Series generally are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, you will generally not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions until you begin receiving distributions from your tax-deferred arrangement.

 

11

Diversified Tax Exempt Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ investment objective is to provide as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax as the Advisor believes is consistent with the preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

A

W

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

None

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.50%

0.50%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

None

Other Expenses

0.12%

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

0.01%

0.01%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1

0.63%

0.63%

Less Fee Waivers2

None

(0.50)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver1

0.63%

0.13%

1 The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the financial highlights in the prospectus (and in the Series’ financial statements) because the financial highlights include only the Series’ direct operating expenses and do not include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Series through its investments in other investment companies.
2 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of waived Class W management fees (“excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.85% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares, and 0.35% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Advisor’s contractual waiver for Class W shares). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

CLASS

A

W

1 Year

$64

$13

3 Years

$202

$42

5 Years

$351

$73

10 Years

$786

$166

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 20% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series invests primarily in municipal bonds and other securities the income from which is exempt from federal income tax. The Series will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its assets in securities the income from which is exempt from federal income tax, including the alternative minimum tax (AMT). The main issuers of these securities are state and local agencies. In selecting investments for the Series, the Advisor attempts to balance the Series’ goals of high income and capital preservation. With this approach, the Advisor attempts to build a portfolio that it believes provides the opportunity to earn current income; however, the Advisor will only purchase investment grade securities, or those securities determined by the Advisor to be of equivalent quality, and will maintain other selection criteria in an attempt to avoid permanent capital loss.

Bond Selection Process — The Advisor emphasizes those bond market sectors and selects for the Series those securities that it believes offer yields sufficient to compensate the investor for the risks specific to the security or sector. In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and individual securities, the Advisor considers:

The interest rate sensitivity of each security.

The narrowing or widening of interest rate spreads between sectors, securities of different credit quality or securities of different maturities.

 

12

Maturity and Portfolio Duration — The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisor’s outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in longer-term bonds when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in shorter-term bonds when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer durations. For example, a 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%.

Credit Quality — The Series’ investments will be limited to investment grade securities, those rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moody’s or determined by the Advisor to be of equivalent quality. If a security purchased by the Series is downgraded below investment grade after purchase, the Advisor will review the security to determine if it remains an appropriate investment.

The Series may invest in taxable investments, including obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. The Series may also invest in money market instruments or hold its assets in cash. These investments may cause the Series to make a taxable distribution to shareholders.

The Advisor will consider selling a security for one or more of the following reasons:

to adjust the Series’ duration and/or yield curve positioning;

there is a deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer;

the security’s relative value has declined (the spread has tightened such that the security is no longer considered attractively priced); or

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, even though such changes will not affect the interest income derived from portfolio securities. The value of your investment will also fluctuate in response to changes in repayment speeds. You could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

 

U.S. and/or foreign bond markets decline.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for lower quality bonds.

Interest rates rise and/or credit spreads widen. These events alone or in combination can cause bond prices to fall and reduce the value of the Series’ portfolio. Longer-term bonds have greater sensitivity to, and will therefore experience greater fluctuations in response to, interest rate changes than shorter-term bonds.

The issuers of high interest debt obligations pay off the debts earlier than expected when interest rates fall, and the Series has to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields (prepayment risk), or the issuers of lower interest rate debt obligations pay off the debts later than expected when interest rates rise, thus keeping the Series’ assets tied up in lower yield debt obligations (extension risk).

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused interest rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

Municipal bond risk — In addition to the general risks of bond funds, the Series is subject to the following additional risks due to its focus on municipal bonds:

Changes in the financial condition of municipal issuers may adversely affect the value of the Series’ securities.

Economic or political changes may affect the ability of issuers of municipal securities to repay principal and to make interest payments on securities owned by the Series.

Poor statewide or local economic results or changing political sentiments may reduce tax revenues and increase the expenses of municipal issuers, making it more difficult for them to meet their obligations. Risks of lower-rated

13

investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions.

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

Taxation Risk — The Series will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel on the tax exempt status of interest on municipal bond obligations. Neither the Series nor its Advisors will independently review the bases for those tax opinions, which may ultimately be determined to be incorrect and subject the Series and its shareholders to substantial tax liabilities. The Series may invest a portion of its assets in securities that generate income that is subject to federal, state and local income tax, including the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to individual taxpayers. Tax advantages of municipal bond funds are not applicable for those investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or employer-sponsored retirement plan.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class A shares of the Series for each of the last ten calendar years. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of a broad-based securities index. Beginning on March 1, 2023, the Series changed its benchmark index to the Bloomberg Municipal 1-15 Year Bond Index because the index better aligns with the duration and maturity of the securities held in the Series’ portfolio. The Series’

 

Class W Shares commenced operations on March 1, 2019 and all returns shown for Class W Shares include the returns of the Series’ Class A Shares for periods prior to its inception date. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 12/31/2023): 5.92%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2022): (4.78)%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class A Shares

Return Before Taxes

4.10%

1.76%

1.40%

Return After Taxes
on Distributions

4.02%

1.36%

1.20%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

3.05%

1.55%

1.30%

Class W Shares – Return Before Taxes

4.62%

2.25%

1.64%

Indices: (reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond Index

6.89%

2.35%

3.08%

Bloomberg Municipal 1-15 Year Bond Index

5.26%

2.17%

2.58%

14

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. The after-tax figures are shown for one share class only, and would be different for the other share class. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Elizaveta Akselrod

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2015.

Marc Bushallow, CFA®

Managing Director of Fixed Income, has managed the Series since 2015.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. The minimum initial investment for the Class A shares of the Series is $2,000. This minimum is waived for Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients, and participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. There is no minimum initial investment for the Series’ Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series held directly with the Fund by mail (Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 534449, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449), by Internet (www.manning-napier.com), by telephone (1-800-466-3863) or by wire. Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place purchase and redemption orders.

Shares of the Series may be purchased from time to time by the Advisor for the accounts of its advisory clients who utilize discretionary account management services provided by the Advisor or its affiliates. Purchases and sales of Series shares for these clients are made at the Advisor’s discretion pursuant to client authorization.

Tax Information

Dividends you receive from the Series are primarily exempt from regular federal income tax. A portion of these distributions, however, may be subject to federal AMT and state and local taxes. The Series may also make distributions that are taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Series’ shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Series and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Series shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Series over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

15

High Yield Bond Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ investment objective is to provide a high level of long-term total return by investing principally in non-investment grade fixed income securities that are issued by corporate and government entities.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

None

None

None

None

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.29%

0.31%

0.17%

0.16%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

0.01%

0.01%

0.01%

0.01%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1

0.70%

0.97%

0.58%

0.57%

Less Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements2

(0.04)%

(0.06)%

(0.47)%

(0.06)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement1

0.66%

0.91%

0.11%

0.51%

1 The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the financial highlights in the prospectus (and in the Series’ financial statements) because the financial highlights include only the Series’ direct operating expenses and do not include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Series through its investments in other investment companies.
2 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.65% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to AFFE, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.
2 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.65% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not

apply to AFFE, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Advisor’s contractual waivers). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

1 Year

$67

$93

$11

$52

3 Years

$211

$290

$35

$164

5 Years

$368

$504

$62

$285

10 Years

$822

$1,120

$141

$640

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 94% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series seeks to provide a high level of long-term total return, which is a combination of income and capital appreciation. The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bonds that are rated below investment grade (junk bonds) and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to non-investment grade securities. These bonds may include U.S. dollar denominated fixed income securities issued by U.S. and foreign corporations and governments, including those in emerging markets. The Series may also invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies. The Series may invest a portion of its assets in bank loans, which are, generally, non-investment grade floating rate investments.

 

16

The Series may purchase shares of ETFs, including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series’ portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

The Series may buy and sell futures contracts based on investment grade and/or high-yield credit securities primarily for cash management purposes.

Bond Selection Process — The Advisor attempts to identify securities that offer yields and credit spreads sufficient for the risks assumed. In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and/or individual securities, the Advisor considers:

The relevant economic conditions and sector trends.

The interest rate sensitivities of the particular sectors and securities.

The yield differentials across sectors, credit qualities, and maturities.

“Bottom-up” factors such as an issuer’s financial status, market position, and managerial expertise.

Maturity and Portfolio Duration — The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisor’s outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in longer-term fixed income securities when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in shorter-term fixed income securities when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer durations. For example, a 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%.

The Series may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs will rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions.

Credit Quality — The Series will invest primarily in non-investment grade securities, those rated below BBB- by S&P or Baa3 by Moody’s, or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor. The Series may also invest, to a limited extent, in investment grade securities when the Advisor considers their “credit spreads” (i.e., the difference between the bonds’ yields to maturity and those of U.S. Treasury bonds with similar maturities) to be attractive. The Series may invest in securities with any rating, including those that have defaulted, are not rated, or have had their rating withdrawn.

The Advisor will consider selling a security for one or more of the following reasons:

it no longer meets the security selection criteria under which it was purchased;

it has poor relative value (the spread has tightened such that the security is no longer considered attractively priced); or

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

There are no prescribed limits on the sector allocation of the Series’ investments and, from time to time, the Series may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, even though such changes will not affect the interest income derived from portfolio securities. The value of your investment will also fluctuate in response to changes in repayment speeds. You could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

U.S. and/or foreign bond markets decline.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for junk bonds and other lower quality bonds.

Interest rates rise and/or credit spreads widen. These events alone or in combination can cause bond prices to fall and reduce the value of the Series’ portfolio. Longer-term bonds have greater sensitivity to, and will therefore experience greater fluctuations in response to, interest rate changes than shorter-term bonds.

The issuers of high interest debt obligations pay off the debts earlier than expected when interest rates fall, and the Series has to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields (prepayment risk), or the issuers of lower interest rate debt obligations pay off the debts later than expected when interest rates rise, thus keeping the Series’ assets tied up in lower yield debt obligations (extension risk).

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused interest

17

rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

Foreign securities risk — Because the Series may invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Series is subject to additional risks. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions. The prices of foreign fixed income securities may, at times, move in a different direction than the prices of fixed income securities issued in the United States. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Series to sell such investments at inopportune times or prevent an investment the Advisor otherwise believes is attractive, each of which could result in losses to the Series. These restrictions may also negatively impact the market for securities of issuers that are similar to those directly impacted by the restrictions resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines in those securities as well.

Emerging markets risk — The Series may also have special risks due to its investments in emerging market countries. In addition to the risks discussed above relating to investments in foreign companies located in developed countries, the Series’ investments in emerging market countries are subject to the following risks:

Emerging markets may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries.

Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and unreliable securities valuation.

It is sometimes difficult to obtain and enforce court judgments in emerging market countries and there is often a greater potential for nationalization and/or expropriation of assets by the government of an emerging market country.

There will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with the Series’ investments in emerging market countries.

Investment company risk — To the extent the Series invests a portion of its assets in investment companies, those assets will be subject to the risks of the purchased investment company’s portfolio securities. The Series also will bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the purchased investment company in addition to its own expenses.

 

High-yield securities risk — The Series is subject to additional risks due to its ability to invest in high-yield securities (junk bonds):

High-yield securities may underperform other sectors of the bond market, or the market as a whole.

The performance of high-yield securities tends to be more volatile than that of other sectors of the bond market.

Given the total size of the high-yield securities market, high-yield securities can be less liquid than investment grade securities.

The Series’ investments in high-yield securities will subject it to a substantial degree of credit risk because the prospect for repayment of principal and interest of many of these bonds is speculative.

Bank loan risk — Investments in bank loans expose the Series to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. The Series may also have difficulty valuing or disposing of bank loans because, in certain cases, the market for such instruments is not highly liquid.

Futures risk – The Series is subject to the following risks due to its ability to invest in futures:

Futures, like all derivatives, can be extremely sensitive to changes in the market value of the underlying investment, and changes in the value of a futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying investment.

The Series may not be able to receive amounts payable to it under its futures contracts as quickly as it may be able to sell or otherwise obtain payments from other investments, so the Series’ investments in such contracts may not be as liquid as the Series’ other investments.

Sector focus risk — Because the Series’ investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in a particular sector or sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors. As a result, the Series’ share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

Portfolio turnover risk — The Series is subject to portfolio turnover risk because it may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. Such a strategy often involves higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of capital gains (in particular, short term gains) realized by the Series. Shareholders may pay tax on such capital gains.

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

 

18

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class S shares of the Series for each of the last ten calendar years. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of a broad-based securities index. The Series’ Class Z Shares and Class W Shares commenced operations on March 1, 2019, and all returns shown for each such class include the returns of the Series’ Class S Shares (adjusted to reflect the higher class-related expenses of the class, where applicable) for periods prior to its inception date. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 06/30/2020): 10.64%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2020): (15.01)%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class S Shares

Return Before Taxes

13.18%

6.86%

5.26%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

10.25%

4.15%

2.64%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

7.69%

4.10%

2.84%

Class I Shares – Return Before Taxes

13.48%

7.14%

5.54%

Class W Shares – Return Before Taxes

14.11%

7.69%

5.67%

Class Z Shares – Return Before Taxes

13.77%

7.26%

5.46%

Indices: (reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

5.53%

1.10%

1.81%

ICE BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Index

13.40%

5.22%

4.51%

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. The after-tax figures are shown for one share class only, and would be different for the other share classes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

19

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Marc Bushallow, CFA®

Managing Director of Fixed Income, has managed the Series since 2008.

Scott Friedman, CFA®

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2021.

R. Keith Harwood

Director of Credit Research, has managed the Series since 2003.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. The minimum initial investment for the Class S shares of the Series is $2,000. The minimum initial investment for the Class I and Class Z shares of the Series is $1,000,000. The minimum initial investments of the Class S, Class I and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans and Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. In addition, the Class S shares investment minimum is waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. There is no minimum initial investment for the Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series held directly with the Fund by mail (Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 534449, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449), by Internet (www.manning-napier.com), by telephone (1-800-466-3863) or by wire. Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place purchase and redemption orders.

Shares of the Series may be purchased from time to time by the Advisor for the accounts of its advisory clients who utilize discretionary account management services provided by the Advisor or its affiliates. Purchases and sales of Series shares for these clients are made at the Advisor’s discretion pursuant to client authorization.

Tax Information

The distributions made by the Series generally are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, you will generally not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions until you begin receiving distributions from your tax-deferred arrangement.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Series’ shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Series and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Series shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Series over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

20

Real Estate Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ investment objective is to provide high current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing principally in companies in the real estate industry.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

None

None

None

None

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.60%

0.60%

0.60%

0.60%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.25%

0.29%

0.14%

0.14%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.85%

1.14%

0.74%

0.74%

Less Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1

None

(0.04)%

(0.64)%

(0.04)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

0.85%

1.10%

0.10%

0.70%

1 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.85% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.70% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.10% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Advisor’s contractual waivers). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

1 Year

$87

$112

$10

$72

3 Years

$271

$350

$32

$224

5 Years

$471

$606

$56

$390

10 Years

$1,049

$1,340

$128

$871

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 38% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in securities of companies that are principally engaged in the real estate industry. These companies include those directly engaged in the real estate industry as well as in industries serving and/or related to the real estate industry. A company will be considered eligible for investment if, as determined by the Advisor, (i) at least 50% of its assets, revenues or net income is derived from the ownership, leasing, construction, servicing, management, development, financing or sale of residential, commercial or industrial real estate or (ii) it has at least 50% of the value of its assets invested in residential, commercial or industrial real estate. Examples of companies in which the Series may invest include those in the following areas: real estate investment trusts (REITs), real estate operating companies (REOCs), real estate developers and brokers, real estate service providers, building suppliers, and mortgage lenders.

The Series may invest in common stocks, convertible securities and other equity securities, principally ETFs (defined below), as well as derivative instruments, principally options (as described below). It may invest in securities issued as part of, or a short period after, a company’s initial public offering (IPO).

 

21

The Series may invest in common stocks of foreign companies, including companies located in emerging market countries. The Series may also invest in American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and other U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Series may invest in securities of small-, large-, or mid-size companies.

The Series may also invest in debt securities. The Series’ investment in debt securities is subject to a limit of 20% of the Series’ assets (measured at the time of purchase). The Series will typically invest in investment grade debt securities, those securities rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor); however, the Series may invest up to 5% of its assets (measured at the time of purchase) in below investment grade debt securities (junk bonds), those rated below BBB- by S&P and those rated below Baa3 by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor). The Series’ investments in debt securities are not subject to any restrictions on maturity or duration.

The Series may purchase shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series’ portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

The Advisor uses a “bottom-up” strategy, focusing on individual security selection. The Advisor analyzes factors such as the management, financial condition, and market position of individual companies to select companies in the real estate industry that it believes will make attractive long-term investments. The Advisor looks for one or more of the following characteristics:

Strong strategic profiles (e.g., strong market position, benefits from technology, market share gains in a mature market and high barriers to entry).

Companies well-positioned to benefit from an anticipated upturn in an industry sub-sector due to sharply reduced competition and improving demand.

Companies trading at very low valuations relative to fundamental or break-up value.

The Advisor will consider selling a security if:

it no longer fits the Series’ investment strategies or valuation discipline;

it has reached the Advisor’s target sell price; or

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in stocks, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to stock market movements. This means that you could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

U.S. and/or foreign stock or bond markets decline.

An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, depresses the value of one or more of the Series’ portfolio holdings.

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Real estate investment risk — The Series’ concentration in securities of issuers in the real estate industry, including its investments in REITs and REOCs (together, real estate companies, or RECs), may subject it to additional risks even though the Series does not invest directly in real estate. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following: fluctuations in the value of real estate properties and interest rates, defaults by borrowers or tenants, extended vacancies and declining rents, a lack of ability to obtain mortgage financing or other limits to accessing the credit or capital markets, increased competition and overbuilding and increases in real estate or operating taxes. Any geographic concentration of the Series’ real estate related investments could result in the Series being subject to the above risks to a greater degree.

The value of a REIT or REOC can depend on its legal structure and cash flow generation. While RECs raise equity and debt capital through the private and public markets, RECs are neither mutual funds, nor hedge funds, nor private equity funds. Much as other operating companies, RECs incur operating expenses necessary to manage and maintain properties. Investing in the Series will result in absorbing duplicate levels of fees for the Series’ investments in RECs. In addition, REITs are subject to certain tax treatment pursuant to federal tax laws and if the REIT fails to qualify for such tax treatment, significant adverse consequences could occur for any such REIT investment. For example, a qualified REIT may be adversely affected by its failure to qualify for tax-free pass through of income.

Large-cap risk — Large-cap stocks tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when large-cap stocks fall behind other types of investments — small-cap stocks, for instance — the Series’ performance could be reduced to the extent its portfolio is holding large-cap stocks.

 

22

Small- and mid-cap risk — The Series may also have special risks due to its investments in stocks of small- and mid-size companies. These risks include the following:

The stocks of small- and mid-size companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than the stocks of larger companies.

The stocks of small- and mid-size companies may be subject to liquidity risk because such stocks may have lower trading volume and be less marketable than the stocks of larger companies. Liquidity risk is further described below.

Small- and mid-size companies may have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, and they may depend on a small management group. As a result, they fail more often than larger companies.

Foreign securities risk — Because the Series may invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Series is subject to additional risks. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions. The prices of foreign common stocks may, at times, move in a different direction than the prices of U.S. stocks. The Series’ investments may be denominated in the currencies of the countries in which they are located; therefore, the value of the Series may be affected by changes in exchange rates between those foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Series to sell such investments at inopportune times or prevent an investment the Advisor otherwise believes is attractive, each of which could result in losses to the Series. These restrictions may also negatively impact the market for securities of issuers that are similar to those directly impacted by the restrictions resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines in those securities as well.

Emerging markets risk — The Series may also have special risks due to its investments in emerging market countries. In addition to the risks discussed above relating to investments in foreign companies located in developed countries, the Series’ investments in emerging market countries are subject to the following risks:

Emerging markets may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries.

Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and unreliable securities valuation.

It is sometimes difficult to obtain and enforce court judgments in emerging market countries and there is often a greater potential for nationalization and/or expropriation of assets by the government of an emerging market country.

There will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with the Series’ investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

Options risk – Options, like all derivatives, can be extremely sensitive to changes in the market value of the underlying investment, and changes in the value of an option contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying investment. Investments in options are also subject to liquidity risk, which is described below.

Risks related to ETFs — The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. The Series will also bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the purchased ETF in addition to its own expenses.

Risk of initial public offerings — The Series may purchase shares issued as part of, or a short period after, a company’s initial public offering (IPO), and may at times dispose of those shares shortly after their acquisition. The Series’ purchase of shares issued in IPOs exposes it to the risks associated with companies that have little operating history as public companies, as well as to the risks inherent in those sectors of the market where these new issuers operate. The market for IPO issuers has been volatile, and share prices of newly-public companies have fluctuated significantly over short periods of time.

Fixed income risk — Because the Series may invest in fixed income securities, you could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

Interest rates go up, which will make bond prices go down and reduce the value of the bonds held in the Series’ portfolio.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for junk bonds and other lower quality bonds.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused interest rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

 

23

High-yield securities risk — The Series is subject to additional risks due to its ability to invest in high-yield securities (junk bonds):

High-yield securities may underperform other sectors of the bond market, or the bond market as a whole.

The performance of high-yield securities tends to be more volatile than that of other sectors of the bond market.

Given the total size of the high-yield securities market, high-yield securities can be less liquid than investment grade securities.

The Series’ investments in high-yield securities will subject it to a substantial degree of credit risk because the prospect for repayment of principal and interest of many of these bonds is speculative.

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions.

Convertible securities risk — The Series’ investments in convertible securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk, similar to fixed income securities. In addition, they are also subject to the risk that the price of the underlying common stock will go down, which may cause a proportionate (or disproportionate) decline in the price of the convertible security.

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class S shares of the Series for each full calendar year since its inception. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of a broad-based securities index. The Series’ Class Z Shares and Class W Shares commenced operations on March 1, 2019, and all returns shown for each such class include the returns of the Series’ Class S Shares (adjusted to reflect the higher class-related expenses of the class, where applicable) for periods prior to its inception date. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 12/31/2021): 17.26%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2020): (23.12)%

 

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class S Shares

Return Before Taxes

10.28%

6.97%

7.41%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

9.41%

5.55%

5.54%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

6.12%

5.25%

5.45%

Class I Shares – Return
Before Taxes

10.56%

7.23%

7.68%

Class W Shares – Return
Before Taxes

11.48%

8.02%

7.94%

Class Z Shares – Return
Before Taxes

10.71%

7.40%

7.62%

Indices: (reflect no deduction for fees. expenses, or taxes)

MSCI USA IMI Index

25.64%

14.79%

11.00%

MSCI US REIT Index

12.27%

6.15%

6.29%

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. The after-tax figures are shown for one share class only, and would be different for the other share class. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Joseph R. Rydzynski, CFA®

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2015.

Corey A. Van Lare, CFA®

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2018.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. The minimum initial investment for the Class S shares of the Series is $2,000. The minimum initial investment for the Class I and Class Z shares of the Series is $1,000,000. The minimum initial investments of the Class S, Class I and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans and Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. In addition, the Class S shares investment minimum is waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. There is no minimum initial investment for the Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series held directly with the Fund by mail (Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 534449, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449), by Internet (www.manning-napier.com), by telephone (1-800-466-3863) or by wire. Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place purchase and redemption orders.

Shares of the Series may be purchased from time to time by the Advisor for the accounts of its advisory clients who utilize discretionary account management services provided by the Advisor or its affiliates. Purchases and sales of Series shares for these clients are made at the Advisor’s discretion pursuant to client authorization.

Tax Information

The distributions made by the Series generally are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, you will generally not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions until you begin receiving distributions from your tax-deferred arrangement.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Series’ shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Series and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Series shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Series over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

25

Unconstrained Bond Series

Summary Section

Investment Goal

The Series’ primary investment objective is to provide long-term total return,

and its secondary objective is to provide preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Series. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

None

None

None

None

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.30%

0.30%

0.30%

0.30%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

None

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.18%

0.16%

0.09%

0.09%1

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

0.01%

0.01%

0.01%

0.01%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2

0.49%

0.72%

0.40%

0.40%

Less Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3

None

None

(0.34)%

(0.04)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2

0.49%

0.72%

0.06%

0.36%

1 Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
2 The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the financial highlights in the prospectus (and in the Series’ financial statements) because the financial highlights include only the Series’ direct operating expenses and do not include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Series through its investments in other investment companies.
3 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.35% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore, does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.
3 Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC (the Advisor or Manning & Napier) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, pursuant to a separate expense limitation agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary so that the total direct annual fund operating expenses of each Class, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), do not exceed 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class S and Class I shares, 0.35% of the average daily net assets of the Class Z shares, and 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Class W shares. These contractual waivers are expected to continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor’s agreement to limit each Class’s operating expenses is limited to direct operating expenses and, therefore,

does not apply to acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by the Series through its investments in other investment companies. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Series with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Series 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 that the Series’ operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Advisor’s contractual waivers). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

CLASS

I

S

W

Z

1 Year

$50

$74

$6

$37

3 Years

$157

$230

$19

$116

5 Years

$274

$401

$34

$202

10 Years

$616

$894

$77

$456

Portfolio Turnover

The Series pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Series shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the performance of the Series. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate of the Series was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Series will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in bonds and other financial instruments, principally derivative instruments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with economic characteristics similar to bonds. For purposes of this policy, bonds may include fixed income securities issued by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations (e.g., yankee bonds), the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or their agencies or instrumentalities (e.g., the Korean Development Bank) and supranational entities (e.g., the World Bank); inflation protected securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and mortgage dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Series sells a mortgage-backed security and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities on a specified future date at a predetermined price. The mortgage and

26

asset-backed securities in which the Series principally invests are issued by U.S. Government agencies (such as GNMA, FNMA, and FHLMC) and private issuers and entitle the holders to a pro rata share of the cash flows generated by the instruments underlying the security (principally residential and commercial mortgages, credit card receivables and car loans).

The Series may invest up to 50% of its assets in below investment grade securities (also referred to as “high yield bonds” or “junk bonds”) and may invest up to 50% of its assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, including securities issued by companies located in emerging markets. The Series may invest portions of its assets in bank loans, which are, generally, non-investment grade floating rate investments, and preferred stock.

The Series may buy and sell futures contracts based on investment grade and/or high yield credit securities to seek to hedge risk, enhance returns and/or manage cash flows. The Series may invest in interest rate futures (and options thereon) and interest rate swaps to manage its interest rate exposure, and may invest in credit default swaps and total return swaps to manage its exposure to certain instruments or markets. The Series may, but is not required to, invest in forward foreign currency contracts to hedge currency risks associated with the purchase of individual securities denominated in a foreign currency.

The Series may purchase shares of ETFs, including to establish a diversified position in a particular market sector or to manage cash flows. The Advisor believes that purchasing ETFs may allow it to manage the Series’ portfolio more efficiently than would otherwise be possible.

The Series employs an absolute return investment approach. This means that it seeks to achieve a positive total return across a variety of market environments, with lower correlations to the broad fixed income market over the long-term. Accordingly, the Series invests across the fixed income universe, and it is not constrained by any particular fixed income asset classes or benchmarks.

Bond Selection Process — When investing in fixed income securities, the Advisor attempts to identify sectors, as well as individual securities within those sectors, that offer yields and credit spreads sufficient to compensate the Series for the risks specific to a given sector or security. A credit spread is the difference between the yield of a U.S. Treasury security and the yield of another fixed income security with a similar maturity. When investing in mortgage- and asset-backed securities, the Advisor also considers the prepayment speeds of the securities. Prepayment speed is the estimated rate at which borrowers will pay off the underlying loans ahead of schedule.

In analyzing the relative attractiveness of sectors and/or individual securities, the Advisor considers:

The relevant economic conditions and sector trends.

The interest rate sensitivities of the particular sectors and securities.

The yield differentials across sectors, credit qualities, mortgage- and asset-backed security types, and maturities.

“Bottom-up” factors such as issuer-specific credit metrics for corporate bonds and scenario analysis, collateral-level analysis, and issuer/servicer analysis for mortgage- and asset-backed securities.

Maturity and Portfolio Duration The Series is not subject to any maturity or duration restrictions but will vary its average dollar weighted portfolio maturity and duration depending on the Advisor’s outlook for yields. For example, the Advisor may invest in positive duration fixed income securities when it expects yields to fall in order to realize gains for the Series. Likewise, the Advisor may invest in negative duration fixed income securities when it expects yields to rise. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in yields. The prices of fixed income securities with shorter positive or negative durations generally will be less affected by changes in yields than the prices of fixed income securities with longer positive or negative durations. For example, a positive 10 year duration means the fixed income security will decrease in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and increase in value by 10% if yields fall 1%. Conversely, a negative 10 year duration means the fixed income security will increase in value by 10% if yields rise 1% and decrease in value by 10% if yields fall 1%.

Credit Quality — The Series may invest in investment grade securities, those securities rated BBB- or above by S&P or Baa3 or above by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor) and may invest up to 50% of its assets in below investment grade securities, those rated below BBB-by S&P and those rated below Baa3 by Moody’s (or determined to be of equivalent quality by the Advisor). The Series may invest in securities with any rating, including those that have defaulted, are not rated, or have had their rating withdrawn.

Securities issued by governments and supranational entities may be sold to adjust the Series’ duration and/or yield curve positioning.

Other securities may be sold for one or more of the following reasons:

they no longer meet the selection criteria under which they were purchased;

their relative value has declined (the spread has tightened such that they are no longer considered attractively priced);

a more attractive investment opportunity is identified.

Securities may also be sold based on the Advisor’s macroeconomic assessment of countries and currencies.

There are no prescribed limits on the sector allocation of the Series’ investments and, from time to time, the Series may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Series

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Series will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Series.

27

Management risk — The value of your investment may decline if the Advisor’s judgments about the attractiveness, relative value or potential appreciation of a particular security or strategy prove to be incorrect.

Market risk — Because the Series invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, even though such changes will not affect the interest income derived from portfolio securities. The value of your investment will also fluctuate in response to changes in repayment speeds. You could lose money on your investment in the Series or the Series could underperform if any of the following occurs:

U.S. and/or foreign bond markets decline.

The issuer of a fixed income security owned by the Series defaults on its obligation to pay principal and/or interest or has its credit rating downgraded; this risk is greater for junk bonds and other lower quality bonds.

Interest rates rise and/or credit spreads widen. These events alone or in combination can cause bond prices to fall and reduce the value of the Series’ portfolio. Longer-term bonds have greater sensitivity to, and will therefore experience greater fluctuations in response to, interest rate changes than shorter-term bonds.

The issuers of high interest debt obligations pay off the debts earlier than expected when interest rates fall, and the Series has to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields (prepayment risk), or the issuers of lower interest rate debt obligations pay off the debts later than expected when interest rates rise, thus keeping the Series’ assets tied up in lower yield debt obligations (extension risk).

An epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, negatively affects the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests.

Current market conditions may pose heightened risks for the Series. Interest rates in the U.S. are coming off historic lows, but recent changes in government policy have caused the interest rates to rise and there is an increased risk that interest rates will continue to rise in the near future. An increase in interest rates may, in turn, increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Series. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these conditions, the Series’ value may fluctuate and/or the Series may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact the Series’ liquidity or force the Series to sell securities into a declining or illiquid market.

 

Risk of mortgage dollar rolls — The Series’ mortgage dollar rolls could lose money if the price of the mortgage-backed securities sold falls below the agreed upon repurchase price, or if the counterparty is unable to honor the agreement.

High-yield securities risk — The Series is subject to additional risks due its ability to invest in high-yield securities (junk bonds):

High-yield securities may underperform other sectors of the bond market, or the market as a whole.

The performance of high-yield securities tends to be more volatile than that of other sectors of the bond market.

Given the total size of the high-yield securities market, high-yield securities can be less liquid than investment grade securities.

The Series’ investments in high-yield securities will subject it to a substantial degree of credit risk because the prospect for repayment of principal and interest of many of these bonds is speculative.

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions.

Bank loan risk — Investments in bank loans expose the Series to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. The Series may also have difficulty valuing or disposing of bank loans because, in certain cases, the market for such instruments is not highly liquid.

Preferred stock risk — Preferred stocks are sensitive to interest rate changes, and are also subject to equity market risk, which is the risk that stock prices will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a Series’ investment. The rights of preferred stocks on the distribution of a corporation’s assets in the event of a liquidation are generally subordinate to the rights associated with a corporation’s debt securities. Preferred stock may also be subject to prepayment risk similar to fixed income securities.

Foreign securities risk — Because the Series may invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Series is subject to additional risks. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions. The prices of foreign fixed income securities may, at times, move in a different direction than the prices of fixed income securities issued in the United States. The Series’ investments may be denominated in the currencies of the countries in which they are located; therefore, the value of the Series may be affected by changes in exchange rates between those foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Advisor’s attempt to manage the currency risk described above may not accurately predict movements in currency exchange rates, which could cause the Series to

28

sustain losses. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Series to sell such investments at inopportune times or prevent an investment the Advisor otherwise believe is attractive, each of which could result in losses to the Series. These restrictions may also negatively impact the market for securities of issuers that are similar to those directly impacted by the restrictions resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines in those securities as well.

Emerging markets risk — The Series may also have special risks due to its investments in emerging market countries. In addition to the risks discussed above relating to investments in foreign companies located in developed countries, the Series’ investments in emerging market countries are subject to the following risks:

Emerging markets may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries.

Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and unreliable securities valuation.

It is sometimes difficult to obtain and enforce court judgments in emerging market countries and there is often a greater potential for nationalization and/or expropriation of assets by the government of an emerging market country.

There will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with the Series’ investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar.

Derivatives risk — The Series is subject to the following risks due to its ability to invest in options, futures, forwards and swaps:

Derivatives can be extremely sensitive to changes in the market value of the underlying investment, and changes in the value of a derivative contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying investment.

The Series may not be able to receive amounts payable to it under its derivatives contracts as quickly as it may be able to sell or otherwise obtain payments from other investments, so the Series’ investments in such contracts may not be as liquid as the Series’ other investments.

The Series’ use of forwards and swaps is also subject to the risk that the counterparty to the contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor its obligation to the Series.

U.S. Government securities risk — Although U.S. Government securities are considered to be among the safest investments, they are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the agency’s own resources, and, therefore, such obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

 

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities risks — The Series’ investments in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may subject it to the following additional risks:

Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

Risks related to ETFs — The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. The Series will also bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the purchased ETF in addition to its own expenses.

Inflation protected security risk — The value of inflation protected fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), generally will fluctuate in response to changes in “real” interest rates, generally decreasing when real interest rates rise and increasing when real interest rates fall. Real interest rates represent nominal (or stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. In addition, interest payments on inflation-indexed securities will generally vary up or down along with the rate of inflation.

Sector focus risk — Because the Series’ investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in a particular sector or sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors. As a result, the Series’ share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

LIBOR replacement risk — The Series may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings on a representative basis. In April 2023, however, the FCA announced that some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market, has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on the Series, including any negative effects on the Series’ liquidity and valuation of the Series’ investments, issuers of instruments in which the Series invests and financial markets generally.

 

29

Liquidity risk — The Series is subject to the risk that, at certain times, its securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Series would like. The Series may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Series’ management or performance.

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in the Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and net asset value (NAV). These redemptions may also force the Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

The risks above could contribute to a decline in the value of the Series’ investments and, consequently, the share price of the Series.

Summary of Past Performance

The bar chart and average annual total return table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Series. The bar chart shows the variability in the performance of the Series by showing changes in the performance of the Class S shares of the Series for each of the last ten calendar years. The total return table shows how the average annual total returns for the Series for different periods compare to those of two broad-based securities indices. The Series’ Class I Shares and Class W Shares commenced operations on August 1, 2013 and March 1, 2019, respectively, all returns shown for each such class include the returns of the Series’ Class S Shares for periods prior to its inception date. No performance is shown for Class Z Shares of the Series because they were not active prior to the date of this prospectus. Past performance (both before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Series will perform in the future. Quarterly performance information of the Series is available at www.manning-napier.com.

CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

Quarterly Returns

Highest (quarter ended 06/30/2020): 5.93%
Lowest (quarter ended
03/31/2020): (4.47)%

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
FOR PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class S Shares

Return Before Taxes

5.99%

2.75%

2.35%

Return After Taxes
on Distributions

4.47%

1.41%

1.10%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Series Shares

3.52%

1.56%

1.27%

Class I Shares – Return Before Taxes

6.16%

3.00%

2.59%

Class W Shares – Return Before Taxes

6.66%

3.44%

2.68%

Indices: (reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

5.53%

1.10%

1.81%

FTSE 3-Month Treasury
Bill Index

5.26%

1.91%

1.26%

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. The after-tax figures are shown for one share class only, and would be different for the other share classes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Series shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor of the Series is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC.

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Portfolio Managers

A portfolio management team made up of investment professionals employed by the Advisor is jointly and primarily responsible for making all of the Series’ investment decisions. The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Team:

Marc Bushallow, CFA®

Managing Director of Fixed Income, has managed the Series since 2008.

Brad Cronister, CFA®

Senior Analyst, has managed the Series since 2021.

R. Keith Harwood

Director of Credit Research, has managed the Series since 2005.

Purchase and Sale of Series Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. The minimum initial investment of the Class S shares of the Series is $2,000. The minimum initial investment for the Class I and Class Z shares of the Series is $1,000,000. The minimum initial investments of the Class S, Class I and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans and Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. In addition, the Class S shares investment minimum is waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. There is no minimum initial investment for the Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Series held directly with the Fund by mail (Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 534449, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449), by Internet (www.manning-napier.com), by telephone (1-800-466-3863) or by wire. Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place purchase and redemption orders.

Shares of the Series may be purchased from time to time by the Advisor for the accounts of its advisory clients who utilize discretionary account management services provided by the Advisor or its affiliates. Purchases and sales of Series shares for these clients are made at the Advisor’s discretion pursuant to client authorization.

Tax Information

The distributions made by the Series generally are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, you will generally not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions until you begin receiving distributions from your tax-deferred arrangement.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Series’ shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Series and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Series shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Series over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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More Information About the Series’
Principal Investment Strategies and Principal Risks

More Information About the Series’ Principal Investments

Equity securities — Equity securities are primarily common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies.

Foreign securities — Foreign securities include foreign stocks and ADRs and other U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, including those in emerging markets. ADRs are securities listed and traded in the United States but represent an ownership interest in securities issued by a foreign issuer. ADRs are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, which are described below.

Fixed income securities — Fixed income securities may be issued by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, foreign governments or any of their agencies or instrumentalities, supranational entities such as the World Bank, and U.S. and foreign companies. Certain U.S. and foreign fixed income securities are not guaranteed or insured by the U.S. or foreign government. These securities may be backed solely by their issuers’ ability to borrow from their government or by the credit of their issuers.

Investments in fixed income securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, and may include mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities.

Municipal securities — Municipal securities may be issued by a state and its political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities or by other governmental entities. These issuers may also be located in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories and possessions. Tax exempt municipal securities are securities the income from which is exempt from federal income tax, including the AMT.

Mortgage-backed securities — Mortgage-backed securities are instruments that entitle the holder to a share of all interest and principal payments from mortgages underlying the security. The mortgages backing these securities include residential mortgages and commercial mortgages.

Asset-backed securities — Asset-backed securities are securities backed by non-mortgage assets such as company receivables, truck and auto loans, leases and credit card receivables. Asset-backed securities are generally issued as pass-through certificates, which represent undivided fractional ownership interests in the underlying pools of assets.

High-yield securities (junk bonds) — High-yield securities are lower-rated fixed income securities often referred to as “junk bonds.” These securities offer a higher yield compared to investment grade securities, but they carry a greater degree of risk and are considered speculative by the major credit rating agencies. High-yield securities may be issued by companies that are restructuring, are smaller and less creditworthy, or are more highly indebted than other companies. In addition, foreign countries with political or economic instability may issue high-yield securities. Issuers of high-yield securities may, therefore,

have more difficulty making scheduled payments of principal and interest. Compared to investment grade securities, high-yield securities are influenced more by changes in the financial and business position of the issuer than by changes in interest rates.

Currency hedging — In order to attempt to manage the currency risk associated with owning and trading foreign securities, a Series may, but is not required to, hedge against changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar primarily through the use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts. These derivatives may be used to hedge against changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar in connection with specific transactions or portfolio positions.

Options — An option is the right to buy or sell an instrument at a specific price before a specific date. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. When the Advisor wishes to sell a security at a specified price, it may seek to generate additional gains for a Series by writing (selling) “covered call” options on the underlying security. A call option is “covered” if the Series either owns the underlying security or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire the security.

Futures — Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security or asset on a specified date and at a specified price. A Series may trade different types of futures contracts, including contracts based on fixed income securities, interest rates and currencies.

Swaps — Swaps are agreements whereby two parties agree to exchange payment streams calculated in relation to a rate, index, instrument or certain securities, and a predetermined notional amount. Interest rate swaps involve one party, in return for a premium, agreeing to make payments to another party to the extent that interest rates exceed or fall below a specified rate (a “cap” or “floor,” respectively). Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index or an index component. A credit default swap enables a party to buy or sell protection against a defined credit event of an issuer or a basket of securities. The buyer of a credit default swap is generally obligated to pay the seller a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract in return for a contingent payment upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation.

Mortgage dollar rolls — Mortgage dollar rolls are transactions in which a Series sells a mortgage-backed security and simultaneously contracts to purchase similar securities on a specified future date at a predetermined price. They simulate an investment in mortgage-backed securities and may enhance a Series’ returns and reduce its administrative burdens compared with holding mortgage-backed securities directly.


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ETFs — ETFs are investment companies whose shares are bought and sold on a securities exchange. ETFs invest in a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index.

Real estate companies (RECs) — RECs (including REITs and REOCs) are companies — trusts in the case of REITs — that invest primarily in commercial real estate or real estate-related loans. Generally, REITs can be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains from appreciation realized through property sales. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity and Mortgage REITs. REOCs are real estate companies that engage in the development, management or financing of real estate. They typically provide services such as property management, property development, facilities management and real estate financing. REOCs are publicly traded corporations that are taxed at the corporate level, unlike REITs.

Convertible securities — A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted or exercised for a prescribed amount of common stock at a specified time and price. Convertible securities provide an opportunity for equity participation, with the potential for a higher dividend or interest yield and lower price volatility compared to common stock.

Bank loans — Bank loans are fixed and floating rate loans arranged through private negotiations between a company or a non-U.S. government and one or more financial institutions (lenders). A Series may invest in bank loans in the form of participations in the loans (participations) and assignments of all or a portion of the loans from third parties (assignments).

Inflation protected securities — Inflation protected securities are fixed income securities for which the principal and/or interest income paid is linked to inflation rates. They may be issued by the U.S. Treasury or foreign governments and U.S. and foreign corporations. The relationship between an inflation protected security and its associated inflation index affects both the sum a Series is paid when the security matures and the amount of interest that the security pays the Series. With inflation (a rise in the index), the principal of the security increases. With deflation (a drop in the index), the principal of the security decreases. Inflation protected securities pay interest at a fixed rate. Because the rate is applied to the adjusted principal, however, interest payments can vary in amount from one period to the next. If inflation occurs, the interest payment increases. In the event of deflation, the interest payment decreases. At the maturity of a security, the Series receives the adjusted principal or the original principal, whichever is greater.

Preferred stock — Preferred stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.

Business development companies (BDCs) — BDCs are a type of closed-end fund regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). BDCs typically invest in and lend to small- and medium-sized private companies that may lack access to public equity markets for capital raising. The 1940 Act imposes certain constraints upon the operations of a BDC. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Additionally, BDCs must make available significant managerial assistance to their portfolio companies. BDCs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). BDCs have expenses associated with their operations. Accordingly, a Series will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other expenses, and of any performance based fees, charged by the BDCs in which it invests.

Master limited partnerships (MLPs) — MLPs are limited partnerships or limited liability companies, whose partnership units or limited liability interests are listed and traded on a U.S. securities exchange, and are treated as publicly traded partnerships for federal income tax purposes. To qualify to be treated as a partnership for tax purposes, an MLP must receive at least 90% of its income from qualifying sources as set forth in the Code. These qualifying sources include activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and marketing of mineral or natural resources.

33

More Information About the Series’ Principal Risks

In addition to the principal risks discussed in the individual Series’ Summary sections, certain Series are subject to additional risks as illustrated by the following table. The degree to which each risk applies to a specific Series depends on the holdings of that Series. More information on each risk is provided below the table.

 

Core Bond Series

Credit Series

Diversified Tax Exempt Series

High Yield Bond Series

Real Estate Series

Unconstrained Bond
Series

Management risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

Market risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

Equity risk

x

Large-cap risk

x

Small- and mid-cap risk

x

Foreign securities risk

x

x

x

x

x

Emerging markets risk

x

x

x

Currency risk

x

x

Risks related to currency hedging and forward contracts

x

Interest rate risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

Credit risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

U.S. Government securities risk

x

x

x

Mortgage-backed securities risk

x

x

x

Prepayment and extension risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

High-yield securities risk

x

x

x

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities

x

x

x

x

x

Risks of mortgage dollar rolls

x

x

Asset-backed securities risk

x

x

x

Bank loan risks

x

x

Municipal securities risk

x

x

x

Options risk

x

x

Futures risk

x

x

x

x

Swaps risk

x

Risks related to ETFs

x

x

x

x

x

Preferred stock risk

x

Real estate investment risk

x

Risks related to real estate companies

x

Risks of initial public offerings

x

Inflation protected security risk

x

x

Convertible securities risk

x

x

x

x

x

Sector focus risk

x

x

x

x

LIBOR replacement risk

x

x

Portfolio turnover risk

x

Liquidity risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

Large redemption risk

x

x

x

x

x

x

Taxation risk

x

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Management risk — The investment performance of a Series depends largely on the skill of key personnel and investment professionals of the Advisor. The Advisor will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for a Series and there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Series’ investment strategies permit investments to be made in a broad range of issuers, securities and transactions. Within these parameters, the Advisor will make investment decisions for a Series as it deems appropriate. No assurance can be given that a Series will be successful in obtaining suitable investments, or that if such investments are made, the objectives of the Series will be achieved.

Market risk — The risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The Series’ net asset value (NAV) per share will fluctuate with the market prices of its portfolio securities. Market risk may affect a single issuer, an industry, a sector or the equity or bond market as a whole. Markets for securities in which the Series invests may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Similarly, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Series invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Series’ performance and cause losses on your investment in the Series. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken worldwide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.

Equity risk — The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

Large-cap risk — Large-cap stocks tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. The returns on large-cap stocks may underperform other types of investments, such as small- or mid-cap stocks.

Small- and mid-cap risk — Small- and mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, small- and mid-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. The securities of smaller companies are

often traded in the over-the-counter market and, even if listed on a national securities exchange, the trading market (i.e., the volume of trades on any given day) for such securities may be less active than larger companies listed on that exchange. Consequently, the securities of these companies may be less liquid, may have limited market stability, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than the securities of larger, more established companies. As a result, the prices of smaller companies owned by a Series may be volatile.

Foreign securities risk — Investments in securities of foreign issuers involve certain risks that are greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions, or changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges). In certain countries, legal remedies available to investors may be more limited than those available with respect to investments in the United States. The securities of some foreign companies may be less liquid and, at times, more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign companies may also experience more rapid or extreme changes in value than securities of U.S. companies because the securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. There also is the risk that the cost of buying, selling, and holding foreign securities, including brokerage, tax, and custody costs, may be higher than those involved in domestic transactions. During any period when foreign securities underperform other types of investments — U.S. securities, for instance — the performance of a Series that holds foreign securities may lag these investments. A Series’ investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes. Although in some countries all or a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion will reduce the income received by a Series. In addition, a Series’ investments in foreign securities may increase or accelerate the Series’ recognition of ordinary income or may affect the timing or amount of the Series’ distributions. Additionally, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may result in the Series having to sell such prohibited securities at inopportune times. Such prohibited securities may have less liquidity as a result of such U.S. Government designation and the market price of such prohibited securities may decline, which may cause the Series to incur losses.

Emerging markets risk — Emerging market countries are countries that the World Bank or the United Nations considers to be emerging or developing. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries. Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and unreliable securities valuation. It is sometimes difficult to obtain and enforce court judgments in such countries and there is often a greater potential for nationalization and/or expropriation of assets by the government of an emerging market country. In addition, the financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will

35

tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with a Series’ investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar.

Currency risk — Investments in securities denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies will be subject to currency risk. This is the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency hedged. In either event, the dollar value of an investment in the security would be adversely affected. Currencies in non-U.S. countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates; intervention by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund; or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad.

Risks related to currency hedging and use of forward contracts — A hedging strategy relies upon the ability of the Advisor to accurately predict movements in currency exchange rates. In addition, a Series could be exposed to risk if the counterparty to a forward contract is unable to meet the terms of the contract or if the value of the currency changes unfavorably relative to the U.S. dollar. Also, there may not be an exact relationship between changes in the prices of a forward foreign currency exchange contract and the underlying currency. A Series’ use of forward contracts is also subject to liquidity risk, which is discussed below.

Interest rate risk — Investments in fixed income securities are subject to the risk that interest rates rise and fall over time. As with any investment whose yield reflects current interest rates, a Series’ yield will change over time. In a low interest rate environment, the risk of a decline in value of a Series’ portfolio securities associated with rising rates is heightened because there may be a greater likelihood of rates increasing, potentially rapidly. In a declining interest rate environment, a Series generally will be required to invest available cash in instruments with lower interest rates than those of the current portfolio securities.

Credit risk — Investments in fixed income securities are subject to the risk of a decline in the credit quality of the issuer and the risk that the issuer or guarantor of the security fails to make timely principal or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations. Below investment-grade bonds (junk bonds) involve greater risks of default or downgrade and are more volatile than investment-grade bonds. Below investment-grade bonds also involve greater risk of price declines than investment-grade securities due to actual or perceived changes in an issuer’s creditworthiness. In addition, issuers of below investment-grade bonds may be more susceptible than other issuers to economic downturns. Such bonds are subject to the risk that the issuer may not be able to pay interest or dividends and ultimately to repay principal upon maturity. Discontinuation of these payments could substantially adversely affect the market value of the bonds. Given the total size of the junk bond market, junk bonds can be less liquid than investment grade bonds.

U.S. Government securities risk — Although U.S. Government securities are considered to be among the safest investments, they are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the agency’s own resources and, therefore, such obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Also, any government guarantees on securities a Series owns do not extend to the shares of the Series itself.

Mortgage-backed securities risk — Mortgage-backed securities are sensitive to changes in interest rates, but may respond to these changes differently from other fixed income securities due to the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. As a result, it may not be possible to determine in advance the actual maturity date or average life of a mortgage-backed security. Rising interest rates tend to discourage refinancings, with the result that the average life and volatility of the security will increase, exacerbating its decrease in market price. When interest rates fall, however, mortgage-backed securities may not gain as much in market value because of the expectation of additional mortgage prepayments, which must be reinvested at lower interest rates. Prepayment risk may make it difficult to calculate the average maturity of a Series’ mortgage-backed securities and, therefore,to assess the volatility risk of the Series. Commercial mortgage- backed securities are less susceptible to prepayment risk because commercial mortgages may have prepayment penalties or prepayment lock out periods. The repayment of loans secured by income-producing properties, however, is typically dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate project rather than upon the liquidation value of the underlying real estate or the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. The privately issued mortgage-backed securities in which a Series invests are not issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities and may bear a greater risk of nonpayment than securities that are backed by the U.S. Treasury.

Prepayment and extension risk — Investments in fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause a Series to hold securities paying lower-than-market rates of interest, which could hurt its yield or share price. In addition, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of certain fixed income securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, a Series may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their fixed income securities sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a Series because it will have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. This is known as prepayment risk.

High-yield securities risk—High-yield securities (junk bonds) are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller, less creditworthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. Compared with investment-grade securities, high-yield securities are considered to carry a greater degree of

36

risk and are considered to be less likely to make payments of interest and principal. In particular, lower-quality high-yield securities (rated CCC, CC, C, or unrated securities judged to be of comparable quality) are subject to a greater degree of credit risk than higher-quality high-yield securities and may be near default. High-yield securities rated D are in default. Market developments and the financial and business conditions of the issuers of these securities generally influence their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade securities.

Risks of lower-rated investment grade securities — Securities with the lowest ratings within the investment grade categories carry more risk than those with the highest ratings. When a Series invests in securities in the lower rating categories, the achievement of its goals is more dependent on the Advisor’s ability than would be the case if the Series were to invest in higher-rated securities within the investment grade categories. The Advisor seeks to minimize this risk through investment analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and economic conditions. If a security purchased by a Series is downgraded below investment grade after purchase, the Advisor will review the security to determine if it remains an appropriate investment.

Risks of mortgage dollar rolls — A Series’ mortgage dollar rolls could lose money if the price of the mortgage-backed securities sold falls below the agreed upon repurchase price, or if the counterparty is unable to honor the agreement. A Series’ use of mortgage dollar rolls may increase its portfolio turnover rate, and may lead to higher transaction costs and increased capital gains for the Series.

Asset-backed securities risk— Repayment of asset-backed securities depends largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities entail prepayment risk, which may vary depending on the type of asset, but is generally less than the prepayment risk associated with mortgage-backed securities. Asset-backed securities present credit risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. This is because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable in quality to mortgage assets. If the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, a Series will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Series’ recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on the security. In the event of a default, a Series may suffer a loss if it cannot sell collateral quickly and receive the amount it is owed.

Bank loan risks — Bank loans are, generally, non-investment grade (junk bond) floating rate instruments. In connection with purchasing participations, a Series generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Series may not benefit directly from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Series will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. When a Series purchases assignments from lenders, the Series

will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan. A Series may have difficulty disposing of bank loans because, in certain cases, the market for such instruments is not highly liquid. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of such instruments and on a Series’ ability to dispose of the bank loan in response to a specific economic event, such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower.

Furthermore, transactions in many loans settle on a delayed basis, and the Series may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a substantial period of time after the sale. As a result, those proceeds will not be available to make additional investments or to meet the Series’ redemption obligations. Bank loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Series, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.

Municipal securities risk — State and local governments rely on taxes and, to some extent, revenues from private projects financed by municipal securities, to pay interest and principal on municipal debt. Poor statewide or local economic results or changing political sentiments may reduce tax revenues and increase the expenses of municipal issuers, making it more difficult for them to meet their obligations. To the extent that a Series invests in municipal securities from a given state or geographic region, its share price and performance could be affected by local, state and regional factors, including natural disasters and terrorist activities, erosion of the tax base and changes in the economic climate. Also, there may be economic or political changes that impact the ability of issuers of municipal securities to repay principal and to make interest payments on securities owned by a Series. Any changes in the financial condition of municipal issuers also may adversely affect the value of a Series’ securities. Tax exempt municipal securities are securities the income from which, in the opinion of the securities’ counsel, is exempt from federal income tax, including the AMT, and certain state income taxes. Neither the Advisor nor the Series guarantee that these opinions are correct, and there is no assurance that the IRS will agree with such counsel’s opinion. If certain types of investments a Series buys as tax- exempt are later ruled to be taxable, a portion of that Series’ income could be taxable.

Options risk — A Series’ use of options involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Risks associated with a Series’ use of options include: (i) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the movement in prices of options and the instruments underlying them; (ii) the buyer of an option assumes the risk of losing the entire premium invested in the option; (iii) while a Series will receive a premium when it writes covered call options, it may not participate fully in a rise in the market value of the underlying security; and (iv) there may not be a liquid secondary market for options. Liquidity risk is further described below.

Futures risk — A Series’ use of futures involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Risks associated with a Series’ use of futures contracts include:

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(i) futures involve a high degree of leverage because they require only a small initial investment in the form of a deposit or margin; (ii) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the movement in prices of futures and the instruments underlying them; (iii) there may not be a liquid secondary market for futures; (iv) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (v) government regulations may restrict trading in futures. Liquidity risk is further described below.

Swaps risk — A Series’ use of swaps involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Risks associated with a Series’ use of swaps include: (i) swaps may involve a high degree of leverage because they are usually entered into without an initial payment, but can create investment exposures on their notional amounts; (ii) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the movement in prices of swaps and the instruments underlying them; (iii) the counterparty to a swap may default or otherwise become unable to honor its obligation to a Series; (iv) swaps may be difficult to value; and (v) there may not be a liquid secondary market for swaps. Liquidity risk is further described below.

Risks related to ETFs — ETFs, like mutual funds, have expenses associated with their operation, including advisory fees. When a Series invests in an ETF, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear a pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses. The risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities.

Preferred stock risk — Preferred stocks are sensitive to interest rate changes, and are also subject to equity market risk, which is the risk that stock prices will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a Series’ investment. The rights of preferred stocks on the distribution of a corporation’s assets in the event of a liquidation are generally subordinate to the rights associated with a corporation’s debt securities. Preferred stock may also be subject to prepayment risk similar to fixed income securities.

Real estate investment risk — Real estate securities are subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including, among others, declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; lack of ability to access the credit or capital markets; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during an economic downturn; increasing competition; increases in property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems; liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems; casualty or condemnation losses; limitations on rents; changes in market and sub-market values and the appeal of properties to tenants; and changes in interest rates.

Risks related to real estate companies — The following risks may apply to all real estate companies (RECs) or specifically to real estate investment trusts (REITs):

Investments in RECs are subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, which are described above.

RECs are dependent upon specialized management skills and may have their investments in relatively few properties, or in a small geographic area or a single property type.

RECs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers.

U.S. REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax free pass-through of income under the Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). The failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law or to maintain its exemption from registration under the 1940 Act may have adverse consequences.

In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, a REC may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.

RECs have their own expenses, and a Series will bear a proportionate share of those expenses.

RECs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties in their portfolios. Mortgage REITs may also be affected by the credit quality of any loans in their portfolios.

REITs are subject to substantial dividend requirements which may result in a need to raise additional capital or face self-liquidation.

Risks of initial public offerings — The market value of IPO shares will fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading, and limited information about the issuer. The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs. IPO shares are subject to market risk and liquidity risk. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for a Series to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Investors in IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. When a Series’ asset base is small, a significant portion of its performance could be attributable to investments in IPOs because such investments would have a magnified effect on the Series. As a Series’ assets grow, the effect of the Series’ investments in IPOs on the Series’ performance probably will decline, which could reduce the Series’ performance. Because of the price volatility of IPO shares, a Series may choose to hold IPO shares for a very short

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period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Series’ portfolio and lead to increased expenses to the Series, such as commission and transaction costs. By selling IPO shares, a Series may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders.

Inflation protected security risk — The value of inflation protected securities, including TIPS, generally will fluctuate in response to changes in “real” interest rates, generally decreasing when real interest rates rise and increasing when real interest rates fall. Real interest rates represent nominal (or stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. In addition, the principal values of inflation protected securities, and the interest payments based thereon, are periodically adjusted up or down along with the rate of inflation. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed by the United States Treasury in the case of TIPS. For securities that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the security to be repaid at maturity is subject to credit risk.

Convertible securities risk — The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline, and the credit standing of the issuer. The price of a convertible security will also normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of the conversion or exercise feature. Convertible securities may also be rated below investment grade (“junk bond”) or may not be rated, and are subject to credit risk, which is discussed above.

Sector focus risk — To the extent a Series focuses or concentrates its investments in a particular sector or sectors, the Series will be more susceptible to events or factors affecting companies in those sectors. For example, the values of securities of companies in the same sector may be negatively affected by the common characteristics they share, the common business risks to which they are subject, common regulatory burdens, or regulatory changes that affect them similarly. Such characteristics, risks, burdens or changes include, but are not limited to, changes in governmental regulation, inflation or deflation, rising or falling interest rates, competition from new entrants, and other economic, market or political developments specific to the particular sector or sectors.

LIBOR replacement riskThe Series may be exposed to financial instruments that recently transitioned from, or continue to be tied to, the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, has ceased publishing all LIBOR settings on a representative basis. In April 2023, however, the FCA announced that some USD LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market, has been used increasingly on a voluntary

basis in new instruments and transactions. While some existing LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies to replicate LIBOR. Parties to contracts, securities, or other instruments using LIBOR may disagree on transition rates or the application of transition regulation, potentially resulting in uncertainty of performance and the possibility of litigation. The utilization of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the Series’ performance. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on the Series, including any negative effects on the Series’ liquidity and valuation of the Series’ investments, issuers of instruments in which the Series invests and financial markets generally.

Portfolio turnover risk — Active and frequent trading of portfolio securities often involves higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of capital gains (in particular, short term gains) realized by a Series. Shareholders may pay tax on such capital gains.

Liquidity risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The market for certain investments may become illiquid due to specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer or under adverse market or economic conditions independent of the issuer, including declines in dealer market-making capacity for fixed income securities. A Series’ investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of that Series because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. Further, transactions in illiquid securities may entail transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities.

Large redemption risk — Certain institutions or individuals may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of a Series’ shares. Redemptions by these institutions or individuals in a Series may impact the Series’ liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force a Series to sell securities, which may cause the Series to experience a loss (particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets), as well as cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Series’ performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions for remaining shareholders.

Taxation risk — In order to pay tax exempt interest, tax exempt securities must meet certain legal requirements. Failure to meet such requirements may cause the interest received and distributed by the Diversified Tax Exempt Series to shareholders to be taxable. Changes or proposed changes in federal tax laws may cause the prices of tax exempt securities to fall. While the Diversified Tax Exempt Series intends, under normal circumstances, to invest at least 50% of its net assets in municipal securities that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax in order to meet the requirements necessary to pay out exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders, if the Series fails to meet this requirement, the income distributions resulting

39

from all of its investments, including its municipal securities, may be subject to federal income tax when received by shareholders. The Diversified Tax Exempt Series will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel on the tax exempt status of interest on municipal bond obligations. Neither the Diversified Tax Exempt Series nor the Advisor will independently review the bases for those tax opinions, which may ultimately be determined to be incorrect and subject the Series and its shareholders to additional tax liabilities.

Defensive Investing

Each Series may depart from its principal investment strategies by taking temporary defensive positions in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions. During such times, a Series may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, cash equivalents or other high quality short-term investments. If a Series takes a temporary defensive position, it may be unable to achieve its investment goal.

Investment Strategy and Goal

The investment goals (described above under “Investment Goal” in each Series’ summary section), of the Diversified Tax Exempt Series and High Yield Bond Series are fundamental policies and may not be changed without obtaining the approval of the respective Series’ shareholders.

The investment goals of the Core Bond Series, Credit Series, Real Estate Series, and Unconstrained Bond Series are not fundamental policies, and the Series’ Board of Directors may change these goals without obtaining the approval of the shareholders of these Series. If there is a material change in a non-fundamental investment goal of a Series, shareholders will be notified thirty (30) days prior to any such change and will be advised to consider whether the Series remains an appropriate investment in light of their then current financial position and needs.

The Series may not succeed in achieving their goals.

Each of the Core Bond Series, Credit Series, High Yield Bond Series, Real Estate Series, and Unconstrained Bond Series will notify its shareholders at least sixty (60) days before changing its investment strategy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in the type of securities suggested by its name.

More Information About the Series’ Benchmark Indexes

The following information relates to the various indexes referred to in the Performance Information sections of this prospectus. Index data provided is not a representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent. The returns of the indices do not reflect any fees or expenses. You cannot invest directly in an index.

Index data comes from third parties (“Third Party Content”). While we believe these Third-Party Content sources are reliable, we make no representations or warranties as to the Third-Party Content. All Third-Party Content is to be used solely for informational purposes and is provided on an “AS IS” basis. Manning & Napier will not be liable for the use of any Third-Party

Content and Manning & Napier’s use of Third-Party Content shall not be construed as an endorsement of or affiliation with any Third-Party Content provider.

Some additional disclosures for our Third-Party Content providers are set forth below:

Bloomberg

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged, market-value weighted index of U.S. domestic investment-grade debt issues, including government, corporate, asset-backed, and mortgage-backed securities, with maturities of one year or more.

The Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index is an unmanaged, market-value weighted index of investment-grade U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, taxable corporate and government-related debt with less than ten years to maturity. It is composed of a corporate and non-corporate component that includes non-US agencies, sovereigns, supranationals and local authorities.

Index returns for the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond and Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Indices are provided by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).

The Bloomberg Municipal 1-15 Year Bond Index covers the USD-denominated long-term, tax-exempt bond market, with maturities of 1-15 years, including state and local general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, insured bonds and pre-refunded bonds.

The Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index covers the USD-denominated long term tax exempt bond market. The Index has four main sectors: state and local general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, insured bonds and pre-refunded bonds. The Index measures all municipal bonds with at least one year until final maturity. The Index returns do not reflect any fees or expenses.

Index returns for the Bloomberg Municipal 1-15 Year Bond and Bloomberg Municipal Bond Indices are provided by Bloomberg.

“Bloomberg®”, Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index and Bloomberg Municipal 1-15 Year Bond Index, are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by Manning & Napier. Bloomberg is not affiliated with Manning & Napier, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the Series. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to the Series.

ICE

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Bank of America (BofA) U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Index tracks the performance of U.S. dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, issued in the U.S. domestic market. Qualifying securities must have at least one year remaining term to final maturity as of the rebalancing date, at least 18 months to final maturity at the time of issuance, a fixed coupon schedule, and a minimum amount outstanding of $250 million. Index returns provided by Bloomberg.

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Source ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE DATA”), is used with permission. ICE® is a registered trademark of ICE Data or its affiliates and BOFA® is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation Licensed by Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates (“BOFA”) and may not be used without BOFA’s prior written approval. ICE Data, its affiliates and their respective third party suppliers disclaim any and all warranties and representations, express and/or implied, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use, including the indices, index data and any data included in, related to, or derived therefrom. Neither ICE Data, its affiliates nor their respective third party suppliers shall be subject to any damages or liability with respect to the adequacy, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the indices or the index data or any component thereof, and the indices and index data and all components thereof are provided on an “as is” basis and your use is at your own risk. ICE Data, its affiliates and their respective third party suppliers do not sponsor, endorse, or recommend Manning & Napier, or any of its product and services.

MSCI

The MSCI U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is comprised of equity REITs that are classified in the Equity REITs Industry under the GICS® Real Estate Sector. The Index returns are net of withholding taxes. Index returns provided by Bloomberg.

The MSCI USA Investable Market Index (IMI) is designed to measure large, mid, and small-cap representation across the US market. The Index returns do not reflect any fees or expenses. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. The Index returns are net of withholding taxes. They assume daily reinvestment of net dividends thus accounting for any applicable dividend taxation. Index returns provided by Bloomberg.

Source: MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any of such data. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the data have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. No further distribution or dissemination of the MSCI data is permitted without MSCI’s express written consent.

Russell

The FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index based on 3-Month U.S. treasury bills. The Index measures the monthly return equivalents of yield averages that are not marked to market. Index returns provided by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).

Source: London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the “LSE Group”). © LSE Group 2023. FTSE Russell is a trading name of certain of the LSE Group companies. “FTSE®” is a trade mark(s) of the relevant LSE Group companies and is/are used by any other LSE Group company under license. All rights in the FTSE Russell indexes or data vest in the relevant LSE Group company which owns the index or the data. Neither LSE Group nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the indexes or data and no party may rely on any indexes or data contained in this communication. No further distribution of data from the LSE Group is permitted without the relevant LSE Group company’s express written consent. The LSE Group does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication.

Management

The Advisor

The Series’ advisor is Manning & Napier Advisors, LLC, 290 Woodcliff Drive, Fairport, New York 14450 (“Manning & Napier” or the “Advisor”). Manning & Napier is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC. The Advisor has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) with respect to the Series. Therefore, the Series are not subject to registration or regulation under the CEA.

As of December 31, 2023, Manning & Napier managed $19.4 billion for individual and institutional investors. The Advisor is responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Series and generally oversees the Series’ overall business affairs, service providers and officers.

Portfolio Managers

The following investment professionals serve on the Series’ Portfolio Management Teams, as noted. Each Portfolio Management Team member is jointly and primarily responsible for making investment decisions for the respective Series.

Elizaveta Akselrod, Senior Analyst, Fixed Income Group

Joined the Advisor in 2006. Senior Analyst since 2021. Previous position held in the last five years: Analyst, Fixed Income Group, 2015 – 2020. Member of the following Portfolio Management Team: Tax Exempt Series (since 2015).

Marc Bushallow, CFA®, Managing Director of Fixed Income

Joined the Advisor in 2008. Managing Director of Fixed Income since 2015. Member of the following Portfolio Management Teams: Core Bond Series (since 2008); Unconstrained Bond Series (since 2008); High Yield Bond Series (since 2008); Tax Exempt Series (since 2015); and Credit Series (since 2020).

Brad Cronister, CFA®, Senior Analyst

Joined the Advisor in 2010. Senior Analyst since 2021. Previous positions held in the last five years: Analyst, 2017 – 2020. Member of the following Portfolio Management teams: Core Bond Series (since 2021) and Unconstrained Bond Series (since 2021).

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Scott Friedman, CFA®, Senior Analyst

Joined the Advisor in 2008. Senior Analyst since 2021. Previous positions held in last five years: Analyst 2019-2021. Member of the following Portfolio Management Teams: High Yield Bond Series (since 2021).

R. Keith Harwood, Director of Credit Research

Joined the Advisor in 1997. Director of Credit Research since 2015. Member of the following Portfolio Management Teams: High Yield Bond Series (since 2003); Core Bond Series (since 2005); Unconstrained Bond Series (since 2005); and Credit Series (since 2020).

Joseph R. Rydzynski, CFA®, Senior Analyst, Real Estate Group

Joined the Advisor in 2009. Senior Analyst since 2021. Previous positions held in last five years: Analyst 2019-2021; Junior Analyst, Equity Income Group, 2015 – 2019. Member of the following Portfolio Management Team: Real Estate Series (since 2015).

Corey A. Van Lare, CFA®, Senior Analyst, Real Estate Group

Joined the Advisor in 2011. Senior Analyst since 2021. Previous positions held in the last five years: Analyst, Real Estate Group, 2019 – 2020; Junior Analyst, Equity Income Group, 2017 – 2019; Senior Research Associate. Member of the following Portfolio Management Team: Real Estate Series (since 2018).

The Statement of Additional Information (SAI) contains additional information about the Series’ management team, including the structure of their compensation, their role in managing other accounts, and their ownership of securities in the Series.

Discretionary Investment Accounts

Manning & Napier and its affiliates may use the Series within its client’s discretionary investment accounts. From time to time, these discretionary accounts may hold a substantial portion of the outstanding shares of the Series, and transactions in shares of the Series for such accounts may have an impact upon the size and operations of the Series. For instance, transactions in shares of the Series for these accounts may cause the Series’ portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect fund performance and increase the likelihood of capital gain distributions. In addition, the Series’ assets may be significantly less during times when these discretionary accounts are not invested in the Series, which would cause the Series’ remaining shareholders to bear greater portions of the Series’ fixed operating expenses, subject to any fee waiver then in effect.

Management Fees

In return for services it provides to each Series, the Advisor receives an annual management fee, which is computed daily and payable monthly by each Series as described below. The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee for the Class W shares. In addition, the Advisor has contractually agreed to limit total direct annual fund operating expenses, exclusive of Rule 12b-1 Fees (as defined below) and waived Class W management fees (collectively, “excluded expenses”), as shown below. These contractual waivers are expected to

continue indefinitely, and may not be amended or terminated by the Advisor without the approval of the Series’ Board of Directors. The Advisor may receive from a Class the difference between the Class’s total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, and the Class’s contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers (other than Class W management fee waivers) or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point the total direct annual fund operating expenses, not including excluded expenses, are below the contractual expense limit (a) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (b) at the time of the recoupment.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Directors’ approval of each Series’ investment advisory agreement is available in the Series’ annual report dated December 31, 2022, which covers the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

ANNUAL MANAGEMENT FEE
(AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE DAILY NET ASSETS)

Series

Contractual
Management
Fee

Contractual
Expense
Limitation

Actual Management Fee Paid for Year Ended 12/31/20231

Core Bond Series

0.25%

Class I and S

Class W

Class Z

0.45%

0.05%

0.30%

0.00%*

Credit Series

0.25%

Class W

0.10%

0.00%*

Diversified Tax Exempt Series

0.50%

Class A

Class W

0.85%

0.35%

0.00%*

High Yield Bond Series

0.40%

Class I and S

Class W

Class Z

0.65%

0.10%

0.50%

0.28%

Real Estate Series

0.60%

Class I and S

Class W

Class Z

0.85%

0.10%

0.70%

0.12%

Unconstrained Bond Series

0.30%

Class I and S

Class W

Class Z

0.50%

0.05%

0.35%

0.06%

*Less than 0.01%.

1Reflects the actual amount paid, including the effects of fee waivers and expense reimbursements.

The Distributor

The Series’ shares are offered on continuous basis through the Fund’s principal underwriter, Manning & Napier Investor Services, Inc. (the Distributor).

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

Distribution and Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees

Class S shares of the Series are subject to an annual distribution and shareholder services fee (a Rule 12b-1 Fee) of up to 0.25% of the Class’s average daily net assets in accordance with a distribution and shareholder services plan (the Rule 12b-1 Plan) adopted by the Fund’s Board of Directors pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Rule 12b-1 Fee is intended to compensate the Distributor for services and expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of Class S shares and/or in connection with the provision of direct client service, personal services, maintenance of shareholder accounts and reporting services to holders of Class S shares of the Series. Generally, the Rule 12b-1 Fee will not be retained by the Distributor but will instead be reallowed to financial intermediaries who provide these services.

Expenses and services for which the Distributor or another intermediary or agent may be compensated include, without limitation, expenses (including overhead and telephone expenses) of, and compensation to, employees of the Distributor or of intermediaries who engage in distribution or servicing of Class S shares, printing of prospectuses and reports for other than existing Class S shareholders, advertising, preparing, printing and distributing sales literature and forwarding communications from the Fund to such persons. The Rule 12b-1 Plan is of the type known as a “compensation” plan. This means that the fees are payable to compensate the Distributor or intermediary for services rendered even if the amount paid exceeds the Distributor’s or intermediary’s expenses. Because these fees are paid out of the Series’ assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges.

Other share classes are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 Fee.

Other Payments by the Fund

The Fund may enter into agreements with financial intermediaries pursuant to which the Fund may pay financial intermediaries for non-distribution related sub-transfer agency, administrative, sub-accounting, and other shareholder services in an annual amount not to exceed 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Class I and Class S shares of the Series. Payments made pursuant to such agreements are generally based on the current assets and/or number of accounts of the Series attributable to the financial intermediary. Any payments made pursuant to such agreements may be in addition to, rather than in lieu of, any Rule 12b-1 Fee payable under the Rule 12b-1 Plan of the Fund.

Payments by the Advisor and/or its Affiliates

The Advisor may use its own resources to engage in activities that may promote the sale of the Series’ shares, including payments, or other forms of incentives such as discounted fees for products or services of affiliates, to third parties who provide services such as shareholder servicing, marketing support, and distribution assistance to the Series. These fees or other incentives are in addition to any payments made to financial intermediaries by the Fund. The level of payments made to financial intermediaries may be a fixed fee or based upon one or more of the following factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Series attributable to the financial intermediary, the particular type of Series, or other measures as agreed to in writing by the Advisor, the Distributor and/or their affiliates and the financial intermediaries or any combination thereof. The amount of these payments is determined at the discretion of the Advisor, the Distributor and/or their affiliates from time to time and may be different for different financial intermediaries based on, for example, the nature of the services provided by the financial intermediary.

The Advisor may also, from its own resources, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including compensation of employees who are involved in distribution. These payments or discounts may be substantial but are paid or discounted by the Advisor or its affiliates, not by a Series or its shareholders. Such payments may provide an incentive for the financial intermediary to make shares of a Series available to its customers and may allow a Series greater access to the financial intermediary’s customers, and may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary to recommend a Series over another investment.

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Choosing a Share Class

The Core Bond Series, High Yield Bond Series, Real Estate Series, and Unconstrained Bond Series offer four classes of shares: Class I, Class S, Class W, and Class Z shares. The Diversified Tax Exempt Series offer two classes of shares: Class A shares and Class W shares. The Credit Series offers one class of shares: Class W shares. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class I, Class S, Class A, Class W, and Class Z shares. Contact your financial intermediary or the Fund for more information about the Series’ share classes and how to choose among them.

CLASS NAME

ELIGIBLE INVESTORS

INVESTMENT MINIMUMS

DISTRIBUTION
AND SERVICES
(12B-1) FEE

Class I

Institutions, such as investment companies, foundations, endowments, banks, trusts and corporate capital and cash management accounts; employee benefit plans; individual investors; and certain financial intermediaries.

Initial – $1,000,000
Minimum Balance Requirement $1,000,000

None

Class S

Individual or institutional investors; employee benefit plans, such as defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, and 401(k) plans; and certain financial intermediaries.

Initial – $2,000
Minimum Balance Requirement $1,000

0.25%

Class A

Individual or institutional investors and certain financial intermediaries.

Initial – $2,000
Minimum Balance Requirement $1,000

None

Class W

Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients and other funds managed by Manning & Napier.

Initial – None

Minimum Balance Requirement None

None

Class Z

Institutions, such as investment companies, foundations, endowments, banks, trusts and corporate capital and cash management accounts; employee benefit plans; individual investors; and certain financial intermediaries.

Initial – $1,000,000
Minimum Balance Requirement $1,000,000

None

The minimum initial investment and minimum balance requirements for Class I, Class S, and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans and Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. The minimum initial investment and minimum balance requirements for Class A shares are waived for discretionary investment accounts of the Advisor. In addition, the minimum investment and minimum balance requirements of the Class S and Class A shares are waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. The Fund reserves the right to change or waive a Class’s investment minimums in its sole discretion.

Class I, Class S, Class A, and Class Z shares are available for direct investment from the Fund or through certain financial intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s Distributor. Financial intermediaries include financial planners, investment advisors, broker-dealers or other financial institutions. An investor may be eligible to purchase more than one share class. However, if you are purchasing your shares through a financial intermediary, you may only purchase that class of shares which your financial intermediary sells or services. Your financial intermediary can tell you which class of shares is available through the intermediary.

If you purchase your shares through an intermediary, your financial intermediary may impose different or additional conditions than the Series on purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares. These differences may include initial, subsequent and maintenance investment requirements, exchange policies, and trading restrictions. Your financial intermediary may independently establish and charge you fees, which may include commissions, transaction fees and account fees in addition to the fees charged by the Series. These additional fees may vary over time and would increase the cost of your investment and lower investment returns. You should consult your financial intermediary directly for information regarding these conditions and fees. The Series are not responsible for the failure of your financial intermediary to carry out its responsibilities.

You or your financial intermediary may request that the shares in your account be converted to another share class with lower total expenses if you meet the eligibility requirements of the other share class. In addition, certain financial intermediaries have arranged for the Fund to automatically implement such conversions in specified circumstances for shares held through the financial intermediary or in an account established directly with the Fund through the financial intermediary.


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The Fund reserves the right to determine which potential investors qualify as eligible investors for each share class. Shares of a class held by a non-eligible investor are subject to involuntary redemption by the Fund.

If your account no longer meets the minimum balance requirement for a share class, the Fund may automatically convert the shares in the account to another share class or redeem your shares, as appropriate. The Fund will notify you in writing before any mandatory conversion or redemption occurs.

How to Buy, Exchange, and Redeem Shares

Actions by Authorized Representative

Shareholders who establish an account directly with the Fund through a financial intermediary have authorized the registered representative of such intermediary indicated on the account application or subsequent documentation to perform transactions in the Series’ shares and certain account maintenances on behalf of the shareholders.

Discretionary Investment Accounts

For discretionary investment account clients of Manning & Napier or its affiliates, investment decisions pertaining to purchases and sales of Fund shares are made at Manning & Napier’s discretion.

All orders to purchase and redeem shares on behalf of discretionary investment account clients of Manning & Napier and its affiliates will be processed at the NAV next determined after receipt by the transfer agent of a duly completed purchase or redemption order transmitted by Manning & Napier to the transfer agent. There is no minimum initial investment for Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients.

The instructions provided below apply to all other investors.

How to Obtain Forms

You can obtain the forms referenced in the following sections by going to the Fund’s website at www.manning-napier.com/fundapps or by calling 1-800-466-3863.

How to Buy Shares

Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their intermediary to learn how to place orders to buy shares. Shareholders holding shares directly with the Fund may purchase shares directly from the Fund, as described below.

The initial minimum investment for the Series’ Class S shares and Class A shares is $2,000. The initial minimum investment for the Series’ Class I and Class Z shares is $1,000,000. There is no minimum initial investment for the Series’ Class W shares, which are only available to Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. The minimum initial investments of Class I, Class S and Class Z shares are waived for certain qualified retirement plans. In addition, the Class S and Class A shares investment minimum is waived for participants in an automatic investment program who invest at least $1,000 in a 12-month period. The

minimum initial investments of the Class I, Class S, Class A and Class Z shares are waived for Manning & Napier’s discretionary investment account clients. Employees, officers and directors of Manning & Napier or its affiliates, and family members of such persons, are not subject to any minimum initial investment in the Series.

The Fund reserves the right to change or waive the Series’ investment minimums in its sole discretion. The Fund also reserves the right to reject purchase orders or to stop offering its shares without notice to shareholders. The Fund does not generally accept investments by non-U.S. persons or certain U.S. persons living outside the U.S. Such persons may be permitted to invest in the Fund under certain limited circumstances.

Check Acceptance Policy

The Fund reserves the right to reject certain forms of payment for share purchases. Investments that are received in an unacceptable form will be returned. The Fund maintains a check acceptance policy for share purchases. Checks must be made payable to the Manning & Napier Fund, Inc. and must be in U.S. dollars. The Fund will not accept cash, third party checks, starter checks, travelers checks, credit card checks or money orders.

Customer Identification Policy

Shareholder information is subject to independent identity verification and may be shared, as permitted by law and the Fund’s Privacy Policy, for identifying and reporting suspected money laundering and terrorist activity. Please review your account application for additional information.

The Fund will not accept a P.O. Box as a primary address. A physical address must be used. A P.O. Box may be used as a mailing address only.

By Mail

Opening an account

Send a check payable to Manning & Napier Fund, Inc. with the completed original account application.

The address is:
Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 534449
Pittsburgh,
PA 15253-4449

To request an account application, refer to the section How to Obtain Forms.

Adding to an account

Send a check payable to Manning & Napier Fund, Inc. and a letter of instruction with the name of the Series and share class to be purchased and the account name and number to the above address.

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By Wire

Opening or adding to an account

After the Fund has received your completed account application, you may wire funds to open or add shares to your account. Before sending a wire, call 1-800-466-3863 for wire instructions. Wire instructions are also available at www.manning-napier.com/fundapps under the General Forms section. Refer to the “Delivery Instructions.”

By Telephone

Adding to an Account

You may use the Telephone Purchase feature to add to an existing account. To use this service, call 1-800-466-3863 to request a debit from your pre-authorized checking account. Your bank must be a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) to use this feature. Any purchases made through this feature will be posted to your account at the NAV calculated when your purchase request is determined to be in good order (generally on the next business day after your call that both the NYSE and banks are open).

Through the Internet

Adding to an Account

If you are a registered user of the Fund’s website, you may use the Internet to add to an existing account by requesting a debit from your bank account. To use this service, go to www.manning-napier.com, click on the “login” button in the top right-hand corner of the screen, then click on “Mutual Fund” to be directed to the secure sign-in screen. Once logged in, click on the “Trading” tab and follow the prompts. Any purchases made through this feature will be posted to your account at the NAV calculated when your purchase request is determined to be in good order (generally on the next business day after your order that both the NYSE and banks are open).

Automatic Investment Plan

You may participate in the Automatic Investment Plan by completing the applicable section of the account application (for new accounts) or by completing the appropriate section of the form titled “Account Maintenance Form – Financial EFT Bank Change” (for existing accounts). Through the plan, you can authorize transfers of a specified amount from your bank account into a Series on a regular basis. The minimum amount of each investment is $25. If you have insufficient funds in your account to complete a transfer, your bank may charge you a fee. To request an account application or form, refer to the section How to Obtain Forms.

How to Exchange Shares

Subject to the conditions discussed in the “Excessive Trading” section below, shareholders may exchange shares of a Series for a class of shares of any other Series of the Fund currently available for investment if the registration of both accounts is identical and the exchange order and shareholder meet the minimum investment and other requirements for the Series and class into which they are exchanging. Please read the prospectus of the Series into which you wish to exchange prior to requesting the exchange. The Fund may alter, limit or suspend its exchange privilege on 60 days’ notice.

The Fund’s exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-term or excessive trading. The Fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in a pattern of exchanges that is excessive, as determined in the sole discretion of the Fund. For more information about the Fund’s policy on excessive trading, see “Excessive Trading.”

An exchange involves a redemption of shares surrendered in the exchange, and therefore it may cause the shareholder to realize a gain that may be subject to income tax. However, an exchange between share classes in the same Series is not reported as a taxable sale.

Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place orders to exchange shares. Shareholders holding shares directly with the Fund may exchange shares directly with the Fund, as described below.

By Mail

Send a letter of instruction or a completed “Fund Exchange Request Form” to Manning & Napier Fund, Inc. at the address found in the section How To Buy, Exchange and Redeem Shares — Opening An Account, signed by each registered account owner, exactly as your names appear on the account registration.

Provide the name of the current Series and class of shares, the Series and class of shares to exchange into, and the dollar amount to be exchanged.

Provide the account number.

By Telephone

Unless you have declined telephone privileges, call the Fund at 1-800-466-3863.

Provide the name of the current Series and class of shares, the Series and class of shares to exchange into, and the dollar amount to be exchanged.

Provide the account number.

We will ask for identification, and all telephone calls are recorded.

Through the Internet

If you are a registered user of the Fund’s website, you may use the Internet to exchange shares between Series. To use this service, go to www.manning-napier.com, click on the “login” button in the top right-hand corner of the screen, then click on “Mutual Fund” to be directed to the secure sign-in screen. Once logged in,

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click on the “Trading” tab and follow the prompts. Any exchanges made through this feature prior to the close of trading on the NYSE on a business day will be posted to your account at the NAV calculated on that day.

How to Redeem Shares

The Fund typically expects to pay out redemption proceeds to redeeming shareholders within one business day following receipt of shareholder redemption requests. The Fund may, however, postpone payment of redemption proceeds for up to seven days. In addition, the Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment of redemption proceeds for longer than seven days when the NYSE is closed, other than during customary weekends or holidays, or as otherwise permitted by the SEC. If you recently purchased your shares by check, redemption proceeds may not be available until your check has cleared (which may take up to 10 days from your date of purchase).

The Fund may sell portfolio assets, hold cash or cash equivalents, draw on a line of credit, use short-term borrowings from its custodian, and/or redeem shares in-kind (as described below), as necessary, to meet redemption requests.

A Medallion Signature Guarantee may be required for certain redemption requests, such as redemption requests over $100,000 sent to an address other than a pre-designated bank account. Likewise, certain types of account maintenance, such as address changes, result in a thirty calendar day hold on your account during which any redemption requests via check to the new address must include a Medallion Guarantee.

Shareholders holding shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to learn how to place orders to redeem shares. Shareholders holding shares directly with the Fund may place redemption orders directly with the Fund, as described below.

By Mail

Complete the applicable form or send a letter of instruction to Manning & Napier Fund, Inc. at the address found in the section How To Buy, Exchange and Redeem Shares — Opening An Account, signed by each registered account owner, exactly as your names appear in the account registration.

Provide the name of the Series, the class of shares, and the number of shares or dollar amount to be sold.

Provide the account number.

To obtain a form, refer to the section How to Obtain Forms.

Additional documentation, including Medallion Guarantees, may be required (call the Fund for details).

By Telephone

Unless you have declined telephone privileges, call us at 1-800-466-3863.

Provide the name of the Series, the class of shares, and the number of shares or dollar amount to be sold.

Provide the account number.

We will ask for identification, and all telephone calls are recorded.

Redemption proceeds from sales requested by telephone will be sent only to an address that has been on file with us for at least 30 days or a pre-designated bank account.

Amounts over $100,000 may only be sent to a pre-designated bank account.

Through the Internet

If you are a registered user of the Fund’s website, you may use the Internet to redeem shares from your account. To use this service, go to www.manning-napier.com, click on the “login” button in the top right-hand corner of the screen, then click on “Mutual Fund” to be directed to the secure sign-in screen. Once logged in, click on the “Trading” tab and follow the prompts. Proceeds from redemptions requested over the Internet will be sent only to an address that has been on file with us for at least 30 days or a pre-designated bank account. Amounts over $100,000 may only be sent to a pre-designated bank account. Any redemptions made through this feature prior to the close of trading on the NYSE on a business day will be posted to your account at the NAV calculated on that day.

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Investment and Account Information

More About Purchases, Exchanges, and Redemptions

All orders to purchase, exchange, or redeem shares must be sent to the transfer agent at the address found in the section How To Buy, Exchange and Redeem Shares — Opening An Account or to an authorized financial intermediary.

Transaction requests received in good order (i.e., with all required information, and, as relevant, signatures, documentation and upon verification by the Fund (or its agent) of ACH information) before the close of regular trading on the NYSE on a business day will be executed at that day’s share price. The close of regular trading is typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, although it may be earlier. Transaction requests received in good order after the close of regular trading will be processed at the NAV next determined after receipt. The Fund is open for business each day the NYSE is open. All orders must include the required documentation and signatures, and all purchase orders must be accompanied by proper payment.

The Fund has authorized a number of financial intermediaries to accept purchase and redemption orders on its behalf, and those intermediaries are authorized to designate other intermediaries to accept purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. Orders placed with an authorized financial intermediary will be processed at the share price of the Series next computed after they are received in good order by the financial intermediary or its designee. Accordingly, for you to receive the current business day’s share price, your order must be received by an authorized financial intermediary or its designee in good order before the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Your financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting requests and delivering funds to the Series on a timely basis.

The Series’ distributor imposes no sales charge on purchases and redemptions of shares of the Series. However, your financial intermediary may charge you a transaction fee on purchases and redemptions.

Excessive Trading

The Series are intended for long-term investment purposes only. Do not invest in the Fund if you are a market timer. The Fund’s Board of Directors has adopted policies and procedures designed to detect and deter “market timing” or other types of excessive short-term trading by shareholders. Excessive trading into and out of a Series may present risks to the Series’ long-term shareholders, all of which could adversely affect shareholder returns. The risks posed by frequent trading include interfering with the efficient implementation of the Series’ investment strategies, triggering the recognition of taxable gains and losses on the sale of the Series’ investments, requiring the Series to maintain higher cash balances to meet redemption requests, and experiencing increased transaction costs. In addition, the Fund may, in its sole discretion, reject or limit purchase orders (including purchases by exchange) by an investor or group of investors for any reason without prior notice, including when it believes in its sole discretion that the trading activity in the account(s) would be detrimental to a Series. For purposes

of applying these policies, the Fund and its service providers may consider the trading history of accounts under common ownership or control.

Shareholders may make up to 2 “round trips” during any 90 day period. A “round trip” is defined as a purchase or exchange into a Series followed by a redemption or exchange out of the same Series. After the second “round trip”, the Fund may block for a period of 90 days additional purchases and exchange purchases into the Fund from your account or any account with the same tax identification number or broker identification number.

The following types of transactions will be exempted from these procedures:

Transactions under certain monetary thresholds that have been determined by the Fund, in its sole discretion, not to be harmful or disruptive to the Series

Systematic withdrawals

Automatic investments (including investments made by payroll deduction)

Mandatory distributions from IRAs and retirement plans

IRA transfers and rollovers

Roth IRA conversions and re-characterizations

Reinvestments of dividends and capital gains

The Fund’s ability to monitor trades that are placed by individual shareholders through omnibus accounts, which are accounts maintained by financial intermediaries on behalf of multiple beneficial shareholders, is limited to the extent that the Fund does not have direct access to the underlying shareholder account information. However, the Fund and/or its service providers monitor aggregate trades placed in omnibus accounts and seek to work with financial intermediaries to discourage shareholders from engaging in market timing and to restrict excessive trading. The Fund and/or its service providers have entered into agreements with such financial intermediaries that require the financial intermediaries to provide the Fund and/or its service providers with certain shareholder transaction information to enable the Fund and/or its service providers to review the trading activity in the omnibus accounts. If excessive trading is identified in an omnibus account, the Fund will work with the financial intermediary to restrict trading by the shareholder and may require the financial intermediary to prohibit the shareholder from future purchases or exchanges into the Series. Transactions placed by shareholders through financial intermediaries in violation of the Fund’s excessive trading policy may be cancelled or the shares purchased may be redeemed by the Fund.

The Fund may also defer to a financial intermediary’s frequent trading policies with respect to those shareholders who invest in a Series through such intermediary. The Fund will defer to an intermediary’s policies only after the Fund determines that the intermediary’s frequent trading policies adequately protect Series shareholders. Transactions by Series shareholders investing through such intermediaries will be subject to the restrictions

48

of the intermediary’s frequent trading policies, which may differ from those of the Fund. Shareholders who invest through financial intermediaries should consult with their intermediaries to determine the frequent trading restrictions that apply to their Series transactions.

The Fund and its service providers will take steps reasonably designed to detect and deter frequent trading by shareholders pursuant to the Fund’s policies and procedures described in this prospectus and approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. Despite these efforts, however, the Fund and its service providers may not be able to detect or prevent all instances of short-term trading in the Series, and, as a result, frequent trading could adversely affect a Series and its long-term shareholders as discussed above. For example, certain investors who engage in market timing and other short-term trading activities may employ a variety of techniques to avoid detection. Further, the detection of frequent trading patterns and the blocking of further trading are inherently subjective and therefore involve some selectivity in their application. The Fund and its service providers, however, seek to apply these policies to the best of their abilities uniformly and in a manner they believe is consistent with the interests of the Series’ long-term shareholders.

The Fund may amend these policies and procedures in response to changing regulatory requirements or to enhance their effectiveness.

Telephone and Internet Transactions

We will employ steps reasonably designed to ensure that purchase, exchange, or redemption orders placed by telephone or through the Internet are genuine, which may include recording telephone calls and requesting personally identifiable information prior to acting upon instructions. For transactions conducted over the Internet, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser. We are not responsible for any losses that may occur as long as we follow procedures reasonably designed to prevent fraudulent orders. Interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a telephone or Internet order when desired. In addition, you should verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them.

Accounts with Low Balances

Discretionary Investment Account Clients — The Fund does not impose a minimum balance requirement for discretionary investment accounts managed by Manning & Napier or its affiliates.

Other Shareholders — If your account falls below the minimum balance requirement for your share class (see table above) due to the redemption of shares, the Fund may ask you to bring your account up to the minimum requirement. If your account is still below the minimum balance requirement after 60 days, the Fund may redeem your shares and send you the redemption proceeds, or, if shares are held directly with the Fund, automatically convert the shares in the account to another share class, as appropriate and that share class may have higher expenses.

Inactive Accounts

Each state has rules governing the definition and treatment of unclaimed property. Triggers include inactivity (e.g., no owner-generated activity for a certain period), returned mail (e.g., when mail sent to a shareholder is returned to the Fund’s transfer agent as undeliverable, also known as “RPO”), or a combination of both inactivity and RPO. Once property is flagged as unclaimed, an attempt is made to contact the shareholder, but if that attempt is unsuccessful, the account may be considered abandoned and escheated to the state.

Shareholders that reside in the state of Texas may designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that can be found on the website of the Texas Comptroller. While the designated representative does not have any rights to claim or access the shareholder’s account or assets, the escheatment period will cease if the representative communicates knowledge of the shareholder’s location and confirms that the shareholder has not abandoned his or her property. If a shareholder designates a representative to receive escheatment notifications, any escheatment notices will be delivered both to the shareholder and the designated representative. A completed designation form may be mailed to the Fund (if shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder’s financial intermediary (if shares are not held directly with the Fund).

For more information on unclaimed property and how to maintain an active account, please call us at 1-800-466-3863.

In-Kind Purchases and Redemptions

Securities you own may be used to purchase shares of the Series. The Advisor will determine if acquiring the securities is consistent with the Series’ goals and policies. If accepted, the securities will be valued the same way the Series values securities it already owns.

The Fund may make payment for shares redeemed in part by giving you portfolio securities. As a redeeming shareholder, you will pay transaction costs to dispose of these securities. In addition, you will continue to be subject to the risks of any market fluctuation in the value of the securities until they are sold.

An in-kind distribution of portfolio securities could include illiquid securities. Illiquid securities may not be able to be sold quickly or at a price that reflects full value, or there may not be a market for such securities, which could cause you to realize losses on the security if the security is sold at a price lower than that at which it had been valued.

Medallion Guarantees and Notary Stamps

Financial transactions:

A Medallion Guarantee may be required for certain redemption requests, account transfers and other types of financial transactions. A Medallion Guarantee is a type of signature guarantee that can be obtained from most brokers, banks, savings institutions or credit unions. A Medallion Guarantee is a formal certification offered by firms participating in the Medallion Stamp Program that guarantees a signature is original and authentic.

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Non-financial transactions:

Although the Fund will accept a Medallion Guarantee for non-financial transactions, such as changing banking instructions, the Fund will also accept a notary stamp for non-financial transactions. A notary stamp can be obtained from a Notary Public, which is an official appointed by state government to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.

Please contact the Fund at 1-800-466-3863 for more information.

Valuation of Shares

The Series offer their shares at the NAV per share of the Series. Each Series calculates its NAV once daily as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the exchange is open. If the exchange closes early, the Series will accelerate the calculation of their NAVs and transaction deadlines to that time.

The Series generally value the securities in their portfolios on the basis of market quotations and valuations provided by independent pricing services. If market prices are not readily available or are unreliable, such as in the case of a security value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the relevant market, securities are valued at fair value. The Board has designated the Advisor as the Series’ valuation designee to make all fair value determinations with respect the Series’ portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight. The Advisor has adopted and implemented policies and procedures to be followed when making fair value determinations, and it has established a Valuation Committee through which the Advisor makes fair value determinations. The Advisor’s determination of a security’s fair value price often involves the consideration of a number of subjective factors, and is therefore subject to the unavoidable risk that the value that the Advisor assigns to a security may be higher or lower than the security’s value would be if a reliable market quotation for the security was readily available.

There may be limited circumstances in which the Advisor would price securities of U.S. companies that are traded on U.S. exchanges at fair value — for example, if the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally traded closed early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time the Series calculated its NAV.

When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of more than 60 days, the Series use the value of the security provided by pricing services. The values provided by a pricing service may be based upon market quotations for the same security, securities expected to trade in a similar manner or a pricing matrix. When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, the Advisor may use the security’s amortized cost. Amortized cost and the use of a pricing matrix in valuing fixed income securities are forms of fair value pricing.

International securities markets may be open on days when the U.S. markets are closed. In such cases, the value of any international securities owned by the Series may be significantly affected on days when investors cannot buy or sell shares. In addition, due to the difference in times between the close of the international markets and the time the Series price their shares, the value the Advisor assigns to securities for the Series may not be the same as the quoted or published prices of those securities on their primary markets or exchanges. In determining fair value prices of non-U.S. securities, the Advisor may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, factors influencing specific foreign markets or issuers, foreign currency appreciation/depreciation, securities market movements in the U.S., or other relevant information as related to the securities.

Communicating with the Manning & Napier Fund

By Phone: You can reach us at 1-800-466-3863 business days from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. Telephone calls may be recorded.

By Mail:

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

P.O. Box 534449

Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4449

By Overnight Mail:

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

Attention: 534449

500 Ross Street, 154-0520

Pittsburgh, PA 15262

Automated account information: You can obtain automated account information, such as share prices and account balances, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 1-800-466-3863 or by logging into your account at www.manning-napier.com.

Disclosure of the Series’ Portfolio Holdings

The Series disclose their complete portfolio holdings in each Annual and Semi-Annual Report and, following the first and third fiscal quarters, in a quarterly holdings report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as exhibits to Form N-PORT. Annual and Semi-Annual Reports are distributed to Series shareholders, and the most recent Reports are available on the Fund’s website at www.manning-napier.com. Quarterly holdings reports filed with the SEC are not distributed to Series shareholders, but are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, the Series’ month-end and quarter-end complete portfolio holdings are available on the Fund’s website. This information is provided with a lag of at least eight days. Portfolio holdings information will be available on the website at least until it is superseded by a quarterly portfolio holdings report distributed to shareholders (with respect to Annual and Semi-Annual Reports) or filed with the SEC (with respect to an exhibit to Form N-PORT). A Series may also disclose certain commentary and analytical, statistical, performance or similar information relating to the Series or its portfolio holdings to third parties if such disclosure is deemed to be for a legitimate business purpose and the information is deemed to be non-material. A description of the Fund’s policy and

50

procedures with respect to the circumstances under which the Fund discloses its portfolio securities is available in the SAI.

Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes

Dividends and Distributions

The Real Estate Series generally pays dividends four times a year, in March, June, September, and December. The Core Bond Series, Credit Series, High Yield Bond Series, Diversified Tax Exempt Series, and Unconstrained Bond Series generally pay dividends on a monthly basis. All the Series make net capital gains distributions, if any, once a year, typically in December. Each Series may pay additional distributions and dividends at other times if necessary for the Series to avoid incurring a federal tax.

Unless you have instructed the Fund otherwise, capital gain distributions and dividends are reinvested in additional shares of the same Series and Class that you hold. Alternatively, you can instruct the Fund in writing or by telephone to have your capital gains and/or dividends paid in cash. You can change your choice at any time to be effective as of the next distribution or dividend, except that any change given to the transfer agent after the record date will not be effective until the next distribution or dividend is made. If you have elected to receive your distributions by check, all capital gain distributions and dividends less than $10 will be reinvested. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distribution or redemption checks.

Taxes

Each Series has elected and intends to qualify each year for treatment as a RIC. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the Series level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Series’ failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in Series-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

Dividends are paid from income earned on a Series’ portfolio holdings as well as from interest on its cash investments. Distributions of capital gain will be treated as long-term or short-term gain depending on how long a Series held the securities sold, without regard to how long you have owned your shares of the Series. Dividends and distributions are taxable whether received in cash or reinvested. If you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or other retirement account, you generally will not be subject to federal taxation on Series distributions; however, distributions from tax-deferred arrangements are generally subject to federal taxation.

TRANSACTION

FEDERAL TAX STATUS

Redemption or exchange of shares

If you hold your shares as a capital asset, usually taxable as capital gain or loss; long-term only if shares owned more than one year

Long-term capital gain distribution

Taxable as long-term capital gain

Short-term capital gain distributions

Generally taxable as ordinary income

Dividends

Taxable as ordinary income unless they qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income

Tax exempt dividends

Exempt from federal income tax

Distributions of investment income reported by a Series as derived from qualified dividend income may qualify to be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at the lower rate applicable to long-term capital gains, which is currently set at a maximum rate of 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain foreign countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). Distributions that a Series receives from REITs, if any, generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income. Certain Series’ investment strategies will limit their ability to make distributions eligible for the reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income.

A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j) of the Code. This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j) of the Code. In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in a Series for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by a Series, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

51

If a Series’ distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will not be taxable to the extent of a shareholder’s adjusted basis but will reduce such basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. To the extent a return of capital distribution exceeds a shareholder’s adjusted basis, the distribution will be treated as gain from the sale of shares.

If you are a taxable investor, you may want to avoid buying shares when a Series is about to declare a capital gain distribution or a dividend, because it will be taxable to you even though economically it may actually be a return of a portion of your investment.

U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% tax on their “net investment income,” including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares). Exempt-interest dividends do not constitute “net investment income” for this purpose.

Dividends and interest received by a Series may be subject to income, withholding or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and United States possessions that would reduce the yield on a Series’ securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate these taxes. Foreign countries generally do not impose taxes on capital gains with respect to investments by foreign investors. If more than 50% of the value of a Series’ total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Series will be eligible to, and may, file an election with the IRS that will enable shareholders, in effect, to receive the benefit of the foreign tax credit with respect to any foreign and United States possessions income taxes paid by the Series. Pursuant to the election (if made), a Series will treat those taxes as dividends paid to its shareholders. Each shareholder will be required to include a proportionate share of those taxes in gross income as income received from a foreign source and must treat the amount so included as if the shareholder had paid the foreign tax directly. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him or her in computing his or her taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing information in calculating the foreign tax credit (subject to significant limitations) against the shareholder’s federal income tax. If a Series makes the election, it will report annually to its shareholders the respective amounts per share of the Series’ income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and United States possessions.

When you sell your shares in a Series, or exchange them for shares of a different fund, you will generally realize a taxable capital gain or loss for federal and state income tax purposes. If you have owned your shares of a Series for more than one year, any net long-term capital gains from the sale of shares will generally qualify for the reduced rates of federal income taxation on long-term capital gains. In calculating your gain or loss on any sale of shares, note that your tax basis in your shares is increased by the amounts of dividends and distributions that you have reinvested in the Series.

U.S. REITs in which a Series invests often do not provide complete and final tax information to the Series until after the time that the Series issues the tax reporting statement. As a result, the Series may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, the Series will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.

“Qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) are eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Distributions by a Series to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the Series and which the Series properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” are treated as qualified REIT dividends in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying RIC shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. A Series is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so. Unless later extended or made permanent, this 20% deduction will no longer be available for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

If a Series invests directly in certain investments, such as commodities and commodity-linked derivative instruments, such investments may not produce qualifying income to the Series. To the extent a Series invests in such investments directly, the Series will seek to restrict its income from such instruments that do not generate qualifying income to a maximum of 10% of its gross income (when combined with their other investments that produce non-qualifying income).

If a Series fails to qualify as a RIC and to avail itself of certain relief provisions, it would be subject to tax at the regular corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions would generally be taxable as dividends. Please see the SAI for a more detailed discussion, including the availability of certain relief provisions for certain failures by a Series to qualify as a RIC.

A Series may invest in certain MLPs and other entities which may be treated as qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTP”), as defined under the Code. The net income from QPTPs is qualifying income for purposes of a Series’ qualification as a RIC under the Code. A Series’ investment in one or more of such QPTPs, however, is limited under the Code to no more than 25% of the value of the Series’ assets. Each Series will monitor its investment in such QPTPs in order to ensure it qualifies as a RIC. Please see the discussion in the SAI regarding the

52

consequences if a Series fails to qualify as a RIC under the Code. MLPs and other partnerships that a Series may invest in will deliver Schedules K-1 to the Series to report its share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits of the MLP or other partnership. These Schedules K-1 may be delayed and may not be received until after the time that the Series issues its tax reporting statements. As a result, the Series may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues you your tax reporting statement.

“Qualified publicly traded partnership income” within the meaning of Section 199A(e)(5) of the Code is eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. Qualified publicly traded partnership income is generally income of a “publicly traded partnership” that is not treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes with respect to such entity’s qualified trade or business, but does not include certain investment income. A “publicly traded partnership” for purposes of this deduction is not necessarily the same as a QPTP, as defined above. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). The Code does not contain a provision permitting a RIC, such as a Series, to pass the special character of this income through to its shareholders. Direct investors in entities that generate qualified publicly traded partnership income will enjoy the lower rate, but investors in RICs that invest in such entities will not. Unless later extended or made permanent, this 20% deduction will no longer be available for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

A Series is required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B the gross proceeds of a Series’ shares you sell or redeem and also the cost basis for shares. Cost basis will be calculated using a Series’ default method of average cost, unless you instruct a Series to use a different calculation method. Shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by a Series and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns. If your account is held through a financial intermediary (such as a financial advisor or broker), please contact the financial intermediary with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account. Tax-advantaged retirement accounts will not be affected.

If you do not provide a Series with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding of 24% of your distributions, dividends, and redemption proceeds.

Information Specific to Tax Exempt Series

The Diversified Tax Exempt Series intends to pay exempt-interest dividends monthly. Exempt-interest dividends are exempt from regular federal income tax, but they may have other tax consequences, including for purposes of the federal AMT and state and local taxes. Distributions of exempt interest earned on the municipal securities of a particular state are also generally exempt from state income tax for residents of that state. The Diversified Tax Exempt Series will report annually the percentage of interest income received during the preceding year on tax

exempt obligations, and on a state-by-state basis, the source of that income. The Diversified Tax Exempt Series may also make distributions that are taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains. This is the case whether you reinvest your distributions in additional shares of a Series or receive them in cash. Exempt-interest dividends are taken into account when determining the taxable portion of your Social Security or railroad retirement benefits. Because of these tax exemptions, the Diversified Tax Exempt Series may not be a suitable investment for retirement plans or other tax-exempt investors.

This discussion is for general information only and is not tax advice. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your particular circumstances, and about any federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences before making an investment in a Series. Additional information about the tax consequences of investing in a Series may be found in the SAI.


53

Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Series’ financial performance for the past five years or, if shorter, the period of the Class’ operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share. The total returns in the tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned, or lost, on an investment in the Series (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose reports, along with the Series’ financial statements, are included in the Series’ annual reports, which are available upon request. No financial highlights are presented for the Unconstrained Bond Series Class Z Shares because they were not active as of the date of this prospectus.

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Core Bond Series - Class S

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$9.18

$10.82

$11.28

$10.92

$10.30

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.32

0.19

0.12

0.16

0.23

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.18

(1.62)

(0.33)

0.78

0.61

Total from investment operations

0.50

(1.43)

(0.21)

0.94

0.84

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.32)

(0.21)

(0.12)

(0.16)

(0.22)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.13)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.02)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.34)

(0.21)

(0.25)

(0.58)

(0.22)

Net asset value - End of year

$9.34

$9.18

$10.82

$11.28

$10.92

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$2,536

$1,967

$4,185

$5,760

$2,382

Total return2

5.58%

(13.30%)

(1.89%)

8.67%

8.18%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.67%

0.70%

0.65%

0.64%

0.69%

Net investment income (loss)

3.44%

1.88%

1.07%

1.38%

2.27%

Series portfolio turnover

73%

101%

69%

110%

66%

*For certain years presented, the investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees, and in some years may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.07%

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2

Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during certain years.

54

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Core Bond Series - Class I

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$8.38

$9.89

$10.33

$10.04

$9.52

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.31

0.20

0.13

0.17

0.24

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.16

(1.48)

(0.30)

0.72

0.55

Total from investment operations

0.47

(1.28)

(0.17)

0.99

0.79

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.34)

(0.23)

(0.14)

(0.16)

(0.27)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.13)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.02)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.36)

(0.23)

(0.27)

(0.60)

(0.27)

Net asset value - End of year

$8.49

$8.38

$9.89

$10.33

$10.04

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$11,183

$4,303

$6,621

$4,387

$5,416

Total return2

5.75%

(13.01%)

(1.65%)

8.93%

8.38%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

0.45%

Net investment income (loss)

3.75%

2.27%

1.29%

1.67%

2.53%

Series portfolio turnover

73%

101%

69%

110%

66%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the years, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.03%

0.04%

0.02%

0.01%

0.06%

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2

Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the years.

55

 

Core Bond Series - Class W

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1 to
12/31/19

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period.

$9.18

$10.82

$11.27

$10.90

$10.40

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.37

0.26

0.19

0.22

0.26

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.18

(1.64)

(0.33)

0.78

0.54

Total from investment operations

0.55

(1.38)

(0.14)

1.00

0.80

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.37)

(0.26)

(0.18)

(0.21)

(0.30)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.13)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.02)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.39)

(0.26)

(0.31)

(0.63)

(0.30)

Net asset value - End of period

$9.34

$9.18

$10.82

$11.27

$10.90

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$287,175

$275,472

$344,304

$321,288

$192,391

Total return3

6.15%

(12.76%)

(1.25%)

9.31%

7.74%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.05%

0.05%

0.05%

0.05%

0.05%4

Net investment income (loss)

4.03%

2.68%

1.68%

1.97%

2.87%4

Series portfolio turnover

73%

101%

69%

110%

66%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.33%

0.32%

0.30%

0.32%

0.34%4

1Commencement of operations.

2Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

4Annualized.

56

 

Core Bond Series - Class Z

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1 to
12/31/19

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period.

$8.40

$9.91

$10.35

$10.06

$9.62

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.32

0.22

0.15

0.18

0.22

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.16

(1.49)

(0.31)

0.72

0.50

Total from investment operations

0.48

(1.27)

(0.16)

0.90

0.72

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.35)

(0.24)

(0.15)

(0.19)

(0.28)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.13)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.02)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.37)

(0.24)

(0.28)

(0.61)

(0.28)

Net asset value - End of period

$8.51

$8.40

$9.91

$10.35

$10.06

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$25,023

$22,480

$25,281

$20,266

$10,372

Total return3

5.85%

(12.86%)

(1.53%)

9.02%

7.50%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.30%

0.30%

0.30%

0.30%

0.30%4

Net investment income (loss)

3.78%

2.46%

1.43%

1.75%

2.64%4

Series portfolio turnover

73%

101%

69%

110%

66%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.08%

0.07%

0.05%

0.07%

0.09%4

1Commencement of operations.

2Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

4Annualized.

57

 

Credit Series - Class W

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
4/14/201 to
12/31/
20

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period.

$8.74

$10.15

$10.60

$10.00

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.38

0.30

0.23

0.19

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.24

(1.42)

(0.22)

0.68

Total from investment operations

0.62

(1.12)

0.01

0.87

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.38)

(0.28)

(0.24)

(0.18)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.01)

(0.22)

(0.09)

From return of capital

(0.02)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.40)

(0.29)

(0.46)

(0.27)

Net asset value - End of period

$8.96

$8.74

$10.15

$10.60

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$291,705

$265,822

$206,477

$192,127

Total return3

7.30%

(11.13%)

0.02%

8.77%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.10%

0.10%

0.10%

0.10%4

Net investment income (loss)

4.31%

3.25%

2.23%

2.52%4

Series portfolio turnover

42%

44%

69%

44%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.26%

0.26%

0.27%

0.33%4

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

4

Annualized.

58

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Diversified Tax Exempt Series - Class A

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$10.24

$10.94

$11.58

$11.14

$10.90

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.17

0.10

0.10

0.15

0.17

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.24

(0.74)

(0.08)

0.48

0.39

Total from investment operations

0.41

(0.64)

0.02

0.63

0.56

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.17)

(0.06)

(0.09)

(0.10)

(0.20)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.00)2

(0.57)

(0.09)

(0.12)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.17)

(0.06)

(0.66)

(0.19)

(0.32)

Net asset value - End of year

$10.48

$10.24

$10.94

$11.58

$11.14

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$1,383

$2,162

$2,430

$2,324

$4,394

Total return3

4.10%

(5.83%)

0.16%

5.73%

5.10%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses

0.62%

0.63%

0.67%

0.61%

0.58%

Net investment income (loss)

1.70%

1.00%

0.91%

1.35%

1.62%

Series portfolio turnover

20%

10%

23%

41%

29%

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2

Less than $(0.01).

3

Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions.

59

 

Diversified Tax Exempt Series - Class W

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1 to
12/31/19

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period.

$10.24

$10.94

$11.59

$11.15

$11.01

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.23

0.16

0.16

0.21

0.20

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.24

(0.75)

(0.09)

0.48

0.31

Total from investment operations

0.47

(0.59)

0.07

0.69

0.51

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.23)

(0.11)

(0.15)

(0.16)

(0.25)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.00)3

(0.57)

(0.09)

(0.12)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.23)

(0.11)

(0.72)

(0.25)

(0.37)

Net asset value - End of period

$10.48

$10.24

$10.94

$11.59

$11.15

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$247,661

$212,971

$115,940

$253,941

$189,336

Total return4

4.62%

(5.40%)

0.62%

6.23%

4.61%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.12%

0.13%

0.17%

0.11%

0.11%5

Net investment income (loss)

2.21%

1.53%

1.42%

1.79%

2.14%5

Series portfolio turnover

20%

10%

23%

41%

29%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%5

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Less than $(0.01).

4

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

5

Annualized.

60

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

High Yield Bond Series - Class S

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20 

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$9.04

$10.37

$10.19

$10.10

$9.47

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1 

0.71

0.60

0.53

0.57

0.57

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.45

(1.40)

0.47

0.03

0.73

Total from investment operations

1.16

(0.80)

1.00

0.60

1.30

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.60)

(0.51

(0.47)

(0.51)

(0.67)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.02)

(0.35)

From return of capital

(0.04)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.64)

(0.53)

(0.82)

(0.51)

(0.67)

Net asset value - End of year

$9.56

$9.04

$10.37

$10.19

$10.10

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$73,871

$47,499

$47,108

$10,197

$13,113

Total return2 

13.31%

(7.69%)

9.99%

6.28%

13.97%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.90%

0.90%

0.90%

0.90%

0.90%

Net investment income

7.73%

6.23%

5.02%

5.91%

5.90%

Series portfolio turnover

94%

93%

128%

208%

143%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the years, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.06%

0.07%

0.05%

0.13%

0.12%

1Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the years.

61

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 

High Yield Bond Series - Class I

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20 

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$7.43

$8.64

$8.62

$8.63

$8.20

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1 

0.60

0.54

0.47

0.51

0.53

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.36

(1.19)

0.40

0.02

0.61

Total from investment operations

0.96

(0.65)

0.87

0.53

1.14

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.62)

(0.54)

(0.50)

(0.54)

(0.71)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.02)

(0.35)

From return of capital

(0.04)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.66)

(0.56)

(0.85)

(0.54)

(0.71)

Net asset value - End of year

$7.73

$7.43

$8.64

$8.62

$8.63

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$352,946

$210,242

$67,760

$22,477

$20,974

Total return2 

13.63%

(7.50%)

10.27%

6.60%

14.24%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

0.65%

Net investment income

7.99%

6.82%

5.28%

6.17%

6.17%

Series portfolio turnover

94%

93%

128%

208%

143%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the years, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts: 

0.04%

0.04%

0.02%

0.10%

0.13%

1Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the years.

62

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1
TO
12/31/19

High Yield Bond Series - Class W 

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20 

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period

$9.03

$10.36

$10.17

$10.08

$10.01

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2  

0.78

0.66

0.63

0.64

0.56

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.44

(1.38)

0.46

0.03

0.27

Total from investment operations

1.22

(0.72

1.09

0.67

0.83

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.66)

(0.59)

(0.55)

(0.58)

(0.76)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.02)

(0.35)

From return of capital

(0.05)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.71)

(0.61)

(0.90)

(0.58)

(0.76)

Net asset value - End of period

$9.54

$9.03

$10.36

$10.17

$10.08

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$77,661

$74,810

$137,215

$119,895

$30,363

Total return3 

14.11%

(6.92%)

10.89%

7.11%

8.63%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.10%

0.10%

0.10%

0.10%

0.10%4

Net investment income

8.50%

6.84%

5.92%

6.76%

6.66%4

Series portfolio turnover

94%

93%

128%

208%

143%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.47%

0.46%

0.47%

0.54%

0.59%4

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized. 

4

Annualized.

63

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1
TO
12/31/19

High Yield Bond Series - Class Z 

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20 

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period

$7.44

$8.65

$8.62

$8.64

$8.67

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2  

0.62

0.51

0.48

0.52

0.46

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.35

(1.15)

0.41

0.01

0.23

Total from investment operations

0.97

(0.64)

0.89

0.53

0.69

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.63)

(0.55)

(0.51)

(0.55)

(0.72)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.02)

(0.35)

From return of capital

(0.04)

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.67)

(0.57)

(0.86)

(0.55)

(0.72)

Net asset value - End of period

$7.74

$7.44

$8.65

$8.62

$8.64

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$29,374

$3,148

$9,813

$1,931

$1,627

Total return3 

13.77%

(7.39%)

10.48%

6.59%

8.26%

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%

0.50%4

Net investment income

8.23%

6.38%

5.41%

6.32%

6.26%4

Series portfolio turnover

94%

93%

128%

208%

143%

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.06%

0.06%

0.07%

0.14%

0.19%4

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized. 

4

Annualized.

64

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Real Estate Series - Class S

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$13.17‌

$20.66‌

$14.92‌

$16.31‌

$13.09‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.25‌

0.16‌

0.12‌

0.122

0.15‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

1.10‌

(5.63)

6.35‌

(1.15)

3.65‌

Total from investment operations

1.35‌

(5.47)

6.47‌

(1.03)

3.80‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.27)

(0.23)

(0.10)

(0.13)

(0.16)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.03)

(1.79)

(0.63)

(0.19)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.01)

—‌

—‌

(0.04)

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.31)

(2.02)

(0.73)

(0.36)

(0.58)

Net asset value - End of year

$14.21‌

$13.17‌

$20.66‌

$14.92‌

$16.31‌

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$30,355

$33,005

$48,549

$37,762

$59,923

Total return3

10.28%

(26.96%)

43.67%‌

(6.27%)

29.14%4

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

1.10%‌

1.10%‌

1.10%‌

1.10%‌

1.11%‌

Net investment income

1.79%‌

0.96%‌

0.66%‌

0.81%2

1.02%‌

Series portfolio turnover

38%‌

43%‌

26%‌

69%‌

24%‌

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the years, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.04%

0.02%

0.01%

0.03%

0.00%5

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2

Includes special dividends from two of the Series’ securities. Excluding this amount, the net investment income per share would have been $0.11 and the net investment income ratio would have been 0.72%.

3

Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the years.

4

Includes litigation proceeds. Excluding this amount, the total return is 29.06%.

5

Less than 0.01%.

65

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Real Estate Series - Class I

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$13.19‌

$20.71‌

$16.04‌

$18.35‌

$15.67‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.28‌

0.21‌

0.17‌

0.172

0.31‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

1.11‌

(5.66)

6.78‌

(1.28)

4.25‌

Total from investment operations

1.39‌

(5.45)

6.95‌

(1.11)

4.56‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.30)

(0.28)

(0.48)

(0.52)

(0.68)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.03)

(1.79)

(1.80)

(0.54)

(1.20)

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

(0.14)

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.35)

(2.07)

(2.28)

(1.20)

(1.88)

Net asset value - End of year

$14.23‌

$13.19‌

$20.71‌

$16.04‌

$18.35‌

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$27,987

$34,719

$51,320

$30,787

$50,025

Total return3

10.56%

(26.83%)

44.14%‌

(5.96%)

29.31%‌

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.85%‌

0.85%‌

0.84%4

0.85%‌

0.84%‌

Net investment income

2.00%‌

1.20%‌

0.92%‌

1.02%2

1.62%‌

Series portfolio turnover

38%‌

43%‌

26%‌

69%‌

24%‌

*For certain years presented, the investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees, and in some years may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.00%5

0.01%

N/A

0.01%

N/A

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2

Includes special dividends from two of the Series’ securities. Excluding this amount, the net investment income per share would have been $0.14 and the net investment income ratio would have been 0.93%.

3

Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during certain years.

4

Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding this amount, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have decreased by less than 0.01%.

5

Less than 0.01%.

66

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD

3/1/19
1
TO
12/31/19

Real Estate Series - Class W

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period

$13.14‌

$20.65‌

$14.89‌

$16.27‌

$14.76‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.39‌

0.33‌

0.29‌

0.333

0.35‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

1.11‌

(5.64)

6.38‌

(1.20)

1.91‌

Total from investment operations

1.50‌

(5.31)

6.67‌

(0.87)

2.26‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.41)

(0.41)

(0.29)

(0.25)

(0.33)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.03)

(1.79)

(0.63)

(0.19)

(0.42)

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

(0.07)

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.46)

(2.20)

(0.92)

(0.51)

(0.75)

Net asset value - End of period

$14.18‌

$13.14‌

$20.65‌

$14.89‌

$16.27‌

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$202,654

$194,053

$288,394

$214,871

$191,373

Total return4

11.48%

(26.26%)

45.19%‌

(5.33%)

15.43%5

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.10%‌

0.10%‌

0.10%‌

0.10%‌

0.10%6

Net investment income

2.81%‌

1.95%‌

1.66%‌

2.27%3

2.58%6

Series portfolio turnover

38%‌

43%‌

26%‌

69%‌

24%‌

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.64%

0.62%

0.61%

0.64%

0.62%6

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Includes special dividends from two of the Series’ securities. Excluding this amount, the net investment income per share would have been $0.31 and the net investment income ratio would have been 2.14%.

4

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

5

Includes litigation proceeds. Excluding this amount, the total return would have been 15.36%.

6

Annualized.

67

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1
TO
12/31/19

Real Estate Series - Class Z

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of period

$13.17‌

$20.67‌

$15.99‌

$18.32‌

$17.61‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.31‌

0.25‌

0.23‌

0.253

0.23‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

1.09‌

(5.66)

6.75‌

(1.36)

2.38‌

Total from investment operations

1.40‌

(5.41)

6.98‌

(1.11)

2.61‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.32)

(0.30)

(0.51)

(0.54)

(0.71)

From net realized gain on investments

(0.03)

(1.79)

(1.79)

(0.54)

(1.19)

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

(0.14)

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.37)

(2.09)

(2.30)

(1.22)

(1.90)

Net asset value - End of period

$14.20‌

$13.17‌

$20.67‌

$15.99‌

$18.32‌

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$2,517

$2,016

$2,281

$549

$539

Total return4

10.71%

(26.67%)

44.36%‌

(5.96%)

14.98%5

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.70%‌

0.70%‌

0.70%‌

0.70%‌

0.70%6

Net investment income

2.26%‌

1.51%‌

1.15%‌

1.51%3

1.42%6

Series portfolio turnover

38%‌

43%‌

26%‌

69%‌

24%‌

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.04%

0.02%

0.01%

0.04%

0.02%6

1

Commencement of operations.

2

Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.

3

Includes special dividends from two of the Series’ securities. Excluding this amount, the net investment income per share would have been $0.23 and the net investment income ratio would have been 1.39%.

4

Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized.

5

Includes litigation proceeds. Excluding this amount, the total return would have been 14.62%

6

Annualized.

68

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Unconstrained Bond Series - Class S

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$9.65‌

$10.61‌

$10.93‌

$10.44‌

$10.18‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1

0.39‌

0.31‌

0.30‌

0.29‌

0.28‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.18‌

(1.02)

(0.02)

0.48‌

0.23‌

Total from investment operations

0.57‌

(0.71)

0.28‌

0.77‌

0.51‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.35)

(0.25)

(0.30)

(0.28)

(0.25)

From net realized gain on investments

—‌

—‌

(0.30)

(0.00)2

—‌

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

—‌

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.37)

(0.25)

(0.60)

(0.28)

(0.25)

Net asset value - End of year

$9.85‌

$9.65‌

$10.61‌

$10.93‌

$10.44‌

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$29,206

$31,882

$17,776

$20,925

$22,884

Total return3

5.99%

(6.71%)

2.59%‌

7.54%‌

5.01%‌

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.72%‌

0.72%‌

0.73%‌

0.73%‌

0.75%‌

Net investment income

4.01%‌

3.15%‌

2.71%‌

2.74%‌

2.80%‌

Series portfolio turnover

42%‌

60%‌

69%‌

96%‌

75%‌

*For certain years presented, the investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees, and in some years may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.01%

1Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2Less than $(0.01). 

3Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during certain years.

69

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Unconstrained Bond Series - Class I

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

12/31/19

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each year):

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value - Beginning of year

$8.42‌

$9.29‌

$9.65‌

$9.26‌

$9.09‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income1 

0.36‌

0.30‌

0.29‌

0.28‌

0.28‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.14‌

(0.90)

(0.02)

0.42‌

0.20‌

Total from investment operations

0.50‌

(0.60)

0.27‌

0.70‌

0.48‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.37)

(0.27)

(0.33)

(0.31)

(0.31)

From net realized gain on investments

—‌

—‌

(0.30)

(0.00)2

—‌

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

—‌

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.39)

(0.27)

(0.63)

(0.31)

(0.31)

Net asset value - End of year

$8.53‌

$8.42‌

$9.29‌

$9.65‌

$9.26‌

Net assets - End of year (000’s omitted)

$187,137

$192,903

$36,639

$21,687

$19,039

Total return3

6.16%

(6.42%)

2.81%‌

7.74%‌

5.37%‌

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.49%‌

0.47%‌

0.49%‌

0.49%‌

0.48%‌

Net investment income

4.25%‌

3.47%‌

2.97%‌

2.96%‌

3.01%‌

Series portfolio turnover

42%‌

60%‌

69%‌

96%‌

75%‌

*For certain years presented, the investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees, and in some years may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.01%

1Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.

2Less than $(0.01). 

3Represents aggregate total return for the years indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during certain years.

70

 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

FOR THE
PERIOD
3/1/19
1
TO
12/31/19

Unconstrained Bond Series - Class W

12/31/23

12/31/22

12/31/21

12/31/20

Per share data (for a share outstanding throughout each period):

Net asset value - Beginning of period

$9.62‌

$10.57‌

$10.90‌

$10.41‌

$10.34‌

Income (loss) from investment operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income2

0.45‌

0.37‌

0.37‌

0.36‌

0.30‌

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

0.17‌

(1.01)

(0.03)

0.49‌

0.12‌

Total from investment operations

0.62‌

(0.64)

0.34‌

0.85‌

0.42‌

Less distributions to shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income

(0.41)

(0.31)

(0.37)

(0.36)

(0.35)

From net realized gain on investments

—‌

—‌

(0.30)

(0.00)3

—‌

From return of capital

(0.02)

—‌

—‌

—‌

—‌

Total distributions to shareholders

(0.43)

(0.31)

(0.67)

(0.36)

(0.35)

Net asset value - End of period

$9.81‌

$9.62‌

$10.57‌

$10.90‌

$10.41‌

Net assets - End of period (000’s omitted)

$599,708

$592,728

$673,807

$631,570

$859,888

Total return4

6.66%

(6.05%)

3.19%‌

8.29%‌

4.10%5

Ratios (to average net assets)/Supplemental Data:

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses*

0.05%‌

0.05%‌

0.05%‌

0.05%‌

0.05%6

Net investment income

4.69%‌

3.68%‌

3.40%‌

3.40%‌

3.44%6

Series portfolio turnover

42%‌

60%‌

69%‌

96%‌

75%‌

*The investment advisor did not impose all or a portion of its management and/or other fees during the periods, and may have paid a portion of the Series’ expenses. If these expenses had been incurred by the Class, the expense ratio (to average net assets) would have increased by the following amounts:

0.34%

0.32%

0.32%

0.32%

0.31%6

1Commencement of operations. 

2Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods. 

3Less than $(0.01). 

4Represents aggregate total return for the periods indicated, and assumes reinvestment of all distributions. Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or reimbursed during the periods. Periods less than one year are not annualized. 

5Includes litigation proceeds. Excluding this amount, the total return would have been 4.00%. 

6Annualized.

Manning & Napier Fund, Inc.

Core Bond Series – Class I, S, W and Z Shares
Credit Series – Class W Shares
Diversified Tax Exempt Series – Class A and W Shares
High Yield Bond Series – Class I, S, W and Z Shares
Real Estate Series – Class I, S, W and Z Shares
Unconstrained Bond Series – Class I, S, W and Z Shares

Shareholder Reports and the Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

Annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders provide additional information about the Series’ investments. These reports discuss the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Series’ performance during its last fiscal year. The SAI provides more detailed information about the Series. It is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, making it legally part of the prospectus.

How to Obtain the Shareholder Reports, SAI, and Additional Information

You may obtain shareholder reports and the SAI or other information about the Series without charge, by calling 1-800-466-3863 or sending written requests to Manning & Napier Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 805, Fairport, New York 14450. Note that this address should not be used for transaction requests. These documents are also available at www.manning-napier.com.

Shareholder reports, the prospectus, the SAI and other information about the Series are available on the EDGAR Database on the Commission’s Internet site at http:// www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending an email request to [email protected].

Shareholder Mailings

The Fund may send only one copy of a Series’ prospectus and annual and semi-annual reports to certain shareholders residing at the same “household” for shareholders who have elected this option. This reduces Fund expenses, which benefits you and other shareholders. If you wish to change your “householding” option, please call 1-800-466-3863 or contact your financial intermediary.

The Fund also offers electronic delivery of certain documents. Direct shareholders can elect to receive shareholder reports, prospectus updates, and statements via e-delivery. For more information or to sign up for e-delivery, please visit the Fund’s website at www.manning-napier.com.


If someone makes a statement about the Series that is not in this prospectus, you should not rely upon that information. Neither the Fund nor its distributor is offering to sell shares of any Series to any person to whom a Series may not lawfully sell its shares.

Investment Company Act File No. 811-04087 COMB 03/01/2024