Lord Abbett Total Return

Objective And Strategy

Objective
The investment seeks income and capital appreciation to produce a high total return.

Strategy
Under normal conditions, the fund pursues its investment objective by investing primarily in investment grade debt (or fixed income) securities. It may invest up to 20% of its net assets in high-yield debt securities (commonly referred to as lower-rated or junk bonds). The fund may invest in debt securities issued by non-U.S. entities but denominated in U.S. dollars, and securities issued by non-U.S. entities and denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Principal Risks

* This portfolio is subject to the risks of investing in low-grade corporate bonds that have a higher default risk, less liquidity and greater sensitivity to changes in the economy than investment-grade bonds. High-yield bonds are rated lower because there is a greater risk associated with the issuer's ability to pay principal and interest.

* This portfolio invests in securities of foreign issuers which involves risks not typically associated with domestic issuers, including currency fluctuations and the possibility of political and economic instability. Emerging markets involve risks in addition to those generally associated with foreign securities, because political and economic structures in many emerging markets may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development.

* This portfolio can leverage or use leveraged instruments or derivatives. Portfolios that use leverage, that is, borrow money, are subject to the risk that the cost of borrowing money to leverage will exceed the returns for the securities purchased or that the securities purchased may actually go down in value. Thus, the portfolio's net asset value can decrease more quickly than if the portfolio had not borrowed. Portfolios that use leveraged instruments or derivatives such as futures, options and swap agreements, may expose the portfolio to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. The more a portfolio invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments.

* The Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable to meet its financial obligations or goes bankrupt. This fund may invest in securities rated below investment grade or "junk bonds." Junk bonds may be sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company.

* Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise.

* Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer's credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer's financial strength may affect a security's value, and thus, impact the VA Short-Term Fixed Portfolio's performance.

* Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The portfolio could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain potential adverse tax consequences.

* Bonds guaranteed by a government are subject to inflation risk and price depreciation risk.

* There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds or other debt securities, which may make them more difficult to value, acquire or sell.