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First Trust Multi Income Allocation Portfolio
Investment Objective/Strategy - The First Trust Multi Income Allocation Portfolio's (the “Fund”) primary investment objective is to maximize current income, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation.
There can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objectives will be achieved.
The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives through diversified exposure to nine income generating asset classes: dividend-paying stocks, preferred stocks, energy infrastructure companies and master limited partnerships ("MLPs"), real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), high yield or "junk" bonds, floating rate loans, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS"). The Fund is actively managed by First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust” or the “Advisor”); and implementing the strategy involves multiple portfolio managers.
The Advisor will tactically adjust allocation weights in a manner deemed to offer attractive levels of total return relative to the level of expected risk. The Advisor intends to adjust asset allocation weights quarterly but may do so more or less frequently depending upon market conditions. The maximum weight of any asset class, at the time of adjustment, will be 20%. The minimum weight of any asset class, at the time of adjustment, will be 5%.
The Fund may, at certain times, invest in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") that generally provide exposure to the nine asset classes in lieu of investing directly in such assets classes. Certain of the ETFs may be advised by First Trust, as a result, First Trust will also earn advisory fees on the underlying ETFs.
In general, the U.S. dollar-denominated fixed income securities in which the Fund invests may be issued by U.S. and non- U.S. issuers, of any credit quality, including high yield securities. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests are rated below investment grade at the time of purchase or unrated and deemed by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, commonly referred to as "junk" bonds. The Fund also invests in the equity securities of domestic and foreign issuers listed on a U.S. or foreign securities exchange and non-U.S. securities that are listed on a U.S. securities exchange in the form of American Depository Receipts ("ADRs") and Global Depository Receipts ("GDRs") (collectively, "Depository Receipts"). The Fund may invest in equity securities issued by small, mid or large capitalization companies.
The Fund offers its shares only to separate accounts of insurance companies that offer variable annuity and variable life insurance products.
Fund Overview
Fiscal Year-End12/31
Inception Date5/1/2014
Inception NAV$10.00
Total Expense Ratio
(5/1/2024)
2.11%
Net Expense Ratio1.14%
Expenses are capped contractually at 1.20% per year, at least through May 01, 2025.
Current Fund Data (as of 11/29/2024)
Net Asset Value1$11.78
Dividend FrequencySemi-Annual
NAV 52-Week High/Low$11.78 / $10.71
NAV History (Since Inception)
Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Month End Performance (as of 10/31/2024)
  3 Month YTD 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since
Fund
Inception2
Fund Performance *
Fund Performance 3.17% 9.85% 19.38% 4.15% 5.51% 4.84% 4.99%
Index Performance **
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index 0.25% 1.86% 10.55% -2.20% -0.23% 1.49% 1.62%
Russell 3000® Index 3.52% 19.75% 37.86% 7.64% 14.60% 12.44% 12.59%
Asset Class Blended Benchmark 2.44% 10.30% 21.06% 6.01% 7.05% 5.40% 5.58%
Broad Blended Benchmark 1.55% 8.76% 20.89% 1.84% 5.80% 6.02% 6.15%
Quarter End Performance (as of 9/30/2024)
  3 Month YTD 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since
Fund
Inception2
Fund Performance *
Fund Performance 7.36% 11.01% 19.07% 5.63% 5.71% 5.20% 5.13%
Index Performance **
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index 5.20% 4.45% 11.57% -1.39% 0.33% 1.84% 1.88%
Russell 3000® Index 6.23% 20.63% 35.19% 10.29% 15.26% 12.83% 12.78%
Asset Class Blended Benchmark 6.87% 11.69% 20.48% 7.32% 7.19% 5.76% 5.75%
Broad Blended Benchmark 5.61% 10.74% 20.61% 3.36% 6.40% 6.38% 6.38%

*Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than performance quoted. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and shares when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Returns are average annualized total returns, except those for periods of less than one year, which are cumulative.

Fund expenses and return figures do not reflect the deduction of sales charges or other expenses associated with variable products. If such fees were included, expenses would be higher and the performance would be lower. The Fund's performance reflects fee waivers and expense reimbursements, absent which performance would have been lower.

**Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index. Any Benchmarks or Indexes shown reflect no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes.

Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index - The Index covers the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, MBS, ABS, and CMBS.

Russell 3000® Index - The Index is comprised of the 3000 largest and most liquid stocks based and traded in the U.S.

Asset Class Blended Benchmark - The Benchmark is weighted to include nine indexes: Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend™ Index (15%), ICE BofA Fixed Rate Preferred Securities Index (8%), Alerian MLP Index (15%), S&P U.S. REIT Index (15%), ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index (8%), Morningstar® LSTA®U.S. Leveraged Loan Index (15%), Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index (8%), ICE BofA U.S. MBS Index (8%), ICE BofA U.S. Inflation-Linked Treasury Index (8%). Asset Class Blended Benchmark returns are calculated by using the monthly return of the nine indices during each period shown above. At the beginning of each month the nine indices are rebalanced to account for divergence that occurred during the course of each month. The monthly returns are then compounded for each period shown above, giving the performance for the Asset Class Blended Benchmark for each period shown above. The Dow Jones US Select Dividend™ Index consists of 100 widely-traded, dividend-paying stocks derived from the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market IndexSM. The ICE BofA Fixed Rate Preferred Securities Index tracks the performance of fixed-rate U.S. dollar denominated preferred securities issued in the U.S. domestic market. The Alerian MLP Index is a composite of the 50 most prominent energy master limited partnerships calculated using a float-adjusted market capitalization methodology. The S&P U.S. REIT Index defines and measures the investable universe of publicly traded real estate investment trusts domiciled in the U.S. The ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index tracks the performance of U.S. dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market. The Morningstar® LSTA®U.S. Leveraged Loan Index is a market value-weighted index designed to measure the performance of the U.S. leverage loan market based upon market weightings, spreads, and interest payments. The Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index measures the performance of investment grade U.S. corporate bonds. The index includes all publicly issued, dollar-denominated corporate bonds with a minimum of $250 million par outstanding that are investment grade-rated (Baa3/BBB- or higher). The index excludes bonds having less than one year to final maturity as well as floating rate bonds, non-registered private placements, structured notes, hybrids, and convertible securities. The ICE BofA U.S. MBS Index measures the performance of investment grade fixed-rate mortgage-backed pass-through securities of GNMA, FNMA, and FHLMC. The ICE BofA U.S. Inflation-Linked Treasury Index is an unmanaged index comprised of U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities with at least $1 billion in outstanding face value and a remaining term to final maturity of greater than one year.

Broad Blended Benchmark - The Benchmark return is split between the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (60%) and the Russell 3000 Index (40%). Broad Blended Benchmark returns are calculated by using the monthly return of the two indices during each period shown above. At the beginning of each month the two indices are rebalanced to a 60-40 ratio to account for divergence from that ratio that occurred during the course of each month. The monthly returns are then compounded for each period shown above, giving the performance for the Broad Blended Benchmark for each period shown above.

Footnotes
1 The NAV represents the fund's net assets (assets less liabilities) divided by the fund's outstanding shares.
2 Inception Date is 5/1/2014

You should consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. You can download a prospectus or contact First Trust Portfolios, L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 to request a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the fund. Read it carefully before you invest.

Risk Considerations

Please refer to the fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for additional details on the fund's risks. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

The fund offers its shares only to separate accounts of insurance companies that offer variable annuity and variable life insurance products.

The fund's shares will change in value and you could lose money by investing in the fund. An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the fund's investment objective will be achieved.

Asset-backed securities are a type of debt security and are generally not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are subject to the risk of default on the underlying asset or loan, particularly during periods of economic downturn.

Investments in bank loans are subject to the same risks as other debt securities, but the risks may be heightened because of limited public information available and because loan borrowers may be leveraged and tend to be more adversely affected by changes in market or economic conditions. The secondary market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.

During periods of falling interest rates if an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments, a fund may be forced to invest the proceeds at lower interest rates, likely resulting in a decline in the fund's income.

Covenant-lite loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than traditional loans and may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the financial performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. This may hinder a fund's ability to mitigate problems and increase a fund's exposure to losses on such investments.

An issuer or other obligated party of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and the value of a security may decline as a result.

Ratings assigned by a credit rating agency are opinions of such entities, not absolute standards of credit quality and they do not evaluate risks of securities. Any shortcomings or inefficiencies in the process of determining credit ratings may adversely affect the credit ratings of the securities held by a fund and their perceived or actual credit risk.

Current market conditions risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of the fund in general, may fall in value due to current market conditions. As a means to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have raised interest rates; however, the Federal Reserve has recently lowered interest rates and may continue to do so. Recent and potential future bank failures could result in disruption to the broader banking industry or markets generally and reduce confidence in financial institutions and the economy as a whole, which may also heighten market volatility and reduce liquidity. Ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East, have caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from those hostilities have and could continue to have a significant impact on certain fund investments as well as fund performance and liquidity. The COVID-19 global pandemic, or any future public health crisis, and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks have caused and may continue to cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects.

Information technology companies and cyber security companies are generally subject to the risks of rapidly changing technologies, short product life cycles, fierce competition, aggressive pricing and reduced profit margins, loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Cyber security companies may also be smaller and less experienced companies, with limited product lines, markets, qualified personnel or financial resources.

Investments in debt securities subject the holder to the credit risk of the issuer and the value of debt securities will generally change inversely with changes in interest rates. In addition, debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange making them less liquid and more difficult to value.

Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and distributions may be subject to a fee. Holders may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact their value.

Companies that issue dividend-paying securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. Therefore, there is a possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future.

Investments in emerging market securities are generally considered speculative and involve additional risks relating to political, economic and regulatory conditions.

Energy infrastructure companies may be directly affected by energy commodity prices, especially those companies which own the underlying energy commodity. A decrease in the production or availability of commodities or a decrease in the volume of such commodities available for transportation, processing, storage or distribution may adversely impact the financial performance of energy infrastructure companies. In addition, energy infrastructure companies are subject to significant federal, state and local government regulation in virtually every aspect of their operations, which may negatively impact their financial performance.

Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry or sector of the market.

A fund may invest in the shares of other ETFs, which involves additional expenses that would not be present in a direct investment in the underlying funds. In addition, a fund's investment performance and risks may be related to the investment performance and risks of the underlying funds.

Extension risk is the risk that, when interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these debt securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of debt securities, making their market value more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

Floating rate securities are structured so that the security's coupon rate fluctuates based upon the level of a reference rate. As a result, the coupon on floating rate securities will generally decline in a falling interest rate environment, causing a fund to experience a reduction in the income it receives from the security. A floating rate security's coupon rate resets periodically according to the terms of the security. Consequently, in a rising interest rate environment, floating rate securities with coupon rates that reset infrequently may lag behind the changes in market interest rates.

High yield securities, or "junk" bonds, are less liquid and are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and therefore, are considered to be highly speculative.

Hybrid capital securities are subject to the risks of equity securities and debt securities. The claims of holders of hybrid capital securities are generally subordinated to those of holders of traditional debt securities in bankruptcy, and thus hybrid capital securities may be more volatile and subject to greater risk than traditional debt securities.

A fund's income may decline when interest rates fall or if there are defaults in its portfolio.

As inflation increases, the present value of a fund's assets and distributions may decline.

Inflation-indexed debt securities, such as TIPS, are subject to the same risks as other debt securities. Although the holders of TIPS receive no less than the par value of the security at maturity, if a fund purchases TIPS in the secondary market whose principal values have previously been adjusted upward and there is a period of subsequent declining inflation rates, a fund may receive at maturity less than it invested and incur a loss.

Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the debt securities in a fund's portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term debt securities and higher for longer-term debt securities.

Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.

To the extent a fund invests in floating or variable rate obligations that use the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") as a reference interest rate, it is subject to LIBOR Risk. LIBOR has ceased to be made available as a reference rate and there is no assurance that any alternative reference rate, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), will be similar to or produce the same value or economic equivalence as LIBOR. The unavailability or replacement of LIBOR may affect the value, liquidity or return on certain fund investments and may result in costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new trades. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on a fund or on certain instruments in which a fund invests is difficult to predict and could result in losses to the fund.

Certain fund investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.

The portfolio managers of an actively managed portfolio will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not have the desired result.

Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or shares of a fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as general economic conditions, political events, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of a fund could decline in value or underperform other investments as a result. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious disease or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters or other events could have significant negative impact on a fund.

Master limited partnerships ("MLPs") are subject to certain risks, including price and supply fluctuations caused by international politics, energy conservation, taxes, price controls, and other regulatory policies of various governments. In addition, there is the risk that MLPs could be taxed as corporations, resulting in decreased returns from such MLPs.

The benefit a fund derives from its investment in MLPs is largely dependent on their being treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for income tax purposes which would result in the MLP being required to pay income tax at the applicable corporate tax rate.

Mortgage-related securities are more susceptible to adverse economic, political or regulatory events that affect the value of real estate.

Securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, lack of liquidity, lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers.

A fund and a fund's advisor may seek to reduce various operational risks through controls and procedures, but it is not possible to completely protect against such risks. The fund also relies on third parties for a range of services, including custody, and any delay or failure related to those services may affect the fund's ability to meet its objective.

Preferred securities combine some of the characteristics of both common stocks and bonds. Preferred stocks are typically subordinated to other debt instruments in terms of priority to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments.

Prepayment risk is the risk that the issuer of a debt security will repay principal prior to the scheduled maturity date. Debt securities allowing prepayment may offer less potential for gains during a period of declining interest rates, as a fund may be required to reinvest the proceeds of any prepayment at lower interest rates.

Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs") are subject to the risks of investing in real estate, including, but not limited to, changes in the real estate market, vacancy rates and competition, volatile interest rates and economic recession. Increases in interest rates typically lower the present value of a REIT's future earnings stream and may make financing property purchases and improvements more costly. The value of a fund will generally decline when investors in REIT stocks anticipate or experience rising interest rates.

Companies that issue loans tend to be highly leveraged and thus are more susceptible to the risks of interest deferral, default and/or bankruptcy. Loans are usually rated below investment grade but may also be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with these loans are similar to the risks of high-yield fixed income instruments. The senior loan market has seen a significant increase in loans with weaker lender protections which may impact recovery values and/or trading levels in the future.

A fund with significant exposure to a single asset class, country, region, industry, or sector may be more affected by an adverse economic or political development than a broadly diversified fund.

Securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may experience greater price volatility and be less liquid than larger, more established companies.

Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

A fund may hold securities or other assets that may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur because the asset or security does not trade on a centralized exchange, or in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including "fair valued" assets or securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. There is no assurance that a fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time.

The purchase of securities on a when-issued, TBA ("to be announced"), delayed delivery or forward commitment basis may give rise to investment leverage and increase a fund's volatility and exposure to default.

CUSIP identifiers have been provided by CUSIP Global Services, managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association by FactSet Research Systems Inc. and are not for use or dissemination in a manner that would serve as a substitute for any CUSIP service. The CUSIP Database, ©2024 CUSIP Global Services. "CUSIP" is a registered trademark of the American Bankers Association.

Not FDIC Insured • Not Bank Guaranteed • May Lose Value
 
The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any other regulatory framework. Financial professionals are responsible for evaluating investment risks independently and for exercising independent judgment in determining whether investments are appropriate for their clients.
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