Fidelity VIP Freedom Funds
嚜燕ORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023
Fidelity? VIP Freedom Funds
Key Takeaways
FUND NAMES
? In 2023, the Initial Class shares of each Fidelity? VIP Freedom Fund
VIP Freedom Income Portfolio
produced a gain, ranging from 7.91% for VIP Freedom Income
Portfolio to 14.70% for VIP Freedom 2030 Portfolio. Each VIP Freedom
Portfolio trailed its corresponding Composite index.
? Co-Portfolio Managers Andrew Dierdorf and Brett Sumsion point out
that many asset classes rebounded in 2023 from weak performance in
2022, aided by global economic expansion, falling commodity prices,
a slowing in the pace of inflation, and a fourth-quarter shift in
monetary policy by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other key central
banks, potentially signaling the end of their aggressive rate-hike
campaigns.
? U.S. and non-U.S. equities were the top-performing asset classes for
the year, contributing to positive returns for all Portfolios.
? Longer-dated Portfolios 每 suitable for investors with a longer
investment horizon to retirement and that hold more exposure to
stocks 每 outperformed shorter-dated Portfolios, which held higher
exposure to weaker-performing fixed-income and short-term debt
securities.
? Active asset allocation decisions, such as underweighting market-
leading U.S. equities, weighed on the Portfolios' performance versus
Composites in 2023.
? Security selection among the underlying investment funds contributed
to the Portfolios' relative results, especially among non-U.S. equities.
? Looking ahead to 2024, Andrew and Brett remain focused on the longterm objective of Fidelity? VIP Freedom Funds and continue to believe
there are opportunities to actively position the Portfolios in areas of
the market trading at a discount to their view of fair value.
Not FDIC Insured ? May Lose Value ? No Bank Guarantee
VIP Freedom 2005 Portfolio
VIP Freedom 2010 Portfolio
VIP Freedom 2015 Portfolio
VIP Freedom 2020 Portfolio
VIP Freedom 2025 Portfolio
VIP Freedom 2030 Portfolio
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023
Market Recap
For 2023, continued global economic expansion and a slowing
in the pace of inflation contributed to a favorable backdrop for
risk assets. After struggling throughout much of 2022, risk assets
strongly rebounded the past year, with U.S. large-cap stocks
leading, driven partly by a narrow set of companies in the
information technology and communication services sectors
amid excitement for generative artificial intelligence. Assets
broadly gained in the final two months of 2023 after investor
sentiment largely shifted to a view that policy interest rates had
peaked in most countries following one of the most dramatic
monetary tightening cycles on record by the U.S. Federal
Reserve and other central banks.
International equities rose 15.82% for the 12 months, according
to the MSCI ACWI (All Country World Index) ex USA Index. Each
of the six regions advanced, with Europe ex U.K. (+23%) and
Japan (+21%) leading, whereas Asia Pacific ex Japan (+7%)
lagged by the widest margin. Each of the 11 sectors also
advanced, with tech (+37%) and industrials (+24%) leading the
way. Financials (+17%) also topped the return of the broad
index. Conversely, consumer staples (+5%) lagged most,
followed by real estate (+6%).
U.S. stocks gained 26.06% for the year, as measured by the Dow
Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, as all but two sectors rose.
Information technology (+60%), communication services (+53%)
and consumer discretionary (+41%) led by the widest margins.
Conversely, utilities (-7%) and energy (0%) lagged most. Growth
stocks broadly outpaced value, while larger-caps topped smallcaps. Commodities returned -7.91%, according to the
Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return.
U.S. taxable investment-grade bonds returned 5.53% for the 12
months, per the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, as the
Fed slowed the pace of, and eventually paused, interest rate
increases, allowing bond prices to stabilize. Since March 2022,
the Fed has hiked its benchmark interest rate 11 times, by 5.25
percentage points, while allowing billions in bonds to mature
each month without investing the proceeds. U.S. investmentgrade corporate bonds (+8.18%) outperformed short-term U.S.
Treasurys (+5.15%), while commercial mortgage-backed
securities (+5.42%) and agencies (+5.13%) also advanced.
Outside the index, leveraged loans (+13.72%), U.S. high-yield
bonds (+13.47%), emerging-markets debt (+10.45%) and
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (+3.90%) all gained. ←
BROAD ASSET CLASS RETURNS (%)
PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2023
Calendar-Year Returns
Best
P
e
r
f
o
r
m
a
n
c
e
Worst
Dispersion
of Returns*
Average Annual
Cumulative
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
5 Year
3 Year
1 Year
6 Mos
3 Mos
25.1
13.6
17.5
37.3
1.9
30.9
20.8
27.1
16.1
26.1
15.0
10.8
26.1
8.4
12.7
16.9
4.1
12.6
24.5
0.7
22.8
18.3
25.7
1.5
18.2
8.7
8.4
18.2
7.6
12.1
12.5
1.2
11.8
21.2
0.6
18.5
17.7
12.9
-0.8
13.7
7.2
6.0
13.7
6.7
10.5
12.1
0.5
11.2
9.3
0.0
18.4
8.4
9.9
-7.3
13.5
6.0
4.6
13.5
6.4
9.6
7.0
0.4
10.4
8.5
-0.3
14.8
7.8
5.7
-11.2
11.8
5.2
2.2
11.8
6.2
9.3
6.0
0.2
10.2
8.3
-1.8
14.4
7.5
5.4
-13.0
10.5
4.1
2.0
10.5
6.0
7.9
5.5
0.1
5.3
7.5
-2.3
14.4
6.4
5.3
-13.1
9.9
3.7
0.7
9.9
5.7
7.1
1.8
0.1
4.9
4.7
-4.1
10.3
6.1
0.0
-14.1
8.7
3.4
-0.1
8.7
4.7
6.8
0.9
-0.5
4.0
4.3
-4.6
8.7
5.9
-1.0
-16.5
5.5
1.9
-2.2
5.5
3.4
6.4
0.1
-1.2
3.0
3.5
-5.3
8.7
3.5
-1.5
-18.8
5.2
1.9
-3.1
5.2
2.8
3.9
-2.1
-2.9
2.6
1.9
-11.2
7.7
3.4
-1.5
-19.5
4.4
1.9
-3.3
4.4
2.7
3.0
-4.2
-14.9
1.3
1.7
-13.9
6.9
0.7
-2.5
-20.1
3.1
1.1
-5.1
3.1
-0.1
1.4
-17.0
-24.7
0.3
0.9
-14.5
2.3
-3.1
-4.6
-29.3
-7.9
-1.2
-11.4
-7.9
-0.6
-4.6
42.1
38.3
17.1
36.5
16.4
28.6
23.9
31.8
45.3
34.0
16.3
22.2
34.0
9.1
17.3
← U.S. Equities
← Non-U.S. DevelopedMarkets Equities
← Emerging-Markets Equities
← Commodities
← High-Yield Debt
← Floating-Rate Debt
← International Debt
← Emerging-Markets Debt
← Real Estate Debt
← Investment-Grade Debt
← Inflation-Protected Debt
← Short-Term Debt
← Long-Term U.S. Treasury Debt
Periods greater than one year are annualized. Source: FMR
*Difference between best- and worst-performing asset classes over the given time period
You cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
U.S. Equities - Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, Non-U.S. Developed-Markets Equities - MSCI World ex USA Net Mass, Emerging-Markets Equities MSCI Emerging Markets Index, Commodities - Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return, High-Yield Debt - ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Constrained Index,
Floating-Rate Debt - S&P/LSTA Leveraged Performing Loan Index, International Debt - Bloomberg Global Aggregate Credit Ex U.S. Index Hedged (USD),
Emerging-Markets Debt - J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global, Real Estate Debt - Fidelity Real Estate Income Composite Index, InvestmentGrade Debt - Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, Inflation-Protected Debt - Bloomberg U.S. 1-10 Year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) Index
(Series-L), Short-Term Debt - Bloomberg U.S. 3 Month Treasury Bellwether Index, Long-Term U.S. Treasury Debt - Bloomberg U.S. Long Treasury Index
2 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q&A
Andrew Dierdorf
Co-Manager
Brett Sumsion
Co-Manager
Fund Facts
Size (in
millions)
$69.9
VIP Freedom Fund
Start Date
Income
04/26/2005
2005
04/26/2005
$8.9
2010
04/26/2005
$272.8
2015
04/26/2005
$62.3
2020
04/26/2005
$577.7
2025
04/26/2005
$383.9
2030
04/26/2005
$703.3
Investment Approach
? Fidelity? VIP Freedom FundsSM (the Funds) are designed
so that the target date referenced in the Fund name is
the approximate year when we expect investors to retire
and begin gradually withdrawing their investment.
? Each of the Funds seeks high total return with a
secondary objective of principal preservation.
? Except for Fidelity? VIP Freedom Income PortfolioSM,
each Fund's asset allocation strategy becomes
increasingly conservative as it approaches its target
retirement date 每 and beyond. Ultimately, the Funds are
expected to merge with Fidelity? VIP Freedom Income
PortfolioSM.
? The Funds employ a robust investment process focused
on helping investors solve the challenge of investing
through retirement by leveraging the depth and strength
of Fidelity's investment research and resources.
An interview with Co-Portfolio
Managers Andrew Dierdorf and Brett
Sumsion
Q: Andrew, how did Fidelity? VIP Freedom
Funds perform in 2023?
A.D. The Initial Class shares of each Fidelity? VIP Freedom
Fund produced a gain, ranging from 7.91% for VIP Freedom
Income Portfolio to 14.70% for VIP Freedom 2030 Portfolio.
Each VIP Freedom Portfolio underperformed its
corresponding Composite index in 2023.
Given that equities were one of the better-performing asset
classes the past year, longer-dated Portfolios 每 which are
suitable for investors with a longer investment horizon before
retirement and that hold greater exposure to stocks 每
outperformed shorter-dated Portfolios, which had higher
exposure to weaker-performing fixed-income and short-term
debt securities and are intended for those with a shorter
investment horizon. (For specific Portfolio results, please refer
to the Fiscal Performance Summaries.)
Q: How would you characterize the market
environment the past year?
A.D. After a challenging 2022, many asset classes rebounded
in 2023, aided by global economic expansion, falling
commodity prices, a slowing in the pace of inflation, and a
fourth-quarter shift in monetary policy by the U.S. Federal
Reserve and other key central banks, signaling the potential
end of their aggressive rate-hike campaigns.
Looking at U.S. monetary policy, the Fed's monetary
tightening campaign, launched in March 2022, continued
until late July, when the central bank said it was too soon to
tell if its latest hike would conclude a series of increases
aimed at cooling the economy and bringing down inflation.
At its next three meetings, the Fed decided to hold rates at a
22-year high while it observes the effect on inflation and the
economy. In the fourth quarter, the Fed signaled that
disinflationary trends were sufficient to project a shift to
monetary easing in 2024. This news, along with resilient latecycle expansion of the U.S. economy and a sharp decline in
U.S. Treasury yields, provided a favorable backdrop for
higher-risk assets. After the November 1 meeting, when the
central bank hinted it might be done raising rates, the Dow
Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index reversed a three-month
decline stemming from rising yields on longer-term
government bonds and mixed earnings from some big and
3 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023
influential firms. Favorable data on inflation provided a
further boost, and the index shook off a sluggish October
(-2.69%) to gain 9.39% in November, as market breadth
improved. The momentum carried through December, as the
index gained 5.35% for the month and 26.06% for the year.
Within the broader Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index, the
information technology sector (+60%) led the 2023 rally in
domestic stocks, and within that sector, a small group of
mega-cap companies contributed an outsized portion of the
gain amid growing demand for artificial intelligence across
many industries. Outside the U.S., equities also rallied, as
reflected by the 15.82% advance of the MSCI ACWI (All
Country World Index) ex USA Index.
Investors' confidence in the Fed's view on disinflation helped
drive 10-year U.S. Treasury yields from their peak of 5% in Q3
to below 4%, finishing the year roughly where they began.
Fixed income categories largely rebounded with the decline
in yields. Corporate credit and longer-duration bonds
advanced the most. Against this backdrop, returns for all
asset classes within the strategic allocation of Fidelity's target
date strategies were positive in 2023.
Q: What lessons can be learned from the market
volatility in 2022 and 2023?
A.D. One major takeaway is the importance of maintaining a
diversified portfolio like those we aim for in managing VIP
Freedom Funds. Although many asset classes declined in
2022, there was a considerable rebound in performance for
most in 2023. For example, U.S. equities returned -19.53% in
2022, according to the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market
Index, but gained 26.06% this past year.
The turnaround for this particular asset class is representative
of the volatility that can occur over a short-term period, and
it's a key reason why having a diversified portfolio can help
provide resiliency over time. For example, each asset class
has varying exposure to factors such as the pace of economic
growth, the rate of inflation, the direction of interest rates
and corporate earnings growth, all of which tend to influence
performance. So having a portfolio of multiple asset classes
can provide improved risk-adjusted returns over an extended
horizon, our research shows.
Q: Brett, what notably influenced the Portfolios'
performance versus their corresponding
Composite indexes?
B.S. Overall, our active asset allocation positioning detracted
from the Portfolios' relative results. In particular, an
underweight in U.S. equity investments, based on our view
of valuation, was a headwind, given the market-leading
performance of the asset class in 2023. Larger-thanComposite exposure to U.S. Treasury inflation-protected
securities also detracted.
Meanwhile, an overweight allocation to non-U.S. equities
added relative value for the Portfolios, especially exposure to
developed-markets equities. An underweight in U.S.
investment-grade bonds also meaningfully contributed.
Q: What else influenced the Portfolios' relative
performance for the year?
B.S. The performance among the underlying investment
funds modestly lifted the Portfolios' relative performance for
the year. In particular, security selection among non-U.S.
equities contributed the most value, especially in developedmarkets equities. In this category, Fidelity? VIP Overseas
Portfolio (+20.51%) outperformed its benchmark, the MSCI
EAFE Index (+18.49%).
Our investments in underlying U.S. investment-grade bond
funds also proved beneficial. Specifically, an allocation to
Fidelity? VIP Investment Grade Bond Portfolio (+5.91%)
notably helped, given that it topped its benchmark, the
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (+5.53%).
Conversely, investments in U.S. equity funds held back the
Portfolios' relative results. Specifically, Fidelity? VIP Growth &
Income Portfolio gained 18.72% for the year, trailing the
26.29% advance of its benchmark, the S&P 500? index.
Q: Andrew, what are you focusing on as you
look ahead to 2024?
A.D. We remain focused on the long-term investment
horizon and the objectives of the Portfolios. Our investment
process emphasizes selecting strategic asset classes that we
think will provide compelling long-term performance,
independent sources of return and risk, and favorable
implementation attributes of Portfolios. We strive to deliver
long-term outcomes that help investors maintain their
standard of living in retirement, through both strategic asset
allocation and active management decisions.
It's quite possible that volatility may once again increase in
the capital markets, thus we believe our diversified approach
and rigorous investment process, which are grounded in
research, are as important as ever.
Furthermore, we continue to leverage our investment
resources 每 especially our global research expertise across
asset classes, and our relationships with corporations and
other entities 每 to closely monitor the macroeconomic
backdrop, gain insight into market dynamics as they evolve
and choose investments we think have the potential to
outperform the broader markets over time. ←
4 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER Q&A | AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023
Co-Manager Brett Sumsion on the
Portfolios' active positioning:
"As of year-end, the Portfolios' active positioning
emphasizes asset classes for which we see a gap
between the current price and our management
team's view of fair value. We plan to continue to
navigate bouts of market volatility by focusing on
fundamentals (e.g., discount rates and cash flow,
among many others) to determine the appeal of
various investment opportunities.
"Specifically, the Portfolios are underweight U.S.
equities and overweight non-U.S. equities versus
their Composite indexes because we believe U.S.
equities are overvalued relative to non-U.S. equities.
Looking abroad, the Portfolios' active equity
positioning emphasizes non-U.S. stocks in
developed and emerging markets. In our view, nonU.S. equities have a more favorable distribution of
outcomes than U.S. equities. We believe non-U.S.
developed and emerging markets have low
expectations, providing ample opportunity for
positive surprises. We also believe that a
combination of higher earnings yields and
potentially improving fundamentals are a tailwind to
lower risk premiums in non-U.S. markets.
"In comparison, while the current fundamental story
for the U.S. is strong, we believe it is fully priced into
equity valuations. The realization of elevated
earnings expectations depends on the continuation
of persistently high corporate profit margins,
constructive economic growth and declining interest
rates. U.S. equity valuations do not sufficiently
reflect the potential for the economy to slow and
profits to compress. In addition, non-U.S. assets may
benefit from a weakening U.S. dollar, which has had
a prolonged period of strength driven by superior
economic growth in the U.S. and higher interest
rates 每 two trends we see as poised to reverse.
"Lastly, the Portfolios are overweight fixed income
versus Composites. We believe the U.S. Treasury
market represents a good value, given prevailing
macroeconomic uncertainty. Real yields provide a
buffer if inflation surges, while U.S. Treasuries have
room to move if the U.S. economy enters recession.
The inverted yield curve will need to normalize to
argue that a landing has taken place, and we are
skeptical of the market's view that short rates will fall
without a recession. We believe the most favorable
opportunity is in the five-year portion of the curve."
5 | For definitions, fund risks and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Q&A.
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