DEF 14C 1 d800302ddef14c.htm LINCOLN VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14C

Information Statement Pursuant to Section 14(c) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

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INFORMATION STATEMENT

EXHIBIT B

LINCOLN VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST

LVIP Franklin Templeton Core Bond Fund

This document is for informational purposes only. You are not required to take any action and you are not requested to send us a proxy with respect to this sub-adviser change.

October 29, 2025

Dear Contract Owners and Shareholders:

Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust (the “Trust” or “LVIP”) is furnishing this Information Statement with respect to the LVIP Franklin Templeton Core Bond Fund (formerly named, the LVIP Macquarie Bond Fund) listed above (the “Fund”), a series of the Trust.

You currently have an investment interest in the Fund through your ownership of a variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy (“Variable Contract”). As a “Contract Owner,” you are being furnished this Information Statement to inform you about recent changes related to the Fund’s sub-advisory arrangements.

Specifically, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) held on June 3-4, 2025 (the “Meeting”), the Board approved the appointment of Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“FAV” or the “Sub-Adviser”) as a new sub-adviser to the Fund. At the Meeting, the Board also approved a sub-advisory agreement between Lincoln Financial Investments Corporation (the “Adviser” or “LFI”), the Fund’s investment adviser, and FAV. (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”). The Sub-Advisory Agreement is dated August 1, 2025. FAV replaced Delaware Investments Fund Advisers as sub-adviser to the Fund.

The Trust has received an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) permitting the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Trust’s Board, to enter into or materially amend sub-advisory agreements without obtaining shareholder approval. As a condition of relying on the Order, the Adviser is required to furnish Fund shareholders with an information statement describing any new sub-adviser within 90 days of hiring such sub-adviser when a sub-advisory agreement is entered into or materially amended without a shareholder vote. Accordingly, approval of the Sub-Agreement does not require a shareholder vote. This Information Statement is being mailed on or about November 7, 2025, to shareholders of record of the Fund as of September 30, 2025 (the “Record Date”).

 

I.

Background

On June 3-4, 2025, the Board of LVIP met to consider, among other things, the approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Fund, expected to take effect in August 2025. The trustees who were not “interested persons” of the Trust (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) (the “Independent Trustees”) reported that they had reviewed materials provided by LFI and FAV prior to the meeting, and were advised by their independent legal counsel of their fiduciary duties pertaining to approval of sub-advisory agreements and the factors that they should consider in evaluating such agreements. Among other information, LFI and FAV provided information to assist the Independent Trustees in assessing the nature, extent and quality of services to


be provided to the Fund. LFI also provided information regarding the sub-adviser selection process and LFI’s reasons for recommending FAV to serve as the Fund’s sub-adviser. The Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel met separately from the “interested” trustee, Trust officers and Lincoln National Life Insurance Company employees to consider the approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Independent Trustees reported that they had considered, among others, the factors listed below and reached the following conclusions with respect to their recommendation to the Board.

The Board determined that, given the totality of the information provided with respect to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board had received sufficient information to approve the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund. In considering the approval of the proposed Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board did not identify any single factor or group of factors as all-important or controlling, and considered a variety of factors in its analysis including those discussed below. The Board did not allot a particular weight to any one factor or group of factors.

 

II.

Sub-Advisory Agreement

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. In considering the approval of the proposed Sub-Advisory Agreement between LFI and FAV on behalf of the Fund, the Board considered the nature, extent and quality of services to be provided by FAV under the proposed Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Board reviewed the services to be provided by FAV, the backgrounds of the investment professionals proposed to service the Fund and the reputation, resources and investment approach of FAV. They also reviewed information provided regarding the structure of portfolio manager compensation, trading and brokerage practices, risk management and compliance and regulatory matters. The Board also noted that FAV provides sub-advisory services to other funds in the Trust and that the Board reviewed extensive information provided by FAV in connection with the 2025 contract renewal process. The Board concluded that the services to be provided by FAV were expected to be satisfactory.

Sub-Advisory Fee and Economies of Scale. The Board considered comparable sub-advisory fee information provided by LFI and noted that, with respect to the proposed sub-advisory fee schedule, the schedule was lower than peers and the current sub-advisory fee for the Fund. The Board considered that the proposed sub-advisory fee schedule was negotiated between LFI and FAV, an unaffiliated third party, and that LFI would compensate FAV from its fees. The Board concluded that the proposed sub-advisory fee schedule was reasonable.

Profitability and Fallout Benefits. The Board considered that the proposed sub-advisory fee schedule was negotiated between LFI and FAV, an unaffiliated third party, and that LFI would compensate FAV from its fees. The Board reviewed materials provided by FAV as to any additional benefits it would receive and noted FAV’s statement that it may receive reputational benefits from its association with LFI and considered that FAV may receive research and services with soft dollars related to brokerage commissions by the Fund that may be shared with advisory affiliates.

Overall Conclusions

Based on all the information considered and conclusions reached, the Board determined that the terms of the proposed Sub-Advisory Agreement were fair and reasonable, and that approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement was in the best interests of the Fund.

 

III.

Additional Information about the Sub-Advisory Agreement

The Sub-Advisory Agreement is dated August 1, 2025, and has an initial one-year term. Thereafter, continuance of the agreement will require the annual approval of the Board, including a majority of the


Independent Trustees. The Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated, without the payment of any penalty, by: (i) the Trust, by vote of a majority of the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, on 60 days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser; (ii) the Adviser, on 60 days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser; (iii) the Sub-Adviser, on 90 days’ written notice to the Adviser; or (iv) by mutual written consent of the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate without payment of penalty in the event of: (i) its assignment; (ii) its delegation, unless the Adviser has by prior written consent agreed to the delegation; or (iii) termination of the investment management agreement with the Adviser.

The foregoing description is only a summary of the Sub-Advisory Agreement. A copy of the Sub-Advisory Agreement has been filed with the SEC and accessible via the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov) through the EDGAR database.

 

IV.

Information about the Sub-Adviser

Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“FAV”), One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906. FAV is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin”). Net assets under the management of the Franklin organization was over $1.58 trillion as of December 31, 2024.

The name and principal occupation of the principal executive officers and directors of FAV are listed below.

 

Name   Principal Occupation
James Michael Hasenstab   Executive Vice President
Douglas Edward Perks   President And Director
Michael Paul McCarthy   Executive Vice President
Harold Stephen Dover   Executive Vice President and Director
Alan Roger Bayston   Executive Vice President
Sonal Desai   Executive Vice President and Director
Harumi Lindsey Oshita   Chief Financial Officer
Jay Adam Petryk   Executive Vice President
Clifton Thomas Merchant   Chief Legal Officer
Anthony Bjorn Davis   Chief Compliance Officer
Paul Leeor Avigdor   Treasurer
Tourtellotte Jonathan Curtis   Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
Harris Rupert Johnson   Director

No officer or director of the Trust is an officer, employee, director, general partner, or shareholder of FAV.


The name and principal occupation of the portfolio managers of the Fund are listed below.

 

Name   Principal Occupation
     
Patrick Klein, Ph.D.   Patrick Klein, Ph.D. is a Portfolio Manager of FAV. Dr. Klein has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025. He joined Franklin Templeton in 2005.
Michael V. Salm   Michael V. Salm is a Portfolio Manager of FAV. Mr. Salm has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025. He joined Franklin Templeton in 2024. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Salm was a portfolio manager for Putnam Investment Management, LLC for 26 years.
Albert Chan, CFA   Albert Chan, CFA is a Portfolio Manager of FAV. Mr. Chan has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025. He joined Franklin Templeton in 2024. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Chan was a portfolio manager for Putnam Investment Management, LLC for 23 years.

 

V.

Information about the Adviser and the Trust

Investment Adviser

LFI serves as the Fund’s investment adviser and is located at 150 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Fund paid LFI the net amount of $21,157,513, for investment advisory services.

Principal Underwriter and Distributor

The Fund’s principal underwriter and distributor, Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”), is located at 130 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087. LFD is an affiliate of the Adviser.

Broker-Dealers Affiliated with the Adviser

The Adviser has the following affiliated broker-dealer: Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.

Payments of Commissions to Affiliated Broker-Dealers

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Fund paid no commissions to any affiliated broker-dealers.

Administrator

The Fund’s administrator, Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (“Lincoln Life”), is located at 1301 S. Harrison St., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802. Lincoln Life is an affiliate of the Adviser.

Outstanding Shares

As of the Record Date, the Fund’s outstanding shares for Standard Class shares and Service Class shares are listed below:

 

Fund Name   Standard Class   Service Class
LVIP Franklin Templeton Core Bond Fund   141,491,924.73   354,755,906.03


Because the Fund is available as investments for Variable Contracts offered by certain life insurance companies, the insurance companies could be deemed to control the voting securities of the Fund (i.e., by owning more than 25%). However, an insurance company would exercise voting rights attributable to any Fund shares that it owns (directly or indirectly) in accordance with, and in proportion to, voting instructions received by owners of the Variable Contracts. A small number of Contract Owners could therefore determine whether the Fund’s proposals are approved.

Ownership of Shares

As of the Record Date, the record shareholders below had or shared voting or investment power over more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class of the Fund:

5% Plus Record Holders

 

Fund Name / Shareholder Name   Percentage (%)
of Shareholder
Ownership in
Fund
 
LVIP Franklin Templeton Core Bond Fund – Standard Class        

LVIP Global Growth Allocation Managed Risk Fund

    14.51%  

LVIP Global Moderate Allocation Managed Risk Fund

    16.49%  

LVIP Franklin Templeton Core Bond Fund – Service Class

       

None

 

As of Record Date, to the knowledge of the Trust’s management, the trustees and officers of the Trust as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of the Fund’s outstanding shares.

 

VI.

Other Information

Householding

Only one copy of this Information Statement is mailed to households, even if more than one person in a household is a Fund shareholder of record, unless the Fund has received instructions to the contrary. If you need additional copies of this Information Statement, or if you do not want the mailing of an information statement to be combined with those for other members of your household in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would rather receive just one copy for the household, please contact the Trust by calling 1-800-454-6265 or by writing to the Trust at P.O. Box 2340, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801 (regular mail) or 1301 S. Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802 (express mail).

Financial Statements

Shareholders can obtain a copy of the Fund’s most recent Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report, without charge, by calling 1-800-454-6265, by writing to the Trust at P.O. Box 2340, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801 (regular mail) or 1301 S. Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802 (express mail), or by visiting https://www.lincolnfinancial.com/lvip.

PLEASE RETAIN THIS INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE