Alger Balanced Portfolio
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio's prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio's prospectus and other information about the Portfolio online at
www.alger.com
. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1(800)992-3863 or by sending an e-mail request to summaryprospectus@alger.com. The Portfolio's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated May 1, 2013, are incorporated by reference to this Summary Prospectus, and may be obtained at no cost in the same manner as described above.
Investment Objective
Alger Balanced Portfolio seeks current income and long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table does not reflect fees, expenses, or charges that may be imposed by the separate accounts of life insurance companies or qualified pension or retirement plans. If it did, the fees would be higher.
Example
The following example, which reflects the shareholder fees and operating expenses listed above, is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class I-2 shares of the Portfolio for the time periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect fees, expenses, or charges that may be imposed by the separate accounts of life insurance companies or qualified pension or retirement plans. If it did, the expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions you would pay the following expenses whether or not you redeemed your shares at the end of each period:
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's turnover rate was 122.50% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategy
Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change offer the best equity investment opportunities. Positive Dynamic Change refers to companies realizing High Unit Volume Growth or companies undergoing Positive Lifecycle Change. High Unit Volume Growth companies are traditional growth companies experiencing, for example, significantly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from regulatory change, a new product introduction or management change.
The Portfolio focuses on stocks of companies that Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes demonstrate growth potential and on fixed-income securities, with emphasis on income-producing securities that appear to have potential for capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in equity securities and in fixed-income securities, which may include corporate bonds, debentures and notes, U.S. Government securities, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, commercial paper and other fixed-income securities. Most of the Portfolio's fixed-income investments will be concentrated within the four highest rating categories as determined by one of the Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations ("NRSROs") (or, if unrated, will have been determined to be of comparable quality by Fred Alger Management, Inc.). The Portfolio also may invest up to 10% of its net assets in lower-rated securities ("high yield" or "junk" bonds), rated "B" (or the equivalent) or better by any one of those rating agencies (or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by Fred Alger Management, Inc.). Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 25% of its net assets in fixed-income securities and at least 25% of its net assets in equity securities.
The Portfolio can also invest in derivative instruments. The Portfolio currently expects that its primary use of derivatives will involve entering into forward currency contracts to hedge the Portfolio's foreign currency exposure when it holds, or proposes to hold, non-U.S. dollar denominated securities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing. The Portfolio's price per share will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of its investments. Also, the Portfolio's investments may not grow as fast as the rate of inflation and stocks tend to be more volatile than some other investments you could make, such as bonds.
Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies' earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile. An investment in the Portfolio may be better suited to investors who seek long-term capital growth and can tolerate fluctuations in their investment's value.
A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Portfolio's performance. Forward currency contracts are subject to currency exchange rate risk and the risk of non-performance by the contract counterparty.
The primary risks arising from the fixed-income portion of the Portfolio are:
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sensitivity to interest-rate movements, in particular with longer-maturity securities;
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greater risks of default, less liquidity and greater price volatility with lower rated securities;
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sensitivity of the value of the Portfolio to issuers' falling credit ratings or defaults;
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prepayment of securities in a period of falling interest rates necessitating reinvestment in lower-yielding securities;
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market illiquidity;
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changes in laws or government regulations adversely affecting issuers or market values of securities; and
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suspension of U.S. Government support to U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities.