Under normal market
conditions, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in real assets investments, including instruments
providing exposure to such investments (such as derivative instruments). “Real assets”
are considered by the Portfolio to be: (i) assets that have physical properties, such as: · natural resources,
such as energy and materials (e.g., metals and mining, paper and forestry
and chemicals) · real
estate, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies
(“Real Estate Investments”) · equipment and industrials, such as tools, hardware, machinery
and other industrial components · infrastructure, such as utilities, transport, communications,
pipelines, seaports, airports and toll roads · commodities, such as physical commodities with tangible properties
such as gas, oil, metals, livestock or agricultural products; and (ii) companies that
typically derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from, or have at least 50% of their assets
committed to, real assets. Allocation of the Portfolio’s assets by the Investment Manager among these
real assets categories will vary, and over time exposures to new categories may be added or exposures
to existing categories may be eliminated. The Portfolio may invest in equity securities of US and non-US
companies, including emerging markets companies, as well as commodity-linked and other derivative instruments.
In addition, the Portfolio may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity or credit quality,
typically government securities, in connection with the Portfolio’s derivatives exposures (i.e.,
as a type of margin or collateral). The Portfolio also may invest in exchange-traded open-end management
investment companies (“ETFs”), generally those that pursue a passive index-based strategy.
The Portfolio may invest in companies of any market capitalization. The Portfolio may
gain exposure to the commodity markets by investing up to 25% of the Portfolio’s total assets in
a wholly-owned subsidiary formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”),
which invests mainly in commodity-linked derivative instruments (including, but not limited to, futures
contracts, options and total return swaps) and fixed income securities, typically government securities,
in connection with the Subsidiary’s derivatives exposures (i.e.,
as a type of margin or collateral). The Investment Manager’s process for selecting investments
for the Portfolio may include a variety of approaches, such a fundamental, bottom-up analysis, qualitative
evaluations and quantitative models or a combination of these or other approaches. The process used will
usually vary for different types of real assets categories, or category subsets. In addition, the
Portfolio may, but is not required to (1) enter into futures contracts; forward currency contracts; equity,
total return, interest rate, credit default and currency swap agreements; (2) write put and call options
on securities
(including shares of ETFs), indexes and currencies; and (3) invest in structured notes, in each case
for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns, including as a substitute for a direct investment
in securities.
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Risk Table - Lazard Retirement Real Assets Portfolio
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Risk [Text Block] |
| Principal Investment Risks |
Principal Investment Risks The value of your investment in the Portfolio
will fluctuate, which means you could lose money.
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| Risk Lose Money [Member] |
The value of your investment in the Portfolio
will fluctuate, which means you could lose money.
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| Allocation Risk |
Allocation Risk: The Portfolio’s
ability to achieve its investment objective depends in part on the Investment Manager’s skill in
determining the Portfolio’s allocation among real assets categories. The Investment Manager’s
evaluations and assumptions underlying its allocation decisions may differ from actual market conditions.
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| Market Risk |
Market
Risk: The Portfolio may incur losses due to declines in one or more markets in which
it invests. These declines may be the result of, among other things, political, regulatory, market, economic
or social developments affecting the relevant market(s). To the extent that such developments impact
specific industries, market sectors, countries or geographic regions, the Portfolio’s investments
in such industries, market sectors, countries and/or geographic regions can be expected to be particularly
affected, especially if such investments are a significant portion of its investment portfolio. In addition,
turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may
negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the Portfolio. Global economies and financial
markets are increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial
market may adversely impact issuers worldwide. As a result, local, regional or global events such as
war or military conflict, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health
issues, social unrest, natural disasters, extreme weather, other geological events, man-made disasters,
supply chain disruptions, deflation, inflation, government defaults, government shutdowns, the imposition
of sanctions or other similar measures, recessions or other events could have a significant negative
impact on global economic and market conditions. For example, a public health or other emergency and
aggressive responses taken by many governments or voluntarily imposed by private parties, including closing
borders, restricting travel and imposing prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the
closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, may have severe negative impacts
on markets worldwide. Additionally, general market conditions may affect the value of a Portfolio’s
securities, including changes in interest rates, currency rates or monetary policies. Furthermore, the
imposition of tariffs, trade restrictions, currency restrictions or similar actions (or retaliatory measures
taken in response to such actions), or the threat or potential of one or more such events and developments,
could lead to price volatility and overall declines in the US and global investment markets.
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| Issuer Risk |
Issuer
Risk: The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate
to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s
goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of
its assets or factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception.
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| Natural Resources Risk |
Natural
Resources Risk: Investments related to natural resources may be affected by numerous factors,
including events occurring in nature, inflationary pressures and domestic and international politics.
For example, events occurring in nature (such as earthquakes or fires in prime natural resource areas)
and political events (such as coups or military confrontations) can affect the overall supply of a natural
resource and the value of companies involved in such natural resource. Political risks and other risks
to which non-US companies are subject also may affect US companies if they have significant operations
or investments in non-US countries. In addition, interest rates, prices of raw materials and other commodities,
international economic developments, energy conservation, tax and other government regulations (both
US and non-US) may affect the supply of and demand for natural resources, which can affect the profitability
and value of securities issued by companies in the natural resources category. Securities of companies
within specific natural resources sub-categories can perform differently than the overall market. This
may be due to changes in such things as the regulatory or competitive environment or to changes in investor
perceptions.
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| Real Estate Investments Risk |
Real
Estate Investments Risk: The Portfolio’s investments in Real Estate Investments,
including REITs, could lose money due to the performance of real estate-related securities even if securities
markets generally are experiencing positive results. The performance of Real Estate Investments may be
determined to a great extent by the current status of the real estate industry in general, or by other
factors that may affect the real estate industry, even if other industries would not be so affected.
Consequently, Real Estate Investments could lead to investment results that may be significantly different
from investments in other real assets categories or investments in the broader securities markets. The
risks related to investments in Real Estate Investments include, but are not limited to: adverse changes
in general economic and local market conditions; adverse developments in employment; changes in supply
or demand for similar or competing properties; unfavorable changes in applicable taxes, governmental
regulations and interest rates; operating or development expenses; and lack of available financing. Due
to certain special considerations that apply to REITs, investments in REITs may carry additional risks
not necessarily present in investments in other securities. REIT securities (including those trading
on national exchanges) typically have trading volumes that are less than those of securities of other
types of companies, which may affect the Portfolio’s ability to trade or liquidate those securities.
An investment in a REIT may be adversely affected if the REIT fails to comply with applicable laws and
regulations, including failing to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
Failure to qualify with any of these requirements could jeopardize a company’s status as a REIT.
The Portfolio generally will have no control over the operations and policies of a REIT, including qualification
as a REIT.
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| Infrastructure Companies Risk |
Infrastructure Companies Risk: Securities and instruments of infrastructure
companies, which consist of utilities, pipelines, toll roads, airports, railroads, ports, telecommunications
and other infrastructure companies, are more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences
affecting their industries. Infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may
adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital
construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the
effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services,
uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation
policies and other factors. Infrastructure companies also may be affected by or subject to, among other
factors, regulation by various government authorities, including rate regulation, and service interruption
due to environmental, operational or other mishaps.
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| Commodities-Related Investments Risk |
Commodities-Related Investments Risk:
Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Portfolio to greater volatility than other types
of investments. The values of commodities and commodity-linked derivative instruments are affected by
events that may have less impact on the values of equity and fixed income securities. Investments linked
to the prices of commodities are considered speculative. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative
instrument, such as a futures contract on a physical commodity, typically is based upon the price movements
of the underlying reference asset, index or rate, the value of these instruments will rise or fall in
response to changes in the underlying reference asset, index or rate. Prices of commodities and commodity-linked
investments may fluctuate significantly over short periods for a variety of factors, including: changes
in supply and demand relationships; weather; agricultural or livestock markets; agricultural or livestock
disease or pestilence; trade relationships; fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs; and embargoes,
tariffs, terrorism and international economic, political, military and regulatory developments.
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| Fixed-Income and Debt Securities Risk |
Fixed-Income
and Debt Securities Risk: The market value of a debt security may decline due to general
market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived
adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency
rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The debt securities market can be susceptible to increases
in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall
economic conditions or credit tightening. Prices of bonds and other debt securities
tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Interest rate risk is usually greater for fixed-income
securities with longer maturities or durations. A rise in interest rates (or the expectation
of a rise in interest rates) may result in periods of volatility, decreased liquidity and increased redemptions,
and, as a result, the Portfolio may have to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices.
The Portfolio may be subject to heightened interest rate risk because the Federal Reserve has raised,
and may continue to raise, interest rates. The Portfolio’s investments in lower-rated, higher-yielding
securities (“junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit risk than its higher rated investments.
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer will not make interest or principal payments, or will not make
payments on a timely basis. Non-investment grade securities tend to be more volatile, less liquid and
are considered speculative. If there is a decline, or perceived decline, in the credit quality of a debt
security (or any guarantor of payment on such security), the security’s value could fall, potentially
lowering the Portfolio’s share price. The prices of non-investment grade securities, unlike investment
grade debt securities, may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest
rates. The market for these securities may be less liquid and therefore these securities may be harder
to value or sell at an acceptable price, especially during times of market volatility or decline. Some
debt securities may give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the securities before their maturity,
and, during a time of declining interest rates, the Portfolio may have to reinvest the proceeds of called
or redeemed securities in an investment offering a lower yield (and the Portfolio may not fully benefit
from any increase in the value of its portfolio holdings as a result of declining interest rates). Structured
notes are privately negotiated debt instruments where the principal and/or interest is determined by
reference to a specified asset, market or rate, or the differential performance of two assets or markets.
Structured notes can have risks of both debt securities and derivatives transactions.
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| Government Securities Risk |
Government Securities
Risk: Not all obligations of the US government, its agencies and instrumentalities
are backed by the full faith and credit of the US Treasury. Some obligations are backed only by the credit
of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the
issuer. Any guarantee by the US government or its agencies or instrumentalities of a security held by
the Portfolio does not apply to the market value of such security or to shares of the Portfolio itself.
A security backed by the US Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed
only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity.
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| Non-US Securities Risk |
Non-US Securities
Risk: The Portfolio’s performance will be influenced by political, social and
economic factors affecting the non-US countries and companies in which the Portfolio invests. Non-US
securities carry special risks, such as less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability,
a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity.
Non-US securities may be subject to economic sanctions or other governmental actions or developments,
exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including
tariffs) or problems related to share registration, trade settlement or asset custody, which could,
among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Portfolio’s ability to purchase or sell
certain foreign securities. To the extent the Portfolio holds securities subject to such actions, the
securities may become difficult to value and/or less liquid (or illiquid). In some cases, the securities
may become worthless.
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| Emerging Market Risk |
Emerging Market Risk: Emerging market countries generally have
economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than
those of developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based predominantly
on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and
may suffer from extreme debt burdens or volatile inflation rates. Further, investments in securities
of issuers located in certain emerging countries involve the risk of loss resulting from problems in
share registration, settlement or custody, substantial economic, political and social disruptions and
the imposition of sanctions or exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions). The securities
markets of emerging market countries have historically been extremely volatile and less liquid than more
developed markets. These market conditions may continue or worsen. Investments in these countries may
be subject to political,
economic, legal, market and currency risks. Significant devaluation of emerging market currencies against
the US dollar may occur subsequent to acquisition of investments denominated in emerging market currencies.
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| Foreign Currency Risk |
Foreign
Currency Risk: Investments denominated in currencies other than US dollars may experience a
decline in value, in US dollar terms, due solely to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The Portfolio’s
investments denominated in such currencies (particularly currencies of emerging markets countries), as
well as any investments in currencies themselves, could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal
to grant, repatriation of funds or conversion of currencies. Irrespective of any foreign currency exposure
hedging, the Portfolio may experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities, in US dollar
terms, due solely to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
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| Quantitative Model Risk |
Quantitative Model
Risk: A quantitative model, such as the risk and other models used by the Investment
Manager requires adherence to a systematic, disciplined process. The Investment Manager’s ability
to monitor and, if necessary, adjust its quantitative model could be adversely affected by various factors
including incorrect or outdated market and other data inputs. Factors that affect a security’s
value can change over time, and these changes may not be reflected in the quantitative model. In addition,
factors used in quantitative analysis and the weight placed on those factors may not be predictive of
a security’s value.
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| Small and Mid Cap Companies Risk |
Small and Mid Cap Companies Risk: Small and mid
cap companies carry additional risks because their earnings tend to be less predictable, their share
prices more volatile and their securities less liquid than larger, more established companies. The shares
of small and mid cap companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger companies, which can
have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities
when the Investment Manager deems it appropriate.
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| Liquidity Risk |
Liquidity Risk: The lack of a
readily available market may limit the ability of the Portfolio to sell certain securities and other
investments at the time and price it would like. The size of certain securities offerings of emerging
markets issuers may be relatively smaller in size than offerings in more developed markets and, in some
cases, the Portfolio, by itself or together with other Portfolios or other accounts managed by the Investment
Manager, may hold a position in a security that is large relative to the typical trading volume for that
security; these factors can make it difficult for the Portfolio to dispose of the position at the desired
time or price.
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| Derivatives and Hedging Risk |
Derivatives and Hedging Risk: Derivatives and other similar transactions,
including those entered into for hedging purposes (i.e., seeking to protect
Portfolio investments), may increase volatility, reduce returns, limit gains or magnify losses, perhaps
substantially, particularly since most derivatives have a leverage component that provides investment
exposure in excess of the amount invested. Swap agreements; forward currency contracts; over-the-counter
options on securities (including options on shares of ETFs), indexes and currencies; structured notes;
and other over-the-counter derivatives transactions are subject to the risks of the creditworthiness
of and default by the counterparty and consequently may lose all or a portion of their value due solely
to the creditworthiness of or default by the counterparty. Over-the-counter derivatives frequently may
be illiquid and difficult to value. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable
changes in the prices for derivatives. These derivatives transactions, as well as the exchange-traded
futures and options in which the Portfolio may invest, are subject to many of the risks of, and can be
highly sensitive to changes in the value of the related reference asset, index or rate. As such, a small
investment could have a potentially large impact on the Portfolio’s performance. In fact, many
derivatives may be subject to greater risks than those associated with investing directly in the underlying
or other reference asset. Derivatives transactions incur costs, either explicitly or implicitly, which
reduce returns, and costs of engaging in such transactions may outweigh any gains or any losses averted
from hedging activities. Successful use of derivatives, whether for hedging or for other investment purposes,
is subject to the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction
of the relevant reference asset or market and, for hedging activities, correlation of the derivative
instruments used with the investments seeking to be hedged. Use of derivatives transactions, even if
entered into for hedging purposes, may cause the Portfolio to experience losses greater than if the Portfolio
had not engaged in such transactions. When
the Portfolio enters into derivatives transactions, it may be required to post margin and make settlement
payments while the positions are open, and the Portfolio may have to sell a security at a disadvantageous
time or price to meet such obligations. Derivatives transactions are also subject to operational and
legal risk. The same risks, as applicable, apply to derivatives transactions by the Subsidiary.
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| ETF Risk |
ETF
Risk: Shares of ETFs may trade at prices that vary from their net asset values, sometimes
significantly. The shares of ETFs may trade at prices at, below or above their net asset value. In addition,
the performance of an ETF pursuing a passive index-based strategy may diverge from the performance of
the index. The Portfolio’s investments in ETFs are subject to the risks of the ETFs’ investments,
as well as to the general risks of investing in ETFs. The Portfolio will bear not only the Portfolio’s
management fees and operating expenses, but also the Portfolio’s proportional share of the management
fees and operating expenses of the ETFs in which the Portfolio invests. Although Section 12 of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) limits the amount of the Portfolio’s
assets that may be invested in one or more ETFs, Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act allows the Portfolio
to acquire the securities of another investment company, including ETFs, in excess of the limitations
imposed by Section 12 of the 1940 Act, subject to certain limitations and conditions.
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| Subsidiary and Tax Status Risk |
Subsidiary and Tax
Status Risk: The Portfolio will invest in the Subsidiary, which will not be registered as an
investment company under the 1940 Act. A regulatory change in the US or the Cayman Islands, under which
the Portfolio and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, that impacts the Subsidiary or how the
Portfolio invests in the Subsidiary, such as a change in tax law, could adversely affect the Portfolio.
By investing in the Subsidiary, the Portfolio is exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s
investments, which generally include the risks of investing in commodity-related derivative instruments
(described elsewhere in this Prospectus). Income and gains from commodities or certain commodity-linked
derivative instruments directly held by the Portfolio do not constitute “qualifying income”
to the Portfolio for purposes of qualification as a “regulated investment company” for federal
income tax purposes. Without such qualification, the Portfolio could fail to qualify as a RIC and be
subject to tax. The Portfolio intends to gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in
its Subsidiary, which invests primarily in these commodity-linked derivative instruments. The tax treatment
of the Portfolio’s investments in the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation,
Treasury regulations, court decisions and/or guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service that could
affect whether income derived from such investment is “qualifying income” under the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Portfolio’s
taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Portfolio.
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| Securities Selection Risk |
Securities Selection
Risk: Securities and other investments selected by the Investment Manager for the Portfolio
may not perform to expectations. This could result in the Portfolio’s underperformance compared
to other funds with similar investment objectives or strategies.
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