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Form 497K AMERICAN FUNDS INSURANCE

April 29, 2016 6:03 AM EDT

 

   

American Funds Insurance Series®

Asset Allocation Fund

Summary prospectus
Class 1 shares

May 1, 2016

 
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information and other information about the fund online at americanfunds.com/afis. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 421-9900, ext. 65413 or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The current prospectus and statement of additional information, dated May 1, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.


 
 

 

Investment objective

The fund’s investment objective is to provide you with high total return (including income and capital gains) consistent with preservation of capital over the long term.

Fees and expenses of the fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold an interest in Class 1 shares of the fund. It does not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher.

   

Annual fund operating expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class 1
Management fee 0.28%
Other expenses 0.02
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.30

Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class 1 shares of the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect insurance contract expenses. If insurance contract expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

         
  1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class 1 $31 $97 $169 $381

Portfolio turnover The fund 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 fund’s investment results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 76% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

In seeking to pursue its investment objective, the fund varies its mix of equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments. Under normal market conditions, the fund’s investment adviser expects (but is not required) to maintain an investment mix falling within the following ranges: 40%-80% in equity securities, 20%-50% in debt securities and 0%-40% in money market instruments and cash. As of December 31, 2015, the fund was approximately 66% invested in equity securities, 24% invested in debt securities and 10% invested in money market instruments and cash. The proportion of equities, debt and money market securities held by the fund varies with market conditions and the investment adviser’s assessment of their relative attractiveness as investment opportunities.

The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and other equity securities, bonds and other intermediate and long-term debt securities, and money market instruments (debt securities maturing in one year or less). The fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in common stocks and other equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States and up to 5% of its assets in debt securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States. In addition, the fund may invest up to 25% of its debt assets in lower quality debt securities (rated Ba1 or below and BB+ or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser or unrated but determined to be of equivalent quality by the fund’s investment adviser). Such securities are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”

The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio managers in managing the fund’s assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is divided into segments managed by individual managers who decide how their respective segments will be invested.

The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make decisions about the fund’s portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively priced securities that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. The investment adviser believes that an important way to accomplish this is through fundamental analysis, which may include meeting with company executives and employees, suppliers, customers and competitors. Securities may be sold when the investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

1     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Principal risks

This section describes the principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. Investors in the fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value.

Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the fund may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.

Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the fund may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.

Investing in growth-oriented stocks — Growth-oriented common stocks and other equity-type securities (such as preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and convertible bonds) may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments.

Investing in income-oriented stocks — Income provided by the fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available for dividend payments at, the companies in which the fund invests.

Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by the fund may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of these securities.

Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.

Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. Lower quality debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The fund’s investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to mitigate various credit and default risks.

Investing in lower rated debt instruments — Lower rated bonds and other lower rated debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and involve greater risk of default or price declines due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than those of higher quality debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the prices of higher quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. These risks may be increased with respect to investments in junk bonds.

Investing in securities backed by the U.S. government — Securities backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. Accordingly, the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Securities issued by government-sponsored entities and federal agencies and instrumentalities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Thinly traded securities — There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds, other debt securities or derivatives, which may make them more difficult to value, acquire or sell.

American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus     2


 
 

 

Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, that could adversely impact revenues. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting practices and different regulatory, legal and reporting standards and practices, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by the fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.

Asset allocation — The fund’s percentage allocation to equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments could cause the fund to underperform relative to relevant benchmarks and other funds with similar investment objectives.

Management — The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund’s investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and analyses employed by the investment adviser in this process may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall investment program.

Investment results

The following bar chart shows how the investment results of the Class 1 shares of the fund have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market results. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The 60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index is a composite blend of 60% of the S&P 500 Index and 40% of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index and represents a broad measure of the U.S. stock and bond markets, including market sectors in which the fund may invest. Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results. Figures shown reflect fees and expenses associated with an investment in the fund, but do not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were included, results would have been lower. Updated information on the fund’s investment results can be obtained by visiting americanfunds.com/afis.

 

         

Average annual total returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2015:

1 year 5 years 10 years Lifetime
Fund (inception date — 8/1/89) 1.64% 9.52% 6.72% 8.37%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.38 12.57 7.31 9.31
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 0.55 3.25 4.51 6.25
60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.28 8.95 6.48 8.36

3     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Management

Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM

Portfolio managers The individuals primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund are:

     
Portfolio manager/
Series title (if applicable)
Portfolio manager
experience in this fund
Primary title
with investment adviser
Alan N. Berro
President
16 years Partner – Capital World Investors
J. David Carpenter 3 years Partner – Capital World Investors
David A. Daigle 7 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors
Jeffrey T. Lager 9 years Partner – Capital World Investors
James R. Mulally 10 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors

Tax information

See your variable insurance contract prospectus for information regarding the federal income tax treatment of your variable insurance contract and related distributions.

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as an insurance company), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information. The fund is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for variable insurance contracts. In addition to payments described above, the fund and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) for distribution and/or other services. These payments may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the fund as an underlying investment option in the variable insurance contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your variable insurance contract may contain additional information about these payments.

   
INA1IPX-070-0516P Printed in USA CGD/AFD/8024 Investment Company File No. 811-03857

 


 

   

American Funds Insurance Series®

Asset Allocation Fund

Summary prospectus
Class 2 shares

May 1, 2016

 
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information and other information about the fund online at americanfunds.com/afis. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 421-9900, ext. 65413 or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The current prospectus and statement of additional information, dated May 1, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.


 
 

 

Investment objective

The fund’s investment objective is to provide you with high total return (including income and capital gains) consistent with preservation of capital over the long term.

Fees and expenses of the fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold an interest in Class 2 shares of the fund. It does not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher.

   

Annual fund operating expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class 2
Management fee 0.28%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees 0.25
Other expenses 0.01
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.54

Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class 2 shares of the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect insurance contract expenses. If insurance contract expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

         
  1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class 2 $55 $173 $302 $677

Portfolio turnover The fund 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 fund’s investment results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 76% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

In seeking to pursue its investment objective, the fund varies its mix of equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments. Under normal market conditions, the fund’s investment adviser expects (but is not required) to maintain an investment mix falling within the following ranges: 40%-80% in equity securities, 20%-50% in debt securities and 0%-40% in money market instruments and cash. As of December 31, 2015, the fund was approximately 66% invested in equity securities, 24% invested in debt securities and 10% invested in money market instruments and cash. The proportion of equities, debt and money market securities held by the fund varies with market conditions and the investment adviser’s assessment of their relative attractiveness as investment opportunities.

The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and other equity securities, bonds and other intermediate and long-term debt securities, and money market instruments (debt securities maturing in one year or less). The fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in common stocks and other equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States and up to 5% of its assets in debt securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States. In addition, the fund may invest up to 25% of its debt assets in lower quality debt securities (rated Ba1 or below and BB+ or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser or unrated but determined to be of equivalent quality by the fund’s investment adviser). Such securities are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”

The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio managers in managing the fund’s assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is divided into segments managed by individual managers who decide how their respective segments will be invested.

The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make decisions about the fund’s portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively priced securities that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. The investment adviser believes that an important way to accomplish this is through fundamental analysis, which may include meeting with company executives and employees, suppliers, customers and competitors. Securities may be sold when the investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

1     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Principal risks

This section describes the principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. Investors in the fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value.

Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the fund may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.

Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the fund may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.

Investing in growth-oriented stocks — Growth-oriented common stocks and other equity-type securities (such as preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and convertible bonds) may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments.

Investing in income-oriented stocks — Income provided by the fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available for dividend payments at, the companies in which the fund invests.

Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by the fund may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of these securities.

Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.

Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. Lower quality debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The fund’s investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to mitigate various credit and default risks.

Investing in lower rated debt instruments — Lower rated bonds and other lower rated debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and involve greater risk of default or price declines due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than those of higher quality debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the prices of higher quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. These risks may be increased with respect to investments in junk bonds.

Investing in securities backed by the U.S. government — Securities backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. Accordingly, the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Securities issued by government-sponsored entities and federal agencies and instrumentalities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Thinly traded securities — There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds, other debt securities or derivatives, which may make them more difficult to value, acquire or sell.

Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, that could adversely impact revenues. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting practices and different regulatory, legal and reporting standards and practices, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by the fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.

Asset allocation — The fund’s percentage allocation to equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments could cause the fund to underperform relative to relevant benchmarks and other funds with similar investment objectives.

American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus     2


 
 

 

Management — The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund’s investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and analyses employed by the investment adviser in this process may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall investment program.

Investment results

The following bar chart shows how the investment results of the Class 2 shares of the fund have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market results. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The 60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index is a composite blend of 60% of the S&P 500 Index and 40% of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index and represents a broad measure of the U.S. stock and bond markets, including market sectors in which the fund may invest. Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results. Figures shown reflect fees and expenses associated with an investment in the fund, but do not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were included, results would have been lower. Updated information on the fund’s investment results can be obtained by visiting americanfunds.com/afis.

 

         

Average annual total returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2015:

1 year 5 years 10 years Lifetime*
Fund 1.40% 9.24% 6.45% 8.08%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.38 12.57 7.31 9.31
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 0.55 3.25 4.51 6.25
60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.28 8.95 6.48 8.36

Lifetime results are from August 1, 1989, the date the fund began investment operations. Class 2 shares were first offered on April 30, 1997; therefore, results for the fund prior to that date assume a hypothetical investment in Class 1 shares, reduced by the .25% annual expense that applies to Class 2 shares and is described in the “Plan of distribution” section of this prospectus. Results for Class 1 shares are comparable to those of Class 2 shares because both classes invest in the same portfolio of securities.

3     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Management

Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM

Portfolio managers The individuals primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund are:

     
Portfolio manager/
Series title (if applicable)
Portfolio manager
experience in this fund
Primary title
with investment adviser
Alan N. Berro
President
16 years Partner – Capital World Investors
J. David Carpenter 3 years Partner – Capital World Investors
David A. Daigle 7 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors
Jeffrey T. Lager 9 years Partner – Capital World Investors
James R. Mulally 10 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors

 

Tax information

See your variable insurance contract prospectus for information regarding the federal income tax treatment of your variable insurance contract and related distributions.

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as an insurance company), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information. The fund is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for variable insurance contracts. In addition to payments described above, the fund and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) for distribution and/or other services. These payments may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the fund as an underlying investment option in the variable insurance contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your variable insurance contract may contain additional information about these payments.

   
INA2IPX-070-0516P Printed in USA CGD/AFD/8024 Investment Company File No. 811-03857

 


 

   

American Funds Insurance Series®

Asset Allocation Fund

Summary prospectus
Class 3 shares

May 1, 2016

 
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information and other information about the fund online at americanfunds.com/afis. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 421-9900, ext. 65413 or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The current prospectus and statement of additional information, dated May 1, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.


 
 

 

Investment objective

The fund’s investment objective is to provide you with high total return (including income and capital gains) consistent with preservation of capital over the long term.

Fees and expenses of the fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold an interest in Class 3 shares of the fund. It does not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher.

   

Annual fund operating expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class 3
Management fee 0.28%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees 0.18
Other expenses 0.01
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.47

Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class 3 shares of the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect insurance contract expenses. If insurance contract expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

         
  1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class 3 $48 $151 $263 $591

Portfolio turnover The fund 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 fund’s investment results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 76% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

In seeking to pursue its investment objective, the fund varies its mix of equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments. Under normal market conditions, the fund’s investment adviser expects (but is not required) to maintain an investment mix falling within the following ranges: 40%-80% in equity securities, 20%-50% in debt securities and 0%-40% in money market instruments and cash. As of December 31, 2015, the fund was approximately 66% invested in equity securities, 24% invested in debt securities and 10% invested in money market instruments and cash. The proportion of equities, debt and money market securities held by the fund varies with market conditions and the investment adviser’s assessment of their relative attractiveness as investment opportunities.

The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and other equity securities, bonds and other intermediate and long-term debt securities, and money market instruments (debt securities maturing in one year or less). The fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in common stocks and other equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States and up to 5% of its assets in debt securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States. In addition, the fund may invest up to 25% of its debt assets in lower quality debt securities (rated Ba1 or below and BB+ or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser or unrated but determined to be of equivalent quality by the fund’s investment adviser). Such securities are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”

The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio managers in managing the fund’s assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is divided into segments managed by individual managers who decide how their respective segments will be invested.

The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make decisions about the fund’s portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively priced securities that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. The investment adviser believes that an important way to accomplish this is through fundamental analysis, which may include meeting with company executives and employees, suppliers, customers and competitors. Securities may be sold when the investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

1     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Principal risks

This section describes the principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. Investors in the fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value.

Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the fund may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.

Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the fund may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.

Investing in growth-oriented stocks — Growth-oriented common stocks and other equity-type securities (such as preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and convertible bonds) may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments.

Investing in income-oriented stocks — Income provided by the fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available for dividend payments at, the companies in which the fund invests.

Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by the fund may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of these securities.

Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.

Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. Lower quality debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The fund’s investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to mitigate various credit and default risks.

Investing in lower rated debt instruments — Lower rated bonds and other lower rated debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and involve greater risk of default or price declines due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than those of higher quality debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the prices of higher quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. These risks may be increased with respect to investments in junk bonds.

Investing in securities backed by the U.S. government — Securities backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. Accordingly, the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Securities issued by government-sponsored entities and federal agencies and instrumentalities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Thinly traded securities — There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds, other debt securities or derivatives, which may make them more difficult to value, acquire or sell.

Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, that could adversely impact revenues. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting practices and different regulatory, legal and reporting standards and practices, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by the fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.

American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus     2


 
 

 

Asset allocation — The fund’s percentage allocation to equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments could cause the fund to underperform relative to relevant benchmarks and other funds with similar investment objectives.

Management — The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund’s investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and analyses employed by the investment adviser in this process may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall investment program.

Investment results

The following bar chart shows how the investment results of the Class 3 shares of the fund have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market results. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The 60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index is a composite blend of 60% of the S&P 500 Index and 40% of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index and represents a broad measure of the U.S. stock and bond markets, including market sectors in which the fund may invest. Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results. Figures shown reflect fees and expenses associated with an investment in the fund, but do not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were included, results would have been lower. Updated information on the fund’s investment results can be obtained by visiting americanfunds.com/afis.

 

         

Average annual total returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2015:

1 year 5 years 10 years Lifetime*
Fund 1.46% 9.32% 6.53% 8.17%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.38 12.57 7.31 9.31
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 0.55 3.25 4.51 6.25
60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.28 8.95 6.48 8.36

* Lifetime results are from August 1, 1989, the date the fund began investment operations. Class 3 shares were first offered on January 16, 2004; therefore, results for the fund prior to that date assume a hypothetical investment in Class 1 shares, but reflect the .18% annual expense that applies to Class 3 shares and is described in the “Plan of distribution” section of this prospectus. Results for Class 1 shares are comparable to those of Class 3 shares because both classes invest in the same portfolio of securities.

3     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Management

Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM

Portfolio managers The individuals primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund are:

     
Portfolio manager/
Series title (if applicable)
Portfolio manager
experience in this fund
Primary title
with investment adviser
Alan N. Berro
President
16 years Partner – Capital World Investors
J. David Carpenter 3 years Partner – Capital World Investors
David A. Daigle 7 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors
Jeffrey T. Lager 9 years Partner – Capital World Investors
James R. Mulally 10 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors

 

Tax information

See your variable insurance contract prospectus for information regarding the federal income tax treatment of your variable insurance contract and related distributions.

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as an insurance company), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information. The fund is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for variable insurance contracts. In addition to payments described above, the fund and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) for distribution and/or other services. These payments may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the fund as an underlying investment option in the variable insurance contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your variable insurance contract may contain additional information about these payments.

   
INA3IPX-070-0516P Printed in USA CGD/AFD/8024 Investment Company File No. 811-03857

 


 

   

American Funds Insurance Series®

Asset Allocation Fund

Summary prospectus
Class 4 shares

May 1, 2016

 
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information and other information about the fund online at americanfunds.com/afis. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 421-9900, ext. 65413 or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The current prospectus and statement of additional information, dated May 1, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.


 
 

 

Asset Allocation Fund

Investment objective

The fund’s investment objective is to provide you with high total return (including income and capital gains) consistent with preservation of capital over the long term.

Fees and expenses of the fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold an interest in Class 4 shares of the fund. It does not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher.

   

Annual fund operating expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class 4
Management fee 0.28%
Distribution fees 0.25
Other expenses 0.26
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.79

Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class 4 shares of the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect insurance contract expenses. If insurance contract expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

         
  1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class 4 $81 $252 $439 $978

Portfolio turnover The fund 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 fund’s investment results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 76% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

In seeking to pursue its investment objective, the fund varies its mix of equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments. Under normal market conditions, the fund’s investment adviser expects (but is not required) to maintain an investment mix falling within the following ranges: 40%-80% in equity securities, 20%-50% in debt securities and 0%-40% in money market instruments and cash. As of December 31, 2015, the fund was approximately 66% invested in equity securities, 24% invested in debt securities and 10% invested in money market instruments and cash. The proportion of equities, debt and money market securities held by the fund varies with market conditions and the investment adviser’s assessment of their relative attractiveness as investment opportunities.

The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and other equity securities, bonds and other intermediate and long-term debt securities, and money market instruments (debt securities maturing in one year or less). The fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in common stocks and other equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States and up to 5% of its assets in debt securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States. In addition, the fund may invest up to 25% of its debt assets in lower quality debt securities (rated Ba1 or below and BB+ or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser or unrated but determined to be of equivalent quality by the fund’s investment adviser). Such securities are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”

The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio managers in managing the fund’s assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is divided into segments managed by individual managers who decide how their respective segments will be invested.

The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make decisions about the fund’s portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively priced securities that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. The investment adviser believes that an important way to accomplish this is through fundamental analysis, which may include meeting with company executives and employees, suppliers, customers and competitors. Securities may be sold when the investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

1     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Principal risks

This section describes the principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. Investors in the fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value.

Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the fund may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental or governmental agency responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.

Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the fund may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.

Investing in growth-oriented stocks — Growth-oriented common stocks and other equity-type securities (such as preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and convertible bonds) may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments.

Investing in income-oriented stocks — Income provided by the fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available for dividend payments at, the companies in which the fund invests.

Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by the fund may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of these securities.

Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.

Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. Lower quality debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The fund’s investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to mitigate various credit and default risks.

Investing in lower rated debt instruments — Lower rated bonds and other lower rated debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and involve greater risk of default or price declines due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than those of higher quality debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the prices of higher quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. These risks may be increased with respect to investments in junk bonds.

Investing in securities backed by the U.S. government — Securities backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. Accordingly, the current market values for these securities will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Securities issued by government-sponsored entities and federal agencies and instrumentalities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Thinly traded securities — There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular bonds, other debt securities or derivatives, which may make them more difficult to value, acquire or sell.

Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, that could adversely impact revenues. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting practices and different regulatory, legal and reporting standards and practices, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by the fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.

American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus     2


 
 

 

Asset allocation — The fund’s percentage allocation to equity securities, debt securities and money market instruments could cause the fund to underperform relative to relevant benchmarks and other funds with similar investment objectives.

Management — The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund’s investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and analyses employed by the investment adviser in this process may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall investment program.

Investment results

The following bar chart shows how the investment results of the Class 4 shares of the fund have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with different broad measures of market results. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The 60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index is a composite blend of 60% of the S&P 500 Index and 40% of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index and represents a broad measure of the U.S. stock and bond markets, including market sectors in which the fund may invest. Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results. Figures shown reflect fees and expenses associated with an investment in the fund, but do not reflect insurance contract fees and expenses. If insurance contract fees and expenses were included, results would have been lower. Updated information on the fund’s investment results can be obtained by visiting americanfunds.com/afis.

 

         

Average annual total returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2015:

1 year 5 years* 10 years* Lifetime*
Fund 1.14% 9.07% 6.23% 7.85%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.38 12.57 7.31 9.31
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 0.55 3.25 4.51 6.25
60%/40% S&P/Barclays Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) 1.28 8.95 6.48 8.36

Lifetime results are from August 1, 1989, the date the fund began investment operations. Class 4 shares began investment operations on December 14, 2012; therefore, results for the fund prior to that date assume a hypothetical investment in Class 1 shares, reduced by the .50% annual expense that applies to Class 4 shares, .25% of which is described in the “Plan of distribution” section of this prospectus and .25% of which is described in the “Fund expenses” section of this prospectus. Results for Class 1 shares are comparable to those of Class 4 shares because both classes invest in the same portfolio of securities.

3     American Funds Insurance Series – Asset Allocation Fund / Summary prospectus


 
 

 

Management

Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM

Portfolio managers The individuals primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund are:

     
Portfolio manager/
Series title (if applicable)
Portfolio manager
experience in this fund
Primary title
with investment adviser
Alan N. Berro
President
16 years Partner – Capital World Investors
J. David Carpenter 3 years Partner – Capital World Investors
David A. Daigle 7 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors
Jeffrey T. Lager 9 years Partner – Capital World Investors
James R. Mulally 10 years Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors

 

Tax information

See your variable insurance contract prospectus for information regarding the federal income tax treatment of your variable insurance contract and related distributions.

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as an insurance company), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information. The fund is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for variable insurance contracts. In addition to payments described above, the fund and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) for distribution and/or other services. These payments may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the fund as an underlying investment option in the variable insurance contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your variable insurance contract may contain additional information about these payments.

   
INA4IPX-070-0516P Printed in USA CGD/AFD/8024 Investment Company File No. 811-03857

 


 



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