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Form 497K GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST

May 24, 2021 3:16 PM EDT
Summary
Prospectus

April 30, 2021, as supplemented May 24, 2021
Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
Class A: GIPAX  Class C: GIPCX  Institutional: GIPIX  Service: GIPSX  Investor: GIPTX  Class R: GIPRX  Class R6: GIPUX        
Before you invest, you may want to review the Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio (the “Fund”) Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at http://www.gsamfunds.com/mutualfunds. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-621-2550 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), both dated April 30, 2021, as supplemented to date, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks current income and long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify
for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A Shares if you invest at least $50,000 in Goldman Sachs Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Shareholder Guide—Common Questions Applicable to the Purchase of Class A Shares” beginning on page 81 and in Appendix C—Additional Information About Sales Charge Variations, Waivers and Discounts beginning on page 145 of the Prospectus and “Other Information Regarding Maximum Sales Charge, Purchases, Redemptions, Exchanges and Dividends” beginning on page B-158 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
 
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
  Class A Class C Institutional Service Investor Class R Class R6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.50% None None None None None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds)1 None 1.00% None None None None None

 

2    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
  Class A Class C Institutional Service Investor Class R Class R6
Management Fees 0.15% 0.15% 0.15% 0.15% 0.15% 0.15% 0.15%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.75% None 0.25% None 0.50% None
Other Expenses2 0.23% 0.48% 0.11% 0.36% 0.23% 0.23% 0.10%
Service Fees None 0.25% None None None None None
Shareholder Administration Fees None None None 0.25% None None None
All Other Expenses 0.23% 0.23% 0.11% 0.11% 0.23% 0.23% 0.10%
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses3 1.13% 1.88% 0.76% 1.26% 0.88% 1.38% 0.75%
Expense Limitation4 (0.07%) (0.07%) (0.07%) (0.07%) (0.07%) (0.07%) (0.07%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Limitation3 1.06% 1.81% 0.69% 1.19% 0.81% 1.31% 0.68%
1 A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase.
2 The "Other Expenses" for Class A, Class C, Service, Investor, Class R and Class R6 Shares have been restated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the current fiscal year.
3 The “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Limitation” do not correlate to the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include “Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses.”
4 The Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit “Other Expenses” (excluding acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, service fees, shareholder administration fees, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, expenses of shareholder meetings, litigation and indemnification, and extraordinary expenses) to 0.004% of the Fund’s average daily net assets through at least April 30, 2022, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class C, Institutional, Service, Investor, Class R and/or Class R6 Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class A, Class C, Institutional, Service, Investor, Class R and/or Class R6 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 (except that the Example incorporates the expense limitation arrangement for only the first year). 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 A Shares $652 $883 $1,132 $1,843
Class C Shares        
– Assuming complete redemption at end of period $284 $584 $1,010 $2,195
– Assuming no redemption $184 $584 $1,010 $2,195
Institutional Shares $70 $236 $416 $936
Service Shares $121 $393 $685 $1,516
Investor Shares $83 $274 $481 $1,078
Class R Shares $133 $430 $749 $1,651
Class R6 Shares $69 $233 $410 $924
    
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund does not pay transaction costs when it buys and sells shares of underlying mutual funds. However, the Fund and each Underlying Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells other securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Underlying Fund and its
shareholders, including the Fund, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in the annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Strategy
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of underlying funds that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM” or the “Investment Adviser”) or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated funds available, and may also invest in unaffiliated exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). Some of the Underlying Funds invest primarily in fixed income or money market instruments (the “Underlying Fixed Income Funds”), some of the Underlying Funds invest primarily in equity securities (the “Underlying Equity Funds”), and other Underlying Funds invest dynamically across equity, fixed income, commodity and other markets through a managed-volatility or trend-following approach (the “Underlying Dynamic Funds”).
Under normal conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing approximately 50% (which allocation could be increased by 30% or decreased by 25%) of its assets in Underlying Fixed Income Funds, approximately 15% (which allocation could be increased by 5% or decreased by 15%) of its assets in the Underlying Dynamic Funds, and approximately 35% (which allocation could be increased by 25% or decreased by 30%) of its assets in Underlying Equity Funds. The allocation will be measured at the time of rebalance. Generally, the Investment Adviser rebalances the Fund approximately monthly, but the Fund can be rebalanced more or less frequently at the discretion of the Investment Adviser based on the market environment and its macro views. Unless otherwise stated herein, the Fund’s investment in any of the Underlying Funds may exceed 25% of its assets. The Investment Adviser expects that the Fund will invest a relatively significant percentage of its fixed income allocation in the

 

3    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
Goldman Sachs Global Core Fixed Income, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt, Goldman Sachs High Yield and Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Funds and the Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF; a relatively significant percentage of its equity allocation in the Goldman Sachs Dynamic Global Equity, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights, Goldman Sachs Global Real Estate Securities, Goldman Sachs Global Infrastructure, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Funds and the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF; and a relatively significant percentage of its dynamic allocation in the Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy and Goldman Sachs Alternative Premia Funds.
The Fund may also use derivatives (including (i) futures contracts, including futures based on equity or fixed income indices, and interest rate futures; (ii) options, including long and short positions in call options and put options on indices, individual securities or currencies and options on futures contracts; and (iii) currency forwards, and non-deliverable forwards) to gain exposure to securities in which the Underlying Funds invest. The Fund may use derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes.
The Fund’s blended benchmark is the Balanced Strategy Composite Index, as discussed further under “Performance.”
THE PARTICULAR UNDERLYING FUNDS IN WHICH THE FUND MAY INVEST, THE EQUITY/FIXED INCOME TARGETS AND RANGES AND INVESTMENTS IN EACH UNDERLYING FUND MAY BE CHANGED FROM TIME TO TIME WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL OR NOTICE.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. Stated allocations may be subject to change. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Asset Allocation Risk. The Fund’s allocations to the various underlying asset classes may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s use of futures, swaps, options, forward contracts and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments.
Expenses Risk. By investing in the Underlying Funds indirectly through the Fund, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Underlying Funds held by the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also the expenses of the Fund.
Investing in the Underlying Funds. The investments of the Fund may be concentrated in one or more Underlying Funds (including ETFs and other registered investment companies) subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), or exemptive relief thereunder. The Fund’s investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying Funds it holds. The Fund is subject to the risk factors associated with the investments of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets allocated to each. If the Fund has a relative concentration of its portfolio in a single Underlying Fund, it may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting that Underlying Fund, and may be more susceptible to losses because of these developments.
Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Fund and by certain Underlying Funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Fund assets among certain Underlying Funds both because the fees payable to it and/or its affiliates by the Underlying Funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Fund assets among the various Underlying Funds because the Fund’s portfolio management team may also manage some of the Underlying Funds. The Trustees and officers of the Goldman Sachs Trust (the “Trust”) may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Fund and the Underlying Funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter. In addition, the Investment Adviser’s authority to allocate investments among affiliated and unaffiliated investment companies creates conflicts of interest. For example, investing in affiliated investment companies could cause the Fund to incur higher fees and may cause the Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates to receive greater compensation, increase assets under management or support particular investment strategies or affiliated investment companies. In selecting Underlying Funds, the Investment Adviser generally expects to select affiliated investment companies without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available even though there may (or may not) be one or more unaffiliated investment companies that may be a more appropriate addition to the Fund, that investors may regard as a more attractive investment for the Fund, or that may have higher returns. To the extent that an investment in an affiliated investment company is not available, including as the result of capacity constraints, only then will the Investment Adviser consider unaffiliated investment companies.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may cause the Fund to sell Fund securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Fund shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted

 

4    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio.
Temporary Investments.  Although the Fund normally seeks to remain substantially invested in the Underlying Funds, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality, short-term debt obligations to maintain liquidity, to meet shareholder redemptions and for other short-term cash needs. For temporary defensive purposes during abnormal market or economic conditions, the Fund may invest without limitation in short-term obligations. When the Fund’s assets are invested in such investments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Principal Risks of the Underlying Funds
The target and actual asset allocation percentages, the selection of Underlying Funds and the investments in the Underlying Funds are subject to change. Such changes may cause the Fund to be subject to additional or different risks than the risks listed below.
The investment programs of some of the Underlying Funds are speculative, entail substantial risks and include alternative investment techniques not employed by traditional mutual funds. The investment techniques of some of the Underlying Funds (if they do not perform as designed) may increase the volatility of performance and the risk of investment loss, including the loss of the entire amount that is invested, and there can be no assurance that the investment objectives of those Underlying Funds will be achieved. Moreover, certain investment techniques which certain Underlying Funds may employ in their investment programs can substantially increase the adverse impact to which those Underlying Funds’ investments may be subject. There is no assurance that the investment processes of those Underlying Funds will be successful, that the techniques utilized therein will be implemented successfully or that they are adequate for their intended uses, or that the discretionary element of the investment processes of those Underlying Funds will be exercised in a manner that is successful or that is not adverse to the Fund.
Absence of Regulation Risk.  Certain of the Underlying Funds engage in over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions, which trade in a dealer network, rather than on an exchange. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges.
Call/Prepayment Risk. An issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by an Underlying Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decline in interest rates, when credit spreads change, or when an issuer’s credit quality improves. Under these circumstances, the Underlying Fund may be unable to recoup all of its initial investment and will also suffer from having to reinvest in lower-yielding securities.
Cash Transactions Risk.  Unlike some ETFs, certain exchange-traded Underlying Funds (“Underlying ETFs”) expect to effect their creations and redemptions partially for cash, rather than primarily for in-kind securities. As such, investments in Underlying ETF Shares (“ETF Shares”) may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a conventional ETF which generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realizing gains in connection with transactions designed to raise cash to meet redemption requests.
Commodity Sector Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject certain of the Underlying Funds to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of
commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The commodity-linked investments in which certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into may involve companies in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the commodity's, and therefore the Underlying Fund’s, share value to fluctuate.
Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with OTC transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which an Underlying Fund enters into uncleared OTC transactions, the Underlying Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Underlying Fund will sustain losses.
Credit/Default Risk. An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. Additionally, the credit quality of securities may deteriorate rapidly, which may impair an Underlying Fund’s liquidity and cause significant deterioration in NAV. These risks are more pronounced in connection with the Underlying Fund’s investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Depositary Receipts Risk.  Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, which include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”)and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Underlying Funds acquire Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Underlying Funds would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted.
Derivatives Risk. An Underlying Fund’s use of forwards, options, futures, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to an Underlying Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments.
 

 

5    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
Dividend-Paying Investments Risk.  An Underlying Fund’s investments in dividend-paying securities could cause the Underlying Fund to underperform other funds. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, can fall out of favor with the market, causing such securities to underperform securities that do not pay dividends. Depending upon market conditions and political and legislative responses to such conditions, dividend-paying securities that meet an Underlying Fund’s investment criteria may not be widely available and/or may be highly concentrated in only a few market sectors. In addition, issuers that have paid regular dividends or distributions to shareholders may not continue to do so at the same level or at all in the future. This may limit the ability of an Underlying Fund to produce current income.
Expenses Risk. Because the Underlying Funds may invest in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs, partnerships and real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), the investor will incur indirectly through the Fund a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Underlying Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), in addition to the expenses of the Underlying Fund.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Underlying Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls, sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Underlying Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging markets.
Industry Concentration Risk. Certain Underlying Funds concentrate their investments in the real estate industry, which has historically experienced substantial price volatility. This concentration subjects certain Underlying Funds to greater risk of loss as a result of adverse economic, business, political, environmental or other developments than if its investments were diversified across different industries.
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. The risks associated with changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and an Underlying Fund’s investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by an Underlying Fund.
Investment Style Risk.  Different investment styles (e.g., “growth,” “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. An Underlying Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. An Underlying Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Underlying Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may
cause an Underlying Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Underlying Fund’s NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Underlying Fund shares may adversely affect the Underlying Fund’s performance to the extent that the Underlying Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in an Underlying Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Underlying Fund’s expense ratio.
Leverage Risk.  Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make an Underlying Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause an Underlying Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet asset segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by an Underlying Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Underlying Fund may be subject.
Liquidity Risk.  An Underlying Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Fund's investments in securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. Redemptions by large shareholders may have a negative impact on an Underlying Fund’s liquidity.
Loan-Related Investments Risk. In addition to risks generally associated with debt investments (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments are subject to other risks. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be or become illiquid or less liquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. Many loan investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and certain loan investments may be or become illiquid or less liquid and more difficult to value, particularly in the event of a downgrade of the loan or the borrower. There is less readily available, reliable information about most loan investments than is the case for many other types of securities. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. With respect to loan participations, an Underlying Fund may not always have direct recourse against a borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and/or interest; may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks than if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower; and may be regarded as the creditor of the agent lender (rather than the borrower), subjecting the Underlying Fund to the creditworthiness of that lender as well. Investors in loans, such as an Underlying Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual

 

6    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
remedies. The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet an Underlying Fund’s redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. During periods of heightened redemption activity or distressed market conditions, the Underlying Fund may seek to obtain expedited trade settlement, which will generally incur additional costs (although expedited trade settlement will not always be available).
Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral, but are nevertheless usually rated below investment grade. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. Generally, loans have the benefit of restrictive covenants that limit the ability of the borrower to further encumber its assets or impose other obligations. To the extent a loan does not have certain covenants (or has less restrictive covenants), an investment in the loan will be particularly sensitive to the risks associated with loan investments.
Management Risk. A strategy used by an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Underlying Fund's investment adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for certain of the Underlying Funds using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors’ historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Underlying Fund's investment adviser’s use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for an Underlying Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.
Market Risk. The market value of the securities in which an Underlying Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact an Underlying Fund and its investments.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk.  Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks, including “extension risk” (i.e., in periods of rising interest rates, issuers may pay principal later than expected) and “prepayment risk” (i.e., in periods of declining interest rates, issuers
may pay principal more quickly than expected, causing an Underlying Fund to reinvest proceeds at lower prevailing interest rates). Mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers are subject to other risks as well, including failures of private insurers to meet their obligations and unexpectedly high rates of default on the mortgages backing the securities. Other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as risks associated with the nature and servicing of the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral comparable to that of mortgage assets, resulting in additional credit risk.
Municipal Securities Risk.  Municipal securities are subject to call/prepayment risk, credit/default risk, extension risk, interest rate risk and certain additional risks. An Underlying Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in particular types of municipal securities (such as general obligation bonds, private activity bonds and moral obligation bonds). While interest earned on municipal securities is generally not subject to federal tax, any interest earned on taxable municipal securities is fully taxable at the federal level and may be subject to tax at the state level.
Non-Diversification Risk. Certain Underlying Funds are “non-diversified,” meaning that they are permitted to invest a larger percentage of their assets in one or more issuers or in fewer issuers than “diversified” funds. Thus, such an Underlying Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading Risk.  Certain Underlying Funds may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. An Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the investment adviser’s judgment regarding the direction of the market for a particular foreign currency or currencies. In pursuing this strategy, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser seeks to profit from anticipated movements in currency rates by establishing “long” and/or “short” positions in forward contracts on various foreign currencies. Foreign exchange rates can be extremely volatile and a variance in the degree of volatility of the market or in the direction of the market from the investment adviser’s expectations may produce significant losses to an Underlying Fund. Some of these transactions may also be subject to interest rate risk.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities Risk. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk.  A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by an Underlying Fund and its shareholders (including the Fund), and is also  likely to result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders of the Underlying Fund.
Real Estate Industry Risk. Certain Underlying Funds are subject to certain risks associated with real estate, including, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage

 

7    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
financing, variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; interest rates; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increases in competition, property taxes and operating expenses; and changes in zoning laws. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns. The values of securities of companies in the real estate industry may go through cycles of relative under-performance and out-performance in comparison to equity securities markets in general.
REIT Risk.  REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable an Underlying Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price.
Short Position Risk.  An Underlying Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or through short sales of any instrument that the Underlying Fund may purchase for investment. Taking short positions involves leverage of an Underlying Fund’s assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which an Underlying Fund has taken a short position increases, then the Underlying Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate, may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited.
Small-Cap Risk.  Investments in small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Sovereign Default Risk.  An issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt, or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt, may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates.
Stock Risk.  Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S.and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Subsidiary Risk.  By investing in a wholly-owned subsidiary organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (a “Subsidiary” or the “Subsidiaries”), certain Underlying Funds will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiaries’ investments, which are similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Underlying Funds. An Underlying Fund is limited in the extent to which it may invest directly in commodity-linked swaps or certain other commodity-linked derivatives. The Subsidiaries primarily obtain their commodity exposure by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments, which may include but are not limited to total return swaps, commodity (U.S. or foreign) futures and commodity-linked notes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiaries will be achieved. Because the Subsidiaries are not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), they are not subject to all the investor protections thereof. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of an Underlying Fund and/or its Subsidiary to operate as described in its prospectus and could adversely affect the Underlying Fund.
Swaps Risk.  In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the “notional amount” of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty’s defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for an Underlying Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk. The value of TIPS generally fluctuates in response to inflationary concerns. As inflationary expectations increase, TIPS will become more attractive, because they protect future interest payments against inflation. Conversely, as inflationary concerns decrease, TIPS will become less attractive and less valuable.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by  an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Further Information on Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks of the Underlying Funds. A concise description of the investment objectives, practices and risks of each of the Underlying Funds that are currently expected to be used for investment by the Fund as of the date of the Prospectus is provided beginning on page 49 of the Prospectus.

 

8    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Class A Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional, Service, Investor, Class R and Class R6 Shares compare to those of certain broad-based securities market indices and to the Balanced Strategy Composite Index, a composite representation prepared by the Investment Adviser of the performance of the Fund’s asset classes weighted according to their respective weightings in the Fund’s target range. The Balanced Strategy Composite Index is comprised of the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged) (60%) and the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) (Net, USD, Unhedged) (the “MSCI® ACWI Index”) (40%). The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
The bar chart (including “Best Quarter” and “Worst Quarter” information) does not reflect the sales loads applicable to Class A Shares. If the sales loads were reflected, returns would be less. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown.
CALENDAR YEAR (CLASS A)

During the periods shown in the chart above: Returns Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return 10.63% June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return -9.81% March 31, 2020
 

 

9    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
    
For the period ended December 31, 2020 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
Class A Shares (Inception 1/2/1998)      
Returns Before Taxes 4.62% 5.56% 4.51%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions 3.90% 4.56% 3.53%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 2.82% 3.92% 3.13%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Class C Shares (Inception 1/2/1998)      
Returns Before Taxes 8.90% 5.95% 4.31%*
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Institutional Shares (Inception 1/2/1998)      
Returns Before Taxes 11.05% 7.15% 5.50%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Service Shares (Inception 1/2/1998)      
Returns Before Taxes 10.52% 6.78% 5.05%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Investor Shares (Inception 11/30/2007)      
Returns Before Taxes 10.97% 7.03% 5.35%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Class R Shares (Inception 11/30/2007)      
Returns 10.39% 6.53% 4.86%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
Class R6 Shares (Inception 7/31/2015)**      
Returns Before Taxes 11.06% 7.16% 5.51%
Balanced Strategy Composite Index 11.13% 7.94% 6.47%
MSCI ® ACWI Index (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) 16.21% 12.24% 9.12%
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Hedged; reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.56% 4.48% 4.18%
* Class C Shares automatically convert into Class A Shares eight years after the purchase date. The 10-Year performance for Class C Shares does not reflect the conversion to Class A Shares after the first eight years of performance.
** Class R6 Shares commenced operations on July 31, 2015. Prior to that date, the performance of Class R6 Shares shown in the table above is that of Institutional Shares. Performance has not been adjusted to reflect the lower expenses of Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares would have had higher returns because: (i) Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares represent interests in the same portfolio of securities; and (ii) Class R6 Shares have lower expenses.
The after-tax returns are for Class A Shares only. The after-tax returns for Class C, Institutional, Service, Investor and Class R6 Shares, and returns for Class R Shares (which are offered exclusively to employee benefit plans), will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Managers:  Neill Nuttall, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, MAS, has managed the Fund since 2019; and Siwen Wu, Vice President, has managed the Fund since 2021.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C Shares is, generally, $1,000. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Shares is, generally, $1,000,000 for individual or certain institutional investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. There is no minimum for initial purchases of Investor, Class R and Class R6 Shares, except for certain institutional investors who purchase Class R6 Shares directly with the Fund’s transfer agent for which the minimum initial investment is $5,000,000. Those share classes with a minimum initial

 

10    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
investment requirement do not impose it on certain employee benefit plans, and Institutional Shares do not impose it on certain investment advisers investing on behalf of other accounts.
The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shareholders is $50, except for certain employee benefit plans, for which there is no minimum. There is no minimum subsequent investment for Institutional, Investor, Class R or Class R6 shareholders.
The Fund does not impose minimum purchase requirements for initial or subsequent investments in Service Shares, although an Intermediary (as defined below) may impose such minimums and/or establish other requirements such as a minimum account balance.
You may purchase and redeem (sell) shares of the Fund on any business day through certain intermediaries that have a relationship with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”), including banks, trust companies, brokers, registered investment advisers and other financial institutions (“Intermediaries”).
Tax Information
The Portfolio’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may become taxable upon withdrawal from such arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through an Intermediary, the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Intermediary’s website for more information.
 

 

11    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
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12    Summary Prospectus — Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio
    
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