Form 485BPOS LINCOLN LIFE FLEXIBLE
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E-mailAs filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 10, 2024
1933 Act Registration No. 333-259297
1940 Act Registration No. 811-08557
CIK No. 0001048607
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-6
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Post-Effective Amendment No. 5
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 369
(Exact Name of Registrant)
Lincoln LifeGoals®
THE LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
(Exact Name of Depositor)
(Exact Name of Depositor)
1301 South Harrison Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
(Address of Depositor’s Principal Executive Offices)
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
(Address of Depositor’s Principal Executive Offices)
Depositor’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (260) 455-2000
Craig Beazer, Esq.
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
150 North Radnor Chester Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
150 North Radnor Chester Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy To:
Jassmin McIver-Jones
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
Jassmin McIver-Jones
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: Continuous
Title of Securities being registered:
Indefinite Number of Units of Interest in Variable Life Insurance Contracts.
Indefinite Number of Units of Interest in Variable Life Insurance Contracts.
An indefinite amount of the securities being offered by the Registration Statement has been registered pursuant to
Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Form 24F-2 for the Registrant for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2023 was filed March 25, 2024.
Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Form 24F-2 for the Registrant for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2023 was filed March 25, 2024.
It is proposed that this filing will become effective:
/ /
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
/X/
on May 1, 2024 pursuant to paragraph (b)
/ /
60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
/ /
on XX XX, 2023 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485.If appropriate, check the following box:
/ /
This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
Home Office Location:
1301 South Harrison Street
P.O. Box 1110
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(800) 454-6265
1301 South Harrison Street
P.O. Box 1110
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(800) 454-6265
Administrative Office:
Customer Service Center
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
(800) 487-1485
Customer Service Center
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
(800) 487-1485
A Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Policy
This prospectus describes Lincoln LifeGoals®, a flexible premium variable life insurance contract (the “Policy”), offered by The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (“Lincoln Life”, the “Company”, “We”, “Us”, “Our”). The Policy provides for death benefits and policy values that may vary with the performance of the underlying investment options. Read this prospectus carefully to understand the Policy being offered. Remember, you are looking to the financial strength of the Company for fulfillment of the contractual promises and guarantees, including those related to death benefits.
The state in which your Policy is issued will govern whether or not certain features, restrictions, limitations, charges and fees will be allowed in your Policy. All material state variations are discussed in this prospectus. However, non-material variations may not be discussed. You should refer to your Policy for these state-specific features. Please contact the Administrative Office or your registered representative regarding availability.
You, the Owner, may allocate Premiums to the variable Sub-Accounts of our Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M, established on December 2, 1997 (“Separate Account”). Each Sub-Account invests in shares of certain funds. These funds are collectively known as the Elite Series. Comprehensive information on the funds may be found in the funds' prospectuses which are available online at www.lfg.com/VULprospectus. More information about the funds can be found in Appendix A later in this prospectus.
The prospectus gives you information about the Policy that you should know before you decide to buy a Policy and make Premium Payments. You should also review the prospectuses for the funds and keep all prospectuses for future reference. All prospectuses and other shareholder reports will be made available on www.lfg.com/VULprospectus.
Additional information on Lincoln Life, the Separate Account and this Policy may be found in the Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”). See the last page of this prospectus for information on how you may obtain the SAI. Additional information about certain investment products, including variable life insurance, has been prepared by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s staff and is available at Investor.gov.
Certain terms used in this prospectus are defined within the sentences where they appear, within relevant provisions of the prospectus, including footnotes or they may be found in the prospectus Special Terms section.
If you are a new investor in the Policy, you may cancel your Policy within 10 days of receiving it without paying fees or penalties. In some states, this cancellation period may be longer. Upon cancellation, you will receive either a full refund of the amount you paid with your application or your total contract value. You should review this prospectus, or consult with your registered representative, for additional information about the specific cancellation terms that apply. Please note: A new investor does not include an ownership change and you should always refer to your Policy for more information.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This Policy may not be available in all states, and this prospectus only offers the Policy for sale in jurisdictions where such offer and sale are approved.
Prospectus Dated: May 1, 2024
Table of Contents
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A-1 |
2
SPECIAL TERMS
The following terms may appear in your prospectus and are defined below:
7-Pay Test—A test that compares actual paid Premium in the first seven years against a pre-determined Premium amount as defined in 7702A of the Code.
1933 Act—The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
1940 Act—The Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Accumulation Value—An amount equal to the sum of the Separate Account Value, and the Loan Account Value.
Administrative Fee—The fee stated in the policy specifications based on the Initial Life Insurance Amount. The fee amount varies by the Insured’s gender, Target Age, and Issue Age. It is part of the Monthly Deduction.
Attained Age—An Insured’s Issue Age (shown in the Policy Specifications) plus the number of completed Policy Years.
Beneficiary—The person(s) designated to receive the Death Benefit Proceeds.
Cash Value—An amount equal to the Accumulation Value less any Debt.
Class(es)—Group(s) of policies that were considered together for the purposes of the initial determination of each NGE. Classes were determined by us, and consisted of policies with similar characteristics, which may have included one or more characteristics but were not limited to: Life Insurance Amount, Target Age, Death Benefit Option, policy date, policy duration, Premiums paid, source of Premium, policy ownership structure, sales distribution method, the Insured’s age, and gender, issue state, policy form, and the presence and attributes of Policy features and benefits and optional riders.
Code—Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
Cost of Insurance Charge—This charge is based on the Net Amount at Risk that varies by the Insured’s gender, Attained Age, and Policy Year. It is part of the monthly deduction.
Death Benefit Proceeds—The amount payable to the Beneficiary upon the death of the Insured. Loans, loan interest, Withdrawals, and overdue charges, if any, are
deducted prior to payment of the Death Benefit Proceeds.
Debt—The sum of all outstanding loans and accrued interest. May also be referred to as Indebtedness in your Policy.
Full Surrender—The withdrawal of all applicable policy values.
Good Order—The actual receipt of the requested transaction in writing (or other form subject to our consent) along with all information and supporting legal documentation necessary to effect the transaction.
Grace Notice—Written notice to you (or any assignee or other designee of record) that your Policy will terminate unless we receive payment of Premiums (or payment of Debt on Policy Loans). The Grace Notice will state the amount of Premium Payment (or payment of Debt on Policy Loans) that must be paid to avoid termination of your Policy.
Grace Period—The period during which you may make Premium Payments (or repay Debt) to prevent Policy Lapse. That period is the later of (a) 31 days after the Grace Notice was mailed, and (b) 61 days after the Monthly Anniversary Day on which the Policy enters the Grace Period.
Guideline Premium Test—A provision of the Code under which the maximum amount of Premium paid in relation to the death benefit and a minimum amount of death benefit in relation to policy value is determined.
Insured—The person on whose life the Policy is issued.
Life Insurance Amount (Initial Life Insurance Amount)—The amount used to determine the initial death benefit. The Life Insurance Amount is determined by the Premium that you chose. At the time of issue, the amount is the “Initial Life Insurance Amount”.
Loan Account (Loan Collateral Account)—The account in which policy Debt accrues once it is transferred out of the Sub-Accounts. The Loan Account is part of our General Account.
Loan Account Value—An amount equal to any outstanding Policy Loans, including any interest
3
charged on the loans. This amount is held in the Company's General Account.
Market Timing Procedures—Policies and procedures from time to time adopted by us as an effort to protect our Owners and the funds from potentially harmful trading activity.
Modified Endowment Contract (MEC)—A life insurance policy that meets the requirements of Section 7702 and fails the “7-Pay Test” of 7702A of the Code. If the policy is a MEC, withdrawals and loans from your Policy will be treated first as income and then as a recovery of Premium Payments.
Monthly Anniversary Day—The Policy Date and the same day of each month thereafter. If the day that would otherwise be a Monthly Anniversary Day is non-existent for that month, or is not a Valuation Day, then the Monthly Anniversary Day is the next Valuation Day. The Monthly Deductions are made on the Monthly Anniversary Day.
Monthly Deduction—The amount of the monthly charges for the Cost of Insurance Charge, Mortality and Expense Risk Charge, and the Administrative Fee for your Policy.
Net Amount at Risk—The death benefit minus the greater of zero or the Accumulation Value. The Net Amount at Risk may vary with investment performance, Premium Payment patterns, and charges.
Non-Guaranteed Elements (NGEs)—Any element within this Policy that affects the costs or values of the Policy and which may be changed at our discretion after this Policy is issued. NGEs include the Cost of Insurance Rates and Persistency Bonus Rate.
Owner—The person or entity designated as Owner in the Policy Specifications unless a new Owner is thereafter named, and we receive written notification of such change.
Planned Premium—The amount of periodic Premium (as shown in the Policy Specifications) you have chosen to pay the Company on a scheduled basis. This is the amount for which we send a Premium reminder notice.
Policy Anniversary—The same date (month and day) each Policy Year equal to the Policy Date, or the next Valuation Day if the Policy Anniversary is not a Valuation Day or is nonexistent for the year.
Policy Date—The date (shown on the Policy Specification pages) on which life insurance begins if the necessary Premium has been paid.
Policy Lapse—The day on which coverage under the Policy ends as described in the Grace Period.
Policy Loan—The amount you have borrowed against the Cash Value of your Policy.
Policy Loan Interest—The charge made by the Company to cover the cost of your borrowing against your Policy.
Policy Month— The period from one Monthly Anniversary Day up to, but not including, the next Monthly Anniversary Day.
Policy Specifications—The pages of the Policy which show your benefits, Premium, costs, and other policy information.
Policy Year—Twelve month period(s) beginning on the Policy Date and extending up to but not including the next Policy Anniversary.
Premium (Premium Payment)—The amount paid to us for a life insurance policy.
Right to Examine Period—The period during which the Policy may be returned to us for cancellation.
SAI—Statement of Additional Information.
SEC—The Securities and Exchange Commission.
Separate Account Value (Variable Accumulation Value)—An amount equal to the values in the Sub-Accounts.
Sub-Account(s)—Divisions of the Separate Account created by the Company to which you may allocate your Premium Payments and among which you may transfer Separate Account Values.
Target Age—The Insured’s Attained Age listed in the Policy Specifications. The Target Age that you elected reflects the Attained Age to which you intended to pay Premiums, and when you intend to change to Death Benefit Option 1. You have no obligation to pay Premiums to the Target Age or change to Death Benefit Option 1 at the Target Age.
Underlying Fund—The mutual fund the shares of which are purchased for all amounts you allocate or transfer to a Sub-Account.
Valuation Day—Each day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open and trading is unrestricted.
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Valuation Period—The time between Valuation Days.
Variable Accumulation Unit—A unit of measure used in the calculation of the value of each Sub-Account.
Withdrawal—The removal of a portion of your policy values.
5
IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ABOUT THE POLICY
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FEES AND EXPENSES |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Charges for
Early
Withdrawals |
There are no charges for a Full Surrender or a Withdrawal. |
•Policy
Charges and
Fees | ||
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Transaction
Charges |
You may be charged for other transactions, such as transferring Policy
Value between Sub-Accounts or exercising certain benefits. |
•Policy
Charges and
Fees | ||
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Ongoing Fees
and Expenses
(annual
charges) |
•In addition to transaction charges, there are certain ongoing fees and
expenses that are charged annually, monthly or daily.
•These fees include the Cost of Insurance Charge under the Policy,
Administrative Fees, mortality and expense risk charges and Policy
Loan interest.
•Certain fees are set based on characteristics of the Insured (e.g., age,
Target Age and gender). You should review your Policy Specifications
page for rates applicable to you.
•Owners will also bear expenses associated with the Underlying Funds
under the Policy, as shown in the following table: |
•Policy
Charges and
Fees | ||
|
Annual Fee |
Minimum |
Maximum | ||
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Underlying Fund Fees and Expenses* |
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* | ||||
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RISKS |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Risk of Loss |
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•Principal
Risks of
Investing in
the Policy | ||
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Not a Short-
Term Investment |
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•Principal
Risks of
Investing in
the Policy
•Policy
Charges and
Fees | ||
6
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RISKS |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Risks
Associated with
Investment
Options |
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•Principal
Risks of
Investing in
the Policy | ||
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Insurance
Company Risks |
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•Principal
Risks of
Investing in
the Policy
•Lincoln Life,
the Separate
Account and
the General
Account | ||
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Policy Lapse |
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•Principal
Risks of
Investing in
the Policy
•Lapse and
Reinstatement | ||
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RESTRICTIONS |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Investments |
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•Transfer Fee
•Sub-Account
Availability
and
Substitution of
Funds | ||
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Optional
Benefits |
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•Optional Sub-
Account
Allocation
Program | ||
7
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TAXES |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Tax Implications |
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•Tax Issues | ||
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CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
Location in
Prospectus | ||
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Investment
Professional
Compensation |
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•Distribution of
the Policies
and
Compensation | ||
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Exchanges |
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Change of Plan
(located in the
SAI) | ||
8
OVERVIEW OF THE POLICY
What is the purpose of the Policy?
Lincoln LifeGoals® is a flexible premium variable life insurance policy. Its primary purpose is to provide Owners with death benefit protection. In exchange for your Premium Payments, upon the death of the Insured, we will pay the Beneficiary a death benefit. For Owners who need death benefit protection, the Policy can also be a helpful financial tool for financial and investment planning.
The Policy may not be appropriate if you do not have a long-term investment time horizon. Although Owners have access to Surrender Value at any time, it is not intended for people who may need to make frequent withdrawals or access their money within a short time frame, as such withdrawals can reduce the level of death benefit protection.
When do I have to pay Premiums and how do they get invested?
After the initial Premium Payment is made, you should pay your Planned Premium to allow you the full benefit, as illustrated, after the Target Age. If you pay the No-Lapse minimum premium, the payments will carry the Policy to your chosen Target Age. You may generally select and vary the frequency and the amount of any Premium Payments up to the Insured’s Attained Age of 121.
We allocate your Premium Payment at your direction among the Policy’s Sub-Accounts. Please see Principal Risks of Investing in the Policy in the prospectus for more information. Monies allocated to the Sub-Account purchase shares of funds that follow investment objectives similar to the investment objectives of the corresponding Sub-Account. We refer to these funds as “Underlying Funds,” and they are collectively known as the Elite Series. More information about the Underlying Funds is provided in an Appendix. Please see Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Policy. Comprehensive information on the funds may be found in the funds’ prospectuses which are available online at www.lfg.com/VULprospectus. You can also obtain this information at no cost by calling 1-800-487-1485 or by sending an email request to [email protected].
Although Premium Payments are not required, from time to time, there may be insufficient value to cover the Policy’s Monthly Deductions. If this happens, a Premium Payment will be needed in order to ensure the Policy’s Cash Value is sufficient to pay the Monthly Deductions. If a Premium Payment is not made, the Policy will lapse.
What are the primary features and options that the Policy Offers?
Death Benefit Protection. Upon the death of the Insured, we will pay your designated Beneficiary a death benefit while this Policy remains in force. See the Death Benefit section of this prospectus for more information.
Access to Policy Values through Surrenders and Withdrawals. You may request a Full Surrender of your Policy, and we will pay you its Cash Value. You may also take a Withdrawal, which is a portion of the Cash Value.
Loans. You may take a loan on the Policy, which is subject to interest. See the Policy Loan section of this prospectus for more information.
Transfers. Generally, you may transfer funds among the Sub-Accounts. We offer Automatic Rebalancing as an automated transfer program. These transfers do not count against the free transfers available. You may incur an additional fee for transfers.
Tax Treatment. Variable life insurance policies have significant tax advantages under current tax law. Policy values accumulate on a tax-deferred basis until withdrawn, and transfers from one Sub-Account to another generate no current taxable gain or loss.
9
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Charge |
When Charge
is Deducted |
Amount
Deducted |
|
|
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N/A |
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N/A |
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N/A |
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$ |
|
Charge |
When Charge is Deducted |
Amount Deducted |
|
Base Contract Charges | ||
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As a dollar amount per $1,000 of Net
Amount at Risk: |
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•Maximum: $ | ||
|
•Minimum: $ | ||
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•
| ||
|
|
|
Maximum of %, effective annual
rate, as a percentage of Separate
Account Value, calculated monthly1 |
|
|
|
An amount up to a maximum of
$
Insurance Amount2 |
10
|
Charge |
When Charge is Deducted |
Amount Deducted |
|
|
|
As an annualized percentage of the
loaned amount3
|
|
|
|
Annual Fund Expenses |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
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|
|
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE POLICY
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12
LINCOLN LIFE, THE SEPARATE ACCOUNT AND THE GENERAL ACCOUNT
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (Lincoln Life, the Company, we, us, our) (EIN 35-0472300), organized in 1905, is an Indiana-domiciled insurance company, engaged primarily in the direct issuance of life insurance policies and annuities. Lincoln Life is wholly owned by Lincoln National Corporation (LNC), a publicly held insurance and financial services holding company incorporated in Indiana. Lincoln Life is obligated to pay all amounts promised to Owners under the policies. Death Benefit Proceeds and rider benefits to the extent those proceeds and benefits exceed the then current Accumulation Value of your Policy are backed by the claims-paying ability of Lincoln Life. Our claims-paying ability is rated from time to time by various rating agencies. Information with respect to our current ratings is available at our website noted below under “How to Obtain More Information.” Those ratings do not apply to the Separate Account, but reflect the opinion of the rating agency companies as to our relative financial strength and ability to meet contractual obligations to Owners of our policies. Ratings can and do change from time to time. Additional information about ratings is included in the Statement of Additional Information.
Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. Through its affiliates, Lincoln Financial Group offers annuities, life, group life and disability insurance, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services.
General Account. The General Account is not segregated or insulated from the claims of the insurance company's creditors. Investors look to the financial strength of the insurance companies for these insurance guarantees. Therefore, guarantees provided by the insurance company as to benefits promised in the prospectus are subject to the claims-paying ability of the insurance company and are subject to the risk that the insurance company may not be able to cover or may default on its obligations under those guarantees. The General Account represents all of the general assets of the Company. Our general assets include all assets other than those held in separate accounts which we sponsor. We will invest the assets of the General Account in accordance with applicable law. Additional information concerning laws and regulations applicable to the investment of the assets of the General Account is included in the Statement of Additional Information.
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Separate Account. The investment performance of assets in the Separate Account is kept separate from that of the Company’s General Account. Separate Account assets attributable to the Policies are not charged with the general liabilities of the Company. Separate Account income, gains and losses are credited to or charged against the Separate Account without regard to the Company’s other income, gains or losses. The Separate Account’s values and investment performance are not guaranteed. It is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or the “Commission”) as a unit investment trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”) and meets the definition of “separate account.” We may change the investment policy of the Separate Account at any time. If required by the Insurance Commissioner, we will file any such change for approval with the Department of Insurance in our state of domicile, and in any other state or jurisdiction where this Policy is issued.
Our Financial Condition. As an insurance company, we are required by state insurance regulation to hold a specified amount of reserves in order to meet all the contractual obligations of our General Account to our Owners. In order to meet our claims-paying obligations, we regularly monitor our reserves to ensure we hold sufficient amounts to cover actual or expected policy and claim payments.
State insurance regulators also require insurance companies to maintain a minimum amount of capital in excess of reserves, which acts as a cushion in the event that the insurer suffers a financial impairment, based on the inherent risks in the insurer’s operations. These risks include those associated with losses that we may incur as the result of defaults on the payment of interest or principal on assets held in our General Account, which include bonds, mortgages, general real estate investments, and stocks, as well as the loss in value of these investments resulting from a loss in their market value.
How to Obtain More Information. We encourage both existing and prospective Owners to read and understand our financial statements. We prepare our financial statements on both a statutory basis and according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Our audited GAAP financial statements, as well as the financial statements of the Separate Account, are located in the Statement of Additional Information. If you would like a free copy of the Statement of Additional Information please contact our Administration Office at the address or telephone number listed on the first page of this prospectus. In addition, the Statement of Additional Information is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may obtain our audited statutory financial statements, any unaudited statutory financial statements that may be available as well as ratings information by visiting our website at www.lfg.com/VULprospectus.
Fund Participation Agreements
In order to make the Underlying Funds available, Lincoln Life has entered into agreements with the Underlying Fund company and their advisors or distributors. In some of these agreements, we must perform certain services for the Underlying Fund advisors or distributors. Such services include, but are not limited to, recordkeeping; aggregating and processing purchase and redemption orders; providing Owners with statements showing their positions within the funds; processing dividend payments; providing sub-accounting services for shares held by Owners; and forwarding shareholder communications, such as proxies, shareholder reports, dividend and tax notices, and printing and delivering prospectuses and updates to Owners. For these administrative functions, we may be compensated at annual rates of between 0% and 0.30% based upon the assets of an Underlying Fund attributable to the Policies. Additionally, an Underlying Fund’s advisor and/or distributor (or its affiliates) may provide us with certain services that assist us in the distribution of the Policies and may pay us and/or certain affiliates amounts to participate in sales meetings. We may also receive compensation for marketing and distribution which may come from 12b-1 fees, or be paid by the advisors or distributors. The Underlying Funds offered by the following trusts or corporations make payments to Lincoln Life under their distribution plans in consideration of the administrative functions Lincoln Life performs: American Funds Insurance Series, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust, Delaware VIP Trust, Eaton Vance Variable Trust, Fidelity Variable Insurance Products, First Trust Variable Insurance Trust, Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, Hartford Series Fund, Inc., Invesco Variable Insurance Funds, Legg Mason Partners Variable Equitable Trust, Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust, MFS Variable Insurance Trust, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Inc., PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, Putnam Variable Trust, VanEck VIP Trust, and Virtus Variable Insurance Trust.
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Payments made out of the assets of an Underlying Fund will reduce the amount of assets that otherwise would be available for investment and will reduce the return on your investment. The dollar amount of future asset-based fees is not predictable because these fees are a percentage of the Underlying Fund’s average net assets, which can fluctuate over time. If, however, the value of the Underlying Fund goes up, then so would the payment to us (or our affiliates). Conversely, if the value of the Underlying Fund goes down, payments to us (or our affiliates) would decrease.
Distribution of the Policies and Compensation
The Policy is distributed by broker-dealer firms through their registered representatives who are appointed as life insurance agents for the Company, subject to the terms of selling agreements entered into by such firms, the Company and the Company’s Principal Underwriter, Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”). The Company’s affiliates, Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation and Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation (collectively, “LFN”), have such agreements in effect with LFD and the Company. In addition to compensation for distributing the Policy as described below, the Company provides financial and personnel support to LFD and LFN for operating and other expenses, including amounts used for recruitment and training of personnel, production of literature and similar services.
The maximum total compensation we pay to any broker-dealer firm in the form of commission or expense reimbursement allowance, inclusive of any bonus incentives, with respect to policy sales is 120% of the total Cost of Insurance and Administrative Fees in Year 1 and 0.6% (annualized) of the Accumulation Value in Policy Years 1 – 20 of all other Premiums paid. The actual amount of such compensation or the timing and manner of its receipt may be affected by a number of factors including: (a) choices the Owner has made at the time of application for the Policy, including the choice of riders, and the Premium amounts and timing; (b) the volume of business produced by the firm and its representatives; or (c) the profitability of the business the firm has placed with the Company.
In some situations, the broker-dealer may elect to share its commission or expense reimbursement allowance with its registered representatives. Registered representatives of broker-dealer firms may also be eligible for cash bonuses and “non-cash compensation.” “Non-cash compensation”, as defined under FINRA’s rules, includes but is not limited to, merchandise, gifts, marketing support, sponsorships, seminars, entertainment and travel expenses.
Broker-dealers or their affiliates may be paid additional amounts for: (1) “preferred product” treatment of the Policies in their marketing programs, which may include marketing services and increased access to sales representatives; (2) sales incentives relating to the Policies; (3) costs associated with sales conferences and educational seminars for their sales representatives; (4) other sales expenses incurred by them; and (5) inclusion in the financial products the broker-dealer offers. Loans may be provided to broker-dealers or their affiliates to help finance marketing and distribution of the Policies, and those loans may be forgiven if aggregate sales goals are met. In addition, staffing or other administrative support and services may be provided to broker-dealers who distribute the Policies.
These additional types of compensation are not offered to all broker-dealers. The terms of any particular agreement governing compensation may vary among broker-dealers and the amounts may be significant. The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, additional compensation may provide broker-dealers and/or their registered representatives with an incentive to favor sales of the Policies over other variable life insurance policies (or other investments) with respect to which a broker-dealer does not receive additional compensation, or receives lower levels of additional compensation. You may ask your registered representative how he/she will personally be compensated, in whole or in part, for the sale of the Policy to you or for any alternative proposal that may have been presented to you. You may wish to take such payments into account when considering and evaluating any recommendation made to you in connection with the purchase of a Policy.
Depending on the particular selling arrangements, there may be others who are compensated for distribution activities. For example, LFD may compensate certain “wholesalers”, who control access to certain selling offices, for access to those offices or for referrals, and that compensation may be separate from the compensation paid for sales of the Policies. LFD may compensate marketing organizations, associations, brokers or consultants which
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provide marketing assistance and other services to broker-dealers who distribute the Policies, and which may be affiliated with those broker-dealers. Commissions and other incentives or payments described above are not charged directly to Owners or the Separate Account. The potential of receiving, or the receipt of, such marketing assistance or other services and the payment to those who control access or for referrals, may provide broker-dealers and/or their registered representatives an incentive to favor sales of the Policies over other variable life insurance policies (or other investments) with respect to which a broker-dealer does not receive similar assistance or disadvantage issuers of other variable life insurance policies (or other investments) which do not compensate for access or referrals. All compensation is paid from our resources, which include fees and charges imposed on your Policy.
Any excess sales expenses over fees and charges imposed on your Policy would be available for recovery from the Company's General Account, which supports insurance and annuity obligations.
Sub-Accounts and Funds
The variable investment options in the Policy are Sub-Accounts of the Separate Account (“Sub-Accounts”). Each Sub-Account invests in shares in a single Underlying Fund. All amounts allocated or transferred to a Sub-Account are used to purchase shares of the appropriate Underlying Fund. You do not invest directly in these Underlying Funds. The investment performance of each Sub-Account will reflect the investment performance of the Underlying Fund.
We create Sub-Accounts and select the Underlying Funds, the shares of which are purchased by amounts allocated or transferred to the Sub-Accounts, based on several factors, including, without limitation, asset class coverage, the strength of the manager’s reputation and tenure, brand recognition, performance, and the capability and qualification of each sponsoring investment firm. Another factor we consider during the initial selection process is whether the fund (or an affiliate, investment advisor or distributor of the fund) being evaluated is an affiliate of ours and whether we are compensated for providing administrative, marketing, and/or support services that would otherwise be provided by the fund, its investment advisor or its distributor. Some funds pay us significantly more than others and the amount we receive may be substantial. We often receive more revenue from an affiliated fund than one that is not affiliated with us. These factors give us an incentive to select a fund that yields more revenue, and this is often an affiliated fund.
We review each Underlying Fund periodically after it is selected. Upon review, we may either close a Sub-Account or restrict allocation of additional Premium Payments to a Sub-Account if we determine the Underlying Fund no longer meets one or more of the selection factors discussed above and/or if the Sub-Account has not attracted significant Owner assets. Alternatively, we may seek to substitute another fund which follows a similar investment objective as the Underlying Fund, subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. Finally, when we develop a variable life insurance product in cooperation with a fund family or distributor (e.g., a “private label” product), we generally will include funds based on recommendations made by the fund family or distributor, whose selection criteria may differ from our selection criteria.
A given Underlying Fund may have an investment objective and principal investment strategy similar to those for another fund managed by the same investment advisor or subadvisor. However, because of timing of investments and other variables, there will be no correlation between the two investments. Even though the management strategy and the objectives of the funds are similar, the investment results may vary.
Certain Underlying Funds invest their assets in other funds. As a result, you will pay fees and expenses at both fund levels. This will reduce your investment return. These arrangements are referred to as “funds of funds”, which may have higher expenses than funds that invest directly in debt or equity securities. An advisor affiliated with us may manage some of the available funds of funds. Our affiliates may promote the benefits of such funds to Owners and/or suggest that Owners consider whether allocating some or all of their policy value to such portfolios is consistent with their desired investment objectives. In doing so, we may be subject to conflicts of interest insofar as we may derive greater revenues from the affiliated fund of funds than certain other funds available to you under your Policy.
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Certain of the Underlying Funds, including funds managed by an advisor affiliated with us, employ risk management strategies that are intended to control the Underlying Funds’ overall volatility, and for some Underlying Funds, to also reduce the downside exposure of the Underlying Funds during significant market downturns. These funds usually, but not always, have “Managed Risk” or “Managed Volatility” in the name of the fund. These risk management strategies could limit the positive growth potential of the Underlying Fund in rising equity markets relative to other funds. Also, several of the Underlying Funds may invest in non-investment grade, high-yield, and high-risk debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) as detailed in the individual Underlying Fund prospectus. For more information about the Underlying Funds and the investment strategies they employ, please refer to the Underlying Funds’ current prospectuses.
Shares of the Underlying Fund are available to insurance company separate accounts which fund variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies, including the Policy described in this prospectus. Because shares are offered to separate accounts of both affiliated and unaffiliated insurance companies, it is conceivable that, in the future, it may not be advantageous for variable life insurance separate accounts and variable annuity separate accounts to invest in these Underlying Funds simultaneously, since the interests of such Owners or contract holders may differ. Although neither the Company nor the Underlying Funds currently foresees any such disadvantages either to variable life insurance or to variable annuity Owners, each Underlying Fund’s Board of Trustees/Directors has agreed to monitor events in order to identify any material irreconcilable conflicts which may possibly arise and to determine what action, if any, should be taken in response thereto. If such a conflict were to occur, the Separate Account might withdraw its investment in an Underlying Fund. This might force that Underlying Fund to sell the securities it holds at disadvantageous prices. Owners will not bear the attendant expense.
There is no assurance that the investment objective of any of the Underlying Funds will be met. You assume all of the investment performance risk for the Sub-Accounts you select. The amount of risk varies significantly among the Sub-Accounts. You should read each Underlying Fund’s prospectus carefully before making investment choices. In particular, also please note, there can be no assurance that any money market fund will be able to maintain a stable net asset value per share. During extended periods of low interest rates, and due in part to Policy fees and expenses, the yields of any Sub-Account investing in a money market fund may become extremely low and possibly negative.
Additional Sub-Accounts and Underlying Funds may be made available in our discretion. The right to select among Sub-Accounts will be limited by the terms and conditions imposed by the Company.
If an Underlying Fund imposes restrictions with respect to the acceptance of Premium allocations or transfers, we reserve the right to reject an allocation or transfer request at any time that the Underlying Fund has notified us that such would not be accepted. We will notify you if your allocation or transfer request is or becomes subject to such restrictions.
Information regarding each Underlying Fund, including (i) its name; (ii) its investment objectives; (iii) its investment advisor and any sub-investment advisers; (iv) its current expenses; and (v) and certain performance is available in Appendix A: Funds Available Under the Policy at the back of this prospectus. Comprehensive information on each Underlying Fund may be found in that Underlying Fund’s prospectus or summary prospectus. Prospectuses for each of the Underlying Funds are available by calling 1-800-487-1485, by emailing a request to [email protected], or on-line at www.lfg.com/VULprospectus.
Sub-Account Availability and Substitution of Funds
We reserve the right to add, remove, or substitute Sub-Accounts as investment options under the Policy, subject to state or federal laws and regulations. An Underlying Fund may be merged into another Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund may discontinue offering their shares to the Sub-Accounts. If we change any Sub-Accounts or substitute any Underlying Funds, we will make appropriate endorsements to the Policies.
Placing or transferring money into the money market Sub-Account may have impacts on other features of your Policy. Prior to moving money into the money market Sub-Account or allowing it to default into the money market
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Sub-Account as a result of a fund liquidation, refer to your Policy for specific impacts that may apply, if any. We will notify you of any change that is made.
If we obtain appropriate approvals from Owners and securities regulators, we may:
•
Change the investment objective of the Separate Account;
•
Operate the Separate Account as a management investment company, unit investment trust, or any other form permitted under applicable securities laws;
•
Deregister the Separate Account; or
•
Combine the Separate Account with another Separate Account.
If required by law, we will obtain any required approvals from Owners, the SEC, and state insurance regulators before substituting any Underlying Funds. Substitute Underlying Funds may have higher charges than the Underlying Funds being replaced.
We may close Sub-Accounts to Owners that purchase a new Policy after a specified date, and these Owners may not allocate Premium Payments or policy value to the closed Sub-Account. Owners that purchased a Policy prior to the specified date may continue to allocate Premium Payments and policy value to the Sub-Account.
From time to time, certain of the Underlying Funds may merge with other funds. If a merger of an Underlying Fund occurs, the policy value allocated to the existing fund will be transferred into the surviving fund. Any future Premium Payments allocated to the existing fund will automatically be allocated to the surviving fund unless otherwise instructed by you.
In addition, a Sub-Account may become unavailable due to the liquidation of its Underlying Fund portfolio. To the extent permitted by applicable law, upon notice to you and unless you otherwise instruct us, we will transfer any policy value in the liquidated Underlying Fund to the money market Sub-Account or a Sub-Account investing in another Underlying Fund designated by us. Any future Premium Payments allocated to the liquidated fund will automatically be allocated to the money market Sub-Account or a Sub-Account investing in another Underlying Fund designated by us unless otherwise instructed by you.
Voting Rights
The Underlying Funds do not hold regularly scheduled shareholder meetings. When an Underlying Fund holds a special meeting for the purpose of approving changes in the ownership or operation of the Underlying Fund, the Company is entitled to vote the shares held by our Sub-Account in that Underlying Fund. Under our current interpretation of applicable law, you may instruct us how to vote those shares. If the 1940 Act or any other regulation under it should be amended or if present interpretations should change, and if as a result we determine that we are permitted to vote the fund shares in our own right, we may elect to do so.
We will notify you when your instructions are needed and will provide information from the Underlying Fund about the matters requiring the special meeting. We will calculate the number of votes for which you may instruct us based on the amount you have allocated to that Sub-Account, and the value of a share of the corresponding Underlying Fund, as of a date chosen by the Underlying Fund (record date). If we receive instructions from you, we will follow those instructions in voting the shares attributable to your Policy. If we do not receive instructions from you, we will vote the shares attributable to your Policy in the same proportion as we vote other shares based on instructions received from other Owners. Since Underlying Funds may also offer their shares to entities other than the Company, those other entities also may vote shares of the Underlying Funds, and those votes may affect the outcome.
Each Underlying Fund is subject to the laws of the state in which it is organized concerning, among other things, the matters which are subject to a shareholder vote, the number of shares which must be present in person or by proxy at a meeting of shareholders (a “quorum”), and the percentage of such shareholders present in person or by proxy which must vote in favor of matters presented. Because shares of the Underlying Fund held in the Separate
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Account are owned by the Company, and because under the 1940 Act the Company will vote all such shares in the same proportion as the voting instructions which we receive, it is important that each Owner provide their voting instructions to the Company. For funds un-affiliated with Lincoln, even though Owners may choose not to provide voting instructions, the shares of an Underlying Fund to which such Owners would have been entitled to provide voting instructions will be voted by the Company in the same proportion as the voting instructions which we actually receive. For funds affiliated with Lincoln, shares of a fund to which such Owners would have been entitled to provide voting instructions will, once we receive a sufficient number of instructions we deem appropriate to ensure a fair representation of Owners eligible to vote, be voted on by the Company in the same proportion as the voting instructions which we actually receive. As a result, the instructions of a small number of Owners could determine the outcome of matters subject to shareholder vote. In addition, because the Company expects to vote all shares of the Underlying Fund which it owns at a meeting of the shareholders of an Underlying Fund, all shares voted by the Company will be counted when the Underlying Fund determines whether any requirement for a minimum number of shares be present at such a meeting to satisfy a quorum requirement has been met.
POLICY CHARGES AND FEES
Policy charges and fees compensate us for providing your insurance benefits, administering your Policy, assuming risks associated with your Policy, and incurring sales related expenses. We may profit from any of these charges, and we may use this profit for any purpose, including covering shortfalls from other charges. Pursuant to the terms of the Policy, certain charges described in the provisions below, while subject to guaranteed maximums, may or may not be changed from what we are charging at the time you purchase the Policy. The charges that are open to the possibility of change are referred to as “Non-Guaranteed Elements” or “NGEs” in the Policy. They include Cost of Insurance Rates and Persistency Bonus Rate. Some things to know about these NGEs:
a.
We will not make any changes to them in order to distribute past gains or recoup past losses;
b.
We are not obligated to make any adjustments to them, but may choose to do so in our sole discretion;
c.
Any change we make will be in consideration of future anticipated or emerging experience factors which may include, but are not limited to: mortality, interest rates, investment earnings, persistency, expenses (including reinsurance costs and taxes), policy funding, net amount at risk, loan utilization, capital requirements, and reserve requirements.
In doing our analysis of whether an adjustment should be made, we first determine which group or groups of policies should be considered together (called a “Redetermination Class”) in making our assessments. These Redetermination Classes may be different from those used when the Policy charges were first determined and different Redetermination Classes may be used when adjusting each NGE or when making adjustments at different points in time. Redetermination Classes will consist of policies with similar characteristics, which may include one or more of the following but are not limited to: Life Insurance Amount, Target Age, Policy Date, Death Benefit Option, policy duration, Premiums paid, source of Premium, Policy ownership structure, sales distribution method, the Insured’s age, gender, and issue state, policy form, and the presence and attributes of Policy features and benefits and optional riders. It is important to note that any change will apply consistently to all individuals of the same Redetermination Class.
This Policy may be sold on an employee basis. If so, some charges may vary, as shown on your Policy Specifications.
In addition to policy charges, the investment advisor for each of the Underlying Funds deducts a daily charge as a percent of the value in each Underlying Fund as an asset management charge. The charge reflects asset management fees of the investment advisor. Other expenses are incurred by the Underlying Funds (including 12b-1 fees for Class 2 shares and other expenses) and deducted from Underlying Fund assets as described in the fund prospectus. Values in the Sub-Accounts are reduced by these charges. Future Underlying Fund expenses may vary. Detailed information about charges and expenses incurred by an Underlying Fund is contained in each Underlying Fund’s prospectus.
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The Monthly Deductions, including the Cost of Insurance Charges, will be deducted proportionately from the value of each Sub-Account subject to the charge.
The Monthly Deductions are made on the “Monthly Anniversary Day” (the Policy Date and the same day of each month thereafter). If the day that would otherwise be a Monthly Anniversary Day is non-existent for that month, or is not a Valuation Day, then the Monthly Anniversary Day is the next Valuation Day.
If the Cash Value is insufficient to cover the current Monthly Deduction, you have a 61-day Grace Period to make a payment sufficient to cover that deduction. If payment is not received before the end of the Grace Period, the Policy may lapse. (Please see the “Lapse and Reinstatement” section of this prospectus.)
Premium Load
There are no Premium Loads imposed.
Surrender Charges
There are no surrender charges imposed.
Withdrawal Fee
No surrender charge or Administrative Fee is imposed on a Withdrawal.
Transfer Fee
For each transfer request in excess of 24 made during any Policy Year, we reserve the right to charge you an Administrative Fee of $25.
In the event that we make a material change in the investment strategy of a Sub-Account, you may transfer the Accumulation Values allocated to that Sub-Account to any other Sub-Account without being charged a fee and may do so even if you have requested 24 transfers during that Policy Year. This option to transfer from a Sub-Account must be exercised within 60 days after the effective date of such change in investment strategy of that Sub-Account. You will be provided with a supplement to your prospectus in the event that such a change is made.
Cost of Insurance Charge
A significant cost of variable life insurance is the “Cost of Insurance Charge”. This charge is the portion of the Monthly Deduction that compensates the Company based on death benefits in excess of the policy value.
The monthly Cost of Insurance Rates are determined by us by Class and Redetermination Class. We may use rates lower than the guaranteed maximum rates.
The monthly Cost of Insurance Charge is equal to A) multiplied by the result of B) minus C), where:
A) is the applicable Cost of Insurance Rates as determined by the Company, which the Company may change subject to the Policy’s maximum rates;
B) is the death benefit at the beginning of the Policy Month, divided by 1,000; and
C) is the Accumulation Value at the beginning of the Policy Month after the deduction of the monthly Administrative Fee and the “M&E” Charge but prior to the deduction for the monthly Cost of Insurance, divided by 1,000.
The maximum rates that we may use are found in the guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rate table in your Policy’s Specifications. The applicable cost of insurance rate used in this monthly calculation for your Policy depends upon the Policy’s duration, the age, gender (in accordance with state law), and Target Age of the Insured.
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Changes to the current cost of insurance rates, in general, are determined based on our expectation of future mortality, investment earnings, persistency, expenses (including, but not limited to, taxes and reinsurance), capital and reserve requirements. For this reason, the current cost of insurance rates may be less than the guaranteed maximum rates shown in the Policy. Accordingly, your monthly Cost of Insurance Charge may be less than the amount that would be calculated using the guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rate shown in the table in your Policy. Also, your monthly Cost of Insurance Charge will never be calculated at a rate higher than the maximum Cost of Insurance Charge shown in “Periodic Charges Other Than Annual Underlying Fund Fee and Operating Expenses” table in this prospectus.
Mortality and Expense Risk Charge
We may assess a monthly Mortality and Expense Risk Charge (“M&E”) as a percentage of the Policy’s Separate Account Value. The charge is guaranteed not to exceed an effective annual rate of 0.6% in Policy Years 1 - 20. We reserve the right to change this charge, but guarantee it will not exceed the maximum rates as shown in the “Periodic Charges Other Than Annual Underlying Fund Fees and Operating Expenses” table of this prospectus.
Administrative Fee
There is a monthly Administrative Fee, (as shown in the “Periodic Charges Other Than Underlying Fund Operating Expenses” table of this prospectus and reflected as the “Monthly Administrative Fee” in the Policy Specifications), which compensates the Company based on the level of Initial Life Insurance Amount. It is calculated as A) multiplied by B) where:
A) is the applicable Monthly Administrative Fee shown in the Policy Specification;
B) is the Initial Life Insurance Amount, divided by 1,000.
The Monthly Administrative Fees per $1,000 of Initial Life Insurance Amount vary by the Insured’s gender, Target Age, and Issue Age.
Policy Loan Interest
If you borrow against your Policy, interest will be charged to the Loan Account Value. The annual effective interest rate is 0.25% in all years. The amount of your loan, plus any accrued but unpaid interest, is added to your outstanding Policy Loan balance. We will credit 0.25% interest on the Loan Account Value in all Policy Years.
YOUR INSURANCE POLICY
Your Policy is a life insurance contract that provides for a death benefit payable on the death of the Insured. The Policy and the application constitute the entire contract between you and Lincoln Life.
The Policy includes Policy Specifications pages. These pages provide important information about your Policy such as: the identity of the Insured and Owner; Policy Date; the Initial Life Insurance Amount; issue age; Planned Premium Payment; expense charges and fees; and guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rates.
Note: The Policy Specifications pages reference certain dates that are very important in understanding when your coverage begins and ends, when certain benefits become available and when certain rights or obligations arise or terminate. Generally, terms such as “Policy Date”, “Effective Date” or “Policy Effective Date” refer to the date that coverage under the Policy becomes effective and is the date from which Policy Years, Policy Anniversary and ages are determined. Terms such as “Issue Date” or “Policy Issue Date” generally refer to when we print or produce the Policy, but such dates may have importance beyond that date. For example, the period of time we may have to contest a claim submitted in the first couple years of the Policy will typically start on the date the Policy is issued and not the date the Policy goes into effect. Please read your Policy carefully and make sure you understand which dates are important and why.
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When your Policy is delivered to you, you should review it promptly to confirm that it reflects the information you provided in your application. If not, please notify us immediately.
The Policy is nonparticipating. This means that no dividends are payable to you. In addition, your Policy does not share in the profits or surplus earnings of the Company.
Before purchasing the Policy to replace, or to be funded with proceeds from an existing life insurance policy or annuity, make sure you understand the potential impact. The Insured will need to prove current insurability and there may be a new contestable period for the new Policy. The death benefit and policy values may be less for some period of time in the new Policy.
Once your Policy is in force, the effective date of payments and requests you send us is usually determined by the day and time we receive them.
We cannot process your requests for transactions relating to the Policy until we have received the request in “Good Order” at our Administrative Office. “Good Order” means the actual receipt of the requested transaction in writing (or other form subject to our consent) along with all information and supporting legal documentation necessary to effect the transaction. We may, in our sole discretion, determine whether any particular transaction request is in Good Order, and we reserve the right to change or waive any Good Order requirements at any time.
You will have the ability to utilize our online self-service feature to complete most transactions. Additionally, we allow telephone transactions when you complete our authorization form and return it to us. Contact our Administrative Office for information on authorization for telephone transactions.
Any telephone or other electronic transmission, whether it is yours, your service provider’s, your agent’s, or ours, can experience outages or slowdowns for a variety of reasons. Although we have taken precautions to help our systems handle heavy use, we cannot promise complete reliability under all circumstances. If you experience problems, you should send your request in writing to our Administrative Office.
Application
If you decide to purchase a Policy, you must first complete an application. A completed application identifies the proposed Insured and provides sufficient information to permit us to begin underwriting risks in the Policy. Based on our review of medical information about the proposed Insured, we may decline to provide insurance. The monthly Cost of Insurance Charge deducted from the policy value after issue varies depending on the age, gender and Target Age.
A Policy may only be issued upon receipt of satisfactory evidence of insurability, and generally when the Insured is at least age 18 and at most age 50. Age will be determined by the Insured’s age on the birthday prior to the Policy Date.
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who applies for a Policy. When you apply for a Policy, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We, or our agent, may also ask to see your driver's license, photo i.d. or other identifying documents.
Owner
The Owner on the Date of Issue is designated in the Policy Specifications. You, as Owner, will make the following choices:
1)
Target Age;
2)
the amount and frequency of Premium Payments; and
3)
the amount of Premium Payment to be allocated to the selected Sub-Account.
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You are entitled to exercise rights and privileges of your Policy as long as the Insured is living. These rights generally include the power to select the Beneficiary, request Policy Loans, make Withdrawals, Surrender the Policy entirely, request a Death Benefit Option change and a change to the Life Insurance Amount, name a new Owner, assign the Policy and make transfers. For some of these requests, you may need to inform us of the change in writing. We will record change of Owner and Beneficiary forms to be effective as of the date of the latest signature on the written request. In addition to changes in ownership or Beneficiary designations, you should make certain that our records are up to date with respect to your address and contact information and, to the extent possible, the address and contact information of any Beneficiaries. This will ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in effecting any changes you wish to make, ownership privileges you wish to exercise or payments of proceeds to you or your Beneficiaries. Exercising a change in ownership may cause a taxable event. You should consult a tax advisor prior to exercising a change in ownership to determine the tax consequences of such exercise.
Right to Examine Period
You may return your Policy to us for cancellation within 10 days after you receive it (or a greater number of days if required by your state). This is called the “Right to Examine Period”. If the Policy is returned for cancellation within the Right to Examine Period, we will refund to you the following:
If your Policy is issued in a state that provides for return of value, you are subject to the risk of market loss during the Right to Examine Period. Any Premium Payments received before the end of the Right to Examine Period will be allocated directly to the Sub-Accounts, if applicable, which you designated. If the Policy is returned for cancellation within the Right to Examine Period, we will return to you the sum of (i) the Accumulation Value less any Debt, on the date the returned Policy is received by us, plus (ii) any charges and fees imposed under the Policy's terms.
If your Policy is issued in a state that requires return of Premium Payments, or you are 60 years old or over and your Policy is issued in California, any Premium Payments received by us within 10 days (or a greater number of days if required by your state; 30 days in California) of the date the Policy was issued will be held in the money market Sub-Account. At the end of that period, it will be allocated to the Sub-Accounts, if applicable, which you designated. If the Policy is returned for cancellation within the Right to Examine Period, we will return to you the greater of (a) all Premium Payments less any Debt; or (b) the sum of (i) the Accumulation Value less any Debt, on the date the returned Policy is received by us, plus (ii) any charges and fees imposed under the Policy's terms. (Note: For California policies, you may direct us, in writing, to proceed to allocate your Premiums before the end of the 30 days.)
Initial Life Insurance Amount
You will select the initial Planned Premium amount (as shown on your Policy Specifications) which will create the Initial Life Insurance Amount. This amount will determine the initial death benefit. The Initial Life Insurance Amount is shown on the Policy Specifications page.
Transfers
You may make transfers among the Sub-Accounts, subject to certain provisions. You should carefully consider current market conditions and each Underlying Fund’s objective and investment policy before allocating money to the Sub-Accounts. (Note: Prior to moving money into the money market Sub-Account or allowing it to default into the money market Sub-Account as a result of a fund liquidation, refer to your Policy for specific impacts that may apply, if any.)
You will be able to submit request for transfers using our online self-service capabilities or a request may be made in writing or by telephone, if you have previously authorized telephone transfers in writing, subject to our consent. We will use reasonable procedures, such as requiring identifying information from callers, recording telephone instructions, and providing written confirmation of transactions, in order to confirm instructions are genuine. Any
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instructions, which we reasonably believe to be genuine, will be your responsibility, including losses arising from any errors in the communication of instructions. As a result of this procedure, you will bear the risk of loss. If we do not use reasonable procedures, as described above, we may be liable for losses due to unauthorized instructions.
Up to 24 transfer requests (a request may involve more than a single transfer) may be made in any Policy Year without charge. Any transfer among the Sub-Accounts will result in the crediting and cancellation of accumulation units. This will be based on the accumulation unit values determined after our Administrative Office receives a request in writing or adequately authenticated electronic transfer request. Transfer and financial requests received in Good Order before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 pm Eastern time on a business day) will normally be effective that day. There may be circumstances under which the New York Stock Exchange may close before 4:00 pm. In such circumstances transactions requested after such early closing will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed the following trading day.
Some of the Underlying Funds have reserved the right to temporarily or permanently refuse payments or transfer requests from us if, in the judgment of the Underlying Fund's investment advisor, the Underlying Fund would be unable to invest effectively in accordance with its investment objective or policies, or would otherwise potentially be adversely affected. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we reserve the right to defer or reject a transfer request at any time that we are unable to purchase or redeem shares of any of the Underlying Funds, including any refusal or restriction on purchases or redemptions of the Sub-Account units as a result of the Underlying Funds' own policies and procedures on market timing activities. We may also defer or reject an allocation or transfer request that is subject to a restriction that is imposed by the Underlying Fund at any time. If an Underlying Fund refuses to accept a transfer request we have already processed, we will reverse the transaction within 1-2 business days of the day on which we receive notice of the refusal. We will notify you in writing if we have reversed, restricted or refused any of your transfer requests.
We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions of the “Transfers” section in response to changes in legal or regulatory requirements. Further, we reserve, at our sole discretion, the right to limit or modify transfers in the interest of overall fund management or transfers that may have an adverse effect on other Owners. Transfer rights may be restricted in any manner or terminated until the beginning of the next Policy Year if we determine that your use of the transfer right may disadvantage other Owners.
Market Timing
Frequent, large, or short-term transfers among Sub-Accounts, such as those associated with “market timing” transactions, can affect the Underlying Funds and their investment returns. Such transfers may dilute the value of the fund shares, interfere with the efficient management of the Underlying Fund's portfolio, and increase brokerage and administrative costs of the Underlying Funds. As an effort to protect our Owners and the Underlying Funds from potentially harmful trading activity, we utilize certain market timing policies and procedures (the “Market Timing Procedures”). Our Market Timing Procedures are designed to detect and prevent such transfer activity among the Sub-Accounts that may affect other Owners or shareholders.
In addition, the Underlying Funds may have adopted their own policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of their respective shares. The prospectuses for the Underlying Funds describe any such policies and procedures, which may be more or less restrictive than the frequent trading policies and procedures of other funds and the Market Timing Procedures we have adopted to discourage frequent transfers among Sub-Accounts. While we reserve the right to enforce these policies and procedures, Owners and other persons with interests under the Policies should be aware that we may not have the contractual authority or the operational capacity to apply the frequent trading policies and procedures of the Underlying Funds. You should note that, these policies and procedures may result in an Underlying Fund deferring or permanently refusing to accept Premium Payments or transfers for the reasons described in “Transfers”, above. In such case, our rights and obligations will be as described in “Transfers”. Some of the Underlying Funds may also impose Redemption Fees on short-term trading (i.e., redemptions of Underlying Fund shares within a certain number of business days after purchase). We reserve the right to administer and collect any such Redemption Fees on behalf of the Underlying
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Funds. You should read the prospectuses of the Underlying Funds for more details on their ability to refuse or restrict purchases or redemptions of their shares.
However, under the SEC rules, we are required to: (1) enter into written agreement with each Underlying Fund or its principal underwriter that obligates us to provide to the Underlying Fund promptly upon request certain information about the trading activity of individual Owners, and (2) execute instructions from the Underlying Fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases or transfers by specific Owners who violate excessive trading policies established by the Underlying Fund.
You should be aware that the purchase and redemption orders received by Underlying Funds generally are “omnibus” orders from intermediaries such as retirement plans or Separate Accounts to which Premium Payments and policy values of variable insurance policies are allocated. The omnibus orders reflect the aggregation and netting of multiple orders from individual retirement plan participants and/or individual Owners of variable insurance policies. The omnibus nature of these orders may limit the Underlying Funds' ability to apply their respective disruptive trading policies and procedures. We cannot guarantee that the Underlying Funds (and thus our Owners) will not be harmed by transfer activity relating to the retirement plans and/or other insurance companies that may purchase the Underlying Funds. In addition, if an Underlying Fund believes that an omnibus order we submit may reflect one or more transfer requests from Owners engaged in disruptive trading activity, the Underlying Fund may reject the entire omnibus order.
Our Market Timing Procedures detect potential “market timers” by examining the number of transfers made by Owners within given periods of time. In addition, managers of the Underlying Funds might contact us if they believe or suspect that there is market timing. If requested by an Underlying Fund company, we may vary our Market Timing Procedures from Sub-Account to Sub-Account to comply with specific Underlying Fund policies and procedures.
We may increase our monitoring of Owners who we have previously identified as market timers. When applying the parameters used to detect market timers, we will consider multiple policies owned by the same Owner if that Owner has been identified as a market timer. For each Owner, we will investigate the transfer patterns that meet the parameters being used to detect potential market timers. We will also investigate any patterns of trading behavior identified by the Underlying Funds that may not have been captured by our Market Timing Procedures.
Once an Owner has been identified as a “market timer” under our Market Timing Procedures, we will notify the Owner in writing that future transfers (among the Sub-Accounts) will be temporarily permitted to be made only by original signature sent to us by U.S. mail, standard delivery for the remainder of the Policy Year. Overnight delivery or electronic instructions (which may include telephone, facsimile, or Internet instructions) submitted during this period will not be accepted. If overnight delivery or electronic instructions from or on behalf of an Owner who has been identified as a market timer are inadvertently accepted, we will reverse the transaction within 1 - 2 business days of our discovery of such acceptance. We will impose this “original signature” restriction on that Owner even if we cannot identify, in the particular circumstances, any harmful effect from that Owner's particular transfers.
Owners seeking to engage in frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity may deploy a variety of strategies to avoid detection. Our ability to detect such transfer activity may be limited by operational systems and technological limitations. The identification of Owners determined to be engaged in such transfer activity that may adversely affect other Owners or Underlying Fund shareholders involves judgments that are inherently subjective. We cannot guarantee that our Market Timing Procedures will detect every potential market timer. If we are unable to detect market timers, you may experience dilution in the value of your Underlying Fund shares and increased brokerage and administrative costs in the Underlying Funds. This may result in lower long-term returns for your investments.
Our Market Timing Procedures are applied consistently to all Owners. An exception for any Owner will be made only in the event we are required to do so by a court of law. In addition, certain Underlying Funds available as investment options in your Policy may also be available as investment options for Owners of other, older life insurance policies issued by us.
Some of these older life insurance policies do not provide a contractual basis for us to restrict or refuse transfers which are suspected to be market timing activity. In addition, because other insurance companies and/or retirement
25
plans may invest in the Underlying Funds, we cannot guarantee that the Underlying Funds will not suffer harm from frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity among Sub-Accounts of variable contracts issued by other insurance companies or among investment options available to retirement plan participants.
In our sole discretion, we may revise our Market Timing Procedures at any time without prior notice as necessary to better detect and deter frequent, large, or short-term transfer activity, to comply with state or federal regulatory requirements, and/or to impose additional or alternate restrictions on market timers (such as dollar or percentage limits on transfers). If we modify our Market Timing Procedures, they will be applied uniformly to all Owners or as applicable to all Owners with policy values allocated to Sub-Accounts investing in particular Underlying Funds. We also reserve the right to implement and administer Redemption Fees imposed by one or more of the Underlying Funds in the future.
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Standard or
Optional |
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Name of Benefit |
Purpose |
Standard or
Optional |
Brief Description of
Restrictions/Limitations |
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No-Lapse Provision
Your Policy includes a No-Lapse Provision. On each Monthly Anniversary Day, as long as the No-Lapse Test is met where you have paid Premium equal to 12 monthly No-Lapse Premiums within the past 15 policy months and the cumulative Premium required to maintain the No-Lapse Provision is met, your Policy will be prevented from lapsing. This information can be found in your No-Lapse Provision in the Policy Specifications.
There is no difference in the calculation of policy values and death benefit between a Policy that has the No-Lapse Provision, and a Policy that does not. This is true whether or not the No-Lapse Provision is active and keeping the Policy from lapsing.
There is no charge for this feature. The length of the No-Lapse period is determined by the Insured’s issue age, and Target Age, and is shown in the Policy Specifications.
The Policy will not lapse even if the Cash Value is insufficient to meet the Monthly Deductions, as long as the sum of all Premium Payments (less any Withdrawals and Debt), is at least equal to the sum of the No-Lapse Premiums due since date of issue (shown in the Policy Specifications) and you have paid Premium equal to 12 monthly No-Lapse Premiums within the past 15 policy months.
If you fail to satisfy the requirements for the No-Lapse Provision, and you have paid insufficient Premium to cover your Monthly Deductions, the Policy, after Grace Notice and expiration of the Policy's Grace Period, will lapse.
If this provision is available to you, your No-Lapse Premium is shown on the Policy Specifications pages. To determine if you are meeting the cumulative Premium Payment required to retain the No-Lapse Protection, review your most recent annual statement or contact our Administrative Office.
If the No-Lapse Provision terminates, the Premiums you must pay to keep the Policy in force may be significantly higher than the No-Lapse Premium would have been. If you pay only the minimum Premium needed to keep the No-Lapse Provision in force, you may be foregoing the potential for increased Accumulation Value that higher Premium Payments could provide.
This provision will terminate upon the earliest of the following:
a.
This Policy terminates due to Lapse. This provision cannot be reinstated;
b.
The end of the No-Lapse Period; or
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c.
If you submit a request to change the Death Benefit Option. If you change the Death Benefit Option, we will provide notice to you of the termination of the No-Lapse Provision.
Overloan Protection Provision
If you meet the conditions as described below, this provision will become activated. Your Policy will not enter the Grace Period or lapse solely based on the Debt exceeding the Cash Value, and we will pay a death benefit as described in the “Overloan Death Benefit” provision below. It is a limited benefit, in that it does not always provide additional death benefit, nor does it provide any increase in Accumulation Value. Also, it does not provide any type of market performance guarantee. If this Policy is reinstated prior to activation of the Overloan Provision Feature, the Overloan Protection Provisions will also be reinstated. The Overloan Protection Provision will terminate upon the termination of this Policy.
Overloan Death Benefit. After the Overloan Protection Provision is activated, we will pay Death Benefit Proceeds equal to the greater of:
a.
an amount equal to the Accumulation Value on the date of the Insured’s death multiplied by the applicable percentage shown in the Corridor Percentages Table in the Policy Specifications, plus any benefits that are payable, less any Debt; or
b.
the Residual Life Insurance Amount Percentage in the Policy Specifications multiplied by the current Life Insurance Amount.
Conditions. There is no charge for this feature and you do not have to choose to exercise this benefit. We will notify you when the following conditions are met and the benefit is exercised:
(1)
Policy is in force and Insured has reached the Target Age; and
(2)
Death Benefit Option 1 must be in effect; and
(3)
The Policy’s Accumulation Value must be greater than the Life Insurance Amount; and
(4)
Debt equals or exceeds the percentage of the Policy’s Accumulation Value shown in the Policy Specifications.
Once you exercise the benefit, the following changes will be made to your Policy:
a.
We will no longer allow Premium Payments, Withdrawals, or changes to the Life Insurance Amount or Death Benefit Option;
b.
The Persistency Bonus will no longer be credited;
c.
Except for the M&E Charge, Monthly Deductions will continue and will be taken from the Loan Account Value. (This may cause the Loan Account Value to be less than the amount of the outstanding loans on the Policy);
d.
The Separate Account Value, if any, will be transferred to the Loan Account. Interest credited to the Loan Account Value will remain in the Loan Account. (This transfer will not be subject to any limitations that may otherwise be in effect and will not be assessed a charge. Also, no further transfers will be allowed, and Automatic Rebalancing will end);
e.
No further loans or loan repayments will be permitted; and
f.
The Policy will provide a death benefit as described in the “Overloan Death Benefit” provision above.
You should consult with a qualified tax advisor concerning this provision, as there may be tax consequences. Also, we will provide you with notice the first time your Policy meets all the conditions and requirements noted above. We strongly recommend that you carefully monitor the performance of your Policy by annually reviewing a projection of the Policy’s benefits and values (an “illustration”) in order to improve your opportunity of meeting the requirements and conditions of this provision.
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PREMIUMS
You may select and vary the frequency and the amount of Premium Payments and the allocation of Premium Payments. After the initial Premium Payment is made there is no minimum Premium required, except to keep the Policy in force. Premium Payments may be required from time to time in order to ensure that the Cash Value of the Policy is sufficient to pay the Monthly Deductions. Otherwise, the Policy will lapse. (See the “Lapse and Reinstatement” section of this prospectus). Premiums may be paid any time before the Insured attains age 121, subject to our right to limit the amount or frequency of additional Premium Payments. (See the “Planned Premiums; Additional Premiums” section of this prospectus).
The initial Premium must be paid for policy coverage to be effective.
Allocation of Premium Payments
The Policy allows you to allocate Premium Payments to a Separate Account. We will direct any Premium Payment into the Separate Account according to the account allocation instructions you provide.
You first designate the allocation of Premium Payments among the Sub-Accounts on a form provided by us for that purpose. Premium Payments will be allocated on the same basis as the initial Premium Payment unless we are instructed otherwise, in writing. You may change the allocation of Premium Payments among the Sub-Accounts at any time.
The amount of Premium Payments allocated to the Sub-Accounts must be in whole percentages and must total 100%. We credit Premium Payments to your Policy as of the end of the “Valuation Period” in which it is received in Good Order at our Administrative Office. Premium Payments received from you or your broker-dealer in Good Order at our Administrative Office prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on a business day), will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed on that Valuation Date. Premium Payments received in Good Order after market close will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. Premium Payments submitted to your registered representative will generally not be processed by us until they are received from your representative’s broker-dealer. Premium Payments placed with your broker-dealer after market close will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. There may be circumstances under which the New York Stock Exchange may close early (prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time). In such instances, Premium Payments received after such early market close will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed on the next Valuation Date.
The Valuation Period is the time between “Valuation Days”. A Valuation Day is every day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open and trading is unrestricted. Your policy values are calculated on every Valuation Day.
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Planned Premiums; Additional Premiums
Planned Premiums are the amount of periodic Premium (as shown in the Policy Specifications) you choose to pay the Company on a scheduled basis. This is the amount for which we send a Premium reminder notice. We reserve the right to stop sending Premium reminder notices if no Premium Payment has been made within 2 Policy Years. Premium Payments may be billed annually, semi-annually, or quarterly. You may arrange for monthly pre-authorized automatic Premium Payments at any time. In addition to any Planned Premium, you may make additional Premium Payments.
Unless you specifically direct otherwise, any payment received (other than any Premium Payment necessary to prevent, or cure, Policy Lapse) will be applied as Premium and will not repay any outstanding loans.
You may increase Planned Premiums, or pay additional Premiums, subject to certain limitations. We reserve the right to limit the amount or frequency of additional Premium Payments. You may decrease Planned Premiums. However, doing so will impact your policy values and may impact how long your Policy remains in force.
We may require evidence of insurability if any payment of additional Premium (including Planned Premium) would increase the difference between the death benefit and the Accumulation Value. If we are unwilling to accept the risk, your increase in Premium will be refunded without interest.
We may decline any additional Premium (including Planned Premium) or a portion of a Premium that would cause total Premium Payments to exceed the limit for life insurance under federal tax laws. Our test for whether or not your Policy exceeds the limit is referred to as the Guideline Premium Test. The excess amount of Premium will be returned to you. We may accept alternate instructions from you regarding any excess Premium. Refer to the section headed “Tax Issues” for more information.
Policy Values
Policy value in your variable life insurance policy is also called the Accumulation Value.
The Accumulation Value equals the sum of the Separate Account Value and the Loan Account Value. At any point in time, the Accumulation Value reflects:
1) Premium Payments made;
2) the amount of any Withdrawals;
3) any increases or decreases as a result of market performance of the Sub-Accounts;
4) interest credited to the Loan Account;
5) Persistency Bonuses, if any;
6) Monthly Deductions; and
7) all charges and fees deducted.
The Separate Account Value, if any, is the portion of the Accumulation Value attributable to the Separate Account. The value is equal to the sum of the current values of all the Sub-Accounts in which you have invested. The current value of each Sub-Account is determined by multiplying the number of Variable Accumulation Units credited or debited to that Sub-Account with respect to this Policy by the Variable Accumulation Unit Value of that Sub-Account for such Valuation Period.
The “Variable Accumulation Unit” is a unit of measure used in the calculation of the value of each Sub-Account. It may increase or decrease from one Valuation Period to the next. The Variable Accumulation Unit value for a Sub-Account for a Valuation Period is determined as follows:
1)
the total value of Underlying Fund shares held in the Sub-Account is calculated by multiplying the number of Underlying Fund shares owned by the Sub-Account at the beginning of the Valuation Period by the value per
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share of the Underlying Fund at the end of the Valuation Period, and adding any dividend or other distribution of the Underlying Fund made during the Valuation Period; minus
2)
the liabilities of the Sub-Account at the end of the Valuation Period. Such liabilities include charges imposed on the Sub-Account, if any, and may include a charge or credit with respect to any taxes paid or reserved for by Lincoln Life that we determine result from the operations of the Separate Account; and
3)
the result of (1) minus (2) is divided by the number of Variable Accumulation Units for that Sub-Account outstanding at the beginning of the Valuation Period.
In certain circumstances, and when permitted by law, we may use a different standard industry method for this calculation, called the Net Investment Factor method. We will achieve substantially the same result using either method.
The Loan Account Value, if any, reflects any outstanding Policy Loans, including any interest charged on the loans. This amount is held in the Company’s General Account. We do not guarantee the Loan Account Value. Interest is credited based on the Loan Account Value at an effective annual rate of 0.25% in all Policy Years and is allocated to the Policy in accordance with your allocation instructions on file with us at the time the interest is credited.
Persistency Bonus
Once the Policy has reached or passed the Target Age, if Death Benefit Option 1 is in effect, then we will credit a Persistency Bonus on each Monthly Anniversary Day to the Sub-Account(s) in the same proportion as the balances invested in the total of such account(s) as of the date the credit is applied, at an annual effective rate guaranteed to be not less than 0.01%. The current rate is 0.5%. The persistency bonus is based on reduced costs in later Policy Years that we can pass on to policies that are still in force. Our payment of the persistency bonus will not increase or affect the charges and expenses of your Policy other than by virtue of increasing the Sub-Account values and Accumulation Value upon which certain charges and expenses of the Policy are based.
Annual Statement
We will tell you at least annually the Accumulation Value, the number of accumulation units credited to your Policy, current accumulation unit values, Sub-Account values and the Loan Account Value. We strongly suggest that you review your statements to determine whether additional Premium Payments may be necessary to avoid lapse of your Policy.
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Option |
Death Benefit Option |
Variability |
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1 |
The Life Insurance Amount on the date of the Insured’s death. |
None, level death benefit |
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2 |
The Life Insurance Amount on the date of the Insured’s death plus
the Accumulation Value on the date of death, less any Withdrawals
processed after the Insured’s date of death. |
May increase or decrease over
time, depending on the amount
of Premium paid and the
investment performance of the
Sub-Accounts. |
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Every state has unclaimed property laws which generally declare property, including monies owed (such as death benefits) to be abandoned if unclaimed or uncashed after a period (typically three to five years) from the date the property is intended to be delivered or date the death benefit is due and payable. For example, if the payment of a death benefit has been triggered and, if after a thorough search, we are still unable to locate the Beneficiary of the death benefit, or the Beneficiary does not come forward to claim the death benefit in a timely manner, the death benefit will be paid to the abandoned property division or unclaimed property office of the state in which the Beneficiary or the Owner last resided, as shown on our books and records, or to our state of domicile. This “escheatment” is revocable, however, and the state is obligated to pay the death benefit (without interest) if your Beneficiary steps forward to claim it with the proper documentation. To prevent such escheatment, it is important that you contact us and update your Beneficiary designations, including addresses, if and as they change.
POLICY SURRENDER
You may surrender your Policy at any time for its Cash Value, while this Policy is in force and the Insured is living, by utilizing the online service or by sending us a written request for surrender. If you surrender your Policy, all coverage will automatically terminate and may not be reinstated. Consult your tax advisor to understand tax consequences of any surrender you are considering.
The Cash Value of your Policy is the amount you can receive by surrendering the Policy. The Cash Value is the Policy’s Accumulation Value less any Debt. Policy Debt includes loans under the Policy.
If we receive a surrender or Withdrawal request in Good Order at our Administrative Office before the close of the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on a business day), we will process the request using the accumulation unit value computed on that Valuation Date. If we receive a surrender or Withdrawal request in our Administrative Office after market close, we will process the request using the accumulation unit value computed on the next Valuation Date. There may be circumstances under which the New York Stock Exchange may close early (prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time). In such circumstances, surrenders or Withdrawals requested after such early market close will be processed using the accumulation unit value computed on the next Valuation Date.
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Any surrender results in a withdrawal of values from the Sub-Accounts that have values allocated to them. Any surrender from a Sub-Account will result in the cancellation of Variable Accumulation Units. The cancellation of such units will be based on the Variable Accumulation Unit Value determined at the close of the Valuation Period during which the surrender is effective. Surrender proceeds will generally be paid within seven days of our receipt of your request.
Withdrawal
You may make a Withdrawal of a portion of your policy values. You must request a Withdrawal by utilizing the online service or in writing. The amount of any Withdrawal may not exceed 90% of the Policy's Cash Value as of the date of your request for a Withdrawal. We may limit Withdrawals to the extent necessary to meet the federal tax law requirements. If you wish to make a Withdrawal in excess of 90% of the Cash Value of your Policy, you must specifically request a Full Surrender of your Policy. Your Policy’s Cash Value equals the Policy’s Accumulation Value less any Debt. Policy Loans are Debt under your Policy and will reduce the Cash Value available to you.
Withdrawals will reduce the Accumulation Value and may reduce the Life Insurance Amount.
If Death Benefit Option 1 is in effect, the Death Benefit Proceeds will be reduced. The Life Insurance Amount may also be reduced. The amount of the reduction will be equal to the greater of:
a. zero; or
b. an amount equal to the amount of the Withdrawal minus the greater of i) zero or ii) result of [(1) minus (2)] divided by (3) where:
b. an amount equal to the amount of the Withdrawal minus the greater of i) zero or ii) result of [(1) minus (2)] divided by (3) where:
(1) is an amount equal to the Accumulation Value on the Valuation Day immediately prior to the Withdrawal multiplied by the applicable percentage shown in the Corridor Percentages Table in the Policy Specifications;
(2) is the Life Insurance Amount immediately prior to the Withdrawal; and
(3) is the applicable percentage shown in the Corridor Percentages Table in the Policy Specifications.
(2) is the Life Insurance Amount immediately prior to the Withdrawal; and
(3) is the applicable percentage shown in the Corridor Percentages Table in the Policy Specifications.
If the Death Benefit Option 2 is in effect, the Death Benefit Proceeds will be reduced by the amount of the Withdrawal. The Life Insurance Amount will not be reduced.
Withdrawal proceeds will generally be paid within seven days of our receipt of your request.
POLICY LOANS
You may borrow against the Cash Value of your Policy. The loan may be for any amount up to 100% of the current Cash Value. A loan agreement must be executed and your Policy assigned to us free of any other assignments. Outstanding Policy Loans and accrued interest reduce the Policy’s death benefit and Accumulation Value.
The amount of your loan will be withdrawn first from Accumulation Values, if any, from the Policy’s Sub-Accounts in proportion to their values. The Loan Account is the account in which Debt (outstanding loans and interest) accrues once it is transferred out of the Sub-Accounts. Amounts transferred to the Loan Account of the Policy do not participate in the performance of the Sub-Accounts. Loans, therefore, can affect the Policy’s death benefit and Accumulation Value whether or not they are repaid. Interest on Policy Loans accrues at an effective annual rate of 0.25% in all years, and is payable once a year in arrears on each Policy Anniversary, or earlier upon Full Surrender or other payment of proceeds of your Policy. Policy values in the Loan Account are part of the Company's General Account.
The amount of your loan, plus any accrued but unpaid interest, is added to your outstanding Policy Loan balance. Unless paid in advance, loan interest due will be transferred proportionately from the Sub-Accounts. This amount will be treated as an additional Policy Loan, and added to the Loan Account Value.
Lincoln Life credits interest to the Loan Account Value at a rate of 0.25% in all years. Such interest credited is transferred to the Policy in accordance with your Premium Payment allocation instructions on file with us at the time the interest is credited.
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Your outstanding loan balance may be repaid at any time while this Policy is in force. The Loan Account will be reduced by the amount of any loan repayment. Any repayment, other than loan interest, will be allocated to the Sub-Accounts in the same proportion in which Premium Payments are currently allocated, unless you instruct otherwise. When making a payment to us, we will apply your payment as Premiums and not loan repayments unless you specifically instruct us otherwise.
If at any time the total Debt against your Policy, including interest accrued but not due, equals or exceeds the then current Accumulation Value, the Overloan Protection Provision will activate and protect the Policy from terminating, subject to the conditions of the Overloan Protection Provision. If your Policy lapses while a loan is outstanding, the borrowed amount may be taxable to you to the extent your Policy’s value exceeds your basis in the Policy.
Please note that there may be adverse tax consequences in the event that your Policy lapses with an outstanding loan balance.
LAPSE AND REINSTATEMENT
If at any time:
1)
the Cash Value of the Policy is insufficient to pay the Monthly Deduction,
2)
the Overloan Protection Provision is not activated; and
3)
the provisions of the No-Lapse Enhancement Provision are not preventing termination of the Policy, then all coverage will terminate. This is referred to as “Policy Lapse”.
The Cash Value may be insufficient:
1)
because it has been exhausted by earlier deductions;
2)
as a result of poor investment performance;
3)
due to Withdrawals;
4)
due to Debt for Policy Loans; or
5)
because of a combination of any of these factors.
If we have not received your Premium Payment (or payment of Debt on Policy Loans) necessary so that the Cash Value of your Policy is sufficient to pay the Monthly Deduction amount on a Monthly Anniversary Day, and the Premium requirements of the No-Lapse Provision have not been satisfied, we will send a Grace Notice to you, or any assignee of record or other designee of record. The Grace Notice will state the amount of the Premium Payment (or payment of Debt on Policy Loans) that must be paid to avoid termination of your Policy.
If the amount stated in the Grace Notice is not paid to us within the Grace Period and any Premium Reserve Accumulation Value automatically transferred at the end of the Grace Period is also insufficient to keep the Policy in force, then the Policy will terminate. The Grace Period is the later of (a) 31 days after the Grace Notice was mailed, and (b) 61 days after the Monthly Anniversary Day on which the Monthly Deduction could not be paid. If the Insured dies during the Grace Period, we will deduct any charges due to us from any death benefit that may be payable under the terms of the Policy.
Reinstatement of a Lapsed Policy
If your Policy has lapsed and the Insured has not died since lapse, you may reinstate your Policy within five years of the Policy Lapse date, provided:
1)
it has not been surrendered;
2)
there is an application for reinstatement in writing;
3)
satisfactory evidence of insurability is furnished to us and we agree to accept the risk for the Insured;
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4)
we receive a payment sufficient to keep your Policy in force for at least two months after the date of reinstatement; and
5)
any loan interest accrued during the Grace Period is paid and any remaining Debt is either paid or reinstated.
The reinstated Policy will be effective as of the Monthly Anniversary Day on or next following the date on which we approve your application for reinstatement. Your Accumulation Value at reinstatement will be the Premium Payment then made less all Monthly Deductions due. If a Policy Loan is being reinstated, the Policy's Accumulation Value at reinstatement will be the Accumulation Value on the date the Policy Lapsed plus the Premium Payment made less all Monthly Deductions due.
TAX ISSUES
The federal income tax treatment of your Policy is complex and sometimes uncertain. The federal income tax rules may vary with your particular circumstances. This discussion does not include all the federal income tax rules that may affect you and your Policy and is not intended as tax advice. This discussion also does not address other federal tax consequences, such as estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes, or any state and local income, estate and inheritance tax consequences, associated with the Policy. You should always consult a tax advisor about the application of tax rules to your individual situation.
Taxation of Life Insurance Contracts in General
Tax Status of the Policy. Section 7702 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended (“Code”) establishes a statutory definition of life insurance for federal tax purposes. We believe that the Policy will meet the statutory definition of life insurance under the Guideline Premium Test, which provides for a maximum amount of Premium paid depending upon the Insured's age, gender, and risk classification in relation to the death benefit and a minimum amount of death benefit in relation to policy value. As a result, the death benefit payable will generally be excludable from the Beneficiary’s gross income, and interest and other income credited will not be taxable unless certain withdrawals are made (or are deemed to be made) from the Policy prior to the death of the Insured, as discussed below. This tax treatment will only apply, however, if (1) the investments of the Separate Account are “adequately diversified” in accordance with U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) regulations, and (2) we, rather than you, are considered the Owner of the assets of the Separate Account for federal income tax purposes.
Investments in the Separate Account Must be Diversified. For your Policy to be treated as a life insurance contract for federal income tax purposes, the investments of the Separate Account must be “adequately diversified.” Treasury regulations define standards for determining whether the investments of the Separate Account are adequately diversified. If the Separate Account fails to comply with these diversification standards, you could be required to pay tax currently on the excess of the policy value over the Premium Payments. Although we do not control the investments of the Sub-Accounts, we expect that the Sub-Accounts will comply with the Treasury regulations so that the Separate Account will be considered “adequately diversified.”
Restriction on Investment Options. Federal income tax law limits your right to choose particular investments for the Policy. Because the IRS has issued little guidance specifying those limits, the limits are uncertain and your right to allocate policy values among the Sub-Accounts may exceed those limits. If so, you would be treated as the Owner of the assets of the Separate Account and thus subject to current taxation on the income and gains from those assets. We do not know what limits may be set by the IRS in any guidance that it may issue and whether any such limits will apply to existing Policies. We reserve the right to modify the Policy without your consent to try to prevent the tax law from considering you as the Owner of the assets of the Separate Account.
No Guarantees Regarding Tax Treatment. We make no guarantee regarding the tax treatment of any life insurance policy or of any transaction involving a life insurance policy. However, the remainder of this discussion assumes that your Policy will be treated as a life insurance contract for federal income tax purposes and that the tax law will not impose tax on any increase in your policy value until there is a distribution from your Policy.
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Tax Treatment of Life Insurance Death Benefit Proceeds. In general, the amount of the death benefit payable from a life insurance policy because of the death of the Insured is excludable from gross income. Certain transfers of the Policy for valuable consideration, however, may result in a portion of the death benefit being taxable. If the death benefit is not received in a lump sum and is, instead, applied to one of the settlement options, payments generally will be prorated between amounts attributable to the death benefit, which will be excludable from the Beneficiary’s income, and amounts attributable to interest (accruing after the Insured’s death) which will be includible in the Beneficiary’s income.
Tax Deferral During Accumulation Period. Under existing provisions of the Code, except as described below, any increase in your policy value is generally not taxable to you unless amounts are received (or are deemed to be received) from the Policy prior to the Insured’s death. If there is a total withdrawal from the Policy, the Cash Value will be includible in your income to the extent the amount received exceeds the “investment in the contract.” (If there is any Debt at the time of a total withdrawal, such Debt will be treated as an amount received by the Owner.) The “investment in the contract” generally is the aggregate amount of Premium Payments and other consideration paid for the Policy, less the aggregate amount received previously to the extent such amounts received were excludable from gross income. Whether Withdrawals (or other amounts deemed to be distributed) from the Policy constitute income to you depends, in part, upon whether the Policy is considered a MEC for federal income tax purposes.
Modified Endowment Contract (“MEC”). We will not allow this Policy to become a MEC under the Internal Revenue Code Section 7702. If at any time the Premiums paid under this Policy exceed the limit for avoiding MEC status, the excess Premium will be held in a separate deposit fund, credited with interest, and will be used to pay future Premium payments. The funds held in a separate deposit fund are not considered part of your Accumulation Value, and any interest may be taxable and you should consult a tax advisor if you have questions regarding this. If you instead elect to have the excess Premium refunded to you, we will refund the excess Premium to you with interest within sixty days after the end of the Policy Year in which the Premium was received. The interest rate used on any refund or credited to the separate deposit fund created by this provision will be a rate of interest that we declare from time to time. Any interest may be taxable to you.
Tax Treatment of Withdrawals. The amount of any withdrawal from the Policy will generally be treated first as a non-taxable recovery of Premium Payments and then as income from the Policy. Thus, a withdrawal from your Policy that is not a MEC will not be includible in income except to the extent it exceeds the investment in the Policy immediately before the withdrawal.
Certain Distributions Required by the Tax Law in the First 15 Policy Years. Section 7702 places limitations on the amount of Premium Payments that may be made and the policy values that can accumulate relative to the death benefit. Where cash distributions are required under Section 7702 in connection with a reduction in benefits during the first 15 years after the Policy is issued (or if withdrawals are made in anticipation of a reduction in benefits, within the meaning of the tax law, during this period), some or all of such amounts may be includible in income. A reduction in benefits may occur when the Specified Amount is decreased, withdrawals are made, and in certain other instances.
Tax Treatment of Loans. Loans received under the Policy are generally treated as your Debt. As a result, no part of any loan constitutes income to you so long as the Policy remains in force. Nevertheless, in those situations where the interest rate credited to the Loan Account equals the interest rate charged to you for the loan, it is possible that some or all of the loan proceeds may be includible in your income. If your Policy lapses (or if all policy value is withdrawn or exchanged to a new policy in a tax-free policy exchange) when a loan is outstanding, the amount of the loan outstanding will be treated as withdrawal proceeds for purposes of determining whether any amounts are includible in your income.
Other Considerations
Insured Lives Past Age 121. There is some uncertainty whether this Policy would continue to qualify as life insurance in the year the Insured reaches Attained Age 121. There is also some uncertainty whether you would be
38
viewed as constructively receiving the Accumulation Value at any time when this Policy’s Accumulation Value is equal to the death benefit. You should consult a tax advisor concerning these issues.
Compliance with the Tax Law. We believe that the maximum amount of Premium Payments we have determined for the Policies will comply with the federal tax definition of life insurance. We will monitor the amount of Premium Payments.
If at any time you pay a Premium that would exceed the amount allowable to permit the Policy to continue to qualify as life insurance, we will either refund the excess Premium to you within 60 days of the end of the Policy Year or, if the excess Premium exceeds $250, offer you the alternative of instructing us to hold the excess Premium in a premium deposit fund and apply it to the Policy later in accordance with your instructions. We will credit interest at an annual rate that we may declare from time to time on advance premium deposit funds. Any interest and other earnings on funds in a premium deposit fund will be includible in income subject to tax as required by law.
Disallowance of Interest Deductions. Interest on Policy Loan Debt is not deductible.
If an entity (such as a corporation or a trust, not an individual) purchases a policy or is the Beneficiary of a policy issued after June 8, 1997, a portion of the interest on Debt unrelated to the Policy may not be deductible by the entity. However, this rule does not apply to a policy owned by an entity engaged in a trade or business which covers the life of one individual who is either (i) a 20% Owner of the entity, or (ii) an officer, director, or employee of the trade or business, at the time first covered by the Policy. This rule also does not apply to a policy owned by an entity engaged in a trade or business which covers the joint lives of the 20% Owner of the entity and the Owner’s spouse at the time first covered by the Policy.
Employer-Owned Contracts. In the case of an “employer-owned life insurance contract” as defined in the tax law that is issued (or deemed to be issued) after August 17, 2006, the portion of the death benefit excludable from gross income generally will be limited to the premiums paid for the contract. However, this limitation on the death benefit exclusion will not apply if certain notice and consent requirements are satisfied and one of several exceptions is satisfied. These exceptions include circumstances in which the death benefit is payable to certain heirs of the Insured to acquire an ownership interest in a business, or where the contract covers the life of a director or an Insured who is “highly compensated” within the meaning of the tax law. These rules, including the definition of an employer-owned life insurance contract, are complex, and you should consult with your advisors for guidance as to their application.
Federal Income Tax Withholding. We will withhold and remit to the IRS a part of the taxable portion of each distribution made under your Policy unless you notify us in writing at or before the time of the distribution that tax is not to be withheld. Regardless of whether you request that no taxes be withheld or whether the Company withholds a sufficient amount of taxes, you will be responsible for the payment of any taxes and early distribution penalties that may be due on the amounts received. You may also be required to pay penalties under the estimated tax rules, if your withholding and estimated tax payments are insufficient to satisfy your total tax liability.
Unearned Income Medicare Contribution. Congress enacted the “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution” as a part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. This new tax, which affects individuals whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds, is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (i) the individual’s “unearned income,” or (ii) the dollar amount by which the individual’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds the applicable threshold. Unearned income includes the taxable portion of any annuitized distributions that you take from your Policy, but does not apply to any lump sum distribution, Full Surrender, or other non-annuitized distribution. The tax is effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2012. Please consult your tax advisor to determine whether any distributions you take from your Policy are subject to this tax.
Changes in the Policy or Changes in the Law. Changing the Owner, exchanging your Policy, and other changes under your Policy may have tax consequences (in addition to those discussed herein) depending on the circumstances of such change. The above discussion is based on the Code, IRS regulations, and interpretations existing on the date of this prospectus. However, Congress, the IRS, and the courts may modify these authorities, sometimes retroactively.
39
Reportable Policy Sales. Section 6050Y, added to the Code on December 22, 2017, imposes information reporting requirements on the acquirer and issuer in the case of the acquisition, or notice of the acquisition, of an existing life insurance contract in a reportable policy sale. In addition, there is a new reporting requirement on each person who makes a payment of reportable death benefits. A reportable policy sale means the acquisition of an interest in a life insurance contract, directly or indirectly, where the acquirer has no substantial family, business, or financial relationship with the Insured apart from the acquirer’s interest in such life insurance contract. A reportable death benefit means the amount paid by reason of the death of the Insured under a life insurance contract that has been transferred in a reportable policy sale.
The IRS and Treasury issued Final Regulations under section 6050Y in 2019. Under the Regulations, compliance with 6050Y is required for any reportable policy sale that occurred after December 31, 2018, and any reportable death benefits paid after December 31, 2018.
Fair Market Value of Your Policy
It is sometimes necessary for tax and other reasons to determine the “value” of your Policy. The value can be measured differently for different purposes. It is not necessarily the same as the Accumulation Value or the Cash Value. You, as the Owner, should consult with your advisors for guidance as to the appropriate methodology for determining the fair market value of your Policy.
Tax Status of Lincoln Life
Under existing federal income tax laws, the Company does not pay tax on investment income and realized capital gains of the Separate Account. However, the Company does expect, to the extent permitted under Federal tax law, to claim the benefit of the foreign tax credit as the Owner of the assets of the Separate Account. Lincoln Life does not expect that it will incur any federal income tax liability on the income and gains earned by the Separate Account. We, therefore, do not impose a charge for federal income taxes. If federal income tax law changes and we must pay tax on some or all of the income and gains earned by the Separate Account, we may impose a charge against the Separate Account to pay the taxes.
RESTRICTIONS ON FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
In accordance with money laundering laws and federal economic sanction policy, the Company may be required in a given instance to reject a Premium Payment and/or freeze an Owner’s account. This means we could refuse to honor requests for transfers, withdrawals, surrenders, loans, assignments, Beneficiary changes or death benefit payments. Once frozen, monies would be moved from the Separate Account to a segregated interest-bearing account maintained for the Owner, and held in that account until instructions are received from the appropriate regulator. We also may be required to provide additional information about an Owner's account to government regulators.
Also, we may postpone payment whenever: (a) the New York Stock Exchange is closed, (b) trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted by the SEC, (c) the SEC determines if an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of securities held in the Variable Account is not reasonably practicable or is not reasonably practicable to determine the value of the Variable Account's net assets (d) if, pursuant to SEC rules, an underlying money market fund suspends payment of redemption proceeds in connection with a liquidation of the fund, we may delay payment of any transfer, Withdrawal, Full Surrender, or death benefit from a money market Sub-Account until the fund is liquidated, or (e) during any other period when the SEC, by order, so permits for the protection of the Owner.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
In the ordinary course of its business and otherwise, the Company and its subsidiaries or its separate accounts and Principal Underwriter may become or are involved in various pending or threatened regulatory or legal proceedings, including purported class actions, arising from the conduct of its business. In some instances, the proceedings
40
include claims for unspecified or substantial punitive damages and similar types of relief in addition to amounts for alleged contractual liability or requests for equitable relief.
After consultation with legal counsel and a review of available facts, it is management’s opinion that the proceedings, after consideration of any reserves and rights to indemnification, ultimately will be resolved without any material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries, or the financial position of its separate accounts or Principal Underwriter. However, given the large and indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these proceedings and the inherent difficulty in predicting the outcome of such proceedings, it is reasonably possible that an adverse outcome in certain matters could be material to the Company’s operating results for any particular reporting period.
Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for possible additional information regarding legal proceedings.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The December 31, 2023 financial statements of the Separate Account and the December 31, 2023 consolidated financial statements of the Company are located in the SAI.
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Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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N/A |
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A-1
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly ClearBridge
Variable Aggressive
Growth Portfolio)
advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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advised by
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N/A |
N/A |
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N/A |
A-2
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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N/A |
N/A |
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N/A |
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N/A |
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A-3
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly LVIP T. Rowe
Price Growth Stock Fund)
advised by
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advised by
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(formerly American
Century VP Balanced Fund)
advised by
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N/A |
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(formerly American
Century VP Large
Company Value Fund)
advised by
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A-4
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
A-5
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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A-6
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Bond Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Diversified Floating Rate
Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Diversified Income Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
High Yield Fund)
advised by
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A-7
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Limited-Term Diversified
Income Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Mid Cap Value Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
SMID Cap Core Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Social Awareness Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
U.S. Growth Fund)
advised by
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A-8
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
U.S. REIT Fund)
advised by
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(formerly LVIP Delaware
Value Fund)
advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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- |
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
A-9
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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A-10
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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N/A |
N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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A-11
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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N/A |
A-12
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
Asset Strategy Portfolio)
advised by
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(formerly Delaware VIP®
Emerging Markets Series)
advised by
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
Energy Portfolio)
advised by
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- |
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
High Income Portfolio)
advised by
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
Mid Cap Growth Portfolio)
advised by
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
Science and Technology
Portfolio)
advised by
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A-13
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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(formerly Delaware Ivy VIP
Small Cap Growth
Portfolio)
advised by
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(formerly Delaware VIP®
Small Cap Value Series)
advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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advised by
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- |
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advised by
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advised by
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- |
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- |
A-14
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Investment Objective |
Fund and
Adviser/Sub-adviser1 |
Current Expenses |
Average Annual Total
Returns (as of 12/31/2023) | ||
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1 year |
5 year |
10 year |
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advised by
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advised by
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- |
- |
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- |
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- |
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A-15
A-16
Additional Information.
More information about the Policy and the Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M (the separate account) is in the current Statement of Additional Information (SAI) for the Lincoln LifeGoals® Flexible Premium Variable Insurance Contract, dated May 1, 2024, as amended or supplemented from time to time. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this prospectus and is legally part of this prospectus. For a free copy of the SAI, or to request other information about the Policy, or to make inquiries about the Policy, call toll-free 1-800-487-1485, or write: The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, PO Box 2348, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2348. You can also find the SAI and other information about the contract online at www.lfg.com/VULprospectus or by sending an email request to [email protected].
Reports and other information about the separate account are also available on the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].
SEC File Nos. 333-259297; 811-08557
EDGAR Contract Identifier C000232314
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
Relating to Prospectus Dated May 1, 2024 for
A copy of the product prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to our
Administrative Office:
Customer Service Center
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
100 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
or by telephoning (800) 487-1485, and requesting a copy of the Lincoln LifeGoals® product prospectus.
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE SAI
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Contents
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Page
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2
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2
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2
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3
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3
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3
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3
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3
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5
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5
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1
GENERAL INFORMATION
Lincoln Life
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (“Lincoln Life”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”) (EIN 35-0472300), organized in 1905, is an Indiana-domiciled insurance company, engaged primarily in
the direct issuance of life insurance policies and annuities. Lincoln Life is wholly owned by Lincoln National
Corporation (LNC), a publicly held insurance and financial services holding company incorporated in Indiana. Lincoln
Life is obligated to pay all amounts promised to Owners under the policies. Death Benefit Proceeds and rider benefits,
to the extent those proceeds and benefits exceed the then current Accumulation Value of your Policy, are
backed by the claims-paying ability of Lincoln Life.
Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC)
and its affiliates. Through its affiliates, Lincoln Financial Group offers annuities, life, group life
and disability insurance, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services.
Lincoln Life is subject to the laws of Indiana governing insurance companies and to
regulation by the Indiana Department of Insurance (“Insurance Department”). An annual statement in a prescribed form is filed with the Insurance Department each year covering the operation of the Company for the preceding
year along with the Company’s financial condition as of the end of that year. Regulation by the Insurance Department includes periodic examination to determine our contract liabilities and reserves. Our books and accounts
are subject to review by the Insurance Department at all times and a full examination of our operations is conducted
periodically by the Insurance Department. Among the laws and regulations applicable to us as an insurance
company are those which regulate the investments we can make with assets held in our General Account. In general,
those laws and regulations determine the amount and type of investments which we can make with General
Account assets. Such regulation does not, however, involve any supervision of management practices or policies,
or our investment practices or policies.
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M
On December 2, 1997, the Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M (“Separate Account”) was established as an insurance company separate account under Indiana law. It is registered
with the SEC as a unit investment trust under the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940
Act). The Separate Account is a segregated investment account, meaning that its assets may not be charged with liabilities
resulting from any other business that we may conduct. Income, gains and losses, whether realized or
not, from assets allocated to the Separate Account are, in accordance with the applicable variable life policies,
credited to or charged against the Separate Account. They are credited or charged without regard to any other income,
gains or losses of Lincoln Life. We are the issuer of the policies and the obligations set forth in the Policy, other
than those of the Owner, are ours. The Separate Account satisfies the definition of a separate account under the federal
securities laws. We do not guarantee the investment performance of the Separate Account. Any investment gain
or loss depends on the investment performance of the funds. You assume the full investment risk for all amounts allocated to the Separate Account.
Capital Markets
In any particular year, our capital may increase or decrease depending on a variety of factors – the amount of our statutory income or losses (which is sensitive to equity market and credit market
conditions), the amount of additional capital we must hold to support business growth, changes in reserving requirements,
our inability to secure capital market solutions to provide reserve relief, such as issuing letters
of credit to support captive reinsurance structures, changes in equity market levels, the value of certain fixed-income
and equity securities in our investment portfolio and changes in interest rates.
2
Registration Statement
A Registration Statement has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the policies offered. The Registration Statement,
its amendments and exhibits, contain information beyond that found in the prospectus and the SAI. Statements contained
in the prospectus and the SAI as to the content of policies and other legal instruments are summaries.
Changes of Investment Policy
We may change the investment policy of the Separate Account at any time. If required
by the Insurance Commissioner, we will file any such change for approval with the Department of Insurance
in our state of domicile, and in any other state or jurisdiction where this Policy is issued.
If an Owner objects, his or her Policy may be converted to a substantially comparable
fixed benefit life insurance policy offered by us on the life of the Insured. The Owner has the later of 60 days
(6 months in Pennsylvania) from the date of the investment policy change or 60 days (6 months in Pennsylvania) from
being informed of such change to make this conversion. We will not require evidence of insurability for this
conversion. The new Policy will not be affected by the investment experience of any separate account. The new Policy
will be for an amount of insurance equal to or lower than the amount of the death benefit of the current Policy
on the date of the conversion.
Principal Underwriter
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”), 130 North Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087, is the principal underwriter for the policies, which are offered continuously. LFD is registered with
the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as a broker-dealer and is a member
of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The principal underwriter has overall responsibility for establishing a selling plan for the policies. LFD received $167,084,177 in 2023, $156,488,582 in 2022 and $177,598,952 in 2021 for the sale of policies offered through the Separate Account. LFD retains no underwriting
commissions from the sale of the policies. The maximum total compensation we pay to any broker-dealer firm
in the form of commission or expense reimbursement allowance, inclusive of any bonus incentives, with respect
to policy sales is 120% of the total Cost of Insurance and Administrative Fees in Year 1 and 0.6% (annualized) of
the Accumulation Value in Policy Years 1 – 20 of all other Premiums paid.
Disaster Plan
Lincoln's business continuity and disaster recovery strategy employs system and telecommunication
accessibility, system back-up and recovery, and employee safety and communication. The plan includes
documented and tested procedures that will assist in ensuring the availability of critical resources and
in maintaining continuity of operations during an emergency situation.
Advertising & Ratings
We may include in certain advertisements, endorsements in the form of a list of organizations,
individuals or other parties which recommend Lincoln Life or its policies. Furthermore, we may occasionally
include in advertisements comparisons of currently taxable and tax deferred investment programs, based on selected
tax brackets, or discussions of alternative investment vehicles and general economic conditions.
Our financial strength is ranked and rated by nationally recognized independent rating
agencies. The ratings do not imply approval of the Policy and do not refer to the performance of the Policy, or
any separate account, including the underlying investment options. Ratings are not recommendations to buy our policies.
Each of the rating agencies reviews its ratings periodically. Accordingly, all ratings are subject to
revision or withdrawal at any time by the rating agencies, and therefore, no assurance can be given that these ratings will
be maintained. Our insurer financial strength ratings are on outlook stable except for the ratings assigned by
Fitch for all three insurance
3
subsidiaries and the rating assigned by AM Best for First Penn Pacific Life Insurance Company, which are on outlook negative. Our financial strength ratings, which are intended to measure our ability to meet
Owners obligations, are an important factor affecting public confidence in most of our policies
and, as a result, our competitiveness. A downgrade of our financial strength rating could affect our competitive
position in the insurance industry by making it more difficult for us to market our policies as potential customers
may select companies with higher financial strength ratings and by leading to increased withdrawals by current
customers seeking companies with higher financial strength ratings. For more information on ratings, including
outlooks, see www.lfg.com/public/aboutus/investorrelations/financialinformation/ratings.
About the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by Lincoln Financial Investment Corporation (“LFI”) on behalf of certain LVIP Funds (the “Funds”. S&P®, S&P 500®, US 500, The 500, iBoxx®, iTraxx® and CDS® are registered trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. or its affiliates (“S&P”) and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to SPDJI and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by LFI on behalf of the Funds. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective
affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities
generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the S&P 500® Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Funds with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or
its licensors. The S&P 500® Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to
LFI or the Funds. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of LFI or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500® Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading
of the Funds. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P 500® Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment
adviser, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, broker dealer, fiduciary, promoter (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended), “expert” as enumerated within 15 U.S.C. § 77k(a) or tax advisor. Inclusion of a security, commodity, crypto currency or other asset within an index is not a recommendation
by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, commodity, crypto currency or other asset nor is it considered to be investment advice.
NEITHER S&P DOW JONES INDICES NOR A THIRD PARTY LICENSOR GUARANTEES THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT
BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL
WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO
RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE FUNDS, OWNERS OF THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF
THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. S&P DOW JONES INDICES HAS NOT REVIEWED, PREPARED AND/OR CERTIFIED ANY PORTION OF, NOR
DOES S&P DOW JONES INDICES HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER, THE FUNDS REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROSPECTUS OR OTHER OFFERING MATERIALS. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND LFI ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
4
SERVICES
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, One Commerce Square,
2005 Market Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103, has audited a) the financial statements
of each of the subaccounts listed in the appendix to the opinion that comprise the Lincoln Life Flexible Premium
Variable Life Account M, as of December 31, 2023, the related statements of operations and the statements of changes in net assets
for each of the periods indicated in the appendix to the opinion; and b) the consolidated financial
statements of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023 as set forth in their reports, which are included in this SAI and Registration Statement.
The aforementioned financial statements are included herein in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
Accounting Services
All accounts, books, records and other documents which are required to be maintained
for the Separate Account are maintained by us or by third parties responsible to Lincoln Life. We have entered
into an agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company, c/o WeWork, 1100 Main Street, Suite 400, Kansas City,
MO 64105, to provide accounting services to the Separate Account. No separate charge against the assets
of the Separate Account is made by us for this service.
Checkbook Service for Disbursements
We offer a service in which the Death Benefit Proceeds are transferred into an interest-bearing
account, in the Beneficiary’s name as Owner of the account. Your Beneficiary has quick access to the proceeds and is the only one authorized to transfer proceeds from the account. This service allows the Beneficiary
additional time to decide how to manage Death Benefit Proceeds with the balance earning interest from the day the
account is opened.
POLICY INFORMATION
Assignment
While the Insured is living, you may assign your rights in the Policy. The assignment
must be in writing, signed by you and received at our Administrative Office. We will not be responsible for any
assignment that is not received by us, nor will we be responsible for the sufficiency or validity of any assignment.
Any assignment is subject to any Indebtedness owed to Lincoln Life at the time the assignment is received and any interest
accrued on such Indebtedness after we have received any assignment.
Once received, the assignment remains effective until released by the assignee in
writing. As long as an assignment remains effective, you may need to obtain the consent of the assignee, in writing,
for specific actions.
Transfer of Ownership
As long as the Insured is living, you may transfer all of your rights in the Policy
by submitting a written request to our Administrative Office. You may revoke any transfer of Ownership prior to its effective
date. The transfer of Ownership, or revocation of transfer, will not take effect until recorded by us. Once
we have recorded the transfer or revocation of transfer, it will take effect as of the date of the latest signature
on the written request.
5
On the effective date of transfer, the transferee will become the Owner and will have
all the rights of the Owner under the Policy. Unless you direct us otherwise, with the consent of any assignee
recorded with us, a transfer will not affect the interest of any Beneficiary designated prior to the effective date
of transfer.
Beneficiary
The Beneficiary is initially designated on a form provided by us for that purpose
and is the person who will receive the Death Benefit Proceeds payable. Multiple Beneficiaries will be paid in equal shares,
unless otherwise specified to the Company.
You may change the Beneficiary at any time while the Insured is living, except when
we have received an agreement not to change the Beneficiary or you have assigned that right. Any request for a change
in the Beneficiary must be in writing, signed by you, and recorded at our Administrative Office. If the Owner
has specifically requested not to reserve the right to change the Beneficiary, such a request requires the consent of
the Beneficiary. The change will not be effective until recorded by us. Once we have recorded the change of Beneficiary,
the change will take effect as of the date of latest signature on the written request or, if there is no such date, the date recorded. Any payment made or any action taken or allowed by us before we record the change of Beneficiary
will be without prejudice to us.
If any Beneficiary dies before the Insured, the Beneficiary's potential interest shall
pass to any surviving Beneficiaries in the appropriate Beneficiary class, unless otherwise specified to
the Company. If no named Beneficiary survives the Insured, any Death Benefit Proceeds will be paid to you,
as the Owner, or to your executor, administrator or assignee.
Exchange of Policy
Your Policy may be exchanged for another Policy issued by the Company only if the
Company consents to the exchange and all requirements for the exchange, as determined by the Company, are
met. Your request for exchange must be in writing.
The Company may not make an offer to you to exchange your Policy without obtaining
required regulatory approvals.
Settlement Options
Proceeds will be paid in a lump sum unless you choose a settlement option we make
available.
Deferment of Payments
Amounts payable as a result of Policy Loans, Surrenders or Withdrawals will be paid
within seven calendar days upon receipt of documents required to complete the transaction. We will not defer
any payment used to pay Premiums on policies with us.
Incontestability
The Company will not contest your Policy or payment of the Death Benefit Proceeds
based on the Initial Life Insurance Amount after your Policy has been in force for two years from Date of Issue (in
accordance with state law).
6
Misstatement of Age or Gender
If the age or gender of the Insured has been misstated, benefits will be those which
would have been purchased at the correct age and gender.
Suicide
If the Insured dies by suicide, while sane or insane, within two years from the Date
of Issue, the Company will pay a death benefit of no more than the sum of the Premiums paid, less any Indebtedness
and the amount of any Withdrawals. This time period could be less depending on the state of issue.
PERFORMANCE DATA
Performance data may appear in sales literature or reports to Owners or prospective
buyers.
Past performance cannot guarantee comparable future results. Performance data reflects
the time period shown on a rolling monthly basis.
Data reflects:
•
an annual reduction for fund management fees and expenses, but
•
no deductions for additional policy expenses (i.e., Premium Loads, Mortality and Expense
Charges, Administrative Fees, and Cost of Insurance Charges), which, if included, would have
resulted in lower performance.
These charges and deductions can have a significant effect on policy values and benefits.
Ask your financial representative for a personalized illustration reflecting these costs.
Sub-Account performance figures are historical and include change in share price,
reinvestment of dividends and capital gains and are net of the asset management expenses that can be levied against
the Sub-Account.
The Average Annual Returns in the table below are calculated in two ways, one for
Money Market Sub-Account, one for all other Sub-Accounts. Both are according to methods prescribed by the SEC.
Money Market Sub-Account:
The Average Annual Return is the income generated by an investment in the Money Market
Sub-Account over a seven-day period, annualized. The process of annualizing results when the amount of
income generated by the investment during that week is assumed to be generated each week over a 52-week period
and is shown as a percentage of the investment.
The Money Market Sub-Account’s return is determined by:
a)
calculating the change in unit value for the base period (the 7-day period ended December
31, of the previous year); then
b)
dividing this figure by the unit value at the beginning of the period; then
c)
annualizing this result by the factor of 365/7.
Other Sub-Accounts:
The Average Annual Return for each period is determined by finding the average annual
compounded rate of return over each period that would equate the initial amount invested to the ending redeemable
value for that period, according to the following formula:
P(1 + T)n = ERV
|
Where:
|
P = a hypothetical initial purchase payment of $1,000
|
7
|
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T = average annual total return for the period in question
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n = number of years
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ERV = ending redeemable value (as of the end of the
period in question) of a hypothetical $1,000 purchase
payment made at the beginning of the 1-year, 3-year,
5-year, or 10-year period in question (or fractional
period thereof)
|
The formula assumes that:
(1)
all recurring fees have been charged to the Owner’s accounts; and
(2)
there will be a complete redemption upon the anniversary of the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year,
or 10-year period in question.
In accordance with SEC guidelines, we report Sub-Account performance back to the first
date that the fund became available, which could pre-date its inclusion in this product. Where the length of
the performance reporting period exceeds the period for which the fund was available, Sub-Account performance will
show an “N/A”.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The December 31, 2023 financial statements of the Separate Account and the December 31, 2023 consolidated financial statements of the Company are incorporated into this SAI by reference to the Separate Account’s most recent Form N-VPFS (“Form N-VPFS”) filed with the SEC.
8
PART C - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 30. EXHIBITS
a)
b)
Not applicable.
c)
(1)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
d)
(1)
(2)
e)
f)
(1)
(2)
g)
h)
Fund Participation Agreements, and amendments thereto, between The Lincoln National
Life Insurance Company and:
(1)
(2)
(a)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(a)
(9)
(10)
(a)
(11)
(12)
(a)
(13)
(14)
(a)
(15)
(16)
(17)
(a)
(b)
(18)
(19)
i)
Accounting and Financial Administration Services Agreement dated January 1, 2019 among
State Street Bank and Trust Company, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of
New York incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 36 on Form N-6 (File No. 333-125790) filed on April
12, 2019.
j)
Not applicable.
l)
Not applicable.
m)
Not applicable.
B-2
o)
Not applicable.
p)
Not applicable.
r)
Not applicable.
EX-101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
Item 31. Directors and Officers of the Depositor
|
Name
|
Positions and Offices with Depositor
|
|
Craig T. Beazer*
|
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director
|
|
Jayson R. Bronchetti*
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Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Director
|
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Adam M. Cohen*
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Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer
|
|
Ellen G. Cooper*
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President and Director
|
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Stephen B. Harris*
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Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
|
|
Christopher M. Neczypor*
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Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director
|
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Nancy A. Smith*
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Senior Vice President and Secretary
|
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Joseph D. Spada**
|
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Separate Accounts
|
|
Eric B. Wilmer***
|
Assistant Vice President and Director
|
*Principal business address is 150 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087
**Principal business address is 350 Church Street, Hartford, CT 06103
***Principal business address is 1301 South Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Item 32. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Depositor or the Registrant
Item 33. Indemnification
(a)
Brief description of indemnification provisions:
In general, Article VII of the By-Laws of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
(Lincoln Life) provides that Lincoln Life will indemnify certain persons against expenses, judgments and certain other
specified costs incurred by any such person if he/she is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to a suit or proceeding
because he/she was a director, officer, or employee of Lincoln Life, as long as he/she acted in good faith and in a manner
he/she reasonably believed to be in the best interests of, or not opposed to the best interests of, Lincoln Life. Certain
additional conditions apply to indemnification in criminal proceedings.
In particular, separate conditions govern indemnification of directors, officers,
and employees of Lincoln Life in connection with suits by, or in the right of, Lincoln Life.
Please refer to Article VII of the By-Laws of Lincoln Life (Exhibit No. 6(b) hereto)
for the full text of the indemnification provisions. Indemnification is permitted by, and is subject to the requirements of, Indiana law.
(b)
Undertaking pursuant to Rule 484 of Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933:
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933
may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item
28(a) above or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that
a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid
by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any such action, suit or proceeding)
is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant
will, unless in the opinion of its counsel
B-3
the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be
governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 34. Principal Underwriter
(a)
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. (“LFD”) currently serves as Principal Underwriter for: Lincoln National Variable Annuity
Account C; Lincoln National Flexible Premium Variable Life Account D; Lincoln National
Variable Annuity Account E; Lincoln National Flexible Premium Variable Life Account F; Lincoln National Flexible Premium
Variable Life Account G; Lincoln National Variable Annuity Account H; Lincoln Life & Annuity Variable Annuity Account
H; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account J; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account K; Lincoln National
Variable Annuity Account L; Lincoln Life & Annuity Variable Annuity Account L; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable
Life Account M; Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account
N; Lincoln New York Account N for Variable Annuities; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account Q; Lincoln Life Flexible
Premium Variable Life Account R; LLANY Separate Account R for Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance; Lincoln Life Flexible
Premium Variable Life Account S; LLANY Separate Account S for Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance; Lincoln Life
Variable Annuity Account T; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account W; and Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account
Y and Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium Variable Life Account Y; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account JF-H; Lincoln
Life Variable Annuity Account JF-I; Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JF-A; Lincoln Life Flexible
Premium Variable Life Account JF-C; Lincoln Life Variable Annuity Account JL-A; Lincoln Life & Annuity Flexible Premium
Variable Life Account JA-B; Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust; Lincoln Advisors Trust.
(b)
Officers and Directors of Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.:
|
Name
|
Positions and Offices with Underwriter
|
|
Adam M. Cohen*
|
Senior Vice President and Treasurer
|
|
Jason M. Gibson**
|
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
|
|
Claire H. Hanna*
|
Secretary
|
|
John C. Kennedy*
|
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
|
Jared M. Nepa*
|
Senior Vice President and Director
|
|
Thomas P. O’Neill*
|
Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Financial
Institutions Group
|
|
Timothy J. Seifert Sr*
|
Senior Vice President and Director
|
*Principal business address is 150 N. Radnor-Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087
**Principal business address is 1301 South Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(c)
N/A
Item 35. Location of Accounts and Records
This information is provided in the Registrant’s most recent report on Form N-CEN.
Item 36. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 37. Fee Representation
Lincoln Life represents that the fees and charges deducted under the policies, in
the aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services rendered, the expenses expected to be incurred, and the risks assumed by Lincoln
Life.
B-4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, each Registrant, has duly caused these Post-Effective Amendments to Registration Statements to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned duly authorized, in the City of Hartford and State of Connecticut on the 25th day of March, 2024 at 7:39 am. Registrant certifies that these amendments meet all of the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933.
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account R
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JF-A
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account G
(Registrants)
| /s/Joshua Durand | |||
| By | |||
| Joshua Durand | |||
| Vice President | |||
| The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company | |||
| The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company | |||
| (Depositor) | |||
| /s/Josh Durand | |||
| By | |||
| Joshua Durand | |||
| Vice President | |||
| The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company | |||
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account M (File No.: 811-08557)
| 333-229292 (Amendment No. 12) | 333-146507 (Amendment No. 35) | 333-118477 (Amendment No. 26) |
| 333-200100 (Amendment No. 15) | 333-259409 (Amendment No. 5) | 333-237112 (Amendment No. 9) |
| 333-259297 (Amendment No. 5) | 333-118478 (Amendment No. 26) | 333-181796 (Amendment No. 16) |
| 333-139960 (Amendment No. 27) | 333-249922 (Amendment No. 12) | 333-229198 (Amendment No. 14) |
| 333-191329 (Amendment No. 22) | 333-111137 (Amendment No. 27) |
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account R (File No.: 811-08579)
| 333-249920 (Amendment No. 9) | 333-188891 (Amendment No. 15) | 333-115882 (Amendment No. 27) |
| 333-232013 (Amendment No. 8) | 333-207968 (Amendment No. 12) |
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account JF-A (File No.: 811-04160)
| 333-144272 (Amendment No. 22) | 333-144274 (Amendment No. 21) |
Lincoln Life Flexible Premium Variable Life Account G (File No.: 811-05585)
033-22740 (Amendment No. 41)
As required by the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, these Amendments to the Registration Statements have been signed by the following persons in their capacities indicated on March 21, 2024 at 1:09 pm.
| Signature | Title | |
| */s/Ellen G. Cooper | ||
| Ellen G. Cooper | President and Director | |
| */s/Christopher M. Neczypor | ||
| Christopher M. Neczypor | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director | |
| */s/Craig T. Beazer | ||
| Craig T. Beazer | Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director | |
| */s/Eric B. Wilmer | ||
| Eric B. Wilmer | Assistant Vice President and Director | |
| */s/Jayson R. Bronchetti | ||
| Jayson R. Bronchetti | Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Director | |
| */s/Adam M. Cohen | ||
| Adam M. Cohen | Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer |
| /s/Jassmin McIver-Jones | ||
| * By | ||
| Jassmin McIver-Jones | ||
| Attorney-in-Fact, pursuant to a Power- | ||
| of-Attorney filed with this Registration | ||
| Statement |
ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA
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