Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust

04/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2025 04:01

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)

Summary Prospectus
April 30, 2025
GOLDMAN SACHS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund - Service Shares

Before you invest, you may want to review the Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund (the "Fund") Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's Prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at dfinview.com/GoldmanSachs. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-621-2550 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. The Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), both dated April 30, 2025, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund (the "Fund") seeks total return while seeking to provide volatility management.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Service Shares of the Fund. This table does not reflect the fees and expenses associated with any variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy that uses the Fund as an investment option. Had those fees and expenses been included, overall fees and expenses would be higher.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
Management Fees
0.79%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
Other Expenses
0.10%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1
1.28%
Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation2
(0.32)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation
0.96%
1
The "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" do not correlate to the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses."
2
The Investment Adviser has agreed to (i) waive a portion of the management fee in order to achieve an effective net management fee rate of 0.67% of the Fund's average daily net assets and; (ii) waive a portion of its management fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to any management fees it earns as an investment adviser to any affiliated funds in which the Fund invests, except those management fees it earns from the Fund's investments of cash collateral received in connection with securities lending transactions in affiliated funds; and (iii) reduce or limit "Other Expenses" (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, expenses of shareholder meetings, litigation and indemnification, and extraordinary expenses) to 0.004% of the Fund's average daily net assets. These arrangements will remain in effect through at least April 30, 2026, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Board of Trustees.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This Example does not reflect the fees and expenses associated with any variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy that uses the Fund as an investment option. Had those fees and expenses been included, the costs shown below would be higher. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Service Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Service Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates any applicable fee waiver and/or
expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Service Shares
$98
$374
$672
$1,517

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., "turns over" its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. These costs are not reflected in the annual fund operating expenses or in
2 Summary Prospectus - Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund - Service Shares
the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund's performance. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 was 7% of the average value of its portfolio.  
Principal Strategy
The Fund primarily seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a portfolio of U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities and U.S. fixed income securities. The Fund may invest in one or a combination of the following securities and instruments: pooled investment vehicles, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and other investment companies; equity securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers; U.S. fixed income securities; and derivatives that provide exposure to a broad spectrum of asset classes and geographic regions. Under normal market conditions, the Fund expects to invest at least 50% of its assets in equity investments and at least 30% of its assets in fixed income investments.
The Investment Adviser makes investment decisions based upon its analysis of "trends" from around the world. Trends are used by the Investment Adviser to allocate the Fund's relative weighting to equity and fixed income securities. The trends analyzed by the Investment Adviser are based on, but are not limited to, relative considerations around the prices and volatility of the underlying markets. These considerations assess recent prices of an asset relative to historical prices and an asset's current volatility relative to its historical volatility. If recent prices are higher than measures of historical prices for an asset, the Investment Adviser generally considers there to be a positive (strong) trend for these assets, whereas recent prices below such measures generally indicate negative (poor) trends. If the current measure of volatility is elevated relative to historic realizations of this volatility measure for an asset, the Investment Adviser generally considers there to be a negative (poor) trend for this asset, whereas volatility that is less elevated indicates positive (strong) trends.
Further, as a result of the trends analysis, the Investment Adviser may allocate more of the Fund's assets to investments with relatively strong recent trends and allocate assets away from investments with relatively poor recent trends. The percentage of the Fund's portfolio exposed to any asset class or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the Fund change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class at all times. At times, the Fund may be heavily invested in certain asset classes or geographic regions, depending on the asset allocation of the strategy. The Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, currency, maturity or credit rating.
As part of the Fund's investment strategy, the Investment Adviser seeks to manage volatility and limit losses by allocating the Fund's assets away from risky investments in distressed or volatile market environments. In this context, volatility is a statistical measurement of the magnitude of up and/or down fluctuations in the value of a financial instrument or index. In distressed or volatile market environments, the Fund may also hold significant amounts of U.S. Treasury, short-term, or other fixed income investments, including money market funds and repurchase agreements or cash, and at times may invest up to 100% of its assets in such investments. While the Investment Adviser attempts to manage the Fund's volatility, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful.
The Fund's investments in derivatives may include: (i) futures contracts, including futures based on securities and/or indices; (ii) swaps, including interest rate, total return, variance, and/or index swaps, and swaps on futures contracts; (iii) options, including long and short positions in call options and put options on indices, or currencies, swaptions and options on futures contracts; and (iv) structured notes. The Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both investment and hedging purposes.
The Quantitative Investment Strategies ("QIS") team uses a systematic, rules-based approach, in combination with a qualitative overlay, to select the investments of the Fund. The Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the QIS team's proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, including the trends analyzed, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser's proprietary research.
The Investment Adviser measures the Fund's performance against a composite of 60% Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World Index (Net, USD, Hedged) / 40% Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index (Total Return, USD, Unhedged) (the "60% MSCI World / 40% Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index" or "Composite Index"), as discussed further under "Performance." 
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Absence of Regulation Risk.  The Fund engages in over-the-counter ("OTC") transactions, which trade in a dealer network, rather than on an exchange. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges.
Asset Allocation Risk.  The Fund's allocations to the various asset classes may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.
Credit/Default Risk.  An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. Additionally, the credit quality of securities may deteriorate rapidly, which may impair the Fund's liquidity and cause significant deterioration in net asset value ("NAV"). These risks are heightened in market environments where interest rates are rising as well as in connection with the Fund's investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund's use of options, forwards, interest rate futures, interest rate swaps, credit default swaps and other derivative instruments may result in losses, including due to adverse market movements. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other assets and instruments, may increase market exposure and be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying assets or instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments.
3 Summary Prospectus - Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund - Service Shares
Expenses Risk. By investing in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and real estate investment trusts ("REITs") indirectly through the Fund, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also the expenses of the Fund.
Foreign Risk.  Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund's liquidity and performance. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
Geographic Risk. If the Fund focuses its investments in issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, it will subject the Fund, to a greater extent than if investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance. In addition, changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. Funds with longer average portfolio durations will generally be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than funds with a shorter average portfolio duration. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the yield and liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.
Investing in the Underlying Funds. The investments of the Fund are concentrated in one or more underlying funds including ETFs and other registered investment companies ("Underlying Funds") subject to limitations and/or conditions prescribed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), or rules, regulations or exemptive relief thereunder. The Fund's investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the
Underlying Funds it holds. The Fund is subject to the risk factors associated with the investments of the Underlying Funds and will be affected by the investment policies and practices of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets allocated to each. A strategy used by the Underlying Funds may fail to produce the intended results. If the Fund has a relative concentration of its portfolio in a single Underlying Fund, it may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting that Underlying Fund and may be more susceptible to losses because of these developments.
Investments in ETFs. The Fund may invest directly in ETFs, including affiliated ETFs. The Fund's investments in ETFs will be subject to the restrictions applicable to investments by an investment company in other investment companies, unless relief is otherwise provided under the terms of a Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund's NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratio.
Leverage Risk.  Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may increase market exposure and make the Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet margin/collateral requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by the Fund can substantially increase the Fund's investment risks and cause losses to be realized more quickly.
Liquidity Risk.  The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, declining prices of the securities sold, an unusually high volume of redemption requests or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell investments at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. Redemptions by large shareholders may have a negative impact on the Fund's liquidity.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors, governments or countries and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, geopolitical disputes, acts of terrorism, social or political unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate
4 Summary Prospectus - Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund - Service Shares
changes, supply chain disruptions, tariffs and other restrictions on trade, sanctions or the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats, or the threat or potential of one or more such events and developments, could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
NAV Risk.  The NAV of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate.
Other Investment Companies Risk. By investing in other investment companies (including ETFs) indirectly through the Fund, investors will incur a proportionate share of the expenses of the other investment companies held by the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees) in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Fund. In addition, the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such investment companies in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein.
Stock Risk.  Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Swaps Risk.  In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the "notional amount" of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty's defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Tax Diversification Risk. The Fund intends to meet the diversification requirements that are applicable to insurance company separate accounts under Subchapter L of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") (the "Diversification Requirements"). In order for the Fund to qualify for "look through" treatment under the Diversification Requirements, Fund shares must be sold only to persons permitted to hold shares, directly or indirectly (each, a "Permitted Investor"), under Section 817 of the Code and Treasury Regulation 1.817-5(f), as supplemented by published rulings and procedures issued thereunder by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). To the extent an investor in Fund shares no longer qualifies as a Permitted Investor, and such investor fails to restore its status as a Permitted Investor or obtain a waiver or closing agreement with respect to such failure from the IRS, the Fund may no longer qualify for "look through" treatment. Therefore, in testing compliance with the Diversification Requirements, an investor in the Fund, such as, for example, an insurance company separate account, no longer would be able to look through the Fund to its underlying investments. Instead, the Fund would be considered a single investment for purposes of the Diversification Requirements.
A failure to satisfy the Diversification Requirements (whether resulting from investors in Fund shares or otherwise) could have significant adverse tax consequences for variable contract owners whose contract values are determined by investment in the Fund. See "Taxation" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") for more information.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. government securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and government sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") and the Federal Home Loan
Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. government securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.  
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund's Service Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund's Service Shares compare to those of a regulatorily required broad-based securities market index (MSCI World Index (Net, USD, Unhedged)) (the "Regulatory Benchmark") and the 60% MSCI World / 40% Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index (the "Performance Benchmark"). The Performance Benchmark is generally more representative of the market sectors and/or types of investments in which the Fund invests or to which the Fund has exposure and which the Investment Adviser uses to measure the Fund's performance. The Fund has included in the table below the performance of the Regulatory Benchmark, which represents a broader measure of market performance, to comply with new regulatory requirements. For additional information about these benchmark indices, please see "Additional Performance and Benchmark Information" on page 8 of the Prospectus. Between May 1, 2015, through December 31, 2021, the Fund had been known as the Goldman Sachs Global Trends Allocation Fund and since the Fund's inception through April 30, 2015, the Fund had been known as the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Navigator Fund, and its investment objective and certain of its strategies differed. Performance information set forth below reflects the performance resulting from the Fund's former investment objective and strategies prior to those dates. The Fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown. In addition, performance reflects Fund level expenses but does not reflect the fees and expenses associated with any variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy that uses the Fund as an investment option for any contract or policy. Had performance reflected all of those fees and expenses, performance would have been reduced.
Updated performance information is available at no cost at am.gs.com or by calling the phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
CALENDAR YEAR
  
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
7.70%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter Return
-9.85%
June 30, 2022
5 Summary Prospectus - Goldman Sachs Trend Driven Allocation Fund - Service Shares
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2024
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Inception
Date
Service Shares
11.73%
4.77%
4.16%
4/16/2012
60% MSCI World / 40% Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index
12.92%
7.50%
7.23%
MSCI World Index (Net, USD, Hedged)
21.80%
12.73%
11.25%
Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index (Total Return, USD, Unhedged)
0.58%
-0.68%
0.83%
MSCI World Index (Net, USD, Unhedged)
18.62%
11.15%
9.94%
Benchmark returns do not reflect any deductions for fees or expenses.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the "Investment Adviser" or "GSAM").
Portfolio Managers:  Oliver Bunn, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since 2018; Momoko Ono, Vice President, has managed the Fund since 2022; and Jay Seo, Vice President, has managed the Fund since 2022. 
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Fund shares are not sold directly to the public. Fund shares may be purchased and redeemed by separate accounts that fund variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts issued by participating insurance companies and other qualified purchasers. Orders received from separate accounts and other qualified purchasers to purchase or redeem Fund shares are effected on business days. Individual investors may purchase or redeem Fund shares indirectly through variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies offered through the separate accounts. 
Tax Information
Provided that the Fund and separate accounts investing in the Fund satisfy applicable tax requirements, the Fund will not be subject to federal tax. Special tax rules apply to life insurance companies, variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance contracts. For information on federal income taxation of owners of variable annuity or variable life insurance contracts, see the prospectus for the applicable contract. 
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and/or its related companies may pay participating insurance companies and securities dealers for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the insurance company and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your insurance company's website for more information.
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VITNAVSUMS-25
Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust published this content on April 30, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via EDGAR on April 30, 2025 at 10:02 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]