| First Investors Life Series Select Growth Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Investors Life Series Select Growth Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Investment Objective: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
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| Fees and Expenses of the Fund: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investments in the Fund can only be made through a variable annuity contract or life insurance policy offered by a participating insurance company. This table does not reflect the fees and expenses that are or may be imposed by a variable annuity contract or life insurance policy for which the Fund is an investment option. For information regarding those fees and expenses, please refer to the applicable variable annuity contract or life insurance policy prospectus. If those fees and expenses were included, the overall fees and expenses shown in the table would be higher.
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| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Example | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The table below does not include the fees or expenses that are or may be imposed by a variable annuity contract or life insurance policy for which the Fund is an investment option. If they were included, the expenses shown in the table below would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you do or do not redeem your shares, your costs would be:
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| Portfolio Turnover: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). Higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.
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| Principal Investment Strategies: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Fund invests in a portfolio of approximately 40-45 common stocks that the Fund’s subadviser, Smith Asset Management Group, L.P. (“Smith”), believes offers the best potential for earnings growth with the lowest risk of negative earnings surprises. Smith employs quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify high quality companies that it believes have the ability to accelerate earnings growth and exceed investor expectations. Beginning with a universe of stocks that includes large-, mid- and small-size companies, Smith’s investment team uses risk control and valuation screens primarily based on valuation, financial quality, stock volatility and corporate governance, to eliminate stocks that are highly volatile or are more likely to underperform the market. Stocks that pass the initial screens are then evaluated using a proprietary methodology and fundamental analysis to produce a list of 80-100 eligible companies that Smith believes have a high probability of earnings growth that exceeds investor expectations. The analysis includes an evaluation of changes in Wall Street opinions, individual analysts’ historical accuracy, earnings quality analysis and corporate governance practices. Smith then constructs the Fund’s portfolio based on a traditional fundamental analysis of the companies identified on the list to understand their business prospects, earnings potential, strength of management and competitive positioning. Stocks may be sold if they exhibit negative investment or performance characteristics, including: a negative earnings forecast or report, valuation concerns, company officials’ downward guidance on company performance or earnings or announcement of a buyout. Additionally, from time to time, in pursuing its investment strategies, the Fund may hold significant investments (25% or more of its assets) in a specific market sector, including the information technology sector.
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| Principal Risks: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
You can lose money by investing in the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. Here are the principal risks of investing in the Fund: Focused Portfolio Risk. Because the Fund generally invests in a limited portfolio of only 40 to 45 stocks, its performance may be more volatile than other funds whose portfolios contain a larger number of securities. Growth Stock Risk. The Fund’s focus on growth stocks increases the potential volatility of its share price. If expectations are not met, the prices of these stocks may decline significantly. Market Risk. Stock prices may decline over short or even extended periods due to general economic and market conditions, adverse political or regulatory developments or interest rate fluctuations. Adverse market events may lead to increased redemptions, which could cause the Fund to experience a loss or difficulty in selling securities to meet redemptions. Mid-Size and Small-Size Company Risk. The market risk associated with stocks of mid- and small-size companies is generally greater than that associated with stocks of larger, more established companies because stocks of mid- and small-size companies tend to experience sharper price fluctuations. At times, it may be difficult to sell mid- to small-size company stocks at reasonable prices. Sector Risk. The Fund may hold a significant amount of investments in similar businesses, which could be affected by the same economic or market conditions. The Fund may be significantly invested in the information technology sector, meaning that the value of its shares may be particularly vulnerable to factors affecting that sector, such as intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Companies in this sector also are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. Security Selection Risk. Securities selected by the portfolio manager may perform differently than the overall market or may not meet expectations. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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| Performance: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for 1, 5, and 10 years compare to those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The bar chart and table do not reflect fees and expenses that may be deducted by the variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy through which you invest. If they were included, the returns would be less than those shown.
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| Total Annual Returns For Calendar Years Ended December 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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During the periods shown, the highest quarterly return was 15.08% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2012) and the lowest quarterly return was -15.78% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2018).
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| Average Annual Total Returns For Periods Ended December 31, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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