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Disclosures

Our focus as a fraternal benefit society

Our goal at Thrivent Financial is to continue building a long-term relationship with you to help you reach your financial goals, and to increase the value of your Thrivent membership. As a fraternal benefit society, Thrivent offers programs and benefits to strengthen Christian communities so that they can serve people in need, help you be wise with money, guide you to live generously, and give you access to free educational resources and discounts. We believe we succeed when our members, their families and their communities thrive.

We were founded more than 100 years ago to help people protect themselves and their families, and help others – essentially strengthening their families, communities and churches. Thrivent and our affiliates – a family of companies created to help carry out our mission – develop, market and distribute a broad range of financial products and services. We also offer certain products developed by other companies, including health insurance, major medical, long-term care insurance, life insurance, annuities and mutual funds. As a membership organization, we want to be transparent about the types of products and services that we recommend to you and help you understand why we may recommend certain products and services. Therefore, we ask that you carefully review important disclosures about Thrivent and its affiliates. While Thrivent and our field representatives seek to provide you with suitable products based on your financial needs and objectives, you should be aware that the receipt of any additional incentive may create a conflict.

There's another major difference: our Thrivent Financial insurance and annuity products help create the dollars that make the grassroots membership support of communities and churches possible. Funding for this support comes from tax exemptions that we've been provided as a fraternal benefit society. In effect, when we sell our Thrivent Financial insurance and annuity products, money we would otherwise pay in taxes is put into the membership programs and services that help our members and help them give back to the community. For example, through our network of groups of members around the country (called chapters, or in some locations, Thrivent Communities), we provide resources and funding for our members to do local volunteering for charitable, educational and patriotic purposes. Therefore, we focus on the distribution and sale of Thrivent Financial annuities and insurance products. Together with our members in their local chapters, Thrivent generated more than $95 million in 2012 to support communities, churches and individuals in need. Additionally, Thrivent members volunteered more than 8.7 million hours through our outreach initiatives.

Financial representative product access

All of Thrivent Financial's representatives licensed with Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Investment Management Inc., a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, can offer and sell Thrivent Financial annuities and insurance products and other proprietary products, such as Thrivent Mutual Funds, as well as certain nonproprietary products. Certain Thrivent Financial representatives may have access to certain proprietary and nonproprietary products and services while other Thrivent Financial representatives do not have such access, based on their experience, licensing and other qualifications. If your financial representative is unable to offer a product or service that interests you, he or she may be able to work with another financial representative at no extra cost to you. We encourage you to talk with your financial representative about the products and services he or she may offer and explore the options available to you.

Field leadership compensation

Our corporate employees and field personnel, who manage our financial representatives, are eligible to receive variable compensation. This may include cash bonuses based on the amount of sales by the financial representatives of life, health and annuity products issued by Thrivent Financial and other insurers.

Mutual fund products compensation

Thrivent Investment Management Inc. ("Thrivent Investment Mgt.") is a Delaware corporation and a for-profit, indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial ("Thrivent Financial"). Thrivent Investment Mgt. is a dually registered investment adviser and broker/dealer and a member of FINRA and SIPC. Thrivent Investment Mgt. is also the principal underwriter and distributor of the shares of Thrivent Mutual Funds, which is composed of several series (and each series is a Thrivent Mutual Fund), and variable products issued by Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Life Insurance Company.

Thrivent Mutual Funds are distributed by financial representatives licensed with Thrivent Investment Mgt. ("financial representatives"). Most financial representatives are independent contractors, while certain others are employees of Thrivent Financial and one of its affiliates, and are compensated by Thrivent Investment Mgt. primarily in the form of commissions for the sale of Thrivent Mutual Funds and for servicing Thrivent Mutual Fund accounts. Commissions received by financial representatives will not result in any additional charges to you, other than as already described in the Thrivent Mutual Funds prospectus.

Compensation for financial representatives who are independent contractors

Financial representatives who are independent contractors are paid a commission that ranges between 58% and 66% of the applicable sales load for the sale of Class A shares of a Thrivent Mutual Fund. The commission rate is based on a financial representative's volume of gross dealer concession from certain investment products. Sales of Institutional Class shares of Thrivent Mutual Funds generate commissions that range from 2.5 to 15 basis points annually of the ongoing account value, depending on the particular Thrivent Mutual Fund. The preceding payouts do not apply to sales of Thrivent Mutual Funds through a managed account.

In addition, independent contractor financial representatives, which sell and/or service Class A shares of a Thrivent Mutual Fund, are paid a portion of the Rule 12b-1 fee1 that you pay as a Class A shareholder of that Fund. The portion of the Rule 12b-1 fee that is paid to a financial representative ranges from 45% to 90% of the Rule 12b-1 fee. This range depends on the particular financial representative's volume of gross dealer concession from certain investment products.

Compensation for financial representatives who are employees

Financial representatives, who are part of the Financial Advice Center or our other distribution channels, receive a salary and may earn additional bonus compensation for meeting certain sales or revenue thresholds. They also are eligible to receive benefits and may be eligible for other compensation described above.

Financial representatives sell mutual fund products of Thrivent Financial and may sell those of other mutual fund companies. Generally, it is more profitable for Thrivent Financial if you purchase products that are distributed by Thrivent Investment Mgt. and advised by one of its affiliates, such as Thrivent Mutual Funds, instead of those issued by other mutual fund companies. Thrivent Investment Mgt. and, in certain instances, an unaffiliated third party may from time to time offer marketing incentives, promotions or reimbursements to individual financial representatives or groups of financial representatives. As permissible under applicable regulations, these incentive programs may provide cash and/or noncash incentive compensation to financial representatives for the sale of various products and services, including Thrivent Mutual Funds.

While Thrivent Investment Mgt. and its financial representatives seek to provide you with suitable products based on your investing needs and objectives, you should be aware that the receipt of additional incentives may create a conflict of interest. Incentive programs are subject to industry regulations and are addressed in Thrivent Investment Mgt.'s internal compliance policies, which, in some cases, limit these payments, items and benefits.

If you have questions, please contact your financial representative or call 800-847-4863.

Variable insurance products compensation

Thrivent Investment Management Inc. ("Thrivent Investment Mgt.") is a Delaware corporation and a for-profit, indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial ("Thrivent Financial"). Thrivent Investment Mgt. is a dually registered investment adviser and broker-dealer and a member of FINRA and SIPC. Thrivent Investment Mgt. is also the principal underwriter and distributor of the shares of Thrivent Mutual Funds and variable insurance products issued by Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Life Insurance Company, including (but not limited to) variable universal life, variable deferred annuity, variable immediate annuity and variable settlement options ("variable insurance products").

Thrivent Financial variable insurance products are distributed by financial representatives licensed with Thrivent Investment Mgt. ("financial representatives"). Most financial representatives are independent contractors, while certain others are employees of Thrivent Financial and one of its affiliates, and are compensated by Thrivent Investment Mgt. for the sale and service of Thrivent Financial variable insurance products primarily in the form of commissions.

Commissions received by financial representatives will not result in any additional charges to you, other than as already described in the Thrivent Financial variable insurance product prospectuses.

Compensation for financial representatives who are independent contractors

Financial representatives who are independent contractors are paid a commission that is a percentage of the commissionable premium paid on variable insurance products manufactured by Thrivent Financial or Thrivent Life Insurance Company and distributed through Thrivent Investment Mgt. The percentage of the commissionable premium paid as a commission varies based on the specific products:

  • Flexible Premium Deferred Variable Annuity – Commission rates vary by the age of the annuitant, the product and the age of the contract.
  • Single Premium Immediate Variable Annuity – Commission rates vary by the expected duration of the income stream.
  • Variable Settlement Option – Commission rates vary by the expected duration of the income stream and the age of the annuitant.
  • Variable Universal Life Insurance – Commission rates vary by the age of the insured and the length of time the contract is expected to run.

Approximately 50% of the net dealer concession paid to Thrivent Investment Mgt. for variable insurance products manufactured by unaffiliated product manufacturers but distributed through Thrivent Investment Mgt. is paid as a commission to the financial representative.

Financial representatives who are independent contractors may also receive bonuses:

  • Representing an additional portion of the commission paid on the sale of variable insurance products. These bonuses are based on the financial representative's sales volume of certain products and the financial representative's accumulated sales credits.
  • Representing between 0 and 30 basis points annually of the Thrivent Financial variable insurance product account values that they service and between 0 and 9.0% of the premiums on Thrivent Financial variable universal life products that they sell. The bonus is based on the financial representative's level of sales volume, success in increasing membership, ability to retain assets and value of clients' accounts with Thrivent Financial and its affiliates.

Compensation for financial representatives who are employees

Financial representatives, who are part of the Financial Advice Center or our other distribution channels, receive a salary and may earn additional bonus compensation for meeting certain sales or revenue thresholds. They also are eligible to receive benefits and may be eligible for other compensation described above.

Financial representatives sell variable insurance products of Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Life Insurance Company and may, in certain limited circumstances, sell those of approved unaffiliated companies. Generally, it is more profitable for Thrivent Financial if you purchase products that are issued by Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Life Insurance Company instead of those issued by other variable insurance product companies. Thrivent Financial and, in certain instances, an unaffiliated third party may from time to time offer marketing incentives, promotions or reimbursements to individual financial representatives or groups of financial representatives. As permissible under applicable regulations, these incentive programs may provide cash and/or noncash incentive compensation to financial representatives for the sale of various products and services, including Thrivent Financial variable insurance products.

While Thrivent Financial and its financial representatives seek to provide you with suitable products based on your insurance and investing needs and objectives, you should be aware that the receipt of additional incentives may create a conflict of interest. Incentive programs are subject to industry regulations and are addressed in Thrivent Financial's internal compliance policies, which, in some cases, limit these payments, items and benefits.

If you have questions, please contact your financial representative or call 800-847-4863.

Financial arrangements with certain nonproprietary mutual fund, variable annuities, variable insurance & 529 plan sponsors

Thrivent Investment Management ("Thrivent") offers a broad selection of security and insurance products and services to our members and clients. Thrivent, Thrivent's affiliates and/or financial representatives receive compensation in connection with these products, advisory services and other services, including distribution (sales charges and Rule 12b-1 fees) and other fees described in the applicable prospectuses and other offering materials. As is common with other broker-dealers, Thrivent also receives additional compensation in connection with the sale of certain products. This additional compensation is sometimes referred to as revenue sharing and is paid by the product sponsors or their affiliates, such as the adviser or distributor.

Additional payments by product sponsors or their affiliates are intended to compensate Thrivent for facilitating the distribution of certain nonproprietary mutual funds, variable annuities, variable insurance and 529 plans. Thrivent, in turn, provides certain nonproprietary product sponsors with, among other things, access to Thrivent Financial representatives, whether at training sessions and educational programs or by permitting the nonproprietary product sponsors to provide marketing and sales support to the financial representatives. Additional compensation may also be based on sales volume or assets under management of certain nonproprietary products. Thrivent members and clients do not incur any extra sales charges as a result of these revenue-sharing payments. Please note, however, that these payments may present a conflict of interest because Thrivent's receipt of the additional compensation gives it a financial incentive to recommend that our members and clients buy and hold certain nonproprietary mutual fund, variable annuities, variable insurance and 529 plan products for which the firm receives revenue sharing payments. In addition, Thrivent limits the mutual fund families that financial representatives may offer.

Additional information regarding these financial arrangements can be found in the mutual fund, variable annuity, variable insurance and 529 plan prospectus and statement of additional information, which are available by request. If you have any questions regarding these arrangements, please speak with your financial representative.

Following is a list of the mutual fund, variable annuity, variable insurance and 529 plan sponsors who currently have revenue sharing arrangements in place with Thrivent:

Mutual funds
Calvert Investments
Eaton Vance
Mainstay Funds
Oppenheimer Funds

Variable insurance products
Jackson National Life
Lincoln Financial Group

529 plans
Bright Directions College Savings Program (Illinois)

Mutual fund incentive

As of Jan. 1, 2014, financial representatives may receive compensation in the form of a cash bonus for increased sales growth of mutual funds. The bonus will be paid on the quarterly growth of gross dealer concession (GDC) (or revenue on mutual funds) over the maximum of the prior four quarters of GDC. The payment will be 15% of the growth increase. Products include Thrivent Mutual Funds, nonproprietary mutual funds, all retail brokerage mutual fund sales and 529 plans. Financial representatives will be eligible for the cash bonus if all three of the following criteria are met:

  • The financial representative must be active when the cash bonus is made;
  • There must be 12 months of GDC growth over the highest of four quarterly 12-month periods; and
  • The 12-month growth must be at least 1,000 in GDC.

Although Thrivent Financial representatives recommend products and services they believe are suitable for you and your particular financial situation, as always, you should carefully evaluate each product and recommendation.

1 12b-1 fees are fees that may be charged by mutual funds to cover promotion, distribution, marketing and shareholder-servicing expenses, and compensation to financial representatives.

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