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Financial encyclopediaReviewed 2026-10-23

Variable Annuities

A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract between you and an insurance company that is a security and therefore regulated by the SEC. A variable annuity offers a range of investment options, often a menu of mutual funds.  The value of your contract will vary depending on the performance of the investment options you choose. If they perform poorly, you could lose money.

Sources and references ↗
PROFILE / FACT FILE

Concept at a glance

Term
Variable Annuities [1]
Subject area
Investor.gov glossary [1]
Jurisdiction / scope
US regulatory and investor-education context [1]
Primary reference
SEC · Investor.gov [1]

Definition and explanation

A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract between you and an insurance company that is a security and therefore regulated by the SEC. A variable annuity offers a range of investment options, often a menu of mutual funds.  The value of your contract will vary depending on the performance of the investment options you choose. If they perform poorly, you could lose money. [1]

Source-supported connections

Variable Annuities → Mentioned in the official explanation → Mutual Funds [1]
Variable Annuities → Mentioned in the official explanation → Options [1]
Variable Annuities → Mentioned in the official explanation → Security [1]

Frequently asked questions

What does Variable Annuities mean in the cited reference?

A variable annuity is a type of annuity contract between you and an insurance company that is a security and therefore regulated by the SEC. A variable annuity offers a range of investment options, often a menu of mutual funds.  The value of your contract will vary depending on the performance of the investment options you choose. If they perform poorly, you could lose money. [1]

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Variable Annuities connection map

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Variable Annuities

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Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.

Sources and review dates

  1. US SEC · Investor.gov — Variable Annuities ↗

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.

Content preparation: source-based compilation with AI assistance. See methods and attribution. Named sources identify the underlying records; no individual expert review is claimed.