Once you retire, deciding how much you can spend is a challenge. Some retirees deplete their assets too quickly, while others may spend too little and miss out on things they can afford.

A GIAC variable annuity with Lifetime Focus, an optional rider, provides annual withdrawal amounts (or Lifetime Withdrawal Amounts) that will not decline during your lifetime as long as certain conditions are met. Lifetime Withdrawal Amounts:

• Can complement your existing sources of income such as a pension or Social Security;

• Have the potential to increase; and

• Allow you to benefit from the return potential of the financial markets, since your money remains invested until it is withdrawn.

Your Guarantee
If your withdrawals do not exceed the Lifetime Withdrawal Amount (LWA) in any contract year, GIAC guarantees that the LWA will not decrease in your lifetime (or, if you elect the spousal version, as long as you or your spouse lives).

With Lifetime Focus, you can choose Lifetime Withdrawal Amounts for yourself or for you and your spouse.

The Guaranteed Withdrawal Balance
Your Guaranteed Withdrawal Balance (GWB) is the value used to determine your Lifetime Withdrawal Amount. The higher your GWB, the higher your initial Lifetime Withdrawal Amount. Later increases in your GWB may also result in increases in your Lifetime Withdrawal Amount. Your initial GWB is equal to your initial premium payment. The GWB has no effect on the contract value or death benefit of your variable annuity contract, and the GWB cannot exceed $5 million.

Your Lifetime Withdrawal Amount
Your initial Lifetime Withdrawal Amount (LWA) is 5% of your Guaranteed Withdrawal Balance on the day you are first eligible to begin taking LWA withdrawals. Your initial LWA will be calculated on:

• The first contract anniversary after the covered person reaches age 60 (age 65 in New York) for the single version, or the first contract anniversary after the younger covered person reaches age 62 for the spousal version; or

• The day the annuity contract is issued if the covered person is over age 60 (age 65 in New York) (or for the spousal version, the younger covered person is over age 62) on the day your annuity contract is issued.

Who’s covered?
A covered person is the person whose life is used to determine the duration of lifetime payments. With the spousal version of Lifetime Focus, the duration is based on the lives of the primary and the secondary covered persons who must be legally married spouses on the date the annuity contract is issued.

Why consider a variable annuity
Variable annuities issued by The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. (GIAC) can help you feel confident about your retirement while you are enjoying life’s experiences today. Variable annuities offer options that provide lifetime withdrawal amounts while your assets are invested for the future. And, with a GIAC variable annuity, you benefit from professional investment management, tax-deferral on any investment earnings, and a choice of annuity options that can provide guaranteed income payments for life.

Choose a company you can trust
When it comes to your retirement, you want a company with a long history of meeting its obligations. Lifetime Focus is backed exclusively by the strength and claimspaying ability of The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. (GIAC).

Why not put the experience and service excellence of GIAC to work for you? We are committed to meeting the long-term needs and expectations of our customers. We have reinforced this commitment to contract owners by providing the highest level of service. DALBAR, an independent financial services research firm, has awarded GIAC with the prestigious Annuity Service Award six years in a row, from 2001 to 2006.