A. First, the key differences are the differences between an annuity product and a life insurance product, which are plenty. Next, we will need to get into the specific product features.
A Variable Annuity
A variable annuity is a tax-deferred retirement vehicle that allows the owner to choose from an offered selection of investments. When annuitized, it pays out a stream of income to the annuitant. The investments you choose for your variable annuity can increase or decrease in value and that means the overall value and your payout will follow. While a variable annuity can offer a nice upside, there is risk and if the investments inside the annuity decline in value, your payout will be decreased.
A Variable Life Insurance Policy
A variable life insurance policy is a form of permanent life insurance offering a death benefit to your beneficiaries upon your passing. A portion of the premium you pay for a variable life insurance policy goes toward the insurance, a portion toward various investments that the owner of the policy chooses and a portion goes to cover associated fees related to the management of the investments. The variable life insurance policy owner will be given options for the investments, generally mutual funds. As the value of those mutual funds go up and down, the cash value inside your policy follows.
There are many options to variable annuities and variable life insurance products that should be considered before purchasing. There are also many alternatives to variable annuities and variable life insurance products, we recommend you consider those alternatives as they tend to be better and cheaper.