403b investments are subject to market fluctuations. Contact your 403b vendor or visit their website to find out how they are responding to the recent turmoil in the financial markets.

403b investments are made up of annuities and/or mutual funds. An annuity is an investment in insurance and can be variable or fixed.

• Variable annuities are generally not subject to creditor claims. However, they are not immune to market fluctuations. Variable annuities are protected from insurance companies that become insolvent.
• Fixed annuities are generally not protected from creditor claims on companies' assets. However, different insurance companies are organized differently in order to protect assets of that company from creditors of other subsidiaries or the parent company.

Mutual funds are made up of stocks, bonds, and money markets. They are generally not subject to creditor claims. However, they are not immune to market fluctuations.

Contact your financial advisor or 403b vendor if you have questions about how your 403b investments are allocated and the extent that assets are subject to creditor claims.

No, 403b products are not FDIC insured or insured by any federal government agency.

• In 1991 the California Legislature enacted the California Life & Health Insurance Guarantee Association Act. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have similar guarantee associations.
• The California Life & Health Insurance Guarantee Association provides LIMITED protection to policyholders when an insurance company licensed in California to sell life insurance, health insurance, and annuities becomes insolvent.
• Contact your 403b vendor to find out what protections exist for your accounts. Many vendors are listed on the 403bCompare website.