# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001668512
**File Stem:** 0001104659-23-033337
**Filing Date:** 2023-3
**Character Count:** 24678
**Document Hash:** dad5b5cb082ce055594f332cd43ec74c
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001104659-23-033337.hdr.sgml**: 20230316

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001104659-23-033337

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 497K

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 3

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20230316

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20230316

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20230316

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Guardian Variable Products Trust
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001668512
- **IRS NUMBER:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 497K
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-210205
- **FILM NUMBER:** 23739103

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 10 HUDSON YARDS, 22 FLOOR
- **CITY:** NEW YORK
- **STATE:** NY
- **ZIP:** 10001
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** (212)598-8000

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 10 HUDSON YARDS, 22 FLOOR
- **CITY:** NEW YORK
- **STATE:** NY
- **ZIP:** 10001

## Series and Classes Contracts Data

### Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund (Series ID: S000061843)

| Class ID   | Class Name                                   | Ticker Symbol   |
|:---|:---|:---|
| C000200221 | Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund |  |

![](j23921112_ba001.jpg)

**SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — MAY 1, 2022, AS REVISED MARCH 16, 2023**

**Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund**

This Summary Prospectus is intended for use in connection with variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies issued by The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. and is not intended for use by other investors. Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Statutory Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Statutory Prospectus and other information about the Fund, including the Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and most recent annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, online at http://guardianvpt.onlineprospectus.net/GuardianVPT/Prospectuses/. You can also obtain this information at no cost by calling our Customer Service Office Contact Center at 1-888-GUARDIAN (1-888-482-7342) or from your financial intermediary. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the Fund's Prospectus and SAI, each dated May 1, 2022, as may be amended or supplemented from time to time.

**Investment Objective**

The Fund seeks total return with an emphasis on current income as well as capital appreciation.

**Fees and Expenses of the Fund**

This table shows the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The table does not reflect charges, fees or expenses that are, or may be, imposed under your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy through which Fund shares are offered as an investment option. If those charges, fees or expenses were reflected, the fees and expenses shown in the table would be higher. **You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the fee table or example below.** For information about these charges, fees and expenses, please refer to the applicable contract or policy prospectus.

***Annual Fund Operating Expenses***

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| Management Fees | 0.47% |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% |
| Other Expenses | 0.10% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.82% |
| Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement<sup>1</sup> | -0.07% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense<br>Reimbursement | 0.75% |

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<sup>1</sup> Park Avenue Institutional Advisers LLC, the Fund's investment manager (the "Manager"), has contractually agreed through April 30, 2023 to waive certain fees and/or reimburse certain expenses incurred by the Fund to the extent necessary to limit the Fund's Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement to 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets (excluding, if applicable, any acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, transaction costs and brokerage commissions, litigation and extraordinary expenses). The limitation may not be increased or terminated prior to this time without action by the Board of Trustees.

**Example**

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. This Example does not reflect charges, fees or expenses that are, or may be, imposed under your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy, and would be higher if it did. The Example reflects contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements only for the duration of the current commitment, if applicable. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **1 Year** | **3 Years** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
| Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund | $77 | $255 | $448 | $1007 |

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Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund Summary Prospectus 1

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**Portfolio Turnover**

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. As of the end of its most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 64% of the average value of its portfolio.

**Principal Investment Strategies**

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of investment) in U.S. government securities. These investments include U.S. Treasury securities or other securities issued, guaranteed or otherwise backed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or government-sponsored enterprises, including bonds, notes, mortgage-backed securities and other fixed-income or debt instruments. These investments may also include securities issued by U.S. government agencies that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. In addition to mortgage-backed securities, the Fund may invest in other types of asset-backed securities, including commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"). The CLOs in which the Fund invests generally will be investment grade. The Fund may also invest in corporate debt securities and inflation-linked securities (e.g., Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities or "TIPS").

Under certain market conditions, the Fund may use futures contracts, options, swaps, and forward contracts to seek to (i) hedge various investments, (ii) manage or adjust duration and yield curve positioning, (iii) manage risk, (iv) enhance potential returns, or (v) as substitutes for permitted Fund investments. Duration is a measure of a bond price's sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Yield curve positioning represents the relationship between the interest rates of bonds having the same credit quality but different maturity dates.

Park Avenue Institutional Advisers LLC (the "Manager") attempts to manage the Fund's interest rate risk through the Manager's management of the average duration of the investments the Fund holds in its portfolio. The Fund expects to maintain an average duration of plus or minus two years of the duration of the U.S. government securities market, as measured by the Bloomberg Intermediate U.S. Government Bond Index (which was approximately 3.90 years as of March 31, 2022).

The Manager applies an active top-down and bottom-up analysis to construct the Fund's investment portfolio. The Manager uses a blend of fundamental research and quantitative tools to evaluate global economic conditions, opportunities, and risks across different segments of the fixed income market. The Manager selects specific investments for the Fund by considering a wide variety of factors, including yield, potential for appreciation in value, the credit quality of the issuer or collateral, maturity, and the degree of perceived risk associated with a specific investment relative to the potential for favorable investment returns and to other investments. The Manager may actively rotate the Fund's exposure to various fixed income asset classes based on its assessment of relative value.

The Fund generally will sell an investment when the Manager believes the investment is less likely to benefit from the current market and economic environment or shows signs of deteriorating fundamentals, among other reasons (such as to adjust the portfolio's average maturity or duration).

**Principal Investment Risks**

The risks summarized below are the principal risks of investing in the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.

**Market Risk.** The financial and securities markets are very volatile and may be affected by political, regulatory, social, economic, and other global market developments and disruptions, including those arising out of geopolitical events, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics), natural disasters, terrorism, and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The market value of securities in which the Fund invests is based upon the market's perception of value and is not necessarily an objective measure of the securities' value. Such changes may be rapid and unpredictable. These events may negatively affect issuers, industries and markets worldwide and adversely affect the Fund. The price, value or liquidity of the Fund's investments may decline and will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, in response to general market conditions or other factors. Different sectors of the fixed income market, issuers, and security types may react differently to such developments. The fixed income investments in which the Fund invests may underperform other segments of the fixed income market or the fixed income market as a whole. Although prices of fixed income investments tend to rise and fall less dramatically than those of equity securities, they may experience heightened volatility and limited liquidity during certain market and economic conditions.

2 Summary Prospectus Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund

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**Issuer Risk.** The Fund's investments may be adversely affected by a number of factors that directly relate to the issuer of securities held by the Fund, such as its earnings prospects and overall financial position. In addition, an issuer in which the Fund invests, or to which it has exposure, may perform poorly because of poor management decisions or other events, conditions, or factors, which could also negatively affect the Fund.

**Active Management Risk.** The Fund is actively managed by the Manager. There is no guarantee that the Manager's investment techniques, risk analysis, and judgment implemented in making investment decisions for the Fund will be accurate or will produce the desired outcome. As a result, the Fund may be adversely affected and may underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives. The Fund may actively and frequently trade portfolio securities, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may negatively affect the Fund's performance.

**U.S. Government Securities Risk.** U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income instruments, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that the U.S. government will not make timely payments on its debt or provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if those entities are not able to meet their financial obligations.

**Credit Risk.** The Fund may lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income or debt instrument is unable or unwilling, or is perceived as unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time or otherwise to honor its obligations. A fixed income or debt instrument held by the Fund may be adversely affected by changes in, or the market's perception of, the financial strength (or credit rating) of its issuer or guarantor or the credit rating of the instrument. Credit ratings may decrease rapidly and may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services.

**Interest Rate Risk.** The value of the Fund's investments may decline because of a change in interest rates. The negative impact on fixed income and debt instruments from potential interest rate changes could be swift and significant, including falling market values, increased redemptions and reduced liquidity. The value of an instrument with a longer duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a similar instrument with a shorter duration. The Fund may be particularly susceptible to an increase in interest rates given that interest rates are near historic lows. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund's yield and performance may be adversely affected. Duration is a measure of a bond price's sensitivity to a given change in interest rates. For example, the price of a bond with a duration of three years would be expected to fall approximately 3% if interest rates were to rise by one percentage point. In addition, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Fund's income will decline because of falling interest rates, including negative interest rates, if the Fund holds floating or variable rate debt securities or if an issuer fails to pay interest and principal in a timely manner.

**Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk.** Mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed income investments. The value of mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities held by the Fund may be adversely affected by, among other things, changes or perceived changes in interest rates and may exhibit additional volatility during periods of rising interest rates as a result of extended duration. In addition, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities are subject to the risk that underlying obligations will be repaid sooner (known as "prepayment risk") or later (known as "extension risk") than expected because of changes in interest rates, either of which may result in lower than expected returns for the Fund. Because mortgage-backed securities are backed by mortgage loans, they also are subject to risks associated with the ownership of real estate and the real estate industry.

**Collateralized Loan Obligation Risk.** Collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs") bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or "tranches" that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund's investment in a CLO may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.

Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund Summary Prospectus 3

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**Counterparty Risk.** Certain investments or investment transactions are subject to the risk that the Fund's counterparty will become insolvent or otherwise be unwilling or unable to perform its obligations in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from the counterparty or may obtain a limited recovery, and/or recovery may be delayed, which may result in a loss to the Fund.

**Derivatives Risk.** Derivatives are instruments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying security, asset, or other benchmark. Derivatives (including short exposures through derivatives) pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in or shorting securities or other investments, including potentially heightened liquidity and valuation risk and counterparty risk. In addition, certain derivatives result in leverage, which can result in losses substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivatives by the Fund.

**Forwards and Futures Contracts.** Forwards and futures contracts are derivative contracts that obligate a purchaser to purchase, and a seller to sell, a specific amount of an asset (e.g., a currency or security) at a specified future date and price. In addition to the risks generally applicable to derivatives, these contracts are particularly subject to the risk of imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the asset underlying a contract or the asset held by the Fund being hedged and the price of the forward or futures contract, as well as losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited.

**Inflation-Linked Investments Risk.** Inflation-linked investments, including TIPS, tend to react to changes in real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rates minus the expected impact of inflation) and the principal and interest payments on such investments are adjusted periodically based on the inflation rate. The price of an inflation-linked investment generally decreases when real interest rates rise and increases when real interest rates fall and may be more volatile than other fixed-income instruments. During periods of deflation, the Fund may receive no income from such investments and the Fund's use of these investments may be unsuccessful. With respect to TIPS, the United States Treasury guarantees the repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity, as adjusted for inflation. For other inflation-lined investments that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the investment to be repaid at maturity is subject to credit risk.

**Options Risk.** An option is a derivative contract where, for a premium payment or fee, the purchaser of the option is given the right but not the obligation to buy (a call option) or sell (a put option) the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specified price (the exercise price) during a period of time or on a specified date or dates. In addition to the risks generally applicable to derivatives, the prices of options can be highly volatile and the Fund's use of options can lower total returns and may affect the Fund's portfolio turnover rate and the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund.

**Swaps Risk.** Swap agreements are derivatives contracts where the parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. In addition to the risks generally applicable to derivatives, risks associated with swap agreements include adverse changes in the returns of the underlying instruments, failure of the counterparties to perform under the agreement's terms and the possible lack of liquidity with respect to the agreements.

**Past Performance**

The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the 1 year and since inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.guardianlife.com or by calling the phone number on the back of the Prospectus. Variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy fees, expenses and charges are not reflected in the returns shown in the bar chart and table below. If they were, returns would be less than those shown.

4 Summary Prospectus Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund

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**Annual Returns (by calendar year)**

![](j23921112_ba002.jpg)

Highest Quarterly Return – 3.80% (1st Q 2020)<br>Lowest Quarterly Return – -1.33% (1st Q 2021)

**Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2021)**

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fund** | **Inception** | **1 Year** | **Since Inception** |
| Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund | 10/21/2019 | -2.47% | 1.22% |
| Bloomberg US Intermediate Government/Mortgage <br>Total Return Index\* (reflects no deduction for fees, <br>expenses or taxes) |  | -1.39% | 1.68% |
| Bloomberg Intermediate US Government <br>Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, <br>expenses or taxes) |  | -1.69% | 1.82% |

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\* The Bloomberg US Intermediate Government/Mortgage Total Return Index (the "Total Return Index") replaced the Bloomberg Intermediate US Government Bond Index as the Fund's primary benchmark as of October 1, 2022. The Total Return Index was selected to align more closely with the Fund's investment strategy and portfolio holdings.

**Management**

Park Avenue Institutional Advisers LLC serves as the Fund's manager. The following persons are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Portfolio Manager** | **Title with the Manager** | **Managed Fund Since** |
| Andrew Liggio, CFA | Managing Director | March 16, 2023 |
| John Gargana | Managing Director | Inception (October 21, 2019) |
| Isaac H. Lowenbraun | Managing Director | Inception (October 21, 2019) |
| Demetrios Tsaparas, CFA | Senior Director | Inception (October 21, 2019) |

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**Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares**

The Fund offers its shares only as underlying investment options to variable annuity contracts or variable life insurance policies issued by The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. ("GIAC"). You choose investment options through your contract or policy. You do not purchase Fund shares directly from, or redeem Fund shares directly with, the Fund. Please refer to your contract or policy prospectus for more information regarding the purchase and sale of Fund shares.

Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund Summary Prospectus 5

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**Tax Information**

No tax information is provided because the Fund's shareholders are separate accounts of GIAC. For information concerning the tax consequences applicable to your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy, please refer to your contract or policy prospectus or consult with your tax advisor.

**Financial Intermediary Compensation**

If you purchase your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, GIAC, the Fund or their affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of the contract or policy, the selection of the Fund and certain related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the contract or policy over another investment or annuity or insurance product, or to recommend the Fund over another investment option available under the contract or policy. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

6 Summary Prospectus Guardian U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund

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