INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of this 1st day of April, 2007, between
Vanguard Variable Insurance Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (the "Trust"), and
AllianceBernstein L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the "Advisor").
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment
company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust offers a series of shares known as the Growth
Portfolio (the "Fund"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust retained the Advisor to render investment advisory
services to the Fund under an Investment Advisory Agreement, dated as of June
22, 2001 (the "Prior Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to amend and restate such Investment
Advisory Agreement in certain respects, and the Advisor is willing to render
investment advisory services to the Fund in accordance with such amendments.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and undertakings
set forth in this Agreement, the Trust and the Advisor hereby agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Advisor. The Trust hereby employs the Advisor as investment
advisor, on the terms and conditions set forth herein, for the portion of the
assets of the Fund that the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board of Trustees")
determines in its sole discretion to assign to the Advisor from time to time
(referred to in this Agreement as the "AllianceBernstein Portfolio"), as
communicated to the Advisor on behalf of the Board of Trustees by The Vanguard
Group, Inc. ("Vanguard"). The Board of Trustees may, from time to time, make
additions to, and withdrawals from, the assets of the Fund assigned to the
Advisor. The Advisor accepts such employment and agrees to render the services
herein set forth, for the compensation herein provided.
2. Duties of Advisor. The Trust employs the Advisor to manage the investment and
reinvestment of the assets of the AllianceBernstein Portfolio; to continuously
review, supervise, and administer an investment program for the
AllianceBernstein Portfolio; to determine in its discretion the securities to be
purchased or sold and the portion of such assets to be held uninvested; to
provide the Fund with all records concerning the activities of the Advisor that
the Fund is required to maintain; and to render regular reports to the Trust's
officers and the Board of Trustees concerning the discharge of the foregoing
responsibilities. The Advisor will discharge the foregoing responsibilities
subject to the supervision and oversight of the Trust's officers and the Board
of Trustees, and in compliance with the objective, policies, and limitations set
forth in the Fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, any
additional operating policies or procedures that the Fund communicates to the
Advisor in writing, and applicable laws and regulations. The Advisor agrees to
provide, at its own expense, the office space, furnishings and equipment, and
personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the
compensation provided herein.
3. Securities Transactions. The Advisor is authorized to select the brokers or
dealers that will execute purchases and sales of securities for the
AllianceBernstein Portfolio, and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain
the best execution for such transactions. In selecting brokers or dealers to
execute trades for the AllianceBernstein Portfolio, the Advisor will comply with
all applicable statutes, rules, interpretations by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission or its staff, other applicable law, and the written policies
established by the Board of Trustees and communicated to the Advisor in writing.
The Advisor will promptly communicate to the Trust's officers and the Board of
Trustees any information relating to the portfolio transactions the Advisor has
directed on behalf of the AllianceBernstein Portfolio as such officers or the
Board may reasonably request.
4. Compensation of Advisor. For services to be provided by the Advisor pursuant
to this Agreement, the Fund will pay to the Advisor, and the Advisor agrees to
accept as full compensation therefor, an investment advisory fee consisting of a
base fee plus a performance adjustment at the rates specified in Schedule A to
this Agreement, payable quarterly in arrears.
5. Reports. The Fund and the Advisor agree to furnish to each other current
prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of
their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their
affairs as each may reasonably request, including, but not limited to,
information about changes in the investment officers of the Advisor who are
responsible for managing the AllianceBernstein Portfolio. The Advisor agrees
that it will notify the Trust of any changes in the members of the general
partners of the Advisor within a reasonable time after such change.
6. Compliance. The Advisor agrees to comply with all Applicable Law and all
policies, procedures, or reporting requirements that the Board of Trustees
reasonably adopts and communicates to the Advisor in writing, including, without
limitation, any such policies, procedures, or reporting requirements relating to
soft dollar or other brokerage arrangements. "Applicable Law" means (i) the
"federal securities laws" as defined in Rule 38a-1(e)(1) under the 1940 Act, as
they relate to the services provided by the Advisor to the Fund pursuant to this
Agreement, and (ii) any and all other laws, rules, and regulations, whether
foreign or domestic, in each case applicable at any time and from time to time
to the investment management operations of the Advisor in relation to the
AllianceBernstein Portfolio.
7. Status of Advisor. The services of the Advisor to the Fund are not to be
deemed exclusive, and the Advisor will be free to render similar services to
others so long as its services to the Fund are not impaired thereby. The Advisor
will be deemed to be an independent contractor and will, unless otherwise
expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the
Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund or the Trust.
8. Liability of Advisor. No provision of this Agreement will be deemed to
protect the Advisor against any liability to the Fund or its shareholders to
which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad
faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless
disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
9. Limitations on Consultations. The Advisor is prohibited from consulting with
other advisors of the Fund, except Vanguard, concerning transactions for the
Fund in securities or other assets.
10. Duration; Termination; Notices; Amendment. This Agreement will become
effective on the date hereof and will continue in effect for successive
twelve-month periods, only so long as each such continuance specifically is
approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of
those Trustees who are not parties to such Agreement or interested persons of
any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval. In addition, the question of continuance of the Agreement may be
presented to the shareholders of the Fund; in such event, such continuance will
be effected only if approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, (i) this Agreement may at any
time be terminated without payment of any penalty either by vote of the Board of
Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund, on thirty days' written notice to the Advisor, (ii) this Agreement will
automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, and (iii) this Agreement
may be terminated by the Advisor on ninety days' written notice to the Fund. Any
notice under this Agreement will be given in writing, addressed and delivered,
or mailed postpaid, to the other party as follows:
If to the Fund, at:
Vanguard Variable Insurance Fund
Growth Portfolio
X.X. Xxx 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxx, XX 00000 Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000 Facsimile: 000-000-0000
If to the Advisor, at:
AllianceBernstein L.P.
0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, but the consent of the
Trust must be approved (i) by a majority of those members of the Board of
Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such
party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
amendment, and (ii) to the extent required by the 1940 Act, by a vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
As used in this Section 10, the terms "assignment," "interested
persons," and "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" will
have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2(a)(4), Section 2(a)(19) and
Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act.
11. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement will be held or made
invalid by a court decision, statute, rule, or otherwise, the remainder of this
Agreement will not be affected thereby.
12. Confidentiality. The Advisor shall keep confidential any and all information
obtained in connection with the services rendered hereunder and relating
directly or indirectly to the Fund, the Trust, or Vanguard and shall not
disclose any such information to any person other than the Trust, the Board of
Trustees, Vanguard, and any director, officer, or employee of the Trust or
Vanguard, except (i) with the prior written consent of the Trust, (ii) as
required by law, regulation, court order, or the rules or regulations of any
self-regulatory organization, governmental body, or official having jurisdiction
over the Advisor, or (iii) for information that is publicly available other than
due to disclosure by the Advisor or its affiliates or becomes known to the
Advisor from a source other than the Trust, the Board of Trustees, or Vanguard.
13. Proxy Policy. The Advisor acknowledges that Vanguard, at the direction of
the Fund, will vote the shares of all securities that are held by the Fund.
14. Governing Law. All questions concerning the validity, meaning, and effect of
this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (without giving
effect to the conflict-of-law principles thereof) of the State of Delaware
applicable to contracts made and to be performed in that state.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Investment
Advisory Agreement to be executed as of the date first set forth herein.
ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. VANGUARD VARIABLE INSURANCE FUND
/s/Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx 04/9/2007 /s/Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx 04/27/2007
Signature Date Signature Date
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Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx
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