<PAGE>
Supplement dated July 27, 2000
To Prospectus dated April 14, 2000
For GE Life & Annuity Separate Account 4
P1153 12/99
The purpose of this supplement is to revise certain information contained in
your prospectus dated April 14, 2000.
Please note throughout your prospectus:
. The name of the Value Equity Fund for GE Investments Funds, Inc. should
read Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund.
. AIM Variable Insurance Funds, Inc. should be changed to reflect AIM Variable
Insurance Funds.
. The name of AIM V.I. Telecommunications Fund for AIM Variable Insurance Funds
should read AIM V.I. Telecommunications and Technology Fund.
Additionally, please note the following changes:
. Under AIM Advisors, Inc., delete the reference to subadvised by INVESCO Asset
Management Limited.
. In the footnote for GE Investments Funds - S&P 50 Index Fund, GE Investment
Management Incorporated should be changed to GE Asset Management
Incorporated.
. At the end of the subadvised information for Fidelity Variable Insurance
Products VIP Overseas Portfolio, Fidelity Variable Insurance Products
Fund III VIP III Growth & Income Portfolio, VIP III Growth Opportunities
Portfolio and VIP III Mid-Cap Portfolio add:
and Fidelity Investments Japan Limited; beginning January 1, 2001, FMR
Co., Inc. will subadvise.
The Contract - Ownership
Add the following in the second paragraph after the first sentence:
Unless state law requires us to allow non-spousal joint owners, you may
name only your spouse as joint owner.
Annuity Payment Options - Annuity Payouts
Delete the third sentence in the first paragraph, adding the following:
The Annuity Payout rate may vary by state. We, however, assume an
investment rate of 5% per year as applied to the applicable mortality
table.
<PAGE>
Please delete the Appendix and replace with the following:
Appendix B
Standardized Performance Data
We may advertise the historical total returns for the Investment Subaccounts
according to SEC standards. These standards are discussed in the Statement of
Additional Information. The total return for an Investment Subaccount assumes
that an investment has been held in the Investment Subaccount for various
periods of time including a period measured from the date on which the
particular portfolio was first available in Separate Account 4. When a portfolio
has been available for one, five, and ten years, we will provide the total
return for these periods, adjusted to reflect current Investment Subaccount
charges. The total return quotations represent the average annual compounded
rates of return that an initial investment of $1,000 in that Investment
Subaccount would equal as of the last day of each period.
In Table 1, we show the standardized average annual total returns of the
Investment Subaccounts for periods from the date on which a particular portfolio
was first available in Separate Account 4 to December 31, 1999, and for the one,
five and ten year periods ended December 31, 1999. Although the Contract did not
exist during the periods shown in Table 1 below, the returns of the Investment
Subaccounts shown have been adjusted to reflect current Investment Subaccount
charges imposed under the Contract. The total returns shown in Table 1 deduct
all fees and charges (reflecting all portfolio expenses, the administrative
expense charge and the mortality and expense risk charge (combined annual
percentage of .75% of Contract Value)) assessed under the Contract. We assume
that you make a complete surrender of the Contract at the end of the period
Table 1
Standardized Total Returns
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
From the
For the For the For the Inception in
1-year 5-year 10-year Separate Date of Inception*
period ended period ended period ended Account to in Separate
12/31/99 12/31/99 12/31/99 12/31/99 Account
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
AIM Variable Insurance Funds
AIM V.I. Aggressive Growth Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Capital Appreciation Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Capital Development Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Global Utilities Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Government Securities Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Growth & Income Fund n/a n/a n/a n/a **
AIM V.I. Telecommunications and n/a n/a n/a n/a **
Technology Fund
Fidelity Variable Insurance Products Fund
VIP Overseas Portfolio 41.56 16.49 10.59 11.30 05/02/88
Fidelity Variable Insurance Products Fund III
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
VIP III Growth & Income Portfolio 8.35 n/a n/a 22.81 05/01/97
VIP III Growth Opportunities Portfolio 3.49 n/a n/a 18.65 05/01/97
VIP III Mid Cap Portfolio n/a n/a n/a n/a **
GE Investments Funds
Income Fund -2.17 n/a n/a 2.39 12/12/97
International Equity Fund 29.35 n/a n/a 14.98 05/01/95
Money Market Fund 4.20 4.60 4.09 4.51 05/02/88
Premier Growth Equity Fund n/a n/a n/a 17.96 05/03/99
Real Estate Securities Fund -0.97 n/a n/a 9.23 05/01/95
S&P 500 Index Fund 19.71 26.89 16.87 17.06 05/02/88
Total Return Fund 12.40 16.37 12.19 12.45 05/02/88
U.S. Equity Fund 18.71 n/a n/a 15.45 05/01/98
Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund 16.39 n/a n/a 19.96 05/01/97
Janus Aspen Series Service Shares
Capital Appreciation Portfolio 65.75 n/a n/a 55.89 05/01/97
Equity Income Portfolio n/a n/a n/a n/a **
Flexible Income Portfolio .84 n/a n/a 7.87 10/25/95
High Yield Portfolio n/a n/a n/a n/a **
International Growth Portfolio 80.91 n/a n/a 33.69 05/01/96
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</TABLE>
Yield more closely reflects current earnings of the GE Investments Funds, Inc.'s
Money Market Fund than its total return.
* Date on which a particular portfolio was first available in Separate Account
4. As Separate Account 4 is also used for other variable annuities offered by
GE Life & Annuity, this date may be different from the date the portfolio was
first available in this product.
** Investment Subaccount has not yet been made available to the Separate
Account.
Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Non-standardized Performance Data
In addition to the standardized data discussed above, we may also show similar
performance data for other periods.
We may from time to time also advertise or disclose average annual total return
or other performance data in non-standardized formats for the Investment
Subaccounts. The non-standardized performance data may make different
assumptions regarding the amount invested, the time periods shown, or the effect
of partial surrenders or income payments.
All non-standardized performance data will be advertised only if we also
disclose the standardized performance data as shown in Table 1.
Adjusted Historical Performance Data. We may disclose historic performance
data for the portfolios since their inception reduced by some or all of the fees
and charges under the Contract. Such adjusted historic performance includes data
that precedes the date on which a particular portfolio was first available in
Separate Account 4. This data is designed to show the performance that would
have resulted if the Contract had been in existence during that time, based on
the portfolio's performance. This data assumes that the Investment Subaccounts
available under the Contract were in existence for the same period as the
portfolio with a level of charges equal to those currently assessed under the
Contract. This data is not intended to indicate future performance.
<PAGE>
Based on the method of calculation described in the Statement of Additional
Information, the adjusted historic average annual total returns for the
portfolios for periods from the time a particular portfolio was first available
in Separate Account 4 to December 31, 1999, and for the one, five and ten year
periods ended December 31, 1999 is shown in Tables 2, below. The total returns
of the portfolios have been reduced by all charges currently assessed under the
Contract, as if the Contract had been in existence since the inception of the
portfolio. In Table 2, adjusted total returns for the portfolios reflect
deductions of all fees and charges under the Contract (including all portfolio
expenses, the administrative expense charge and the mortality and expense risk
charge (combined annual percentage of .75% of Contract Value)) assessed under
the Contract. In Table 2, we assume that you make a complete surrender of the
Contract at the end of the period, therefore we deduct the surrender charge.
<PAGE>
Table 2
Adjusted Historical Performance Data assuming surrender at the end of the
applicable time period.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
For the For the For the Date of
1-year period 5-year period 10-year period Portfolio
ended 12/31/99 ended 12/31/99 ended 12/31/99 Inception*
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
AIM Variable Insurance Funds
AIM V.I. Aggressive Growth Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/01/98
AIM V.I. Capital Appreciation Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/05/93
AIM V.I. Capital Development Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/01/98
AIM V.I. Global Utilities Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/02/94
AIM V.I. Government Securities Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/05/93
AIM V.I. Growth & Income Fund n/a n/a n/a 05/02/94
AIM V.I. Telecommunications Fund n/a n/a n/a 10/18/93
Fidelity Variable Insurance Products Fund
VIP Overseas Portfolio 41.56 16.49 10.59 01/28/87
Fidelity Variable Insurance Products Fund III
VIP III Growth & Income Portfolio 8.35 n/a n/a 12/31/96
VIP III Growth Opportunities Portfolio 3.49 n/a n/a 01/03/95
VIP III Mid Cap Portfolio n/a n/a n/a 12/29/98
GE Investments Funds
Income Fund -2.17 n/a n/a 01/02/95
International Equity Fund 29.35 n/a n/a 05/01/95
Money Market Fund 4.20 4.60 4.09 06/30/85
Premier Growth Equity Fund 35.24 n/a n/a 12/12/97
Real Estate Securities Fund -0.97 n/a n/a 05/01/95
S&P 500 Index Fund 19.71 26.89 16.87 04/14/85
Total Return Fund 12.40 16.37 12.19 07/01/85
U.S. Equity Fund 18.71 n/a n/a 01/02/95
Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund 16.39 n/a n/a 05/01/97
Janus Aspen Series
Capital Appreciation Portfolio 65.75 n/a n/a 05/01/97
Equity Income Portfolio n/a n/a n/a 05/01/97
Flexible Income Portfolio 0.84 10.04 n/a 09/13/93
High Yield Portfolio n/a n/a n/a 05/01/96
International Growth Portfolio 80.91 32.25 n/a 05/02/94
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</TABLE>
Yield more closely reflects current earnings of the GE Investments Funds, Inc.'s
Money Market Fund than its total return.
* Date on which a particular portfolio was declared effective by the SEC; this
date may be different from the date the portfolio was first available in the
Separate Account. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Returns for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
The supplement should be retained with your Prospectus for future reference
GE Life and Annuity Assurance Company
6610 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23230
