Creating a sustainable U.S. Healthcare System
Addressing workforce, productivity and financial wellness
Featured reports
Congressional testimony
On January 7, 2026, Surya Kolluri, Head of the TIAA Institute, testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions on modernizing retirement policy to ensure American workers can retire with dignity and financial security.
Fellows spotlight
Introducing the TIAA Institute Fellows Chat series
TIAA Institute Fellow Gopi Shah Goda launches our Fellows Chat series, discussing Social Security’s financial challenges, demographic pressures, and potential policy solutions for ensuring retirement security.
TIAA Institute Reports
Original research produced by the TIAA Institute—both independently and in collaboration with noted scholars—examines topics of interest to the academic, nonprofit and public sectors. The reports combine statistical findings with thoughtful, data-driven observations and conclusions to provide in-depth analyses appropriate for both technical and general audiences.
Optimizing retirement financial strategies: Integrating annuities, defined contribution plans, and long-term care costs
This research addresses a crucial question for American retirees: how to optimally use defined contribution plan assets to purchase annuities while accounting for the substantial risk of long-term care expenses. Using a life cycle economic model, the study evaluates the optimal amount and timing of annuity purchases across different demographic groups.
Unready: The state of preparedness of current and future caregivers
This TIAA Institute research examines how working-age Americans with aging parents anticipate and prepare for caregiving responsibilities. The study compares expectations of future caregivers with the actual experiences of current caregivers, revealing significant gaps between perception and reality.
Social Security Claiming Decisions and Widow Poverty Risk
This groundbreaking research examines how husbands' Social Security claiming decisions affect their wives' financial well-being after widowhood. The study reveals that delayed claiming by husbands significantly attenuates the financial shock experienced by surviving spouses.
Health and Wealth in the Era of Longevity
This comprehensive report from TIAA Institute and the Gerontological Society of America examines the intersection of health, wealth, and longevity in modern America. It provides actionable insights for individuals, employers, policymakers, and health systems to support healthy aging and financial security throughout extended lifespans.
Closing the guarantee gap
The shift from defined benefit pensions to defined contribution plans has created a "guarantee gap" in American retirement security. This brief explores how DC plans can be transformed to help workers not just save for retirement, but plan for income throughout their retirement years.
Asset decumulation in retirement: Patterns, predictors, and the role of financial literacy
This comprehensive study examines how U.S. retirees manage their nonhousing financial assets over a 12-year period after age 65, using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (1995-2020). The research reveals significant variations in decumulation patterns based on asset type, wealth level, and financial literacy, challenging traditional assumptions about retirement spending.
