Three ways to help employees plan for their financial futures during turbulent times
Time to read: 2 minutes
These are highly uncertain times for higher education institutions. New executive orders, directives and policy shifts are affecting everything from federal funding and research grants to campus life. Add to this mix a steady flow of headlines about roller-coaster financial markets.
With so much in flux, your employees are looking to you for guidance—especially when it comes to their financial well-being. Volatile markets present plan sponsors an opportunity to communicate with their employees and consider how they can do more to help employees make informed financial decisions.
1. Diversification on the plan menu
Plan sponsors hold the keys to ensuring employees have a menu of investments that works for every life stage and risk tolerance.
Giving employees the right tools to diversify their portfolios—especially in the default investment—can help them feel more comfortable when faced with sudden volatility. Re-evaluating whether your employees are properly diversified starts with analyzing your plan’s investment menu.
Remind your employees that target-date strategies are designed to recalibrate their asset mix based on an employee’s age and investment horizon. Global diversification is also a key component of the investment process for TIAA's General Account, which powers our guaranteed income payments. Learn more about how they use
2. Guaranteed assets in the default
Plan sponsors can upgrade their retirement plan so employees get always-on growth through guaranteed assets embedded within the default investment.
Doing so can help smooth the investment journey for many employees. Traditional “haven” assets, including bonds—often relied upon for portfolio ballast—can fluctuate dramatically and can lose money. Periods in which both stocks and bonds both fall at the same time (think 2022) can be especially damaging to the financial planning of soon-to-be and recent retirees.1
Guaranteed assets, such as the TIAA Traditional* fixed annuity, steadily grow and provide portfolio protection no matter what the market does. TIAA Traditional also can offer a critical guaranteed income stream in retirement, should an employee need it.
Plan sponsors can upgrade the default investment to include both guaranteed growth for savers and a guaranteed income option for retirees. Here’s the
* TIAA Traditional is issued by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA)
3. Expert guidance at the ready
Nobody expects your employees to fix their own roofs. Why should they have to make major financial decisions on their own? Now is a great time to remind employees they have access to financial planning services.
Whether employees are just starting out, are mid-career and looking for advice, or approaching retirement—they can turn to a TIAA financial consultant for help. Eligible employees may have additional access to TIAA personal financial advisors or wealth managers. From tax tips (slumping markets could mean less income tax when converting a traditional IRA into a Roth) to retirement income, your employees can work with TIAA to plan for their financial futures.
Remember, all employees can access TIAA Wealth Management’s
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1 Data derived from Morningstar DirectSM (as of March 31, 2025). In 2022, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index declined 13% and the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index fell 18%. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification is a technique to help reduce risk. It is not guaranteed to protect against loss.
The TIAA General Account is solely owned by TIAA and supports TIAA’s contractual guarantees and business operations; its performance is not directly allocated to any specific contract or obligation. The TIAA General Account backs TIAA’s fixed annuities. It is an insurance company account and is not available to investors as an investment.
This material is for informational or educational purposes only and is not fiduciary investment advice, or a securities, investment strategy, or insurance product recommendation. This material does not consider an individual’s own objectives or circumstances, which should be the basis of any investment decision.
Wealth Management Advisors provide Individual Advisory Services on a fee-for-services charge to the employee and are provided by Advice & Planning Services, a division of TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Individual Advisory Services may not be available to all participants.
Financial consultants provide advice and education using an advice methodology from an independent third-party.
Annuity contracts may contain terms for keeping them in force. We can provide you with costs and complete details.
TIAA Traditional is a fixed annuity product issued through these contracts by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017: Form series including but not limited to: 1000.24; G-1000.4; IGRS-01-84-ACC; IGRSP-01-84-ACC; 6008.8.
Any guarantees under annuities issued by TIAA are subject to TIAA’s claims-paying ability.