Mutual funds

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Target Date Funds

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Lifecycle funds, also known as target date funds, take the complexity out of deciding which investment approach is right for you. The TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds and the TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds provide access to a broadly diversified portfolio within a single investment that automatically adjusts over time.

The glidepath

How does it work?

When planning your retirement, select a lifecycle fund that’s closest to the date. The fund’s investment mix shifts from a more aggressive to a more conservative investment approach over time as the fund moves toward and beyond its target date year.

High and Low investment risks

Our unique through-retirement glidepath incorporates the growing life expectancy of the U.S. population in an effort to strategically balance market risk, inflation risk and the risk of outliving your savings.

Why TIAA

Competitive fees

Fees are among the lowest for actively managed target date funds, and fees for the Lifecycle Index Funds rank in the bottom 6% across all target date funds.1

High ratings

The vast majority of the active TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds and the active TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds received an overall Morningstar rating of 4- or 5- stars, based on risk-adjusted returns as of 6/30/2022.2

Extensive experience

We have been managing asset allocation portfolios for more than 60 years.

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As with all mutual funds, the principal value of a lifecycle fund isn’t guaranteed at any time, including at the target date, and will fluctuate with market changes.The target date approximates when investors may plan to start making withdrawals. However, you are not required to withdraw the funds at that target date. After the target date has been reached, some of your money may be merged into a fund with a more stable asset allocation.

Target date funds share the risks associated with the types of securities held by each of the underlying funds in which they invest. In addition to the fees and expenses associated with the target date funds, there is exposure to the fees and expenses associated with the underlying mutual funds. 

Diversification is a technique to help reduce risk. There is no guarantee that diversification will protect against a loss of income.

TIAA-CREF products may be subject to market and other risk factors.  See the applicable product literature, or visit www.tiaa.org for details.

1 Source: Morningstar Direct, June 30, 2022 institutional share class. Note: The Lifecycle Retirement Income ranks in the 8th percentile and the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income ranks in the 1st percentile.

2 Morningstar ratings refer to institutional share class only. Morning ratings based on the lowest cost share class for each mutual fund, based on U.S. open end mutual funds. For a fund with multiple share classes and the same pricing, the share class with the longest performance history is used. Morningstar ratings may be higher or lower on a monthly basis. Morningstar is an independent service that rates mutual funds. The top 10% of funds in an investment category receive five stars, the next 22.5% receive four stars and the next 35% receive three stars. Morningstar proprietary ratings reflect historical risk-adjusted performance and can change every month. They are calculated from the fund’s three-, five- and ten-year average annual returns in excess of 90-day Treasury bill returns with appropriate fee adjustments, and a risk factor that reflects fund performance below 90-day T-bill returns. The overall star ratings are Morningstar’s published ratings, which are weighted averages of its three-, five- and ten-year ratings for periods ended June 30, 2022. Past performance does not predict or guarantee future results. For current performance and rankings, please visit TIAA.org/public/tcfpi/InvestResearch.

This material is for informational or educational purposes only and does not constitute fiduciary investment advice under ERISA, a securities recommendation under all securities laws, or an insurance product recommendation under state insurance laws or regulations. This material does not take into account any specific objectives or circumstances of any particular investor, or suggest any specific course of action. Investment decisions should be made based on the investor’s own objectives and circumstances.

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