The investment lineup in a retirement plan is designed to provide flexibility in creating a diversified portfolio of investments in one’s retirement plan account. To learn about available investment options, contact TIAA or view the Princeton University investment lineup and details online at TIAA.
Investment Tiers
The retirement plan’s investment options are arranged in a tiered structure, offering a variety of investment choices across several fund families, in addition to TIAA.
Tier 1: Allocation Tier
The Allocation Tier provides diversified single funds across many investments that is managed to become more conservative as you approach retirement. For this reason, they are called “target retirement funds.” They are the default investment in Princeton’s retirement plans. Therefore, individuals who do not elect an investment have their accounts automatically invested in the target date fund aligned with the year in which they turn 65.
| Birth year | Investment options | Ticker Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Prior to 1949 | Vanguard Target Retirement Income Institutional | VITRX |
| 1949–1952 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 Institutional | VITVX |
| 1953–1957 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2020 Institutional | VITWX |
| 1958–1962 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2025 Institutional | VRIVX |
| 1963–1967 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 Institutional | VTTWX |
| 1968–1972 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 Institutional | VITFX |
| 1973–1977 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Institutional |
VIRSX |
| 1978–1982 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2045 Institutional | VITLX |
| 1983–1987 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Institutional | VTRLX |
| 1988–1992 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2055 Institutional | VIVLX |
| 1993–1997 | Vanguard Target Retirement 2060 Institutional | VILVX |
| 1998–Present | Vanguard Target Retirement 2065 Institutional | VSXFX |
Tier 2: Active Tier
The Active Tier consists of funds that are actively managed by a fund manager. The fund manager buys and sells investments in an attempt to outperform a market benchmark.
| Asset Class | Actively managed investment options | Ticker Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed | TIAA Traditional3 (guaranteed annuity) | N/A |
| Money Market |
CREF Money Market Account R3 (variable annuity) Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund Investor |
QCMMIX VMFXX |
| Fixed Income (Bonds) | BlackRock Total Return Fund K | MPHQX |
| Balanced | CREF Social Choice Account R3 (variable annuity) | QCSCIX |
| Real Estate | TIAA Real Estate Account (variable annuity) | QREARX |
| Equities (Stocks) |
CREF Global Equities Account R3 (variable annuity) CREF Stock Account R3 (variable annuity) Eagle Mid Cap Growth Fund Class R6 MFS Mid Cap Value Fund Class R6 TIAA-CREF Quantum Small-Cap Equity Fund Institutional Vanguard International Growth Fund Admiral Vanguard International Value Fund Investor Vanguard PRIMECAP Fund Admiral Vanguard Wellington Fund Admiral Victory Integrity Small-Cap Value Fund R6 |
QCGLIX QCSTIX HRAUX MVCKX TISEX VWILX VTRIX VPMAX VWENX MVSSX |
Tier 3: Passive Tier
The Passive Tier uses index mutual funds, which aim to replicate the performance and risk characteristics of one of several market indices, e.g., Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. These funds provide broad diversification within a single type of asset class at a low cost.
| Asset Class | Passively managed investment options | Ticker Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed Income (Bonds) |
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutional |
VBTIX |
| Equities (Stocks) |
Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund Institutional Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund Investor Vanguard Institutional Index Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Institutional Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Institutional |
VIEIX VFTSX VINIX VTSNX VITSX |
Tier 4: TIAA Brokerage Account
The TIAA Brokerage Account option provides access to thousands of mutual funds from many well-known fund families. While the investment lineup in the other tiers is designed to meet the needs of most plan participants, the brokerage option may appeal to active, experienced investors or those investors who desire expanded investment choices.
Neither the University nor its financial advisor, CAPTRUST, monitors investments offered through the TIAA Brokerage Account.
| Investment option |
Self-directed brokerage account with access to thousands of mutual funds. Contact TIAA at (800) 927-3059. |