Summary Prospectus MARCH 1, 2017 |
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund
of the TIAA-CREF Funds
Class: | Institutional | Advisor | Premier | Retirement | Retail |
Ticker: | TNRIX | TNRHX | TNRPX | TNRRX | TNRLX |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Funds prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Funds prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.tiaa.org/tfglobal_pro. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-223-1200 or by sending an e-mail request to disclosure@tiaa.org. The Funds prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (SAI), each dated March 1, 2017, as subsequently supplemented, and the sections of the Funds shareholder report dated October 31, 2016 from Summary Portfolio of Investments through Notes to Financial Statements, are incorporated into this Summary Prospectus by reference and may be obtained free of charge at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.
Investment objective
The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, from investments related to the natural resources sector.
Fees and expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Institutional
| Advisor | Premier | Retirement Class | Retail | ||||||
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |||||
Maximum deferred sales charge | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |||||
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |||||
Redemption or exchange fee | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |||||
Account maintenance fee | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | $15.00 |
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund ■ Summary Prospectus 1
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
|
| Institutional
|
| Advisor
|
| Premier |
| Retirement
|
| Retail |
|
Management fees | 0.65% | 0.65% | 0.65% | 0.65% | 0.65% | ||||||
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees | | | 0.15% | | 0.25% | ||||||
Other expenses | 0.13% | 0.23% | 1 | 0.14% | 0.39% | 0.29% | |||||
Total annual Fund operating expenses | 0.78% | 0.88% | 0.94% | 1.04% | 1.19% | ||||||
Waivers and expense reimbursements2 | (0.03)% | (0.03)% | (0.04)% | (0.04)% | (0.05)% | ||||||
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee | |||||||||||
| waiver and/or expense reimbursement | 0.75% |
| 0.85% |
| 0.90% |
| 1.00% |
| 1.14% |
|
1 | Estimate is for the current fiscal year. | ||||||||||
2 | Under the Funds expense reimbursement arrangements, the Funds investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for any Total annual Fund operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.14% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees. |
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Funds expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| Institutional
|
| Advisor |
| Premier
|
| Retirement |
| Retail
|
| |||||
1 year | $ | 77 | $ | 87 | $ | 92 | $ | 102 | $ | 116 | |||||
3 years | $ | 246 | $ | 278 | $ | 296 | $ | 327 | $ | 373 | |||||
5 years | $ | 430 | $ | 485 | $ | 516 | $ | 570 | $ | 650 | |||||
10 years | $ | 963 |
| $ | 1,082 |
| $ | 1,151 |
| $ | 1,267 |
| $ | 1,439 |
|
Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in
2 Summary Prospectus ■ TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund
annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Funds performance. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 365% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal investment strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of issuers that are primarily engaged in the ownership, development, exploration, production, distribution or processing of natural resources, as well as in securities of companies that are suppliers to firms producing natural resources, in instruments with economic characteristics similar to natural resources securities or in direct holdings of natural resources. The Fund will primarily invest in equity securities, but, from time to time, the Fund may also invest in debt securities of issuers engaged in or related to the natural resources sector. The Fund generally defines natural resources as energy, metals, agriculture and other commodities, as well as related products and services. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term assets means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.
The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a diversified fund. Due to the Funds substantial investment in issuers within the natural resources sector, the Funds investments are considered to be concentrated in this sector.
Typically, the Fund will invest in issuers listed in at least three countries outside the United States, and will invest at least 40% of its assets in foreign issuers. However, when market conditions warrant, the Fund may invest a higher percentage in U.S. issuers. In such cases, the Fund will invest at least 30% in foreign issuers. The investment selection decisions of the Funds investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (Advisors), drives country and regional asset allocations for the Fund. However, Advisors regularly compares the Funds issuer, natural resource sub-sector and country exposure against its benchmark index, the MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index (the Index), to assess the Funds relative investment exposures. Advisors looks to invest the Funds assets globally in financial instruments of well-positioned companies in the natural resources sector, both in developed and emerging markets. In selecting the Funds investments, Advisors generally favors companies that it believes are resource-rich, have growth potential and trade at relatively attractive valuations, regardless of their geographical location. The Fund may also invest in companies that Advisors believes are well-positioned as suppliers to the natural resources sector, or benefit in some way from the natural resources value chain. The Fund may also hold certain natural resources directly, such as precious metals or timberland, subject to regulatory illiquidity limits and other restrictions. The Fund may invest in issuers with various levels of market capitalization.
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund ■ Summary Prospectus 3
Principal investment risks
You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Funds portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:
· Market RiskThe risk that market prices of portfolio investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including changing economic, political or market conditions. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or sector of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole.
· Issuer Risk (often called Financial Risk)The risk that an issuers earnings prospects and overall financial position will deteriorate, causing a decline in the value of the issuers financial instruments over short or extended periods of time.
· Industry/Sector Concentration RiskThe risk that focusing on investment in specific industries or sectors makes a fund more vulnerable to developments particularly affecting those industries or sectors than a more broadly diversified fund would be.
· Special Risks of Investing in Natural Resources InvestmentsThe value of the Funds investments in financial instruments of natural resources issuers and directly in natural resources may be affected by various factors, including increased market volatility, natural events, inflationary pressure and national and international politics, causing the Fund to perform poorly. In addition, direct investments in natural resources, such as holding precious metals, are generally more illiquid than securities holdings, which could result in difficulty in their disposal in a timely and favorable manner.
· Non-Diversification RiskThe Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a diversified fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Funds return since it may represent a larger portion of the Funds total portfolio assets.
· Active Management RiskThe risk that Advisors strategy, investment selection or trading execution may cause the Fund to underperform relative to the benchmark index or mutual funds with similar investment objectives.
· Foreign Investment RiskForeign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments and can result in greater price volatility and perform differently from financial instruments of U.S. issuers. This risk may be heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.
4 Summary Prospectus ■ TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund
· Emerging Markets RiskThe risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.
· Illiquid Investments RiskThe risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.
Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.
Past performance
The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Funds average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Funds benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the other classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Institutional Class shares.
The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, the returns of the Fund would have been lower. Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The benchmark index listed below is unmanaged, and you cannot invest directly in an index. The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.
For current performance information of each share class, including performance to the most recent month-end, please visit www.tiaa.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund ■ Summary Prospectus 5
ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%)
Global Natural Resources Fund
Best quarter: 10.87%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2016. Worst quarter: -16.81%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
6 Summary Prospectus ■ TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016
|
| Inception date |
| One year |
|
| Five years |
|
| Since inception |
|
Institutional Class | 11/1/2011 | ||||||||||
Return before taxes | 33.18 | % | 0.28 | % | 0.96 | % | |||||
Return after taxes on distributions | 32.16 | % | 0.75 | % | 1.42 | % | |||||
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of | |||||||||||
Fund shares | 19.52 | % | 0.17 | % | 0.68 | % | |||||
Advisor Class | 12/4/2015 | ||||||||||
Return before taxes | 33.10 | % | 0.26 | %* | 0.94 | %* | |||||
Premier Class | 11/1/2011 | ||||||||||
Return before taxes | 33.03 | % | 0.42 | % | 1.09 | % | |||||
Retirement Class | 11/1/2011 | ||||||||||
Return before taxes | 32.80 | % | 0.52 | % | 1.19 | % | |||||
Retail Class | 11/1/2011 | ||||||||||
Return before taxes | 32.64 | % | 0.67 | % | 1.34 | % | |||||
MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index | |||||||||||
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 31.32 | % | 1.78 | % | 2.34 | % | |||||
Current performance of the Funds shares may be higher or lower than that shown above. | |||||||||||
* | The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Funds Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower. | ||||||||||
| Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Institutional Class. | ||||||||||
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the periods shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(a), 401(k) or 403(b) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). After-tax returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary. | |||||||||||
Portfolio management
Investment Adviser. The Funds investment adviser is Teachers Advisors, LLC.
Portfolio Managers. The following persons manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis:
Name: | Jeff Bellman | Dhaval Patel |
Title: | Managing Director | Managing Director |
Experience on Fund: | since 2016 | since 2016 |
Purchase and sale of Fund shares
Institutional Class shares are available for purchase directly from the Fund by certain eligible investors (which include employee benefit plans and financial intermediaries). Advisor Class shares are available for purchase through certain
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund ■ Summary Prospectus 7
financial intermediaries, employee benefit plans and insurance company separate accounts. Premier Class and Retirement Class shares are generally available for purchase through employee benefit plans or other types of savings plans or accounts. Retail Class shares are available for purchase through certain financial intermediaries or by contacting the Fund directly at 800-223-1200 or www.tiaa.org.
· The minimum initial investment is $2 million and the minimum subsequent investment is $1,000 for Institutional Class shares, unless an investor purchases shares by or through financial intermediaries that have entered into an appropriate agreement with the Fund or its affiliates. Employee benefit plans, fee-based managed account programs (wrap accounts), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, thrifts, bank and trust companies that have entered into agreements to offer Institutional Class shares held in omnibus accounts on the books of the Fund are exempt from initial and subsequent investment minimums.
· There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment for Advisor Class shares. Advisor Class shares are primarily offered through certain financial intermediaries and employer-sponsored employee benefit plans.
· There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment for Premier Class shares. Premier Class shares are primarily offered through certain financial intermediaries and employer-sponsored employee benefit plans.
· There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment for Retirement Class shares. Retirement Class shares are primarily offered through employer-sponsored employee benefit plans.
· The minimum initial investment for Retail Class shares is $2,000 per Fund account for Traditional IRA, Roth IRA and Coverdell accounts and $2,500 for all other account types. Subsequent investments for all account types must be at least $100.
Redeeming or Exchanging Shares. You can redeem (sell) or exchange your shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or its affiliated exchanges NYSE Arca Equities or NYSE MKT are open for trading (each such day a Business Day). Exchanges may be made for shares of the same share class of other funds offered by the Trust. If your shares are held through a third party, please contact that entity for applicable redemption or exchange requirements. If your shares are held directly with the Fund, contact the Fund directly in writing or by telephone.
Tax information
The Fund intends to make distributions to shareholders that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions made to tax-exempt shareholders or shareholders who hold Fund shares in a tax-deferred account are generally not subject to income tax in the current year, but redemptions made from tax-deferred accounts may be subject to income tax.
8 Summary Prospectus ■ TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund
Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the financial intermediary for providing investor services. The Funds related companies may also pay the financial intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund ■ Summary Prospectus 9
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TIAA
730 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3206
Printed on paper containing recycled fiber | A13098 (3/17) |
TIAA
730 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3206
A13098 (3/17)
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