Fund Evaluator:
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier (TLLPX)
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Best Performing in Target-Date 2050 Over the Last Year
| 28.5% | SP Funds 2050 Target Date Investor (SPTCX) |
| 23.5% | Fidelity Advisor Freedom Blend 2050 Z (FHVEX) |
| 23.4% | Victory Target Retirement 2050 (URFFX) |
| 22.8% | Fidelity Advisor Sust Trgt Dt 2050 Z (FSZCX) |
| 22.7% | Fidelity Advisor Sust Trgt Dt 2050 I (FSZBX) |
Fund Details
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier Overview
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier (TLLPX) is an actively managed Allocation Target-Date 2050 fund. Nuveen launched the fund in 2009.
The investment seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income. The fund is a "fund of funds" that invests in Class W shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products. It has a policy of investing at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in underlying funds that are managed to seek investment returns that track particular market indices.
About Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier (TLLPX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.50 years: Steve Sedmak (2018), Jeff Sun (2025), John Cunniff (2009). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has 8 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 99.9% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has 32.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 58.0%. There is 30.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 10.9% (8.3% domestic bond, 2.6% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has 0.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $157 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Target-Date 2050 category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
TLLPX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Target-Date 2050 category. Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has an expense ratio of 0.25%, which is 63% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has a portfolio turnover rate of 10%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 22% for the Target-Date 2050 category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier returned -0.8%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Target-Date 2050 category had an average return of -0.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier has a trailing yield of 2.06%, which is above the 1.58% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 Premier Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 10.3%, 0.0 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 20.3% over the past year (grade of C), 16.5% over the past three years (grade of B) and 9.6% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 11.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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TLLPX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| TLLPX Return (NAV) | -0.8% | 3.5% | 20.3% | 16.5% | 9.6% | 11.7% |
| TLLPX Grade | C | C | C | B | B | A |
| +/- Category | -0.0% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Target-Date 2050 Avg | -0.8% | 3.4% | 19.8% | 15.9% | 8.8% | 10.8% |
| TLLPX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
TLLPX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TLLPX Return (NAV) | 10.3% | 20.5% | 15.0% | 20.3% | -17.6% | 17.0% | 17.0% | 25.9% | -7.1% | 21.3% | 9.3% |
| TLLPX Grade | D | B | B | B | B | C | B | B | A | B | A |
| +/- Category | -0.0% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.4% | -0.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 1.4% |
| Target-Date 2050 Avg | 10.3% | 19.2% | 14.3% | 19.5% | -18.0% | 17.1% | 16.0% | 24.8% | -8.5% | 20.9% | 7.9% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 11.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.94 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (32% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.19 |
| R-Squared: | 93% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 2.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $9161 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 158 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 10% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 16.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Cunniff John (2009), Sedmak Steve (2018), Sun Jeff (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 8 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 99.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 32.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 58.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 30.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 8.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 2.6% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Nuveen |
| Phone Number: | 800-257-8787 |
| Website: | www.tiaa.org |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 30, 2009 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.15% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.25% ( Rating : Below Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.68% |
| Share Class: | Nuveen Lifecycle Index 2050 R6 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
