Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America 401(k) Review & Grade
Tiaa Code Section 401(k) Plan
New York, NYFinance & Insurance11,656 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,746Employer $ per active participant
$13,342Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$4.6BNet plan assets, end of year
$173,485Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity14.8 / 5030th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.8 / 2595th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.5 / 1590th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score62 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Finance & Insurance plans with 10,000+ active participants (72 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 30th |
| Lower admin cost | 95th |
| Employee saving | 90th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 74% |
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America put in about $3,746 per active participant, below the typical peer ($5,179). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $43,660,020 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $155,509,381 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $52,134,701 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $498,406 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $498,406 |
| Benefits paid out | $282,014,116 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $4.1B / $4.6B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 11,786 / 11,525 |
| Participants with account balances | 26,656 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Mesirow Financial Inc | $474,672 reported compensation |
| Tiaa | $23,603 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013091248NAL0000405907001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 13-1624203, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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