TIAA-CREF Social Choice Eq InstlTISCX

Morningstar Rating

Fund Research and Analysis

by David Kathman, CFA

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity has some good things going for it, but it's now pricier for retail investors.

In April 2007, when TIAA-CREF merged away this fund's previous retail incarnation, the firm added a 0.25% 12b-1 fee to the fund's new retail shares but waived that fee on a year-to-year basis, thus keeping the retail shares quite cheap. Read more

Kudos

Well-diversified portfolio.

Solid record.

Extensive social screens. Read more

Risks

The elimination of a waiver on the 12b-1 fee means that expenses for Investor shares are going up.

With a portion of the portfolio devoted to small caps and mid-caps, the fund is likely to lag its rivals when the largest companies lead the way. Read more

Strategy

This fund aims to modestly outperform the Russell 3000 Index while holding only stocks that score well according to five environmental, social, and governance criteria, such as good employee relations and environmental track records. Read more

Management

The portfolio is run on a day-to-day basis by an experienced team from TIAA-CREF's quantitative group, led by Anne Sapp and Philip James Campagna. Amy O'Brien, TIAA-CREF's director of social investing, leads a team that engages in shareholder advocacy and community investing and makes sure the social screens reflect the concerns of shareholders. Read more

Inside Scoop

This socially responsible fund provides exceptionally broad exposure to domestic equities. Read more

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