It's punishment enough to write the name once on a blackboard. Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) is one of the largest, if not longest-named, private retirement systems in the US, providing for more than 3 million members of the academic community and for investors outside academia's ivied confines. It also serves institutional investors. TIAA-CREF's core offerings include financial advice, investment information, retirement accounts, pensions, annuities, individual life and disability insurance, tuition financing, and trust services (through TIAA-CREF Trust). The system, a not-for-profit organization, also manages a line of mutual funds.