Mutual 
Funds

 

Prospectus

 

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds

AUGUST 1, 2024

             
 

Ticker

           

Fund


Class A


Class I

Premier
Class


Class R6

Retirement
Class


Class W

           
             
             

Nuveen Bond Index Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Bond Index Fund)

           
 

TBILX

TBIAX

TBIPX

TBIIX

TBIRX

TBIWX

           
             

Nuveen Core Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Bond Fund)

           
 

TIORX

TIBHX

TIDPX

TIBDX

TIDRX

TBBWX

           
             

Nuveen Core Impact Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond Fund)

           
 

TSBRX

TSBHX

TSBPX

TSBIX

TSBBX

           
             

Nuveen Core Plus Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Plus Bond Fund)

           
 

TCBPX

TCBHX

TBPPX

TIBFX

TCBRX

TCBWX

           
             

Nuveen 5–15 Year Laddered Tax Exempt Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF 5-15 Year Laddered Tax-Exempt Bond Fund)

           
 

TIXRX

TIXHX

TITIX

           
             

Nuveen Green Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Green Bond Fund)

           
 

TGROX

TGRKX

TGRLX

TGRNX

TGRMX

           
             

Nuveen High Yield Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF High-Yield Fund)

           
 

TIYRX

TIHHX

TIHPX

TIHYX

TIHRX

TIHWX

           
             

Nuveen Inflation Linked Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Inflation-Linked Bond Fund)

           
 

TCILX

TIIHX

TIKPX

TIILX

TIKRX

TIIWX

 

Nuveen Short Duration Impact Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Short Duration Impact Bond Fund)

           
 

TSDBX

TSDHX

TSDFX

TSDJX

TSDDX

           
             

Nuveen Short Term Bond Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Short-Term Bond Fund)

           
 

TCTRX

TCTHX

TSTPX

TISIX

TISRX

TCTWX

           
             

             
 

Ticker

Fund


Class A


Class I

Premier
Class


Class R6

Retirement
Class


Class W

             
             

Nuveen Short Term Bond Index Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Short-Term Bond Index Fund)

           
 

TRSHX

TTBHX

TPSHX

TNSHX

TESHX

TTBWX

           
             

Nuveen Money Market Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Money Market Fund)

           
 

TIRXX

TMHXX

TPPXX

TCIXX

TIEXX

TMWXX

           
             

Nuveen Real Estate Securities Select Fund
(formerly TIAA-CREF Real Estate Securities Fund)

           
 

TCREX

TIRHX

TRRPX

TIREX

TRRSX

           
             

This Prospectus describes Class A, Class I, Premier Class, Class R6, Retirement Class, and Class W shares offered, as applicable, by the investment portfolios listed above (each, a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”) of the TIAA-CREF Funds (the “Trust”).

An investment in a Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. An investor can lose money in any of the Funds and the Funds could perform more poorly than other investments.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of contents

     

Summary information

Bond Index Fund

Investment objective 8

Fees and expenses 8

Shareholder fees 8

Annual Fund operating expenses 9

Example 9

Portfolio turnover 10

Principal investment strategies 10

Principal investment risks 11

Past performance 13

Portfolio management 15

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 16

Tax information 17

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 17

Summary information

Core Bond Fund

Investment objective 18

Fees and expenses 18

Shareholder fees 18

Annual Fund operating expenses 19

Example 19

Portfolio turnover 20

Principal investment strategies 20

Principal investment risks 21

Past performance 25

Portfolio management 27

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 28

Tax information 29

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 29

 

Summary information

Core Impact Bond Fund

Investment objective 30

Fees and expenses 30

Shareholder fees 30

Annual Fund operating expenses 31

Example 31

Portfolio turnover 31

Principal investment strategies 32

Principal investment risks 35

Past performance 39

Portfolio management 40

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 41

Tax information 41

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 42

Summary information

Core Plus Bond Fund

Investment objective 43

Fees and expenses 43

Shareholder fees 43

Annual Fund operating expenses 44

Example 44

Portfolio turnover 45

Principal investment strategies 45

Principal investment risks 46

Past performance 50

Portfolio management 52

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 53

Tax information 54

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 54


Table of contents

     

Summary information

5–15 Year Laddered Tax Exempt Bond Fund

Investment objective 55

Fees and expenses 55

Shareholder fees 55

Annual Fund operating expenses 56

Example 56

Portfolio turnover 56

Principal investment strategies 57

Principal investment risks 58

Past performance 60

Portfolio management 62

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 62

Tax information 63

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 63

Summary information

Green Bond Fund

Investment objective 64

Fees and expenses 64

Shareholder fees 64

Annual Fund operating expenses 65

Example 65

Portfolio turnover 65

Principal investment strategies 66

Principal investment risks 68

Past performance 72

Portfolio management 74

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 74

Tax information 75

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 76

 

Summary information

High Yield Fund

Investment objective 77

Fees and expenses 77

Shareholder fees 77

Annual Fund operating expenses 78

Example 78

Portfolio turnover 79

Principal investment strategies 79

Principal investment risks 80

Past performance 83

Portfolio management 86

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 86

Tax information 87

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 87

Summary information

Inflation Linked Bond Fund

Investment objective 88

Fees and expenses 88

Shareholder fees 88

Annual Fund operating expenses 89

Example 89

Portfolio turnover 90

Principal investment strategies 90

Principal investment risks 91

Past performance 93

Portfolio management 96

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 96

Tax information 97

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 97


     

Summary information

Short Duration Impact Bond Fund

Investment objective 98

Fees and expenses 98

Shareholder fees 98

Annual Fund operating expenses 99

Example 99

Portfolio turnover 99

Principal investment strategies 100

Principal investment risks 103

Past performance 107

Portfolio management 109

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 109

Tax information 110

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 110

Summary information

Short Term Bond Fund

Investment objective 111

Fees and expenses 111

Shareholder fees 111

Annual Fund operating expenses 112

Example 112

Portfolio turnover 113

Principal investment strategies 113

Principal investment risks 113

Past performance 117

Portfolio management 120

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 120

Tax information 121

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 121

 

Summary information

Short Term Bond Index Fund

Investment objective 122

Fees and expenses 122

Shareholder fees 122

Annual Fund operating expenses 123

Example 123

Portfolio turnover 124

Principal investment strategies 124

Principal investment risks 125

Past performance 128

Portfolio management 131

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 131

Tax information 132

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 132

Summary information

Money Market Fund

Investment objective 133

Fees and expenses 133

Shareholder fees 133

Annual Fund operating expenses 134

Example 134

Principal investment strategies 135

Principal investment risks 135

Past performance 137

Portfolio management 139

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 139

Tax information 140

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 141


Table of contents

     

Summary information

Real Estate Securities Select Fund

Investment objective 142

Fees and expenses 142

Shareholder fees 142

Annual Fund operating expenses 143

Example 143

Portfolio turnover 143

Principal investment strategies 144

Principal investment risks 144

Past performance 146

Portfolio management 148

Purchase and sale of Fund shares 149

Tax information 149

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation 150

 

Additional information about investment strategies and risks of the Funds 150

Additional information about the Funds 150

Additional information on principal investment risks of the Funds 152

Global economic risk 168

Cybersecurity risk 169

Additional information about the Funds’ benchmark indices 169

Additional information on investment strategies of the Fixed-Income Funds 172

Additional information on investment strategies of the Real Estate Securities Select Fund 174

Portfolio holdings 175

Portfolio turnover 175

Investments by funds of funds 176

Share classes 176

Management of the Funds 177

The Funds’ investment adviser 177

Investment management fees 178

Portfolio management teams 183

Other services 186

Distribution and service arrangements 187

All classes 187

Other payments by the Funds 187

Other payments by Nuveen Securities, Advisors or their affiliates 189

Calculating share price 190

Dividends and distributions 192

Taxes 193


     

How you can buy and sell shares 196

What share classes we offer 196

How to reduce your sales charge 206

Purchasing shares 208

Redeeming shares 215

Exchanging shares 220

Conversion of shares–applicable to all investors 221

Important transaction information 223

Frequent trading—applicable to Money Market Fund 226

Frequent trading—applicable to all other Funds 226

Electronic prospectuses 228

Additional information about index providers 228

Additional information about the Trust and the Board of Trustees 229

Glossary 229

Financial highlights 230

Appendix—Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries 258

   


 

Summary information

Nuveen Bond Index Fund

(formerly TIAA-CREF Bond Index Fund)

Investment objective

The Fund seeks total return that corresponds with the total return of a broad U.S. investment-grade bond market index.

Fees and expenses

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or other Nuveen mutual funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 192 of the Fund’s Prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page 105 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.

The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

                         
 

Class A

 


Class I

 

Premier
Class

 


Class R6

 

Retirement Class

 

Class W

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Redemption or exchange fee

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Annual low balance account fee
(for accounts under $1,000)

$15.00

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

8     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

                           

 

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

Class W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management fees

0.06%

 

0.06%

 

0.06%

 

0.06%

 

0.06%

 

0.06%

 

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

 

0.15%

 

 

 

 

Other expenses

0.08%

 

0.11%

 

0.01%

 

0.01%

 

0.26%

 

0.01%

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses

0.39%

 

0.17%

 

0.22%

 

0.07%

 

0.32%

 

0.07%

 

Waivers and expense reimbursements1

 

 

 

 

 

(0.07)%

2 

Total annual Fund operating expenses after
  fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

0.39%

 

0.17%

 

0.22%

 

0.07%

 

0.32%

 

0.00%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

1

Under the Fund’s expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund’s 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) 0.44% of average daily net assets for Class A shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Class I shares; (iii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Class R6 shares; (v) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (vi) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Class W shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least July 31, 2025, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

2

Teachers Advisors, LLC has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse Class W’s Management fees and Other expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired fund fees and expenses, Trustee expenses and extraordinary expenses) in their entirety. Teachers Advisors, LLC expects these waiver and/or reimbursement arrangements to remain in effect indefinitely, unless changed or terminated 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 Fund’s operating expenses, before fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangements will each remain in place for the durations noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                                     

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

Class W

 

1 year

$

413

 

$

17

 

$

23

 

$

7

 

$

33

 

$

0

 

3 years

$

496

 

$

55

 

$

71

 

$

23

 

$

103

 

$

0

 

5 years

$

586

 

$

96

 

$

124

 

$

40

 

$

180

 

$

0

 

10 years

$

849

 

$

217

 

$

280

 

$

90

 

$

406

 

$

0

 

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     9


Portfolio turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 14% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in bonds within its benchmark and portfolio tracking index, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Index”). The Fund uses a sampling technique to create a portfolio that closely matches the overall investment characteristics of the Index (for example, duration, sector diversification and credit quality) without investing in all of the securities in its index. At times the Fund may purchase securities not held in the Index, but which Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”) believes have similar investment characteristics to securities held in its index. Generally, the Fund intends to invest in a wide spectrum of public, investment-grade, taxable debt securities denominated in U.S. dollars including government securities, as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The Fund’s investments in mortgage-backed securities may include pass-through securities sold by private, governmental and government-related organizations and U.S. Government-sponsored enterprises (“GSEs”), to the extent that such instruments are held by the Index. The Fund may also invest in securities having a variable or floating interest rate. The Fund generally will invest in foreign securities denominated in U.S. dollars only to the extent they are included or eligible to be included in the Index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The securities purchased by the Fund will mainly be high-quality instruments rated in the top four credit categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or deemed to be of the same quality by Advisors using its own credit quality analysis. The Fund may continue to hold instruments that were rated as high-quality when purchased, but which subsequently are downgraded to below-investment-grade status or have their ratings withdrawn by one or more rating agencies.

Because the return of the Index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities, as well as other fees and expenses. The use of the Index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy of the Fund and may be changed without shareholder approval.

The Fund is classified as a diversified investment company, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). However,

10     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


the Fund may become non-diversified under the 1940 Act without the approval of Fund shareholders solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of its benchmark index, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which the Fund seeks to track.

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 Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that changes in interest rates can adversely affect the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, fixed-income investments. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are changing. There is a risk that interest rates across the financial system may change, possibly significantly and/or rapidly. In general, changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, or a lack of market participants may lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed-income or debt markets, making it more difficult for the Fund to sell fixed-income investments. When interest rates change, the values of longer duration fixed-income securities usually change more than the values of shorter duration fixed-income securities. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. Other factors that may affect the value of debt securities include, but are not limited to, economic, political, public health, and other crises and responses by governments and companies to such crises.

· Prepayment Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans sooner than expected, forcing the Fund to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates and resulting in a decline in income.

· Extension Risk—The risk that, during periods of rising interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans later than expected, preventing the Fund from reinvesting principal proceeds at higher interest rates and resulting in less income than potentially available.

· Issuer Risk (often called Financial Risk)—The risk that an issuer’s earnings prospects, credit rating and overall financial position will deteriorate, causing a decline in the value of the issuer’s financial instruments over short or extended periods of time.

· Credit Risk (a type of Issuer Risk)—The risk that the issuer of fixed-income investments may not be able or willing, or may be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as not able or willing, to meet interest or principal payments when the payments become due.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     11


· Credit Spread Risk—The risk that credit spreads (i.e., the difference in yield between securities that is due to differences in each security’s respective credit quality) may increase when market participants believe that bonds generally have a greater risk of default, which could result in a decline in the market values of the Fund’s debt securities.

· Income Volatility Risk—The risk that the level of current income from a portfolio of fixed-income investments may decline in certain interest rate environments.

· Market Volatility, Liquidity and Valuation Risk (types of Market Risk)—The risk that volatile or dramatic reductions in trading activity make it difficult for the Fund to properly value its investments and that the Fund may not be able to purchase or sell an investment at an attractive price, if at all.

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial market. Additionally, to the extent that the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments as well as armed conflicts. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also have lower overall liquidity and be more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may also be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information, less stringent investor protections, and less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards. Changes in the value of foreign currencies may make the return on an investment increase or decrease, unrelated to the quality or performance of the investment itself. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other restrictions by the United States or other governments may also negatively impact the Fund’s investments. Economic sanctions and other similar governmental actions or developments could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell certain foreign securities or groups of foreign securities, and/or thus may make the Fund’s investments in such securities less liquid (or illiquid) or more difficult to value. The type and severity of sanctions and other measures that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict.

12     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


· U.S. Government Securities Risk—Securities issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities may receive varying levels of support from the U.S. Government, which could affect the Fund’s ability to recover should they default. To the extent the Fund invests significantly in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, any market movements, regulatory changes or changes in political or economic conditions that affect the securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities in which the Fund invests may have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance.

· 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.

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

· Call Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer may call (or repay) a fixed-income security prior to maturity, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.

· Floating and Variable Rate Securities Risk—Floating and variable rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate securities may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Fund’s ability to sell the securities at any given time. Such securities also may lose value.

· Non-Diversification Risk—While the Fund is considered to be a diversified investment company under the 1940 Act, the Fund may become non-diversified under the 1940 Act without Fund shareholder approval when necessary to continue to track its benchmark index. Non-diversified status means that the Fund 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 investment may have a greater effect on the fund’s return since that investment may represent a larger portion of the fund’s total portfolio assets.

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 Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of Class R6 of the Fund, before taxes, in

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     13


each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of Class R6 may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of Class R6 for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for Class A, Class I, Premier Class, Class R6, Retirement Class and Class W over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2023, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. In accordance with new regulatory requirements, the Fund has selected the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which represents a broad measure of market performance, and is generally representative of the market sectors or types of investments in which the Fund invests. After-tax performance is shown only for Class R6 shares, and after-tax returns for the other classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class R6 shares.

The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive or reimburse the Fund for certain fees and expenses. Without these waivers and reimbursements, 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.nuveen.com/performance or call 800-257-8787.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR CLASS R6 SHARES (%)

Nuveen Bond Index Fund

PerformanceBarChartData(2014:5.87,2015:0.53,2016:2.38,2017:3.42,2018:-0.02,2019:8.38,2020:7.49,2021:-1.81,2022:-13.24,2023:5.64)

 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2024, was -0.53%.

Best quarter: 6.64%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. Worst quarter: -5.89%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

14     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

For the Periods Ended December 31, 2023

                       

 

 

Inception date

 

One year

 

 

Five years

 

 

Ten years

 

Class R6

9/14/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.64

%

 

0.95

%

 

1.68

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

 

4.36

%

 

0.10

%

 

0.63

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fund shares

 

 

3.31

%

 

0.32

%

 

0.85

%

Class I

12/4/2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.53

%

 

0.85

%

 

1.60

%#

Premier Class

9/30/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.48

%

 

0.82

%

 

1.53

%

Retirement Class

9/14/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.48

%

 

0.72

%

 

1.44

%

Class A**

9/14/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

1.33

%

 

-0.11

%

 

0.98

%

Class W

9/28/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.71

%

 

1.04

%

 

1.73

%#

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

5.53

%

 

1.10

%

 

1.81

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current performance of the Fund’s shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.

#

The performance shown for Class I and Class W that is prior to their respective inception dates is based on performance of Class R6. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the actual expenses of Class I and Class W. If these actual expenses had been reflected, the performance of these two classes shown for these periods would have been different because Class I and Class W have different expenses than Class R6.

**

The Class A average annual total returns have been restated to reflect a maximum up-front sales charge of

3.75% applicable to the purchase of Class A shares, which was effective as of May 6, 2024.

 

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 investor’s 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.

 

For the Fund’s most current 30-day yield, please call the Fund at 800-842-2252.

  

  

Portfolio management

Investment Adviser. Teachers Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers.

     
     

Name:

James Tsang, CFA

Vivian Liu, CFA

Title:

Senior Director

Senior Director

Experience on Fund:

since 2011

since 2023

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     15


Purchase and sale of Fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or its affiliated exchanges, NYSE Arca Equities or NYSE American, are open for trading (each such day a “Business Day”) directly from the Fund (for certain share classes) or through a financial advisor, employee benefit plan or other financial intermediary. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although certain financial intermediaries may impose their own investment minimums and the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

     
 

Eligibility and Minimum Initial Investment

Minimum Additional Investment

Class A

Available only through certain financial intermediaries or by contacting the Fund directly as described in the Prospectus.

$2,500 for all accounts except:

· $2,000 for Traditional/Roth IRA accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

· $250 for accounts opened through fee-based programs.

· No minimum for retirement plans.

$100

Class I

Available only through fee-based programs and certain retirement plans, and to other limited categories of investors as described in the Prospectus.

$100,000 for all accounts except:

· $250 for clients of financial intermediaries and family offices that have accounts holding Class I shares with an aggregate value of at least $100,000 (or that are expected to reach this level).

· No minimum for eligible retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the Prospectus.

No minimum.

Premier Class, Retirement Class

Available only through certain employee benefit plans, other types of savings plans or accounts and certain financial intermediaries as described in the Prospectus.

No minimum.

No minimum.

Class R6

Available only to certain eligible investors as described in the Prospectus and through fee-based programs.

$1 million for all accounts except:

· $1,000 for clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or related services.

No minimum.

Class W

Available directly from the Fund only by funds advised by Advisors or its affiliates or other clients or accounts of Advisors or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for advisory, management or other similar or related services provided by Advisors or its affiliates.

No minimum.

No minimum.

16     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


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.

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 Fund’s 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 intermediary’s website for more information.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     17


 

Summary information

Nuveen Core Bond Fund

(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Bond Fund)

Investment objective

The Fund seeks total return, primarily through current income.

Fees and expenses

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or other Nuveen mutual funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 192 of the Fund’s Prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page 105 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.

The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

                         
 

Class A

 


Class I

 

Premier
Class

 


Class R6

 

Retirement Class

 

Class W

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Redemption or exchange fee

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Annual low balance account fee
(for accounts under $1,000)

$15.00

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

18     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

                           

 

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

Class W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management fees

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

 

0.15%

 

 

 

 

Other expenses

0.06%

 

0.15%

 

0.01%

 

0.01%

 

0.26%

 

0.01%

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses

0.59%

 

0.43%

 

0.44%

 

0.29%

 

0.54%

 

0.29%

 

Waivers and expense reimbursements1

 

 

 

 

 

(0.29)%

2 

Total annual Fund operating expenses after
  fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

0.59%

 

0.43%

 

0.44%

 

0.29%

 

0.54%

 

0.00%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

1

Under the Fund’s expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund’s 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) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Class A shares; (ii) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Class I shares; (iii) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Class R6 shares; (v) 0.60% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (vi) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Class W shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least July 31, 2025, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

2

Teachers Advisors, LLC has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse Class W’s Management fees and Other expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired fund fees and expenses, Trustee expenses and extraordinary expenses) in their entirety. Teachers Advisors, LLC expects these waiver and/or reimbursement arrangements to remain in effect indefinitely, unless changed or terminated 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 Fund’s operating expenses, before fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangements will each remain in place for the durations noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                                     

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

Class W

 

1 year

$

433

 

$

44

 

$

45

 

$

30

 

$

55

 

$

0

 

3 years

$

557

 

$

138

 

$

141

 

$

93

 

$

173

 

$

0

 

5 years

$

692

 

$

241

 

$

246

 

$

163

 

$

302

 

$

0

 

10 years

$

1,085

 

$

542

 

$

555

 

$

368

 

$

677

 

$

0

 

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     19


Portfolio turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 62% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in bonds. For these purposes, bonds include fixed-income securities of all types. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of investment-grade bonds and fixed-income securities, including, but not limited to, U.S. Government securities, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, convertible and preferred securities, senior loans and loan participations and assignments and notes. The Fund may also invest in other fixed-income securities, including those of non-investment-grade quality (usually called “high-yield” or “junk bonds”). Securities of non-investment-grade quality are speculative in nature. The Fund does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. The Fund may also invest in securities having a variable or floating interest rate. Individual securities or sectors may be overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, when Advisors believes that such overweight or underweight may cause the Fund to outperform the index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any duration. As of May 31, 2024, the duration of the Fund’s benchmark index, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, was 6.09 years.

The Fund’s investments in mortgage-backed securities can include pass-through securities sold by private, governmental and government-related organizations and collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Mortgage pass-through securities are created when mortgages are pooled together and interests in the pool are sold to investors. The cash flow from the underlying mortgages is “passed through” to investors in periodic principal and interest payments. CMOs are obligations that are fully collateralized directly or indirectly by a pool of mortgages from which payments of principal and interest are dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on the CMO.

The Fund may use an investment strategy called “mortgage rolls” (also referred to as “dollar rolls”), in which the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with a counterparty to repurchase

20     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


similar (same type, coupon and maturity) but not identical securities on a specified future date. The Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Fund would benefit to the extent of any price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) plus the interest earned on the short-term investment awaiting the settlement date of the forward purchase. If such benefits exceed the income and gain or loss due to mortgage repayments that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the mortgage roll, the use of this technique will enhance the investment performance of the Fund compared with what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage rolls. Realizing benefits from the use of mortgage rolls depends upon the ability of Advisors to correctly predict mortgage prepayments and interest rates.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different sectors and maturities. Relative value trading is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns but increases the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps, forwards and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities, including emerging markets fixed-income securities and non-dollar-denominated instruments. Under most circumstances, the Fund’s investments in fixed-income securities of foreign issuers constitute less than 25% of the Fund’s assets.

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 Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that changes in interest rates can adversely affect the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, fixed-income investments. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are changing. There is a risk that interest rates across the financial system may change, possibly significantly and/or rapidly. In general, changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, or a lack of market participants may lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed-income or debt markets, making it more difficult for the Fund to sell fixed-income investments. When interest rates change, the values of longer duration fixed-income securities usually change more than the values of shorter duration fixed-income securities. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. Other factors that may affect the value of debt securities include, but are not limited to, economic, political, public

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     21


health, and other crises and responses by governments and companies to such crises.

· Prepayment Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans sooner than expected, forcing the Fund to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates and resulting in a decline in income.

· Extension Risk—The risk that, during periods of rising interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans later than expected, preventing the Fund from reinvesting principal proceeds at higher interest rates and resulting in less income than potentially available.

· Issuer Risk (often called Financial Risk)—The risk that an issuer’s earnings prospects, credit rating and overall financial position will deteriorate, causing a decline in the value of the issuer’s financial instruments over short or extended periods of time.

· Credit Risk (a type of Issuer Risk)—The risk that the issuer of fixed-income investments may not be able or willing, or may be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as not able or willing, to meet interest or principal payments when the payments become due.

· Credit Spread Risk—The risk that credit spreads (i.e., the difference in yield between securities that is due to differences in each security’s respective credit quality) may increase when market participants believe that bonds generally have a greater risk of default, which could result in a decline in the market values of the Fund’s debt securities.

· Income Volatility Risk—The risk that the level of current income from a portfolio of fixed-income investments may decline in certain interest rate environments.

· Market Volatility, Liquidity and Valuation Risk (types of Market Risk)—The risk that volatile or dramatic reductions in trading activity make it difficult for the Fund to properly value its investments and that the Fund may not be able to purchase or sell an investment at an attractive price, if at all.

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments as well as armed conflicts. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also have lower overall liquidity and be more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may also be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information, less stringent investor protections, and less stringent accounting, corporate

22     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards. Changes in the value of foreign currencies may make the return on an investment increase or decrease, unrelated to the quality or performance of the investment itself. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other restrictions by the United States or other governments may also negatively impact the Fund’s investments. Economic sanctions and other similar governmental actions or developments could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell certain foreign securities or groups of foreign securities, and/or thus may make the Fund’s investments in such securities less liquid (or illiquid) or more difficult to value. The type and severity of sanctions and other measures that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict.

· Active Management Risk—The 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 and may not produce expected returns.

· Call Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer may call (or repay) a fixed-income security prior to maturity, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.

· Mortgage Roll RiskThe risk that Advisors will not correctly predict mortgage prepayments and interest rates, which will diminish the Fund’s performance.

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

· Non-Investment-Grade Securities Risk—Issuers of non-investment-grade securities, which are usually called “high-yield” or “junk bonds,” are typically speculative in nature, in weaker financial health and such securities can be harder to value and sell and their prices can be more volatile than more highly rated securities. While these securities generally have higher rates of interest, they also involve greater risk of default than do securities of a higher-quality rating. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

· 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.

· Senior Loan Risk—Many senior loans present credit risk comparable to high-yield securities. The liquidation of the collateral backing a senior loan may not satisfy the borrower’s obligation to the Fund in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. Senior loans also expose the Fund to call risk and illiquid investments risk. The secondary market for senior loans can

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     23


be limited. Trades can be infrequent and the values for senior loans may experience volatility. In some cases, negotiations for the sale or settlement of senior loans may require weeks to complete, which may impair the Fund’s ability to raise cash to satisfy redemptions, pay dividends, pay expenses or to take advantage of other investment opportunities in a timely manner. If an issuer of a senior loan prepays or redeems the loan prior to maturity, the Fund will have to reinvest the proceeds in other senior loans or instruments that may pay lower interest rates.

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets or otherwise economically tied to emerging market countries. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Emerging market countries may also have less stringent regulation of accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which would affect the Fund’s ability to evaluate potential portfolio companies. As a result, there could be less information available about issuers in emerging market countries, which could negatively affect Advisors’ ability to evaluate local companies or their potential impact on the Fund’s performance. 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 have lower overall liquidity 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. Moreover, legal remedies for investors in emerging markets may be more limited, and U.S. authorities may have less ability to bring actions against bad actors in emerging market countries. The risks outlined above are often more pronounced in “frontier markets” in which the Fund may invest. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. These factors may make investing in frontier market countries significantly riskier than investing in other countries.

· U.S. Government Securities Risk—Securities issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities may receive varying levels of support from the U.S. Government, which could affect the Fund’s ability to recover should they default. To the extent the Fund invests significantly in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, any market movements, regulatory changes or changes in political or economic conditions that affect the securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities in which the Fund invests may have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance.

· Floating and Variable Rate Securities Risk—Floating and variable rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily

24     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate securities may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Fund’s ability to sell the securities at any given time. Such securities also may lose value.

· Portfolio Turnover Risk—Depending on market and other conditions, the Fund may experience high portfolio turnover, which may result in greater transactional expenses, such as brokerage commissions, bid-ask spreads, or dealer mark-ups, and capital gains (which could increase taxes and, consequently, reduce returns).

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives, including futures, options, swaps, forwards, and other fixed-income derivative instruments, and other similar instruments (referred to collectively as “derivatives”) may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments, and include leverage risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and legal risk. The Fund may use more complex derivatives that might be particularly susceptible to liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

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 Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of Class R6 of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of Class R6 may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of Class R6 for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for Class A, Class I, Premier Class, Class R6, Retirement Class and Class W over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2023, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. In accordance with new regulatory requirements, the Fund has selected the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which represents a broad measure of market performance, and is generally representative of the market sectors or types of investments in which the Fund invests. After-tax performance is shown only for Class R6 shares, and after-tax returns for the other classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class R6 shares.

The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive or reimburse the Fund for certain fees and expenses. Without these waivers and

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     25


reimbursements, 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.nuveen.com/performance or call 800-257-8787.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR CLASS R6 SHARES (%)

Nuveen Core Bond Fund

PerformanceBarChartData(2014:5.84,2015:0.72,2016:4.21,2017:4.47,2018:-0.38,2019:9.35,2020:7.87,2021:-0.96,2022:-13.24,2023:6.34)

 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2024, was 0.37%.

Best quarter: 6.74%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. Worst quarter: -5.89%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

26     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

For the Periods Ended December 31, 2023

                       

 

 

Inception date

 

One year

 

 

Five years

 

 

Ten years

 

Class R6

7/1/1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.34

%

 

1.51

%

 

2.23

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

 

4.65

%

 

0.22

%

 

0.86

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fund shares

 

 

3.72

%

 

0.66

%

 

1.14

%

Class I

12/4/2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.31

%

 

1.38

%

 

2.15

%#

Premier Class

9/30/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.18

%

 

1.34

%

 

2.06

%

Retirement Class

3/31/2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.15

%

 

1.28

%

 

1.98

%

Class A**

3/31/2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

2.12

%

 

0.47

%

 

1.55

%

Class W

9/28/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.65

%

 

1.81

%

 

2.38

%#

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

5.53

%

 

1.10

%

 

1.81

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current performance of the Fund’s shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.

#

The performance shown for Class I and Class W that is prior to their respective inception dates is based on performance of Class R6. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the actual expenses of Class I and Class W. If these actual expenses had been reflected, the performance of these two classes shown for these periods would have been different because Class I and Class W have different expenses than Class R6.

**

The Class A average annual total returns have been restated to reflect a maximum up-front sales charge of

3.75% applicable to the purchase of Class A shares, which was effective as of May 6, 2024.

 

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 investor’s 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.

 

For the Fund’s most current 30-day yield, please call the Fund at 800-842-2252.

  

  

Portfolio management

Investment Adviser. Teachers Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers.

       
       

Name:

Joseph Higgins, CFA

Jason O’Brien, CFA

Peter Agrimson, CFA

Title:

Senior Managing Director

Managing Director

Managing Director

Experience on Fund:

since 2011

since 2019

since 2023

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     27


Purchase and sale of Fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or its affiliated exchanges, NYSE Arca Equities or NYSE American, are open for trading (each such day a “Business Day”) directly from the Fund (for certain share classes) or through a financial advisor, employee benefit plan or other financial intermediary. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although certain financial intermediaries may impose their own investment minimums and the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

     
 

Eligibility and Minimum Initial Investment

Minimum Additional Investment

Class A

Available only through certain financial intermediaries or by contacting the Fund directly as described in the Prospectus.

$2,500 for all accounts except:

· $2,000 for Traditional/Roth IRA accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

· $250 for accounts opened through fee-based programs.

· No minimum for retirement plans.

$100

Class I

Available only through fee-based programs and certain retirement plans, and to other limited categories of investors as described in the Prospectus.

$100,000 for all accounts except:

· $250 for clients of financial intermediaries and family offices that have accounts holding Class I shares with an aggregate value of at least $100,000 (or that are expected to reach this level).

· No minimum for eligible retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the Prospectus.

No minimum.

Premier Class, Retirement Class

Available only through certain employee benefit plans, other types of savings plans or accounts and certain financial intermediaries as described in the Prospectus.

· No minimum.

No minimum.

Class R6

Available only to certain eligible investors as described in the Prospectus and through fee-based programs.

$1 million for all accounts except:

$1,000 for clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or related services.

No minimum.

Class W

Available directly from the Fund only by funds advised by Advisors or its affiliates or other clients or accounts of Advisors or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for advisory, management or other similar or related services provided by Advisors or its affiliates.

No minimum.

No minimum.

28     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


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.

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 Fund’s 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 intermediary’s website for more information.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     29


 

Summary information

Nuveen Core Impact Bond Fund

(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond Fund)

Investment objective

The Fund seeks total return, primarily through current income, while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria.

Fees and expenses

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or other Nuveen mutual funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 192 of the Fund’s Prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page 105 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.

The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

                     
 


Class A

 


Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement Class

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Redemption or exchange fee

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Annual low balance account fee
(for accounts under $1,000)

$15.00

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

30     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

                       

 

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management fees

0.33%

 

0.33%

 

0.33%

 

0.33%

 

0.33%

 

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

 

0.15%

 

 

 

Other expenses

0.04%

 

0.10%

 

0.14%

 

0.03%

 

0.28%

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses

0.62%

 

0.43%

 

0.62%

 

0.36%

 

0.61%

 

Waivers and expense reimbursements1

 

 

(0.07)%

 

 

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses after
  fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

0.62%

 

0.43%

 

0.55%

 

0.36%

 

0.61%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

1

Under the Fund’s expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund’s 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 Class A shares; (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Class I shares; (iii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Class R6 shares; and (v) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least July 31, 2025, 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 Fund’s operating expenses, before fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangements will each remain in place for the durations noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                               

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

1 year

$

436

 

$

44

 

$

56

 

$

37

 

$

62

 

3 years

$

566

 

$

138

 

$

191

 

$

116

 

$

195

 

5 years

$

708

 

$

241

 

$

339

 

$

202

 

$

340

 

10 years

$

1,120

 

$

542

 

$

768

 

$

456

 

$

762

 

Portfolio turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     31


ended March 31, 2024, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 142% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in bonds. For these purposes, bonds include fixed-income securities of all types. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of investment-grade bonds and fixed-income securities, including, but not limited to, U.S. Government securities, corporate bonds, taxable municipal securities and mortgage-backed or other asset-backed securities. The Fund may also invest in other fixed-income securities, including those of non-investment-grade quality (usually called “high-yield” or “junk bonds”). Securities of non-investment-grade quality are speculative in nature. The Fund may also invest in securities having a variable or floating interest rate. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any duration. As of May 31, 2024, the duration of the Fund’s benchmark index, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, was 6.09 years. 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 actively managed and does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”) performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. Subject to the ESG criteria and Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”)’s proprietary Impact framework described below, individual securities or sectors may be overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, when Advisors believes that the Fund can boost returns above that of the index.

When selecting investments for the Fund, Advisors considers certain ESG criteria or Impact framework. The Fund’s Impact framework, described in more detail below, provides direct exposure to issuers or projects that Advisors believes have the potential to have social or environmental benefits. The ESG criteria are generally implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). In those limited cases where independent ESG criteria are not available for certain types of securities or for certain issuers, these securities may nonetheless be eligible for the Fund should they meet certain internal ESG criteria.

The corporate issuer evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government & public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights & community, labor rights & supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process with respect to corporate issuers is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance

32     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities including, but not limited to, the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power, thermal coal, and gambling products and services.

The ESG evaluation process with respect to government issuers favors issuers with leadership in ESG performance relative to all peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include the issuer’s ability to protect, harness, and supplement its natural resources, and to manage environmental vulnerabilities and externalities. Social assessment categories include the issuer’s ability to develop a healthy, productive, and stable workforce and knowledge capital, and to create a supportive economic environment. Governance assessment categories include the issuer’s institutional capacity to support long-term stability and well-functioning financial, judicial, and political systems, and capacity to address environmental and social risks. The government ESG evaluation process is conducted on a global basis and reflects how an issuer’s exposure to and management of ESG risk factors may affect the long-term sustainability of its economy.

While Advisors may invest in issuers that meet these criteria, it is not required to invest in every issuer that meets these criteria. In addition, concerns with respect to one ESG assessment category may not automatically eliminate an issuer from being considered an eligible Fund investment. The ESG criteria and the Impact framework the Fund takes into consideration are both non-fundamental investment policies and may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders.

The Fund is not restricted from investing in any securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Advisors considers investments in these securities to be consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria.

The Fund also invests in certain asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities and other securities that represent interests in assets such as pools of mortgage loans, automobile loans or credit card receivables. These securities are typically issued by legal entities established specifically to hold assets and to issue debt obligations backed by those assets. Asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities are normally created or “sponsored” by banks or other institutions or by certain U.S. Government-sponsored enterprises (“GSEs”) such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). Advisors does not take into consideration whether the sponsor of an asset-backed security in which the Fund invests meets the ESG criteria or the Fund’s Impact framework. That is because asset-backed securities represent interests in pools of loans, and not of the ongoing business enterprise of the sponsor. It is therefore possible that the Fund could invest in an asset-backed or mortgage-backed security sponsored by a bank or other financial institution in which the Fund could not invest directly.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     33


The Fund’s investments in mortgage-backed securities can include pass-through securities sold by private, governmental and government-related organizations and collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Mortgage pass-through securities are created when mortgages are pooled together and interests in the pool are sold to investors. The cash flow from the underlying mortgages is “passed through” to investors in periodic principal and interest payments. CMOs are obligations that are fully collateralized directly or indirectly by a pool of mortgages from which payments of principal and interest are dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on the CMO.

The Board of Trustees of the Trust or a designated committee thereof (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to evaluate securities held by the Fund and the ESG vendor(s) that provide the data that help inform this criteria. Subject to Board of Trustees review, Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the ESG data.

Additionally, Advisors invests a portion of the Fund’s assets in fixed-income instruments taking into consideration the Impact framework as implemented by the Fund’s portfolio management team. As of March 31, 2024, these investments were 38.6% of the portfolio. These investments provide direct exposure to issuers and/or individual projects that Advisors, through its proprietary analysis, believes have the potential to have social or environmental benefits. Within this exposure to impact investments, the Fund seeks opportunities to invest in publicly traded fixed-income securities that finance initiatives in areas including affordable housing, community and economic development, renewable energy and climate change, and natural resources. These investments will be selected based on the same financial criteria used by Advisors in selecting the Fund’s other fixed-income investments. The portion of the Fund invested in accordance with the Impact framework is not additionally subject to ESG criteria. Advisors engages with certain issuers of investments deemed by Advisors to represent impact securities to communicate impact reporting preferences and encourage alignment with industry best practices regarding responsible investment.

Investing on the basis of ESG criteria and according to the Fund’s Impact framework is qualitative and subjective by nature. There can be no assurance that every Fund investment will meet ESG criteria or the Impact framework, or will do so at all times, or that the ESG criteria and the Impact framework or any judgment exercised by Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The Fund may also use a trading technique called “mortgage rolls” or “dollar rolls” in which the Fund “rolls over” an investment in a mortgage-backed security before its settlement date in exchange for a similar security with a later settlement date.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different sectors and maturities. Relative value

34     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


trading is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns but increases the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps, forwards and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities, including emerging markets fixed-income securities and non-dollar-denominated instruments. Under most circumstances, the Fund’s investments in fixed-income securities of foreign issuers constitute less than 40% of the Fund’s assets.

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 Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

· ESG Criteria and Impact Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria and/or proprietary Impact framework exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that changes in interest rates can adversely affect the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, fixed-income investments. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are changing. There is a risk that interest rates across the financial system may change, possibly significantly and/or rapidly. In general, changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, or a lack of market participants may lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed-income or debt markets, making it more difficult for the Fund to sell fixed-income investments. When interest rates change, the values of longer duration fixed-income securities usually change more than the values of shorter duration fixed-income securities. Conversely, fixed-income securities with shorter durations or maturities will be less volatile but may provide lower returns than fixed-income securities with longer durations or maturities. Other factors that may affect the value of debt securities include, but are not limited to, economic, political, public health, and other crises and responses by governments and companies to such crises.

· Prepayment Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans sooner than expected, forcing the Fund to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates and resulting in a decline in income.

· Extension Risk—The risk that, during periods of rising interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans later than expected, preventing the Fund from reinvesting principal proceeds at higher interest rates and resulting in less income than potentially available.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     35


· Issuer Risk (often called Financial Risk)—The risk that an issuer’s earnings prospects, credit rating and overall financial position will deteriorate, causing a decline in the value of the issuer’s financial instruments over short or extended periods of time.

· Credit Risk (a type of Issuer Risk)—The risk that the issuer of fixed-income investments may not be able or willing, or may be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as not able or willing, to meet interest or principal payments when the payments become due.

· Credit Spread Risk—The risk that credit spreads (i.e., the difference in yield between securities that is due to differences in each security’s respective credit quality) may increase when market participants believe that bonds generally have a greater risk of default, which could result in a decline in the market values of the Fund’s debt securities.

· Income Volatility Risk—The risk that the level of current income from a portfolio of fixed-income investments may decline in certain interest rate environments.

· Market Volatility, Liquidity and Valuation Risk (types of Market Risk)—The risk that volatile or dramatic reductions in trading activity make it difficult for the Fund to properly value its investments and that the Fund may not be able to purchase or sell an investment at an attractive price, if at all.

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments as well as armed conflicts. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also have lower overall liquidity and be more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may also be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information, less stringent investor protections, and less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards. Changes in the value of foreign currencies may make the return on an investment increase or decrease, unrelated to the quality or performance of the investment itself. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other restrictions by the United States or other governments may also negatively impact the Fund’s investments. Economic sanctions and other similar governmental actions or developments could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell certain foreign securities or groups of foreign securities, and/or thus may make the Fund’s investments in such securities less liquid (or illiquid) or more difficult to

36     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


value. The type and severity of sanctions and other measures that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict.

· Active Management Risk—The 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 and may not produce expected returns.

· Call Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer may call (or repay) a fixed-income security prior to maturity, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.

· Mortgage Roll RiskThe risk that Advisors will not correctly predict mortgage prepayments and interest rates, which will diminish the Fund’s performance.

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

· Non-Investment-Grade Securities Risk—Issuers of non-investment-grade securities, which are usually called “high-yield” or “junk bonds,” are typically speculative in nature, in weaker financial health and such securities can be harder to value and sell and their prices can be more volatile than more highly rated securities. While these securities generally have higher rates of interest, they also involve greater risk of default than do securities of a higher-quality rating. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, these securities may experience higher than normal default rates.

· 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.

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets or otherwise economically tied to emerging market countries. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Emerging market countries may also have less stringent regulation of accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which would affect a Fund’s ability to evaluate potential portfolio companies. As a result, there could be less information available about issuers in emerging market countries, which could negatively affect Advisors’ ability to evaluate local companies or their potential impact on a Fund’s performance. 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 have lower overall liquidity than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as a Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     37


Moreover, legal remedies for investors in emerging markets may be more limited, and U.S. authorities may have less ability to bring actions against bad actors in emerging market countries. The risks outlined above are often more pronounced in “frontier markets” in which the Fund may invest. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. These factors may make investing in frontier market countries significantly riskier than investing in other countries.

· U.S. Government Securities Risk—Securities issued by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities may receive varying levels of support from the U.S. Government, which could affect the Fund’s ability to recover should they default. To the extent the Fund invests significantly in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, any market movements, regulatory changes or changes in political or economic conditions that affect the securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities in which the Fund invests may have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives, including futures, options, swaps, forwards, and other fixed-income derivative instruments, and other similar instruments (referred to collectively as “derivatives”) may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments, and include leverage risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and legal risk. The Fund may use more complex derivatives that might be particularly susceptible to liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

· Portfolio Turnover Risk—Depending on market and other conditions, the Fund may experience high portfolio turnover, which may result in greater transactional expenses, such as brokerage commissions, bid-ask spreads, or dealer mark-ups, and capital gains (which could increase taxes and, consequently, reduce returns).

· Floating and Variable Rate Securities Risk—Floating and variable rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. The rate adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate. Floating and variable rate securities may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Fund’s ability to sell the securities at any given time. Such securities also may lose value.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

38     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of Class R6 of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of Class R6. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of Class R6 may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of Class R6 for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for Class A, Class I, Premier Class, Class R6 and Retirement Class over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2023, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. In accordance with new regulatory requirements, the Fund has selected the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which represents a broad measure of market performance, and is generally representative of the market sectors or types of investments in which the Fund invests. After-tax performance is shown only for Class R6 shares, and after-tax returns for the other classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class R6 shares.

The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive or reimburse the Fund for certain fees and expenses. Without these waivers and reimbursements, 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.nuveen.com/performance or call 800-257-8787.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR CLASS R6 SHARES (%)

Nuveen Core Impact Bond Fund

PerformanceBarChartData(2014:8.8,2015:1.18,2016:3.19,2017:4.51,2018:0.33,2019:8.73,2020:7.45,2021:-1.03,2022:-14.01,2023:6.04)

 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2024, was 0.38%.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     39


Best quarter: 6.51%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. Worst quarter: -5.99%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

For the Periods Ended December 31, 2023

                       

 

 

Inception date

 

One year

 

 

Five years

 

 

Ten years

 

Class R6

9/21/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.04

%

 

1.06

%

 

2.30

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

 

4.39

%

 

0.23

%

 

1.02

%

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fund shares

 

 

3.54

%

 

0.32

%

 

1.24

%

Class I

12/4/2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

6.08

%

 

0.99

%

 

2.24

%#

Premier Class

9/21/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.97

%

 

0.89

%

 

2.15

%

Retirement Class

9/21/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

5.89

%

 

0.83

%

 

2.06

%

Class A**

9/21/2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

 

1.95

%

 

0.03

%

 

1.64

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

5.53

%

 

1.10

%

 

1.81

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current performance of the Fund’s shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.

#

The performance shown for Class I that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of Class R6. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the actual expenses of Class I. If these actual expenses had been reflected, the performance of Class I shown for these periods would have been different because Class I has different expenses than Class R6.

**

The Class A average annual total returns have been restated to reflect a maximum up-front sales charge of

3.75% applicable to the purchase of Class A shares, which was effective as of May 6, 2024.

 

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 investor’s 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.

 

For the Fund’s most current 30-day yield, please call the Fund at 800-842-2252.

  

  

Portfolio management

Investment Adviser. Teachers Advisors, LLC.

Portfolio Managers.

       
       
     

Name:

Stephen Liberatore, CFA

Jessica Zarzycki, CFA

 

Title:

Senior Managing Director

Managing Director

 

Experience on Fund:

since 2012

since 2019

 

40     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


Purchase and sale of Fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or its affiliated exchanges, NYSE Arca Equities or NYSE American, are open for trading (each such day a “Business Day”) directly from the Fund (for certain share classes) or through a financial advisor, employee benefit plan or other financial intermediary. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although certain financial intermediaries may impose their own investment minimums and the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

     
 

Eligibility and Minimum Initial Investment

Minimum Additional Investment

Class A

Available only through certain financial intermediaries or by contacting the Fund directly as described in the Prospectus.

$2,500 for all accounts except:

· $2,000 for Traditional/Roth IRA accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

· $250 for accounts opened through fee-based programs.

· No minimum for retirement plans.

$100

Class I

Available only through fee-based programs and certain retirement plans, and to other limited categories of investors as described in the Prospectus.

$100,000 for all accounts except:

· $250 for clients of financial intermediaries and family offices that have accounts holding Class I shares with an aggregate value of at least $100,000 (or that are expected to reach this level).

· No minimum for eligible retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the Prospectus.

No minimum.

Premier Class, Retirement Class

Available only through certain employee benefit plans, other types of savings plans or accounts and certain financial intermediaries as described in the Prospectus.

· No minimum.

No minimum.

Class R6

Available only to certain eligible investors as described in the Prospectus and through fee-based programs.

$1 million for all accounts except:

$1,000 for clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or related services.

No minimum.

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.

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     41


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 Fund’s 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 intermediary’s website for more information.

42     Prospectus    Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds


 

Summary information

Nuveen Core Plus Bond Fund

(formerly TIAA-CREF Core Plus Bond Fund)

Investment objective

The Fund seeks total return, primarily through current income.

Fees and expenses

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or other Nuveen mutual funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 192 of the Fund’s Prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page 105 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s Prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.

The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

                         
 

Class A

 


Class I

 

Premier
Class

 


Class R6

 

Retirement Class

 

Class W

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Redemption or exchange fee

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Annual low balance account fee
(for accounts under $1,000)

$15.00

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

0%

 

Nuveen Fixed-Income & Real Estate Securities Select Funds    Prospectus     43


ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

                           

 

 

Class A

 

Class I

 

Premier
Class

 

Class R6

 

Retirement
Class

 

Class W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management fees

0.29%

 

0.29%

 

0.29%

 

0.29%

 

0.29%

 

0.29%

 

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.25%

 

 

0.15%

 

 

 

 

Other expenses

0.09%

 

0.10%

 

0.01%

 

0.01%

 

0.26%

 

0.01%

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses

0.63%

 

0.39%