Can You Buy TIAA Stock in 2025?

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Dec 8, 2025 at 12:59 PM EST

Key Points

TIAA is a private, nonprofit company that offers retirement services mainly to nonprofit sector employees.
Investors cannot purchase TIAA stock, but they can explore other public financial firms like BlackRock or Prudential.
TIAA reinvests its profits back into the company to enhance future returns for plan participants.
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TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America) has provided retirement and insurance services to nonprofit organizations and their employees for over 100 years. Iconic industrialist Andrew Carnegie founded the financial services company with a unique charter. It's required to operate on a nonprofit basis, and that allows it to return its profit to participants and reinvest to grow its business to drive future profit returns.

Getty - annuity protection income-1200x800-5b2df79 — Image source: Getty Images.

TIAA has grown into one of the country's largest financial services organizations. It invented the variable annuity in 1952, forming the College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) to manage the innovative product. It also acquired Nuveen in 2014 to expand its asset management capabilities. The Fortune 500 organization had $1.3 trillion in assets under management (AUM) in mid-2024. It served over 4.7 million individual customers and more than 12,000 institutional clients. It offers a variety of financial products and services, including annuities, 401(k) plans, and 529 plans.

You might be one of TIAA's clients and might be wondering if you can invest directly in the company. Here's everything you need to know about investing in TIAA.

Is TIAA publicly traded?

TIAA isn't a publicly traded company. It was a private company owned by its board of governors. Its charter requires that it operate without profit; instead, it returns profits to participants and reinvests in growing its business so it can grow future participant returns.

When will TIAA IPO?

TIAA didn't have an IPO on the calendar in late-2025. The financial services company might never go public. Its board of governors owns the organization, which operates as a nonprofit. Unless TIAA's board changes its charter, it wouldn't be suitable as a publicly traded company.

Alternatives to TIAA stock

You can't buy stock in TIAA. It's a private, nonprofit company. However, you can invest with the company if you work in the nonprofit industries it serves. Those who invest in the company share in its profits because it returns them to participants in its retirement plans.

Meanwhile, even though you can't invest directly in TIAA, you can invest in the financial services industry. Many publicly traded companies provide investment, retirement, and insurance services. Here are some TIAA alternatives investors can consider instead:

BlackRock

BlackRock (BLK -0.15%) is a leading global investment manager. The company had a staggering $10.5 trillion in AUM in mid-2024. It manages mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other assets for individual and institutional clients. The company's diversified financial product portfolio includes equity, fixed income, multi-assets, alternative investments, and cash management.

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Should you invest in TIAA?

You can't invest directly in TIAA. However, those who work for a nonprofit organization can often invest with the nonprofit financial services provider. Investing with the company enables you to share in its profits, a portion of which it returns to plan participants each year.

Determining whether to invest with TIAA is a personal choice. You'll need to decide whether the company offers financial products and services that will meet your needs. The company provides a lot of information on its website to help potential clients decide if TIAA is the right option for their situation. You can also talk directly with someone at the company to learn more about whether its products can help meet your needs.

The bottom line

TIAA has been helping nonprofit organizations and their employees secure their retirements for over a century. While you can't invest directly in the company, those who are eligible can invest with it and participate in its success. That model, where plan participants share in the company's profits, makes it stand out in the financial services industry.

FAQ

About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst specializing in covering dividend-paying companies, particularly in the energy and REIT sectors, since 2012. He also covers pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Matt DiLallo has positions in Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, and T. Rowe Price Group. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, and T. Rowe Price Group. The Motley Fool recommends BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Stocks Mentioned

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How to invest in stocks similar to TIAA

Those who want to invest in one of TIAA's publicly traded competitors can purchase shares in any brokerage account. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to invest in stocks.

Step 1: Open a brokerage account

You'll have to open and fund a brokerage account before buying shares of any company. If you still need to open one, here are some of the best-rated brokers and trading platforms. Take your time researching the brokers to find the best one for you.

Step 2: Figure out your budget

Before making your first trade, you'll need to determine a budget for how much money you want to invest. You'll then want to decide how to allocate that money. The Motley Fool's investing philosophy recommends building a diversified portfolio of 25 or more stocks you plan to hold for at least five years.

That might seem like a daunting task for those starting out. However, you don't have to get there all at once. For example, if you have $1,000 available to start investing, you might want to begin by allocating that money equally across around 10 stocks and then grow your portfolio from there.

Step 3: Research related companies

It's essential to thoroughly research a company before buying its shares. You should learn how it makes money and study its balance sheet and other factors to ensure you have a solid grasp on whether the company can grow value for its shareholders over the long term.

You should also research related companies. Some notable competitors to TIAA include Blackrock, Prudential, and T. Rowe Price. Investors should take the time to study these rivals before investing with TIAA or buying its shares in a future IPO.

Step 4: Place an order

Once you've opened and funded a brokerage account, set your investing budget, and researched the stock and its competitors, it's time to buy shares. The process is relatively straightforward. Go to your brokerage account's order page and fill in all the relevant information, including:

The number of shares you want to buy or the amount you want to invest to purchase fractional shares.

The stock ticker (BLK for BlackRock, PRU for Prudential, and TROW for T. Rowe Price).

Whether you want to place a limit order or a market order. The Motley Fool recommends using a market order because it guarantees you buy shares immediately at the current market price.

Once you complete the order page, click to submit your trade and become a shareholder in one of TIAA's publicly traded competitors. Investors would follow a similar process to buy an IPO stock like TIAA if it were ever to go public. If shares become available, fill in your brokerage account's order page with the financial services company's selected stock ticker and submit your trade.

Is TIAA profitable?

TIAA has a unique charter. It must operate on a nonprofit basis. Any excess revenue it produces after covering expenses benefits participants in its plans. It's able to return a portion of its profits to plan participants. It also retains earnings to reinvest in growing its business for future profit sharing.

While TIAA operates as a nonprofit, it's still a financially healthy organization. It has generated enough surplus to share over $3 billion in annual profits on average to plan participants over the past decade. It has done that by paying a higher interest rate than its guaranteed rate, providing contributors with a loyalty bonus, and giving traditional annuitants raises in retirement.

TIAA has also used some of its excess revenue to expand its capabilities. For example, TIAA acquired Nuveen Investments for nearly $6.3 billion in 2014. That acquisition expanded its asset management capabilities. The company also launched Churchill Asset Management to expand its fixed-income platform.

Can You Buy TIAA Stock in 2025?

Key Points

Is TIAA publicly traded?

When will TIAA IPO?

Alternatives to TIAA stock

BlackRock

Should you invest in TIAA?

The bottom line

Related investing topics

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FAQ

Can I invest with TIAA?

Can I buy shares of TIAA?

Is TIAA a publicly traded company?

About the Author

Stocks Mentioned

BlackRock

iShares Trust - iShares U.s. Insurance ETF

Vanguard World Fund - Vanguard Financials ETF

Berkshire Hathaway

Select Sector SPDR Trust - State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF

Berkshire Hathaway

Prudential Financial

T. Rowe Price Group

JPMorgan Chase

Our Guides

Premium Investing Services

Can you invest in TIAA through ETFs?

Prudential

T. Rowe Price

How to invest in stocks similar to TIAA

Step 1: Open a brokerage account

Step 2: Figure out your budget

Step 3: Research related companies

Step 4: Place an order

Is TIAA profitable?