The power of a promise

Think about what a promise really means. It’s a commitment—one with all kinds of expectations. That may be why we find so few in the world. But when a promise gets fulfilled, it creates a bond rooted in confidence and trust. 

I joined TIAA as chief marketing and communications officer for two reasons. First, I believed in the mission to ensure millions more Americans retire with dignity. And second, I saw a company with a history of keeping promises.

This mission is especially important right now, considering the turmoil of the last few years. Against this backdrop, Americans face a lot of uncertainty, especially when it comes to their financial well-being.

I also appreciate the immense responsibility you have to help people retire successfully. As employers and consultants, you can build the very best retirement plans, but there’s a lot beyond your control. Markets go up, markets go down and you can’t make any guarantees or promises. 

But we can and we must. For more than 100 years, TIAA has made a promise that we will never miss a single annuity payment. And we never have. American workers deserve the assurance of a retirement paycheck as long as they live. That’s something we can guarantee. To you and to them.  

In this edition of TMRW, we talk about how we make good on our retirement promise. Our cover story introduces the TIAA Annuity Paycheck Advantage^SM, a metric showing how much more income retirees can get in 2024 when annuitizing some of their savings with TIAA Traditional. The power behind it all is TIAA's $294 billion general account. We take a behind-the-scenes look at this investment engine with its chief investment officer, Emily Wiener.

It’s not only about having more money. It’s about quality of life. Just read about a 104-year-old phenom who continues to enjoy life to the fullest thanks to the certainty of a TIAA retirement paycheck every month.

All because we keep our promises. Please enjoy this edition and send me your thoughts at TMRWpublication@tiaa.org.

Micky Onvural
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer