| The Account’s correlation to Stocks and Bonds is extremely low, at 0.06 and -0.10, respectively. Correlation to Cash is higher, at 0.54, but the Account still offers diversification benefits to that asset class as well. |
| Yes. There are several differences. First, when you invest in the TIAA Real Estate Account, you are investing primarily in directly owned real estate. When you invest in a REIT fund, you invest in a fund that primarily buys securities of publicly traded companies that own and manage direct real estate investments. Second, because there are active, liquid markets for REITs, there are typically no limitations on transfers in and out of REIT funds. Conversely, transfers out of the Real Estate Account are limited to once per calendar quarter. Please seeREA FAQ # D2 to see why transfers out of the TIAA Real Estate Account are limited. Third, under the Real Estate Account’s current investment guidelines, the Account intends to maintain a loan to value ratio at or below 30% (however, through December 31, 2011, the Account may incur leverage in an amount up to an aggregate principal amount of approximately $4.0 billion) while the companies in which a REIT fund invests may leverage a higher or lower percentage of their assets. Please see REA FAQ # A4 for more information regarding leverage in the Account. Fourth, in addition to being subject to the risks of real estate investing, a REIT fund, unlike the TIAA Real Estate Account, is also subject to market risk and company risk. And finally, the investment performance of REIT funds can vary substantially from the performance of the Real Estate Account. For example, the Account’s volatility is significantly lower than that of REITs. Over the three-, five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2009, the TIAA Real Estate Account realized consistently lower annualized standard deviations than REITs (as measured by the FTSE NAREIT All REIT Index). Please seeREA FAQ # F7 above for additional information. Also, please seeREA FAQ # A3 for what the TIAA Real Estate Account can invest in. |