Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) has nearly $869 billion in assets under management (as of Jun 30, 2015). TIAA-CREF Asset Management, part of the TIAA-CREF group, seeks to offer financial services pertaining to investment advice and portfolio management to a wide range of investors including individual investors, intermediaries and institutional clients. Through its subsidiaries, TIAA-CREF invests in an array of mutual funds including both equity and fixed-income funds, and U.S. and non-U.S. funds.

Below we share with you 4 top-rated TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds .

TIAA-CREF Real Estate Securities Retirement (TRRSX - MF report) seeks maximum total return over the long run through growth of capital and current income. TRRSX invests a large chunk of its assets in companies primarily involved in operations related to the real estate domain. TRRSX may invest a maximum of 15% of its assets in securities issued by foreign entities. TRRSX may also invest not more than 20% of its assets in securities of companies from different sectors, other than real estate. The TIAA-CREF Real Estate Securities Retirement fund has a three-year annualized return of 11.8%.

As of September 2015, TRRSX held 52 issues with 9.38% of its assets invested in Simon Property Group Inc.

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Premier (TSRPX - MF report) invests the lion’s share of its assets in equity securities of domestic small cap firms. TSRPX focuses on acquiring securities of companies with market capitalization similar to those listed in the Russell 2000 Index. TSRPX invests in securities of companies irrespective of their sectors, growth rates and valuations. The TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Premier fund has a three-year annualized return of 18.5%.

TSRPX has an expense ratio of 0.59% as compared with the category average of 1.23%.

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Retail (TCMGX - MF report) seeks a high total return. TCMGX invests the major portion of its assets in equity securities of companies having market capitalization within the range of the Russell Midcap Growth Index. TCMGX primarily invests in securities of domestic companies that are believed to provide above-average growth potential. The TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Retail fund has a three-year annualized return of 15.3%.

George (Ted) E. Scalise is one of the fund managers of TCMGX since 2006.

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Retirement (TRLCX - MF report) invests the majority of its assets in securities of the U.S. based large-cap companies. TRLCX invests in companies with market capitalization identical to those included in the Russell 1000 Value Index. TRLCX invests in securities of companies that are believed to be undervalued. TRLCX may invest a maximum of 20% of its assets in securities of companies that are located in foreign lands. The TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Retirement fund has a three-year annualized return of 14.3%.

TRLCX has an expense ratio of 0.69% as compared with the category average of 1.11%.

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