# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001068204
**File Stem:** 0000930413-26-000038
**Filing Date:** 2026-1
**Character Count:** 21396
**Document Hash:** 0c054fe68c180ff711a3016c97c9e744
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0000930413-26-000038.hdr.sgml**: 20260107

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0000930413-26-000038

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 497K

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 4

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20260107

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20260107

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20260107

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** TIAA-CREF LIFE FUNDS
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001068204

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 497K
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-61759
- **FILM NUMBER:** 26514099

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 730 THIRD AVE
- **CITY:** NEW YORK
- **STATE:** NY
- **ZIP:** 10017
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 212-490-9000

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 730 THIRD AVE
- **CITY:** NEW YORK
- **STATE:** NY
- **ZIP:** 10017

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** TIAA CREF LIFE FUND
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 19980813

## Series and Classes Contracts Data

### Nuveen Life Growth Equity Fund (Series ID: S000005088)

| Class ID   | Class Name                     | Ticker Symbol   |
|:---|:---|:---|
| C000013875 | Nuveen Life Growth Equity Fund | TLGQX           |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| ![](img_a4f0dcb0962f4.jpg) | **Nuveen <br>Life Funds** | **Summary Prospectus** |

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## Nuveen Life Growth Equity Fund
**MAY 1, 2025, AS SUPPLEMENTED JANUARY 7, 2026**

Ticker: TLGQX

*This summary prospectus is designed to provide investors with key Fund information in a clear and concise format. Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's complete prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at www.tiaa.org/tclf_pro. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-223-1200 or by sending an email request to disclosure@tiaa.org. The Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2025, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.* 

#### Investment objective
The Fund seeks a favorable long-term return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities.

#### Fees and expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The expenses shown do not reflect any separate account fees or expenses deducted under the variable annuity contracts or variable life insurance policies using the Fund as an underlying investment option.

**SHAREHOLDER FEES** (fees paid directly from your investment)

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price) | 0% |
| Maximum deferred sales charge | 0% |
| Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions | 0% |
| Redemption fee | 0% |
| Exchange fee | 0% |

---

Nuveen Life Funds ■ Growth Equity Fund ■ **Summary Prospectus** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1

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

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| Management fees | 0.45%  |
| Other expenses | 0.07%  |
| Total annual Fund operating expenses | 0.52%  |
| Waivers and expense reimbursements<sup>1</sup> | —  |
| Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement | 0.52%  |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| 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 0.52% of average daily net assets for shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least April 30, 2026, 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 duration noted in the table above. The example does not reflect the fees and expenses of any variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy and the costs in the example would be higher if it did. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| 1 year | $53 |
| 3 years | $167 |
| 5 years | $291 |
| 10 years | $653 |

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#### Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. 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 December 31, 2024, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.

#### Principal investment strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities of growth companies. For these purposes, "equity securities" include

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equity securities of any type, including common stocks; preferred securities; warrants to purchase common stocks and preferred securities; convertible debt securities that are either in the money or immediately convertible into common stocks or preferred securities; common and preferred securities issued by master limited partnerships and real estate investment trusts; depositary receipts; and other securities with equity characteristics. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities that Teachers Advisors, LLC ("Advisors") believes present the opportunity for growth. Growth companies are those that are constituents of at least one of the following indexes on the last business day of the month in which its most recent reconstitution was completed (as adjusted by changes to an index between reconstitutions): Russell 3000 Growth Index, S&P 1500 Growth Index, MSCI World IMI Growth Index. Generally, these equity securities will be those of large capitalization companies in new and emerging areas of the economy and companies with distinctive products or promising markets. Advisors looks for companies that it believes have the potential for strong earnings and/or sales growth, or that appear to be mispriced based on current earnings, assets or growth prospects. The Fund may invest in companies Advisors identifies as large, well-known, and established, particularly when Advisors believes that the companies offer new or innovative products, services or processes that may enhance their future earnings. The Fund may also purchase and sell futures, options, swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund's investment strategies. The Fund's benchmark index is the Russell 1000<sup>®</sup>Growth Index. The Fund is classified as a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), which means it may invest a significant portion of its assets in a relatively small number of issuers, which may increase risk as compared to a fund that is classified as a diversified investment company.

The Fund also seeks to invest in companies expected to benefit from prospective acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate restructurings or other special situations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

#### 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:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Market Risk**—The risk that market prices of portfolio investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including responses to government actions or interventions, or changing economic, political or market conditions. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or sector of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole. Such conditions may add significantly to the risk of volatility in the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares and adversely affect the Fund and its investments. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion

Nuveen Life Funds ■ Growth Equity Fund ■ **Summary Prospectus** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3

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of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries, which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies in the information technology sector, although this may change over time.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Large-Cap Risk**—The risk that large-capitalization companies are more mature and may grow more slowly than the economy as a whole and tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Mid-Cap Risk**—The risk that the stocks of mid-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility, lower trading volume and lower overall liquidity than the stocks of larger, more established companies.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Style Risk**—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or value investing) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund's portfolio investments.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Risks of Growth Investing**—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **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/or strategies and may not produce the desired results or expected returns.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Foreign Investment Risk**—Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments as well as armed conflicts and can result in greater price volatility and perform differently from financial

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instruments of U.S. issuers. This risk may be heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also have lower 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.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Special Situation Risk**—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **Derivatives Risk**—The risks associated with investing in derivatives, including futures, options, swaps, and other equity 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. Derivatives used for hedging or risk management may not operate as intended, may expose the Fund to other risks, and may be insufficient to protect the Fund from the risks they were intended to hedge.

*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 shares of the Fund during the

Nuveen Life Funds ■ Growth Equity Fund ■ **Summary Prospectus** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5

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preceding ten-year period. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns for a calendar quarter during the same period. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund's average annual total returns over the one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods (where applicable) ended December 31, 2024, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund's broad-based securities market index and benchmark index. In accordance with new regulatory requirements, the Fund has selected the Russell 1000 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. Returns do not reflect fees and expenses of any variable annuity or variable life insurance contract and would be lower if they did.

The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, the returns of the Fund would have been lower. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The broad-based securities market index and benchmark index listed below are unmanaged, and you cannot invest directly in an index. The returns for the broad-based securities market index and benchmark index reflect no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.

*For current performance information of the Fund, including performance to the most recent month-end, please visit www.nuveen.com/performance* or call 800-257-8787.

#### ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (%)

#### Nuveen Life Growth Equity Fund
![PerformanceBarChartData(2015:9.67, 2016:-0.96, 2017:34.54, 2018:-0.21, 2019:30.73, 2020:43.97, 2021:16.16, 2022:-32.92, 2023:46.42, 2024:28.26)](img_028ae8ae25b74.jpg)

Best quarter: 27.98%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Worst quarter: -23.04%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

6&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; **Summary Prospectus** ■ Nuveen Life Funds ■ Growth Equity Fund

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#### AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
For the Periods Ended December 31, 2024

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Inception date** | **One year** | **Five years** | **Ten years** |
| **Nuveen Life Growth Equity Fund** | 4/3/2000 | 28.26% | 16.07% | 14.92% |
| Russell 1000<sup>®</sup> Index |  |  |  |  |
| (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) |  | 24.51% | 14.28% | 12.87% |
| Russell 1000<sup>®</sup> Growth Index |  |  |  |  |
| (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) |  | 33.36% | 18.96% | 16.78% |
| *Current performance of the Fund's shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.* | *Current performance of the Fund's shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.* | *Current performance of the Fund's shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.* | *Current performance of the Fund's shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.* | *Current performance of the Fund's shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.* |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| After-tax returns have not been shown because they are not relevant since Fund shares currently are held only through insurance company separate accounts. | After-tax returns have not been shown because they are not relevant since Fund shares currently are held only through insurance company separate accounts. |
| A | A |

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Nuveen Life Funds ■ Growth Equity Fund ■ **Summary Prospectus** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7

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#### Portfolio management
**Investment Adviser.** Teachers Advisors, LLC.

#### Portfolio Managers.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name:** | **Karen Hiatt, CFA** | **Scott Tonneson, CFA** |
| Title: | Managing Director | Managing Director |
| Experience on Fund: | since 2021 | since 2026 |

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#### Purchase and sale of Fund shares
Please contact the insurance company that issued your variable annuity or life insurance contract for more information on the purchase and sale of Fund shares.

#### Tax information
Because the only shareholders of the Fund are the insurance companies offering the contracts, no discussion is included here about the federal income tax consequences at the shareholder level. The federal income tax consequences for purchases of a variable annuity or life insurance contract are described in the prospectus for such contracts.

#### Payments to insurance companies and broker-dealers and other financial intermediary compensation
The Fund is only available as an underlying investment for the contracts. The Fund and its distributor (and their related companies) may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) and to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries for distribution and/or other services. These payments may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the Fund as an underlying investment option in the variable contract. Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to recommend a variable product and the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit the website of the insurance company or the financial intermediary for more information. The disclosure document for your variable contract may contain additional information about these payments.

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![](img_3a6a14f1fd544.jpg)<br>

<br>MPM-LFG-0126P

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