Human Resources

Changes take effect January 1, 2026

Central Washington University is making important updates to the CWU Retirement Plan (CWURP) and the Voluntary Investment Plan (VIP) to simplify retirement savings, reduce fees, and improve your participant experience.

The plan changes align with evolving federal regulations under the SECURE Act 2.0. They are based on a comprehensive review of plan administration, vendor performance, and costs and feedback from CWU constituent groups.

Retirement Plan Updates (PDF)

Plan Update Details (PDF)

What’s Changing

One vendor: TIAA
All CWURP and VIP accounts will be moved to TIAA, replacing the current dual-vendor setup (TIAA and Fidelity). This change means:

• One login for all your CWU retirement accounts
• Centralized customer support
• Consistent participant experience

Lower fees
Fees for most participants will drop significantly.

• Participants currently using both TIAA and Fidelity: from over $100/year to ~$23/year
• Fidelity-only participants: from $45/year to ~$23/year

Why It’s Changing

These updates are designed to:

• Simplify plan administration
• Reduce participant costs
• Strengthen security and oversight
• Improve service and access to retirement resources
• Align with federal legislation and industry best practices

About TIAA

TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association) is a financial services organization that provides retirement products and services for people working in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields. With no public shareholders—and a charter that requires it to operate without profit—TIAA is uniquely able to return profits to participants* and reinvest in its business for future sharing.

With over 100 years of experience in the industry, TIAA has established itself as a trusted provider of retirement solutions, dedicated to helping you to and through retirement. TIAA’s fully licensed financial consultants are here to offer you individualized advice to help you reach your personal retirement goals. Whether you’re looking for guaranteed income through annuities, investment options with mutual funds, or prefer to manage your own investments through a brokerage account, TIAA has options to help you plan for a secure financial future.

* TIAA may share profits with Traditional Retirement annuity owners through declared additional amounts of interest and through increases in annuity income throughout retirement. Additional amounts are on TIAA Traditional annuity contracts available within an employer-sponsored plan. Additional amounts may be increased the longer accumulation occurs before annuitization. These additional amounts are discretionary and not guaranteed.

What you need to do

We’ll guide you every step of the way.

Timeline

• October – December 2025: Education and support sessions (details coming soon!)
• January 2026: Existing funds and accounts are moved to TIAA; new plan provisions take effect.

FAQs

Why was TIAA selected?

TIAA was chosen for its commitment to lifetime income and a secure retirement for all, its strong reputation in higher education and its ability to provide plan education, excellent customer service, personalized financial advice and modern digital tools. This change will also reduce the amount you pay as a plan participant, meaning more money goes into your savings.

By offering only TIAA as an investment provider on the plans, we will be able to offer:

• Consistent participant service across all groups.
• Technology platform enhancements driven by TIAA’s partnership with Accenture.
• Stronger compliance support to keep pace with changing federal laws.
• Simplified plan administration and oversight.

How will this change affect my investments?

Your investments will stay the same. The same funds in the current investment menu will continue to be available after TIAA becomes the recordkeeper. You can view the current investment offerings on Fidelity’s site. TIAA’s role is to provide account access and track participant information. When your investments transfer from Fidelity to TIAA, they will remain continuously invested, with no out-of-market period.

We’re here to help

Access your account or contact TIAA to manage balances, make changes to current investments, update your beneficiary, request loans or withdrawals, and more.

Online: Visit tiaa.org/cwu and log in. If you’re new to TIAA, select Log in, then Need online access? Follow the on-screen directions to access your account.

Phone: Call TIAA at 800-842-2252, weekdays, 5 AM to 7 PM.

In person: Schedule a time to meet with a TIAA Representative. Register for sessions at tiaa.org/schedulenow.