TLSTX vs. SVPFX

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund (TLSTX) and Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund (SVPFX).

TLSTX is managed by TIAA Investments. It was launched on Jan 3, 1999. SVPFX is managed by Goldman Sachs. It was launched on Mar 28, 2021.

Performance

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund (TLSTX) and Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund (SVPFX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
TLSTX TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund	-6.73%	17.08%	23.66%	25.90%	-19.24%	15.25%
SVPFX Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund	0.87%	4.19%	3.82%	5.30%	-4.37%	0.78%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, TLSTX achieves a -6.73% return, which is significantly lower than SVPFX's 0.87% return.

TLSTX

• 1D: -0.45%
• 1M: -7.70%
• YTD: -6.73%
• 6M: -4.49%
• 1Y: 14.63%
• 3Y*: 16.64%
• 5Y*: 10.16%
• 10Y*: —

SVPFX

• 1D: 0.36%
• 1M: -0.45%
• YTD: 0.87%
• 6M: 2.58%
• 1Y: 3.47%
• 3Y*: 4.08%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Expense Ratio Comparison

TLSTX has a 0.09% expense ratio, which is lower than SVPFX's 0.38% expense ratio.

SVPFX

Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund

TLSTX

TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund

Return for Risk

TLSTX vs. SVPFX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

TLSTX

TLSTX Risk / Return Rank: 43
TLSTX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 45
TLSTX Sortino Ratio Rank: 41
TLSTX Omega Ratio Rank: 45
TLSTX Calmar Ratio Rank: 39
TLSTX Martin Ratio Rank: 48

SVPFX

SVPFX Risk / Return Rank: 23
SVPFX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 15
SVPFX Sortino Ratio Rank: 12
SVPFX Omega Ratio Rank: 39
SVPFX Calmar Ratio Rank: 19
SVPFX Martin Ratio Rank: 28

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund (TLSTX) and Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund (SVPFX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	TLSTX	SVPFX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.94	0.44	+0.50
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.32	0.61	+0.71
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.20	1.18	+0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.04	0.57	+0.47
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.85	3.10	+1.75
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current TLSTX Sharpe Ratio is 0.94, which is higher than the SVPFX Sharpe Ratio of 0.44. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of TLSTX and SVPFX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	TLSTX	SVPFX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.94	0.44	+0.50
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.60	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.68	0.38	+0.30

Correlation

The correlation between TLSTX and SVPFX is 0.11, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Dividend Comparison

TLSTX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.88%, more than SVPFX's 2.49% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
TLSTX TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund	5.88%	5.48%	2.73%	2.22%	3.82%	1.38%	1.84%	2.24%
SVPFX Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund	2.49%	1.83%	4.37%	4.29%	0.76%	0.38%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum TLSTX drawdown since its inception was -34.91%, which is greater than SVPFX's maximum drawdown of -6.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for TLSTX and SVPFX.

Drawdown Indicators

	TLSTX	SVPFX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-34.91%	-6.37%	-28.54%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.37%	-5.22%	-7.15%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.12%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.86%	-0.45%	-8.41%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.62%	-1.99%	-3.63%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.65%	0.98%	+1.67%

Volatility

TLSTX vs. SVPFX - Volatility Comparison

TIAA-CREF Life Funds Stock Index Fund (TLSTX) has a higher volatility of 4.37% compared to Goldman Sachs Strategic Volatility Premium Fund (SVPFX) at 0.87%. This indicates that TLSTX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SVPFX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	TLSTX	SVPFX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.37%	0.87%	+3.50%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.28%	1.37%	+7.91%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.28%	8.02%	+8.26%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.91%	5.60%	+11.31%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.21%	5.60%	+14.61%