Diane Garnick

Diane Garnick (born January 19, 1967) is an American investment manager. Diane is the Chief Income Strategist at TIAA and serves on the Board of the CFA Institute Research Foundation.

Garnick was born in New York. She was identified as a top scholar in elementary school and competed throughout the United States as a math and science champion in the early 1970s. She gave birth to her first daughter at age 15. After the birth of her child, Garnick returned to High School and completed all four grades in two years. Garnick continued to raise her daughter and had the opportunity to attend college 6 years later.

Garnick initially attended Suffolk Community College in NY. She was named to the USA Today All Star Academics Team. She donated her medal to the community college where they now have that medal and several other awards she received on display. Garnick later went on to earn her Bachelor's degree from Hofstra University, and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Garnick taught a class entitled "The Fine Art of Failure" at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. See Garnick on Failure

Garnick began her career at Deloitte and Touche LLP. Her projects entailed derivatives product control for clients such as Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch. While she was on a project engagement at Merrill Lynch, she was hired to work in Merrill Lynch's Equity Derivatives Research team. In 2001, she joined State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) one of the world's largest passive asset management firms as their Chief Investment Strategist. Garnick later became the Chief Investment Strategist at Invesco, one of the world's largest active asset management firms. Currently she is the Chief Income Strategist at TIAA, one of the largest retirement providers.

Her Wall Street research focuses on all areas of portfolio construction that impact pension plans, foundations, and endowments. She has published reports focusing on equity derivatives, index investing, exchange-traded funds, behavioral economics, taxation, corporate actions, and quantitative investing.

Garnick is a plan sponsor and pension advocate focusing most of her research on issues surrounding how companies and public entities can fulfill the retirement promises made to employees during their work lives and how individuals can plan for their retirement. Her work on hedging risks in the portfolios of plan sponsors is used throughout the world.

Diane makes regular appearances on CNBC, Fox and Bloomberg TV.

Garnick served on the State University of New York (SUNY) Scholarship Committee. In that role she helps to ensure that the funds she received as a student will be available to help future students.

Garnick served on the Investment Committee of CHRISTUS Health, a foundation focused on providing medical care to underinsured patients.

Garnick is supportive of charities that advance the welfare of children, especially direct support to children who are economically challenged. Garnick was named A Champion for Children by the Council for Unity.

Garnick was honored for her work with domestic abuse survivors by Take Higher Ground.

Garnick is divorced and lives in New York City. She has two daughters.