Investment objective & strategy
As of Feb. 25, 2026 · prospectusObjective. The Fund seeks total return and preservation of capital.
Strategy. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. dollar-denominated investment-grade fixed-income securities either directly or indirectly through exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and other registered investment companies (together with ETFs, Underlying Funds). The Fund primarily invests in fixed-income securities of varying maturities, including bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by U.S. public and U.S and non-U.S. private sector entities. Such issuers include, without limitation, U.S. governments and their agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, and U.S. and non-U.S. private-sector entities, such as corporations and banks. The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity. The Fund seeks to provide attractive risk-adjusted performance by investing in … The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. dollar-denominated investment-grade fixed-income securities either directly or indirectly through exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and other registered investment companies (together with ETFs, Underlying Funds). The Fund primarily invests in fixed-income securities of varying maturities, including bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by U.S. public and U.S and non-U.S. private sector entities. Such issuers include, without limitation, U.S. governments and their agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, and U.S. and non-U.S. private-sector entities, such as corporations and banks. The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity. The Fund seeks to provide attractive risk-adjusted performance by investing in a portfolio of fixed-income securities and Underlying Funds. The Fund generally adjusts its allocations to securities based on NTIs assessment of potential changes in interest rate levels, the shape of the yield curve and credit spread relationships. The Fund also seeks to balance the potential for return and risk while emphasizing liquidity and diversification across a spectrum of U.S. dollar-denominated investment-grade fixed income securities. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, including to-be-announced (TBA) transactions, and purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund also may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts (such as buy backs or mortgage dollar rolls). In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury futures contracts, which are considered to be derivative instruments, for various purposes, including to manage duration, credit and interest rate risks, and for cash management. The Fund may take short or long positions in U.S. Treasury futures or transact in interest rate swaps. The Fund's short positions in U.S. Treasury futures are not intended to mitigate credit spread risk or other factors influencing the price of non-government bonds, which may have a greater impact than interest rates. The Fund may also invest in other interest rate futures contracts, including, but not limited to, Eurodollar and Federal Funds futures. The Fund may invest in short-term paper, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of affiliated and unaffiliated money market funds, in order to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may make the foregoing investments either directly or indirectly by investing in Underlying Funds, such as indexed or actively managed ETFs or other registered investment companies that invest in such securities. The Underlying Funds in which the Fund may invest include funds managed by NTI or its affiliates. The Fund is an actively managed ETF that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. The Fund may have a higher degree of portfolio turnover than funds that seek to replicate the performance of an index. The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Funds total assets (including the value of the collateral received).
Top holdings
As of Jan. 31, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlexShares Credit-Scored US Corporate Bond Index Fund | — | $36.59M | 24.37% |
| ISHARES 3-7 YEAR TSY. BD. | IEI | $22.25M | 14.82% |
| FlexShares Ultra-Short Income Fund | — | $21.22M | 14.14% |
| FlexShares Disciplined Duration MBS Index Fund | — | $18.83M | 12.54% |
| OPTION | TLT | $17.95M | 11.96% |
| ISHARES MBS ETF MUTUAL FUND | MBB | $15.36M | 10.23% |
| iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | IGIB | $9.06M | 6.04% |
| The Bank Of Nova Scotia, Toronto | — | $9.00M | 6.00% |
| Treasury Repurchase Agreement | — | $5.59M | 3.72% |
| FlexShares iBoxx 3-Year Target Duration TIPS Index Fund | — | $3.06M | 2.04% |
Portfolio moves
Oct 31, 2025 → Jan 31, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| WisdomTree Bianco Total Return Fund · WTBN | 24% | 0.60% |
| Monarch Ambassador Income ETF · MAMB | 17% | 1.26% |
| Global Atlantic Balanced Managed Risk Portfolio | 14% | 1.02% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| NORTHERN TRUST INVESTMENTS, INC. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of February 25, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of January 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown. Programmatic access via the agent surface.