NTAUX
Tax-Advantaged Ultra-Short Fixed Income Fund
Northern Funds
Expense ratio1
0.26%
Net assets2
$2.93B
Holdings2
633
Category
Muni Bond
2025 return3
3.46%

Investment objective & strategy

As of July 29, 2025 · prospectus

Objective. The Fund seeks to maximize total return (capital appreciation and income), adjusted for the federal maximum tax rate, to the extent consistent with preservation of principal.

Strategy. The Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest primarily (and not less than 80% of its net assets) in fixed-income securities. These include: ? Obligations of U.S. state and local governments, and foreign governments; ? Obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises; ? Commercial paper and other obligations of domestic and foreign banks and corporations; ? Zero coupon bonds, debentures, preferred stock and convertible securities; ? Inflation-indexed securities; ? Mortgage and other asset-backed securities; and ? Repurchase agreements relating to the above instruments. The Fund invests in investment grade domestic debt obligations (i.e., obligations rated within the top four rating categories by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) or of comparable quality as determined by … The Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest primarily (and not less than 80% of its net assets) in fixed-income securities. These include: ? Obligations of U.S. state and local governments, and foreign governments; ? Obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises; ? Commercial paper and other obligations of domestic and foreign banks and corporations; ? Zero coupon bonds, debentures, preferred stock and convertible securities; ? Inflation-indexed securities; ? Mortgage and other asset-backed securities; and ? Repurchase agreements relating to the above instruments. The Fund invests in investment grade domestic debt obligations (i.e., obligations rated within the top four rating categories by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) or of comparable quality as determined by NTI). Credit ratings are determined at the time of purchase. The Funds average portfolio quality is expected to be A or better. The Fund will focus primarily on U.S. securities, but may also invest in fixed-income securities of foreign issuers. The Funds investments in foreign securities will consist only of U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund seeks to provide investors in higher tax brackets with more after-tax yield than a money market fund with the potential for capital appreciation. The Fund is not a money market fund, and its Net asset value (NAV) will fluctuate. The Fund seeks to maximize after-tax returns by pursuing what NTI believes to be the best net after-tax total return opportunities in both taxable and tax-exempt securities for an investor in the maximum federal tax bracket. For example, during certain market cycles a two-year corporate security may offer a significantly higher yield to maturity both gross of taxes and net of the highest federal tax rate versus a two-year tax-exempt municipal security. In this situation, the Fund may purchase the corporate security if a clear net of tax yield advantage can be determined over tax-exempt municipal alternatives. The Adviser will seek to capture such net of tax yield advantages on an opportunistic basis within the Funds maturity limitations described below. The Fund currently anticipates that it will invest at least 50% of its total assets in municipal securities and other related investments, the income from which is exempt from regular U.S. federal income tax. The Fund is not limited in the amount of its assets that may be invested in alternative minimum tax (AMT) obligations (also known as private activity bonds), which pay interest that may be treated as an item of tax preference to shareholders under the federal AMT. The Funds dollar-weighted average maturity, under normal circumstances, will range between six and eighteen months. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest only in securities with a duration of three years or less at the time of purchase. NTI may adjust the Funds holdings based on actual or anticipated changes in interest rates or credit quality, and may shorten the Funds duration below six months based on NTIs interest rate outlook or adverse market conditions. The Fund may also invest in securities that are subject to resale restrictions such as those contained in Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. In buying and selling securities for the Fund, NTI uses a relative value approach. This approach involves an analysis of general economic and market conditions. It also involves the use of models that analyze and compare expected returns and assumed risks. Under the relative value approach, NTI will emphasize particular securities and types of securities (such as general obligation bonds, corporate-backed municipal bonds, revenue obligation bonds, and other municipal securities, treasury, agency, asset-backed, mortgage-backed and corporate securities) that the team believes will provide a favorable net after-tax return in light of these risks. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury futures, which are considered to be derivative instruments, for various purposes, including to manage duration, credit and interest rate risks, and for cash management.

Top holdings

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY MTATRN $40.00M 1.37%
MN MUNI GAS AUTH-B MGAUTL $39.90M 1.36%
ALLGNY CNTY HDA 0% 11/15/2047 ALLMED $39.71M 1.36%
BLACK BELT ENERGY GAS VAR BBEUTL $36.64M 1.25%
MAIN STR NAT GA 5% 12/1/2052 MT MAIUTL $36.06M 1.23%
RURAL WTR FING 2.75% 5/1/2028 RWFWTR $31.63M 1.08%
DESERTXPRESS ENTERPRISES LLC (MPT) 3.5% 01-01-65 CASDEV $30.01M 1.02%
BLACK BELT ENERGY GAS FRN BBEUTL $28.95M 0.99%
BRISTOL-WAR RI 5% 06/04/26 BAN BRISCD $25.10M 0.86%
STATE OF ILLINOIS 5.25% ILS $24.68M 0.84%
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Allocation by sector

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
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Portfolio moves

Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026
Opened
142
Exited
67
Increased
7
Decreased
17
Unchanged
467

How 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.

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Advisers

As of March 31, 2025 · N-CEN
FirmRole
NORTHERN TRUST INVESTMENTS, INC. Adviser

Footnotes

  1. Expense ratio as of July 29, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
  2. Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
  3. Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).

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