High Yield Fixed Income
Richard J. Inzunza

Richard J. Inzunza

With Northern Trust since 2007
Began Career in 1991


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If you are an aggressive investor seeking high current income and the potential for capital appreciation for a portion of your assets, you may find this Fund provides an attractive complement to a well-diversified portfolio. This Fund is a good choice for long-term investors willing to assume the additional risks associated with investing in high yield securities including above-average share price fluctuations. Our knowledgeable investment team focuses primarily on high-yielding, lower-rated corporate bonds (those rated BB or below; these are commonly referred to as "non-investment grade" or "junk bonds"). We believe these securities offer the opportunity for higher income and greater total return potential than is generally available from high-quality, investment-grade securities.

Fund Objective: High Current Income
Ticker SymbolDistribution Rate
Daily as of 09/03/10
30 Day SEC Yield
Monthly as of July 31, 2010
NHFIX7.83%8.14%
Updated Daily as of September 3, 2010
SymbolNHFIX Distribution Rate*7.83%
CUSIP665162699 Tax-Equivalent Distribution Rate* N/A
Share Price$ 7.06 Updated Monthly as of July 31, 2010
Share Price Change$ 0.01Total Net Assets$3,243,841,640
YTD Total Return7.17% Updated Monthly as of July 31, 2010
Inception Date12/31/199830-Day SEC
Yield*
8.14%
  Tax-Equivalent
30-Day SEC
Yield*
N/A
Total Returns for Month Ended July 31, 2010
 High Yield Fixed Income FundBarclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap IndexMorningstar High Yield Bond Category Average
Month3.79%3.52%3.45%
3-Month0.26%1.04%0.69%
Year to Date6.69%8.12%7.25%
1 Year17.45%23.69%20.82%
3-Year Avg. Annual5.49%9.40%5.60%
5-Year Avg. Annual5.14%7.63%5.37%
10-Year Avg. Annual5.95%7.75%5.59%
Avg. Annual
Since Inception
5.50% Pending% N/A
 
Total Returns for Quarter Ended June 30, 2010
 High Yield Fixed Income FundBarclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap IndexMorningstar High Yield Bond Category Average
Month0.97%1.23%0.82%
3-Month–0.94%–0.06%-0.58%
Year to Date2.80%4.45%3.67%
1 Year18.42%26.66%23.95%
3-Year Avg. Annual3.06%6.88%3.32%
5-Year Avg. Annual4.71%7.22%5.00%
10-Year Avg. Annual5.62%7.46%5.27%
Avg. Annual
Since Inception
5.21%6.57% N/A
 

Performance quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than that shown here.

The Advisor has agreed to reimburse certain expenses of the Fund. The contractual reimbursement arrangement is expected to continue until at least July 31, 2011. After this date, the contractual arrangements may be terminated if it is determined to be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders. In the absence of fee waivers, yield, total return, growth since inception and dividends would have been reduced. Total return is based on net change in NAV assuming reinvestment of distributions. The 30-day SEC yield more closely reflects the current earnings of the Fund than the total returns.



Disclosure
 Gross Expense RatioNet Expense Ratio*
High Yield Fixed Income
(NHFIX)
0.99%0.89%
*Includes contractual expense reimbursements that, if not extended, will end on July 31, 2011.
 20092008200720062005
High Yield Fixed Income33.48%-19.29%1.35%10.08%1.77%
Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index58.76%-25.88%2.26%10.76%2.76%
Morningstar Category Avg.
High Yield Bond
46.70%-26.41%1.47%10.14%2.59%
Performance quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results.
Number of Holdings162
Average Duration†4.7 YRS
Average Maturity10.4 YRS
Weighted Average Coupon8.60%
Income**$0.0501
Dividend ScheduleMonthly
Dividend Income Last Quarter$0.1465
Capital Gain Income Last QuarterN/A
BenchmarkBarclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index
Morningstar CategoryHigh Yield Bond
Maturity Distribution    Fund
0 - 1 Year    3.8%
1 - 3 Years    2.4%
3 - 5 Years    19.7%
5 - 10 Years    66.2%
10+ Years    7.9%
TOTAL 100.0%
Quality DistributionFundBenchmark
BBB0.4% 0.0%
BB19.8% 39.2%
B45.6% 39.1%
CCC23.3% 19.0%
CC to D1.3% 2.3%
Not rated6.2% 0.4%
Short-Term3.4% 0.0%
TOTAL100.0% 100.0%
Sector WeightingsFundBenchmark
Consumer Cyclical22.0%18.4%
Communications15.9%16.6%
Financial Institutions13.3%12.6%
Consumer Non-Cyclical11.2%11.4%
Energy7.1%8.0%
Technology7.0%5.1%
Utilities6.2%8.2%
Capital Goods5.7%6.6%
Basic Industry4.4%8.8%
Short-Term3.3%0.0%
Transportation2.9%2.5%
Industrial Other1.0%1.8%
TOTAL100.0% 100.0%
Bond Risk: Bond funds will tend to experience smaller fluctuations in value than stock funds. However, investors in any bond fund should anticipate fluctuations in price, especially for longer-term issues and in environments of rising interest rates.

High Yield Risk: Although a high yield fund’s yield may be higher than that of fixed income funds that purchase higher-rated securities, the potentially higher yield is a function of the greater risk that a high yield fund’s share price will decline.

Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index is an unmanaged index of the 2% Issuer Cap component of the Barclays Capital High Yield Corporate Bond Index, which is a market value-weighted index of fixed rate, non-investment grade debt. It is not possible to directly in an index.

Quality Distribution: Credit quality ratings are compiled from two external rating agencies: Moody's and Standard & Poor's. We report the lowest rating of the two in the event there are any differences between them. If neither of these rating agencies has assigned a rating, the Fund will assign a rating of NR (non-rated security). The ratings represent the rating agencies' opinions of the quality of the securities they rate. The ratings, expressed in Standard & Poor's nomenclature, range from AAA (extremely strong capacity to meet its financial commitment) to D (in default). Ratings are relative and subjective and are not absolute standards of quality.
 
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Not FDIC insured | May lose value | No bank guarantee

†Northern tax-exempt fixed income funds' Average Duration is calculated using the modified duration formula. Other Northern fixed income funds show the option-adjusted duration. Duration is a measure of a bond fund's sensitivity to changes in interest rates.

*Distribution rate and tax-equivalent distribution rate represent the annualization of the Fund's distributions for the prior month ending on the date shown, including capital gain distributions. The 30-day SEC yield and tax-equivalent 30-day SEC yield represent the annualization of the Fund's net investment income, excluding capital gain income. The tax-equivalent distribution rate and tax-equivalent 30-day SEC yield are based on an assumed tax rate of 38.0% for Arizona, 41.0% for California and 35.0% for national municipal funds.

**Per share paid out July 26 with a record date of July 23. The amount shown represents dividends paid for net investment income and excludes distributions from capital gain income.

Please carefully read the prospectus and summary prospectus and consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of Northern Funds before investing. Call 800-595-9111 to obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contains this and other information about the funds.

©2010 Northern Funds | Northern Funds are distributed by Northern Funds Distributors, LLC, not affiliated with Northern Trust.