Individual bonds carry an obligation to fully return principal to investors at maturity, however ETFs have no such obligation. The net asset value of the ETFs will decline over time as income payments are made to shareholders.
Northern Trust 2055 Inflation Linked Distributing Ladder ETF (TIPD) is actively managed and seeks to achieve its investment objective by employing a “laddered” bond strategy, pursuant to which the Fund will invest in TIPS with different maturity dates (or “rungs”) through the year 2055 (the “terminal year”). Generally, NTI implements the Fund’s laddered bond strategy by investing the Fund’s assets in approximately equal proportions (as measured by par value) across the existing rungs at the time of investment to provide periodic distributions to investors in the form of income and/or principal (based upon par value of the underlying bonds) each year through the terminal year. The Fund will initially be comprised of 30 rungs with clusters of maturities throughout 2026 and each subsequent year through 2055. As the bonds in a rung reach their final maturity, the Fund generally will not reinvest the proceeds in bonds with maturities in future rungs. The Fund will make a cash distribution out of the available proceeds to Fund shareholders which will primarily consist of the par value received from the maturing bonds and may include a return of capital. Any such return of capital distribution, which involves the return of a portion of a shareholder’s investment, may be substantial. Upon conclusion of the final rung in the terminal year, the Fund will liquidate and distribute substantially all of its assets. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate with the underlying asset, rate or index and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. The Fund is subject to cash transactions risk; inflation-indexed risk, fluctuation of yield and principal payment risk, return of capital/distribution risk, fund termination risk, income risk, credit/default risk and interest rate/maturity risk. The Fund is non-diversified meaning the Fund performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers because the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers.
All data provided by: Northern Trust, J.P. Morgan, Refinitiv and Morningstar.
Before investing, carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information are in the prospectus and a summary prospectus, copies of which may be obtained by visiting www.flexshares.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest.
Northern Funds Distributors, LLC, distributor. Northern Funds Distributors, LLC is not affiliated with Northern Trust.
Credit (or Default) Risk is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations in a timely manner will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Fluctuation of Yield and Principal Payment Risk is the risk that the Fund, unlike a direct investment in a bond that has a level coupon payment and a fixed payment at maturity, will make distributions of income that vary over time. Unlike a direct investment in bonds, the breakdown of returns between Fund distributions are not predictable at the time of your investment. Fund Termination Risk is the risk that, unlike an investment in a traditional investment company with perpetual existence, the Fund is designed to liquidate in the terminal year and thus a shareholder of the Fund will not receive distributions from the Fund beyond the terminal year. Liquidity Risk is the risk that certain securities may be less liquid than others, which may make them difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like, and the Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forgo an investment opportunity, adversely affecting the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Non-Diversification Risk is the risk that a non-diversified fund may invest a larger portion of its assets in securities issued by or representing a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, a Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers. Return of Capital/Distribution Risk is the risk that the Fund’s distributions will involve a return of capital, which, although not generally taxable, may lower a shareholder’s basis in the Fund’s shares, thus potentially subjecting the shareholder to future tax consequences in connection with the sale of Fund shares, even if sold at a loss to the shareholder’s original investment. Small Fund Risk is the risk that the Fund will not grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may liquidate prior to the anticipated liquidation date in the terminal year, thus impacting the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Inflation-Indexed Securities Risk is the risk that the value of inflation protected securities, such as TIPS, generally will fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, generally decreasing when real interest rates rise and increasing when real interest rates fall. In addition, interest payments on inflation-protected securities will generally vary up or down along with the rate of inflation.