Limited Term Tax-Exempt (formerly known as Short-Intermediate Tax-Exempt)†

Summary

You may find this Fund attractive if you are in investor who is seeking higher current income, but potentially less price volatility than the Intermediate Tax-Exempt Fund, with income exempt from regular federal income tax. It is well suited for income-oriented investors in higher tax brackets who are willing to accept some risk of principal in exchange for higher yield potential. Income from the Fund may be subject to federal alternative minimum tax (AMT), state and local taxes. We focus on producing conservative tax-free income while managing portfolio risk. The Fund's average maturity ranges from one year to less than six years.

Fund Objective

The Fund seeks to provide a high level of current income exempt from regular federal income tax by investing in municipal instruments.

Fund Strategy

• Maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity range, under normal circumstances, between one and six years.
• Invest in high-quality securities, primarily investment-grade debt.
• Select investments on the basis of their relative value with a focus on total return.

Investor Profile

If you are an investor seeking higher current income, but potentially less price volatility than the Intermediate Tax-Exempt Fund, with income exempt from regular federal income tax, you may find this Fund attractive. It is well suited for income-oriented investors in higher tax brackets who are willing to accept some risk of principal in exchange for higher yield potential. Income from the Fund may be subject to federal alternative minimum tax (AMT), state and local taxes.

Risk/Reward Potential

Overall Morningstar Rating ^TM

Among 206 muni national short funds derived from a weighted average of the fund's 3-, 5- and 10-year risk-adjusted returns as of 8/31/23.

Limited Term Tax-Exempt received 2 stars for the 3-year rating among 206 muni national short funds, 4 stars for the 5-year rating among 189 funds and 4 stars for the 10-year rating among 139 funds.

The Morningstar Rating^TM for funds, or "star rating," is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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^†Effective February 1, 2022, the fund's name changed from the Short-Intermediate Tax-Exempt Fund to the Limited Term Tax-Exempt Fund.

Important risk information can be found on the Portfolio tab.

Not FDIC insured | May lose value | No bank guarantee

View investment terms definitions

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

©2023 Northern Funds | Northern Funds are distributed by Northern Funds Distributors, LLC, not affiliated with Northern Trust.