Fund Evaluator:
Northern Fixed Income (NOFIX)
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Best Performing in Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Over the Last Year
| 4.1% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Y (DHNYX) |
| 3.9% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond I (DHNIX) |
| 3.7% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Investor (DHNAX) |
| 3.5% | Weitz Core Plus Income Investor (WCPNX) |
| 3.4% | Nuveen Core Plus Bond I (TCBHX) |
Fund Details
Northern Fixed Income Overview
Northern Fixed Income (NOFIX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. Northern Funds launched the fund in 1994.
The investment seeks to maximize total return (capital appreciation and income) consistent with reasonable risk. The fund will seek capital appreciation and current income in the advisor's attempt to maximize total return. It will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in bonds and other fixed-income securities. The fund primarily invests in investment grade domestic debt obligations. The fund's dollar-weighted average maturity, under normal circumstances, will range between three and fifteen years.
About Northern Fixed Income (NOFIX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.68 years: Bilal Memon (2023), Benjamin Gord (2026), Chaitanya (Chaitu) Mandavakuriti (2024), Dmitri Artemiev (2025), Christian Roth (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Northern Fixed Income has 373 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 31.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Northern Fixed Income is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Northern Fixed Income has 5.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.3% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 106.8% (101.8% domestic bond, 5.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Northern Fixed Income has -7.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $278 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
NOFIX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Northern Fixed Income expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Northern Fixed Income has an expense ratio of 0.45%, which is 42% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Northern Fixed Income has a portfolio turnover rate of 127%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 181% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Northern Fixed Income returned -1.2%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Northern Fixed Income has a trailing yield of 4.54%, which is above the 4.36% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Northern Fixed Income Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.5%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 2.9% over the past year (grade of C), 4.1% over the past three years (grade of C) and -0.2% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 1.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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NOFIX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| NOFIX Return (NAV) | -1.2% | -0.7% | 2.9% | 4.1% | -0.2% | 1.7% |
| NOFIX Grade | A | B | C | C | C | D |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | -0.0% | -0.1% | -0.2% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.7% | 2.7% | 4.2% | -0.2% | 1.8% |
| NOFIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.4% |
NOFIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| NOFIX Return (NAV) | -0.5% | 7.6% | 1.8% | 6.0% | -13.9% | -0.2% | 8.0% | 10.7% | -2.1% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| NOFIX Grade | C | B | D | D | C | B | C | A | F | C | D |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.3% | -0.5% | -0.1% | -0.5% | 0.4% | -0.6% | 1.6% | -1.2% | -0.3% | -1.1% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -0.6% | 7.3% | 2.3% | 6.1% | -13.4% | -0.6% | 8.6% | 9.1% | -0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.8% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.47 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.02 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (59% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.02 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.5% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $278 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 278 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | No Load |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 128% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 3.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Memon Bilal (2023), Mandavakuriti Chaitanya (Chaitu) (2024), Roth Christian (2024), Artemiev Dmitri (2025), Gord Benjamin (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 373 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 31.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.3% |
| Domestic Bond: | 101.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 5.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | -7.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Northern Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-595-9111 |
| Website: | www.northernfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 31, 1994 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 500 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% ( Rating : Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.78% |
| Share Class: | Northern Fixed Income |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 50 |
