NORTHERN FUNDS

Small Cap Index Fund

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Summary Prospectus    |    July 31, 2013   Ticker:  NSIDX
(as revised October 31, 2013)  

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s complete Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s complete Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.northernfunds.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-595-9111 or by sending an e-mail request to northern-funds@ntrs.com. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary (such as a bank or a broker-dealer), the complete Prospectus and other information are also available from your financial intermediary. The Fund’s complete Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated July 31, 2013, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks to provide investment results approximating the aggregate price and dividend performance of the securities included in the Russell 2000 ® Index.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

       
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment) 		 

Management Fees

    0.20%   

Other Expenses

    0.32%   

Administration Fees

    0.15%          

Transfer Agency Fees

    0.10%          

Other Operating Expenses

    0.07%          

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

    0.01%   

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (1)

    0.53%   

Expense Reimbursement (2)

    (0.37)%  

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement (1)

    0.16%   

 

(1)  

The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement will not correlate to the Fund’s ratio of average net assets to (1) expenses before reimbursements and credits and (2) expenses net of reimbursements and credits, respectively, included in the Fund’s Financial Highlights in the Fund’s complete Prospectus, which do not reflect indirect expenses, such as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

 

(2)  

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Fund (other than acquired fund fees and expenses; a portion of the compensation paid to each Trustee who is not an officer, director or employee of Northern Trust Corporation or its subsidiaries; expenses related to third-party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees of the Trust; membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; and extraordinary expenses and interest, if any) to the extent the “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” exceed 0.15%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before July 31, 2014 without the approval of the Board of Trustees. Northern Trust Investments, Inc. serves as the investment adviser and administrator to the Fund. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Fund.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year    3 Years    5 Years    10 Years
$16    $133    $259    $629

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13.04% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest substantially all (and at least 80%) of its net assets in the equity securities included in the Russell 2000 Index, in weightings that approximate the relative composition of securities contained in the Russell 2000 Index, and in Russell 2000 Index futures approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The Russell 2000 Index is widely considered representative of smaller company stock performance as a whole. The companies in the Russell 2000 Index are selected according to their total market capitalization. However, companies are not selected by Frank Russell Company (“Russell”) for inclusion in the Russell 2000 Index because they are expected to have superior stock price performance relative to the stock market in general or other stocks in particular. As of May 31, 2013, the market capitalization of the companies in the Russell 2000 Index was between $129 million and $3.3 billion.

 

NF SUM SCIN (10/13)   SUMMARY PROSPECTUS   1   SMALL CAP INDEX FUND

The Fund is passively managed, which means it tries to duplicate the investment composition and performance of the Russell 2000 Index by using computer programs and statistical procedures. The Fund’s investment adviser will buy and sell securities in response to changes in the Russell 2000 Index. Because the Fund will have fees and transaction expenses (while the Russell 2000 Index has none), returns are likely to be below those of the Russell 2000 Index.

The Fund’s investment adviser expects that, under normal circumstances, the quarterly performance of the Fund, before expenses, will track the performance of the Russell 2000 Index within a 0.95 correlation coefficient.

Frank Russell Company does not endorse any of the securities in the Russell 2000 Index. It is not a sponsor of the Small Cap Index Fund and is not affiliated with the Fund in any way.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of equity securities owned by the Fund may decline, at times sharply and unpredictably, because of economic changes or other events that affect individual issuers or large portions of the market.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Fund’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results.

TRACKING RISK is the risk that the Fund’s performance may vary substantially from the performance of the benchmark index it tracks as a result of share purchases and redemptions, transaction costs, expenses and other factors.

SMALL CAP STOCK RISK is the risk that stocks of smaller companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies. Small companies may have limited product lines or financial resources, or may be dependent upon a small or inexperienced management group, and their securities may trade less frequently and in lower volume than the securities of larger companies, which could lead to higher transaction costs. Generally the smaller the company size, the greater the risk.

As with any mutual fund, it is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

FUND PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing (A) changes in the performance of the Fund from year to year, and (B) how the average annual total returns of the Fund compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.

The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Fund is available and may be obtained on the Fund’s Web site at www.northernfunds.com or by calling 800-595-9111.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURN*

 

LOGO

*Year to date total return for the six months ended June 30, 2013 is 15.75%. For the periods shown in the bar chart above, the highest quarterly return was 23.13% in the second quarter of 2003, and the lowest quarterly return was (26.16)% in the fourth quarter of 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN

(For the periods ended December 31, 2012)

 

    Inception
Date 		    1-Year     5-Year     10-Year     Since
Inception 		 

Small Cap Index Fund

    9/3/99           

Return before taxes

      16.20%        3.31%        9.30%        6.05%   

Return after taxes on distributions

      15.71%        2.67%        8.50%        4.72%   

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

      10.95%        2.59%        8.05%        4.67%   

Russell 2000 ® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

      16.35%        3.56%        9.72%        6.67%   

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER. Northern Trust Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Small Cap Index Fund. Brent Reeder, Senior Vice President of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., has been manager of the Fund since November 2006.

 

SMALL CAP INDEX FUND   2   SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

You may purchase Fund shares through your account at Northern Trust or an authorized intermediary or you may open an account directly with Northern Funds (the “Trust”) with a minimum initial investment of $2,500 in the Fund ($500 for an IRA; $250 under the Automatic Investment Plan; and $500 for employees of Northern Trust and its affiliates). The minimum subsequent investment is $50 (except for reinvestments of distributions for which there is no minimum). The Fund reserves the right to waive these minimums.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange shares through your account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

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By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

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By Telephone – Authorize the telephone privilege on your New Account Application. Call 800-595-9111 to use the telephone privilege.

 

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By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $250). You will be charged $15 for each wire redemption unless the designated account is maintained at Northern Trust or an affiliated bank. Call 800-595-9111 for instructions.

 

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By Systematic Withdrawal – If you own shares of the Fund with a minimum value of $10,000, you may elect to have a fixed sum redeemed at regular intervals and distributed in cash or reinvested in one or more other funds of the Trust. Call 800-595-9111 for an application form and additional information. The minimum amount is $250 per withdrawal.

 

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By Exchange – Complete the Exchange Privilege section of your New Account Application to exchange shares of one fund in the Trust for shares of another fund in the Trust. Shares being exchanged must have a value of at least $1,000 ($2,500 if a new account is being established by the exchange, $500 if the new account is an IRA). Call 800-595-9111 for more information.

 

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By Internet – You may initiate transactions between Northern Trust banking and Fund accounts by using Northern Trust Private Passport. For details and to sign up for this service, go to www.northernfunds.com or contact your Relationship Manager.

 

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.

 

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS   3   SMALL CAP INDEX FUND

 

SMALL CAP INDEX FUND   4   SUMMARY PROSPECTUS