0001491978 fst:S000035596Member 2011-09-13 2012-09-12 0001491978 2011-09-13 2012-09-12 0001491978 fst:S000035596Member fst:C000109007Member 2011-09-13 2012-09-12 pure iso4217:USD <div style="display:none">~ http://www.flexshares.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesFlexSharesReadyAccessVariableIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div> EXAMPLE FUND SUMMARY FlexShares® Ready Access Variable Income Fund 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 fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. <div style="display:none">~ http://www.flexshares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesFlexSharesReadyAccessVariableIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div> Other Expenses for the current fiscal year are estimated as the Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. 485BPOS FlexShares Trust -0.0002 26 This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market, which are not reflected in the example that follows: The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other 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 (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 0001491978 0.0027 85 INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES The Fund seeks to achieve the investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a non-diversified portfolio of fixed income instruments, including bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by U.S. and non-U.S. public and private sector entities. Such issuers include, without limitation, U.S. and non-U.S. governments and their agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, U.S. state and local governments and U.S. and non-U.S. private-sector entities, such as corporations and banks. The average portfolio duration of this Fund will vary based on The Northern Trust Company Investment Policy Committee’s forecast for interest rates and will normally not exceed one year. Duration measures the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security to changes in interest rates. Interest rate changes have a greater effect on the price of fixed-income securities with longer durations. The dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund is normally not expected to exceed two years. The Fund invests in investment grade debt securities (i.e., securities that are, at the time of investment, rated within the top four rating categories by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) or of comparable quality as determined by NTI). The Fund may invest, without limitation, in fixed income securities and instruments of foreign issuers in developed and emerging markets, including debt securities of foreign governments, and may invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities and instruments of issuers in a single developed market country. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed income securities and instruments of issuers in emerging markets. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, including to-be-announced transactions, and purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. However, the Fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in non-agency mortgage or asset-backed securities. The Fund also may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts (such as buy backs or mortgage dollar rolls). The Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for hedging purposes in order to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency exchange rates, to facilitate local settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders. The Fund, however, does not expect to engage in currency transactions for speculative purposes (e.g., for potential income or capital gain). The Fund is “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” funds. September 12, 2013 It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. 2012-09-11 As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. 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 payment or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security held by the Fund could have a similar effect. CURRENCY RISK is the risk that foreign currencies will fluctuate in value relative to the U.S. dollar, adversely affecting the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, you may lose money if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the market value of the Fund’s holdings appreciates. DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) later than expected. This may happen during a period of rising interest rates. Under these circumstances, the value of the obligation will decrease and the Fund will suffer from the inability to invest in higher yielding securities. DERIVATIVES RISK is the risk of investing in derivative instruments. The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency contracts, which subjects the Fund to additional Liquidity Risk, Interest Rate Risk, Market Risk, Credit (or Default) Risk, Leveraging Risk and Management Risk, as well as the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. EMERGING MARKETS RISK is the risk that markets of emerging market countries are less developed and less liquid, subject to greater price volatility and generally subject to increased economic, political, regulatory and other uncertainties than more developed markets. FINANCIAL SECTOR RISK is the risk that the Fund will be impacted by events affecting the U.S. and non-U.S. financial sectors if it invests a relatively large percentage of its assets in those sectors, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance. The U.S. and non-U.S. financial sectors can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaulted, price competition, the availability and cost of capital funds and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis. In 2008 and 2009, the U.S. financial sector was significantly impacted by bankruptcies and consolidations of major financial firms. Events affecting the U.S. and non-U.S. financial sectors have had, and may continue to have, a significant negative impact on the valuations and stock prices of companies in this sector and have increased the volatility of investments in those sectors. FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK is the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in U.S. securities, due to less liquid markets, and adverse economic, political, diplomatic, financial and regulatory factors. Foreign governments also may impose limits on investment and repatriation and impose taxes. To the extent that the Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a single country or countries located in the same geographic region, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with that particular country or region, such as general and local economic, political and social conditions. Any of these events could cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. INTEREST RATE/MATURITY RISK is the risk that the value of the Fund’s fixed-income assets will decline because of rising interest rates. The magnitude of this decline will often be greater for longer-term fixed-income securities than shorter-term fixed-income securities. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. ISSUER RISK is the risk that changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s credit quality or value. LEVERAGING RISK is the risk that risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions and investments in forward foreign currency contracts, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. LIQUIDITY RISK is the risk that certain portfolio 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, adversely affecting the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by NTI may fail to produce the intended results. MARKET RISK is the risk that the Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. MARKET TRADING RISKS are the risks that the Fund faces because its shares are listed on a securities exchange, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. MORTGAGE-RELATED AND OTHER ASSET-BACKED RISKS are the risks of investing in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including Interest Rate/Maturity Risk, Debt Extension Risk and Prepayment (or Call) Risk. MUNICIPAL MARKET VOLATILITY RISK is the risk that the Fund may be adversely affected by the volatile municipal market. The municipal market can be significantly affected by adverse tax, legislative, or political changes and the financial condition of the issuers of municipal securities. NEW FUND RISKS are the risks that the Fund faces because it is a new fund. As a new fund, there can be no assurance that it will grow to or maintain an economically viable size or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the shares. NON-DIVERSIFICATION RISK is the risk that 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. PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that prepayment of the underlying mortgages or other collateral of some fixed-income securities may result in a decreased rate of return and a decline in value of those securities. U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK is the risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. Many U.S. government securities that may be purchased by the Fund are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. It is possible that the issuers of such securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. 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. NON-DIVERSIFICATION RISK is the risk that 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. 2012-09-11 0 You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market, which are not reflected in the example that follows: false 2012-09-12 2012-09-12 0.0025 0 0.0002 0.0025 The Fund seeks maximum current income consistent with the preservation of capital and liquidity. PRINCIPAL RISKS FUND PERFORMANCE As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations. <div style="display:none">~ http://www.flexshares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposedFlexSharesReadyAccessVariableIncomeFund column period compact * ~</div> 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. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations. Under the Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement, Northern Trust Investments, Inc. ("NTI" or "Investment Adviser") is responsible for most of the operating expenses of the Fund. However, the Investment Adviser is not responsible for the following expenses: interest expenses, brokerage commissions and other trading expenses, fees and expenses of the independent trustees and their independent legal counsel, taxes and other extraordinary costs such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business. Other Expenses for the current fiscal year are estimated as the Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. NTI has contractually agreed to reimburse the fees and expenses of the Trust's independent trustees and their independent legal counsel until September 12, 2013. After this date, NTI and the Fund may mutually agree to extend the contractual arrangement. The Fund's Board of Trustees may terminate the contractual arrangement at any time if it determines that it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.