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INVESTORS VARIABLE NAV AMT-FREE MUNICIPAL MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTORS VARIABLE NAV AMT-FREE MUNICIPAL MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund is a money market fund that seeks to provide, to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and prescribed portfolio standards, a high level of income exempt from regular federal income tax by investing primarily in municipal instruments.
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)
Shareholder Fees (USD $)
INVESTORS VARIABLE NAV AMT-FREE MUNICIPAL MONEY MARKET 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)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
INVESTORS VARIABLE NAV AMT-FREE MUNICIPAL MONEY MARKET FUND
Management Fees 0.25%
Other Expenses [1] 0.25%
Administration Fees 0.10%
Transfer Agency Fees 0.10%
Other Operating Expenses 0.05%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.50%
Expense Reimbursement [2] 0.15%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 0.35%
[1] "Other Expenses" are estimated for the current fiscal year since the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
[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 After Reimbursement" exceed 0.35%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before July 31, 2014 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.
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:
Expense Example (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
INVESTORS VARIABLE NAV AMT-FREE MUNICIPAL MONEY MARKET FUND
36 145
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in high quality short-term municipal instruments, the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax. The high level of income sought by the Fund is relative to yields currently available in the tax-exempt marketplace. Municipal instruments may include, but are not limited to:
  • Fixed, variable and floating rate notes and similar debt instruments;
  • Asset-backed securities that are considered municipal instruments (such as trust certificates backed by municipal bonds);
  • Tax-exempt commercial paper;
  • Municipal bonds, notes, paper or other instruments; and
  • Municipal bonds and notes that are guaranteed as principal and interest or backed by the U.S. government or by its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises.
Except in extraordinary circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets will be invested in debt instruments that pay interest that is exempt from regular federal income tax and alternative minimum tax. Under normal circumstances, it’s the Fund’s policy not to invest in alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) obligations (also known as “private activity bonds”), using them only during temporary defensive periods or when non-AMT obligations are unavailable. AMT obligations pay interest that may be treated as an item of tax preference to shareholders under the federal AMT. To the extent that the Fund invests in AMT obligations, a portion of the Fund’s dividends may be subject to federal income tax for shareholders subject to AMT.

THE FUND HAS A VARIABLE NET ASSET VALUE (“NAV”). UNLIKE A TRADITIONAL MONEY MARKET FUND, THE FUND WILL NOT USE THE AMORTIZED COST METHOD OF VALUATION AND DOES NOT SEEK TO MAINTAIN A STABLE SHARE PRICE OF $1.00. AS A RESULT, THE FUND’S SHARE PRICE, WHICH IS ITS NAV, WILL VARY AND REFLECT THE EFFECTS OF UNREALIZED APPRECIATION AND DEPRECIATION AND REALIZED LOSSES AND GAINS. The Fund is managed in accordance with Rule 2a-7 (“Rule 2a-7”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Rule 2a-7 imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, and diversification of the Fund’s investments. Accordingly, the Fund’s investments must have a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days, and must be high quality. In addition, the Fund must maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less, and a dollar-weighted average life of 120 days or less, without regard to interest rate resets. The Fund also maintains certain minimum standards regarding daily and weekly liquid assets, and limitations on the purchase of illiquid holdings, as required by Rule 2a-7.

During extraordinary market conditions and interest rate environments, all or any portion of the Fund’s assets may be uninvested or invested in taxable instruments. Uninvested assets do not generate income. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective during this time.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the Fund’s yield (and the market value of its securities) will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates; in periods of falling interest rates, the Fund’s yield (and the market value of its securities) will tend to be higher.

GUARANTOR (OR CREDIT ENHANCEMENT) RISK is the risk that changes in credit quality of a U.S. or foreign bank, insurance company or other financial institution or such entity’s failure to fulfill its obligations could cause the Fund’s investments to decline in value. Adverse developments in the banking or bond insurance industries also may negatively affect the Fund.

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.

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 an asset-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.

INCOME RISK is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Fund’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the investment management team may fail to produce the intended results.

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 yield. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security held by the Fund could have a similar effect.

PROJECT/INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOND RISK is the risk that the Fund may be more sensitive to an adverse economic, business or political development if it invests more than 25% of its assets in municipal instruments, the interest upon which is paid solely from revenues of similar projects, or in industrial development bonds.

TAX RISK is the risk that future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may materially affect the value of municipal instruments or the ability of the Fund to pay tax-exempt dividends.

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.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the market values of fixed-income securities owned by the Fund may decline, at times sharply and unpredictably.

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. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.
FUND PERFORMANCE
The bar chart and performance table have been omitted because the Fund has been in operation for less than one calendar year.