North Square Fund Wins Industry Award
What happened
The North Square Strategic Income Fund was named the "Active Fixed Income Mutual Fund of the Year" at the with.Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards ceremony on February 11th. The award recognizes the fund's performance in its category.
Why it matters
- The fund is managed by a team of five portfolio managers from sub-advisor Red Cedar Investment Management: John Cassady, David Withrow, Jason Schwartz, Julia Batchenko, and Brandon Bajema. Their investment approach combines top-down macroeconomic analysis with bottom-up security selection to identify opportunities across a wide range of income-producing asset classes. - As of December 31, 2025, the North Square Strategic Income Fund (ADVNX) delivered an 11.20% return for the past year, an annualized return of 8.62% over the last three years, 4.32% over five years, and 4.98% over ten years. - The fund's strategy includes investing in a diversified mix of global assets such as preferred securities, corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed securities, with a focus on high-quality, transparent holdings to manage volatility and downside risk. A key part of their strategy also involves dynamic tail-risk hedging to protect the portfolio from unexpected geopolitical or economic shocks. - With an inception date of December 31, 2012, the fund has grown to approximately $810.96 million in assets under management. - The with.Intelligence awards are judged by an independent panel of more than 20 industry experts, including allocators and consultants, through a rigorous assessment process designed to recognize excellence in the asset management industry. - In a recent shareholder report, the fund's management attributed part of its outperformance to a cautious yet opportunistic approach during market volatility. Specific contributors to performance included long volatility exposure, investments in preferred securities, and security selection in securitized products like commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). - The fund carries a 4-star overall rating from Morningstar out of 334 funds in the Multisector Bond category as of December 31, 2025. For the 5-year and 10-year periods, it received 4-star ratings. - In addition to seeking high current income and long-term capital appreciation, a stated goal of the fund is to have a low correlation to traditional equity and investment-grade fixed-income products to enhance risk-adjusted returns for investors.
Key numbers
- The North Square Strategic Income Fund was named the "Active Fixed Income Mutual Fund of the Year" at the with.Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards ceremony on February 11th.
- As of December 31, 2025, the North Square Strategic Income Fund (ADVNX) delivered an 11.20% return for the past year, an annualized return of 8.62% over the last three years, 4.32% over five years, and 4.98% over ten years.
- With an inception date of December 31, 2012, the fund has grown to approximately $810.96 million in assets under management.
- The with.Intelligence awards are judged by an independent panel of more than 20 industry experts, including allocators and consultants, through a rigorous assessment process designed to recognize excellence in the asset management industry.
Quick answers
What happened in North Square Fund Wins Industry Award?
The North Square Strategic Income Fund was named the "Active Fixed Income Mutual Fund of the Year" at the with.Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards ceremony on February 11th. The award recognizes the fund's performance in its category.
Why does North Square Fund Wins Industry Award matter?
The fund is managed by a team of five portfolio managers from sub-advisor Red Cedar Investment Management: John Cassady, David Withrow, Jason Schwartz, Julia Batchenko, and Brandon Bajema. Their investment approach combines top-down macroeconomic analysis with bottom-up security selection to identify opportunities across a wide range of income-producing asset classes. As of December 31, 2025, the North Square Strategic Income Fund (ADVNX) delivered an 11.20% return for the past year, an annualized return of 8.62% over the last three years, 4.32% over five years, and 4.98% over ten years. The fund's strategy includes investing in a diversified mix of global assets such as preferred securities, corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed securities, with a focus on high-quality, transparent holdings to manage volatility and downside risk. A key part of their strategy also involves dynamic tail-risk hedging to protect the portfolio from unexpected geopolitical or economic shocks. With an inception date of December 31, 2012, the fund has grown to approximately $810.96 million in assets under management. The with.Intelligence awards are judged by an independent panel of more than 20 industry experts, including allocators and consultants, through a rigorous assessment process designed to recognize excellence in the asset management industry. In a recent shareholder report, the fund's management attributed part of its outperformance to a cautious yet opportunistic approach during market volatility. Specific contributors to performance included long volatility exposure, investments in preferred securities, and security selection in securitized products like commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). The fund carries a 4-star overall rating from Morningstar out of 334 funds in the Multisector Bond category as of December 31, 2025. For the 5-year and 10-year periods, it received 4-star ratings. In addition to seeking high current income and long-term capital appreciation, a stated goal of the fund is to have a low correlation to traditional equity and investment-grade fixed-income products to enhance risk-adjusted returns for investors.
