Fees on the firm's open-end and exchange-traded funds are a weakness, contributing negatively to the rating and creating a larger performance hurdle on funds. On average, North Star Financial charges fees on its funds that are in the most expensive quintile of similarly distributed funds. With the current market environment of fee compression, this is cause for concern, as investors may flock over time to alternate asset managers to get a better deal. North Star Financial management has lacked continuity over the past five years, denoted by higher-than-average portfolio manager turnover, which detracts from the firm's stewardship rating. The longest-tenured managers’ average tenure within the firm is 11 years, bringing a wealth of knowledge through multiple market cycles to the table and contributing positively to the rating.
North Star Financial has a ways to go to become an industry-standard steward, resulting in a Below Average Parent Pillar rating.