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ADVISORSHARES Q PORTFOLIO BLENDED ALLOCATION ETF (NYSE Arca: QPT)

 

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS – December 22, 2020

 

Before you invest in the AdvisorShares Fund, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated December 22, 2020, as supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as well as other information about the Fund, online at http://advisorshares.com/etfs/qpt. You may also obtain this information at no charge by calling 877.843.3831 or by sending an email request to info@advisorshares.com.

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report. If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. Please contact your financial intermediary to elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications electronically. You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. Please contact your financial intermediary to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports and for information about whether your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The AdvisorShares Q Portfolio Blended Allocation ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to maximize total return over the long-term.

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table below.

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(a) 0.74%
DISTRIBUTION (12b-1) FEES 0.00%
OTHER EXPENSES(b) 0.23%
ACQUIRED FUND FEES AND EXPENSES(b)(c) 0.20%
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES 1.17%

 

(a)The management fee above reflects the base fee. Actual management fees may be higher or lower depending on the Fund’s performance compared to its performance benchmark and can range from 0.64% to 0.84%.

 

 

(b)Because the Fund is new, “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(c)Total Annual Operating Expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund’s financial highlights (and the Fund’s financial statements) because the financial highlights include only the Fund’s direct operating expenses and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which represent the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses of the exchange-traded funds (each an “ETF”) in which it invests.

 

EXAMPLE

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This Example does not take into account brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If these fees were included, your costs would be higher.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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
AdvisorShares Q Portfolio Blended Allocation ETF $119 $372

 

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 Total Annual Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. This rate excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s shares. The Fund is new and does not yet have a portfolio turnover rate.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Fund is an actively managed ETF that is a “fund of funds.” The Fund invests in ETFs representing all asset classes, including, but not limited to, treasury bonds, municipal bonds, investment grade corporate bonds, high-yield U.S. corporate bonds (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”), municipal bonds, U.S. and foreign equities, and commodities. These underlying investments may be of any market capitalization, duration, maturity, and quality.

 

The Fund seeks to strike a balance between long term growth and market volatility by maximizing returns relative to its peer group through a risk- and rewards-based approach to portfolio allocation. ThinkBetter, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”) seeks to achieve this by adjusting the Fund’s portfolio after determining the expected drawdown of a typical balanced fund. Expected drawdown is defined as the maximum peak to trough capital loss over a full market cycle measured from January 2006 through March 2020. The term “peak to trough” refers to the stage of the business or market cycle from the end of a period of growth (peak) into declining activity and contraction until it hits its ultimate cyclical bottom (trough). Within the constraints of the expected drawdown, the Sub-Advisor then utilizes Q Methodology™, a proprietary risk analysis program, to determine the optimal risk/reward portfolio allocation.

Q Methodology™ generates a set of optimal portfolios that offer the highest expected return for a defined level of tail risk (which is the risk that an investment’s return will move significantly beyond expectations, i.e., more than three standard deviations from its mean) and expected drawdown. The resulting portfolio for the Fund is composed of a diversified mix of investments, including equities, fixed income, and commodities that are held through ETFs.

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Every month the portfolio is again adjusted by the Sub-Advisor through the application of Q Methodology™. When the market indicates a different risk/reward profile, adjustments to the Fund’s portfolio are made accordingly. The adjusted portfolio may consist of the same or different holdings and asset classes, depending upon the results of the methodology application and market movements. Asset classes can be added or removed based on the changes in the risk/reward characteristics. The Fund’s strategy may frequently involve buying and selling securities, which may lead to relatively high portfolio turnover.

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

The Fund is subject to a number of risks, as described below, that may affect the value of its shares including the possible loss of money. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Allocation Risk. The Fund’s particular allocations may have a significant effect on the Fund’s performance. Allocation risk is the risk that the selection of ETFs and the allocation of assets among such ETFs will cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective that do not allocate their assets in the same manner or the market as a whole.

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

ETF Market Risk. In stressed market conditions, the market for ETF shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn can lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares. In addition, there are a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants. If these institutions exit the business or are, for any reason, unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund, or purchase and sell securities in connection with creation and/or redemption orders, as applicable, and no other authorized participant steps forward to create or redeem, or purchase or sell securities, as applicable, Fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face operational issues such as trading halts and/or delisting. The absence of an active market in the Fund’s shares could lead to a heightened risk of differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Management Risk. The Sub-Advisor continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Sub-Advisor’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment.

 

Market Risk. Due to market conditions, the value of the Fund’s investments may fluctuate significantly from day to day. Price fluctuations may be temporary or may last for extended periods. This volatility may cause the value of your investment in the Fund to decrease. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. The market value of a security may also decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Because of its link to the markets, an investment in the Fund may be more suitable for long-term investors who can bear the risk of short-term principal fluctuations, which at times may be significant.

Models and Data Risk. When models and data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose the Fund to potential risks. In addition, the use of predictive models has inherent risk. Because predictive models are usually constructed based on historical data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied historical data.

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may experience relatively high portfolio turnover, which may result in increased transaction costs and performance that is lower than expected and potentially greater tax exposure.

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Tax Risk. In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Internal Revenue Code”), the Fund must, among other requirements described in the Fund’s SAI, derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”) and must satisfy certain asset diversification requirements. Certain of the Fund’s investments may generate income that is not qualifying income. If the Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test or asset diversification requirements and fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.

Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The trading price of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from their NAV during periods of market volatility and, in such instances, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund’s shares. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Fund’s shares will develop or be maintained. In addition, trading in shares of the Fund may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), make trading in shares inadvisable.

Underlying Exchange-Traded Fund Risk. Through its investments in ETFs, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETFs’ investments or reference assets/benchmark components, including the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by or linked to an ETF could decrease. These risks include any combination of the risks described below, as well as certain of the other risks described in this section. The Fund’s exposure to a particular risk will be proportionate to the Fund’s overall allocation to the ETFs and the ETFs’ asset allocation.

·Commodity Risk. The commodities industries can be significantly affected by the level and volatility of commodity prices, world events including international monetary and political developments, import controls and worldwide competition, exploration and production spending, and tax and other government regulations and economic conditions.

 

·Concentration Risk. An ETF may, at various times, concentrate in the securities of a particular industry, group of industries, or sector, and when a fund is over-weighted in an industry, group of industries, or sector, it may be more sensitive to any single economic, business, political, or regulatory occurrence than a fund that is not over-weighted in an industry, group of industries, or sector.

 

·Credit Risk. Certain of the ETFs are subject to the risk that a decline in the credit quality of a portfolio investment or reference asset could cause the ETF’s share price to fall. The ETFs could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a portfolio investment or the counterparty to a derivatives contract fails to make timely principal or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

·Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the stock market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

·Fixed Income Securities Risk. An ETF’s investments in, or exposure to, fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause the ETF to hold securities paying lower- than-market rates of interest, which could hurt the Fund’s yield or share price.

 

·Foreign Securities Risk. An ETF’s investments in, or exposure to, foreign issuers involve certain risks including, but not limited to, risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions, or changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges). In certain countries, legal remedies available to investors may be more limited than those available with respect to investments in the United States. In addition, the securities of some foreign companies may be less liquid and, at times, more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies.

 

·High-Yield Risk. An ETF may invest in, or be exposed to, high-yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”). High-yield securities generally pay higher yields (greater income) than investment in higher quality securities; however, high-yield securities and junk bonds may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

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·Income Risk. An ETF may derive dividend and interest income from certain of its investments. This income can vary widely over the short- and long-term. If prevailing market interest rates drop, distribution rates of an ETF’s income producing investments may decline which then may adversely affect the Fund’s value.

 

·Interest Rate Risk. An ETF’s investments in or exposure to fixed income securities are subject to the risk that interest rates rise and fall over time. As with any investment whose yield reflects current interest rates, an ETF’s yield will change over time. During periods when interest rates are low, an ETF’s yield (and total return) also may be low. To the extent that the investment advisor or issuer of an ETF anticipates interest rate trends imprecisely, the ETF could miss yield opportunities or its share price could fall.

 

·U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. government securities are subject to price fluctuations and to default in the event that an agency or instrumentality defaults on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

A comparison of the Fund’s performance with that of a broad measure of market performance may give some indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund; however, the Fund is new and, therefore, does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. Of course, once the Fund has performance, this past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

MANAGEMENT

Name Title
AdvisorShares Investments, LLC Advisor
ThinkBetter, LLC Sub-Advisor

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Name and Title Length of Service with the Sub-Advisor
Ron Piccinini, Ph.D, Chief Investment Officer since May 2019

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit.” The shares of the Fund that trade on the Exchange are “created” at their NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in Creation Units. A “creator” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund’s distributor, or uses a Depository Trust Company participant who has executed a participant agreement, and deposits into the Fund a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund along with a specified amount of cash.

 

Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. The shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange and, because shares trade at market price rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a value greater than (premium) or less than (discount) NAV. When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads will be available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

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TAX INFORMATION

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains (or a combination thereof), unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”), which may be taxed upon withdrawal.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

Investors purchasing shares in the secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges. If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing broker-dealers or other intermediaries and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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