497K 1 delltdifund_497k.htm SUMMARY PROSPECTUS FOR CERTAIN OPEN-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES delltdifund_497k.htm
Summary prospectus

Fixed income

Delaware Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund

Nasdaq ticker symbols

Class A

DTRIX

Class B

DTIBX

Class C

DTICX

Class R

DLTRX

 


April 30, 2010

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's statutory prospectus (and any supplements thereto), which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's statutory prospectus and other information about the Fund, including its statement of additional information and most recent reports to shareholders online at
www.delawareinvestments.com/retail/literature. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800 523-1918
or by sending an e-mail request to service@delinvest.com. The Fund's statutory prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated April 30, 2010, are each incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

Delaware Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund

What is the Fund's investment objective?

Delaware Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund seeks maximum total return, consistent with reasonable risk.

What are the Fund's fees and expenses?

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

You may qualify for sales-charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Delaware Investments® Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor, in the Fund's statutory prospectus under the section entitled "About your account," and in the Fund's statement of additional information under the section entitled "Purchasing shares."

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class

A

B

C

R

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a percentage of offering price

2.75%

none

none

none

Maximum contingent deferred sales charge (load) as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption price, whichever is lower

none

2.00%1

1.00%1

none

Exchange fees2

none

none

none

none

Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class

A

B

C

R

Management fees

0.49%

0.49%

0.49%

0.49%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

0.30%

1.00%

1.00%

0.60%

Other expenses

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.04%

1.74%

1.74%

1.34%

Fee waivers and expense reimbursements3

(0.19%)

(0.04%)

(0.04%)

(0.14%)

Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers and expense reimbursements

0.85%

1.70%

1.70%

1.20%

 
1

If you redeem Class B shares during the first year after you buy them, you will pay a CDSC of 2.00%, which declines to 1.00% during the second and third years, and 0% thereafter. Class C shares redeemed within one year of purchase are subject to a 1.00% CDSC.

2

Exchanges are subject to the requirements of each Delaware Investments

®

Fund. A front-end sales charge may apply if you exchange your shares into a fund that has a front-end sales charge.

3

The Fund's investment manager, Delaware Management Company (Manager), is contractually waiving its investment advisory fees and/or paying expenses (excluding any 12b-1 plan and certain other expenses) to the extent necessary to prevent total annual fund operating expenses from exceeding 0.70% of the Fund's average daily net assets from April 30, 2010 through April 30, 2011. In addition, the Fund's distributor, Delaware Distributors, L.P. (Distributor), has contracted to limit the Class A and Class R shares' 12b-1 fees from April 30, 2010 through April 30, 2011 to no more than 0.15% and 0.50%, respectively, of the classes' average daily net assets. These waivers and reimbursements may be terminated only by agreement of the Manager or the Distributor, as applicable, and the Fund.

Example

This 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 reflects the Manager's and the applicable Distributor's waivers and reimbursements for the one-year period and the total operating expenses without waivers for years 2 through 10.  Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

(if redeemed)

(if redeemed)

Class

A

B

B

C

C

R

1 year

$359

$173

$373

$173

$273

$122

3 years

$578

$544

$644

$544

$544

$411

5 years

$815

$940

$940

$940

$940

$721

10 years

$1,494

$1,614

$1,813

$2,048

$2,048

$1,601

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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 287% of the average value of its portfolio.

What are the Fund's principal investment strategies?

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in investment grade fixed income securities, including, but not limited to, fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, and by U.S. corporations. Investment grade fixed income securities are securities rated at least BBB by Standard & Poor's (S&P) or Fitch, Inc. (Fitch), Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service (Moody's), or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). The Fund will maintain an average effective duration from one to three years. The Fund's investment manager, Delaware Management Company (Manager or we), will determine how much of the Fund's assets to allocate among the different types of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest based on our evaluation of economic and market conditions and our assessment of the returns and potential for appreciation that can be achieved from various sectors of the fixed income market.

The corporate debt obligations in which the Fund may invest include bonds, notes, debentures, and commercial paper of U.S. companies and, subject to the limitations described below, non-U.S. companies. The Fund may also invest in a variety of securities which are issued or guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government, and by various agencies or instrumentalities which have been established or are sponsored by the U.S. government, and, subject to the limitations described below, securities issued by foreign governments.

Additionally, the Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, government-sponsored corporations, and mortgage-backed securities issued by certain private, nongovernment entities. The Fund may also invest in securities that are backed by assets such as receivables on home equity and credit card loans, automobile, mobile home, recreational vehicle and other loans, wholesale dealer floor plans, and leases.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in below-investment-grade securities (also known as high yield or "junk" bonds). In general, the below-investment-grade securities that the Fund may purchase in this sector will generally be rated BB or lower by S&P or Fitch, Ba or lower by Moody's, or similarly rated by another NRSRO.

The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, including up to 10% of its net assets in securities of issuers located in emerging markets. The Fund's total non-U.S. dollar currency exposure will be limited, in the aggregate, to no more than 10% of net assets.

What are the principal risks of investing in the Fund?

Investing in any mutual fund involves the risk that you may lose part or all of the money you invest. Over time, the value of your investment in the Fund will increase and decrease according to changes in the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio. Principal risks include:

 

Risk

Definition

Market risk

The risk that securities or industries in a certain market—like the stock or bond market—will decline in value because of economic conditions, future expectations, or investor confidence.

Interest rate risk

The risk that securities, particularly bonds with longer maturities, will decrease in value if interest rates rise.

Credit risk

The risk that a bond's issuer will be unable to make timely payments of interest and principal.

High yield risk

The risk that high yield securities, commonly known as "junk bonds", are subject to reduced creditworthiness of issuers; increased risk of default and a more limited and less liquid secondary market than higher rated securities; and greater price volatility and risk of loss of income and principal than are higher rated securities.

Prepayment risk

The risk that the principal on a bond that is held by a portfolio will be prepaid prior to maturity at a time when interest rates are lower than what that bond was paying. A portfolio may then have to reinvest that money at a lower interest rate.

Liquidity risk

The possibility that securities cannot be readily sold within seven days at approximately the price at which a fund has valued them, which may prevent the Manager from disposing of securities at a favorable time or price during periods of infrequent trading of such securities.

Derivatives risk

Derivatives may involve additional expenses and are subject to the risk that a security or a securities index to which the derivative is associated moves in the opposite direction from what the portfolio manager had anticipated. Another risk of derivative transactions is the creditworthiness of the counterparty because the transactions rely upon the counterparty's ability to fulfill its contractual obligations.

Foreign risk

The risk that foreign securities (particularly in emerging markets) may be adversely affected by political instability; changes in currency exchange rates; inefficient markets and higher transaction costs; foreign economic conditions; or inadequate or different regulatory and accounting standards.

Bank loans and other direct indebtedness risk

The risk that the portfolio will not receive payment of principal, interest, and other amounts due in connection with these investments and will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower and the lending institution.

Valuation risk

The risk that a less liquid secondary market may make it more difficult for a fund to obtain precise valuations of certain securities in its portfolio.

How has Delaware Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund performed?

The bar chart and table below can help you evaluate the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how annual returns for the Fund's Class A shares have varied over the past 10 calendar years. The table shows the Fund's average annual total returns for certain time periods compared to the returns of a broad-based securities index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The returns reflect expense caps in effect during these periods. The returns would be lower without the expense caps. You may obtain the Fund's most recently available month-end performance by calling 800 523-1918 or by visiting our web site at www.delawareinvestments.com/performance.

Year-by-year total return (Class A)

During the periods illustrated in this bar chart, Class A's highest quarterly return was 4.76% for the quarter ended June 30, 2009 and its lowest quarterly return was -1.33% for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. The maximum Class A sales charge of 5.75%, which is normally deducted when you purchase shares, is not reflected in the previous sentence or in the bar chart. If this sales charge were included, the returns would be less than those shown. The average annual returns in the table below do include the sales charge.

Average annual total returns for periods ended December 31, 2009

 

1 year

5 years

10 years or lifetime1

Class A return before taxes

9.80%

4.73%

5.18%

Class A return after taxes on distributions

8.31%

3.18%

3.43%

Class A return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

6.32%

3.11%

3.35%

Class B return before taxes2

9.82%

4.41%

5.01%

Class C return before taxes2

10.80%

4.40%

4.56%

Class R return before taxes

12.50%

4.94%

4.02%

Barclays Capital 1–3 Year Government/Credit Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

3.82%

4.32%

4.86%

 
1

The returns shown for the Fund's Class R shares are for the lifetime period because they commenced operations on June 2, 2003. The Index returns for the Class R lifetime periods is 3.63%. The Index reports returns on a monthly basis as of the last day of the month.

2

Total returns assume redemption of shares at the end of the period. If shares were not redeemed, the returns for Class B would be 11.82%, 4.41%, and 5.01% for the 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods, respectively, and the returns for Class C would be 11.80%, 4.40%, and 4.56% for the 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods, respectively.

After-tax performance is presented only for Class A shares of the Fund. The after-tax returns for other Fund classes may vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's individual tax situation and may differ from the returns shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shares held in tax-deferred investment vehicles such as employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The after-tax returns shown are calculated using the highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the Fund's lifetime and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Who manages the Fund?

Investment manager

Delaware Management Company

 

Portfolio managers

Title with Delaware Management Company

Start date on the Fund

Paul Grillo, CFA

Senior Vice President, Co-Chief Investment Officer–Total Return Fixed Income Strategy

February 1999

Roger A. Early, CPA, CFA, CFP

Senior Vice President, Co-Chief Investment Officer–Total Return Fixed Income Strategy

May 2007

Purchase and redemption of Fund shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for business (Business Day). Shares may be purchased or redeemed: through your financial advisor; by regular mail (c/o Delaware Investments, P.O. Box 219691, Kansas City, MO 64121-9691); by overnight courier service (c/o Delaware Service Center, 430 W. 7th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105); by telephone to our Shareholder Service Center at 800 523-1918 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time; by telephone to our automated telephone service at 800 362-3863 at any time; through our web site at www.delawareinvestments.com; or by wire.

In most cases, the minimum initial investment is $1,000 and subsequent investments can be made for as little as $100. If you are buying shares in an IRA or Roth IRA, under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, or through a direct deposit purchase plan or an automatic investment plan, the minimum initial investment is $250 and subsequent investments can be made for as little as $25. The minimum initial purchase for a Coverdell Education Savings Account is $500 and subsequent investments can be made for as little as $25. There is no minimum initial purchase requirement for Class R shares, but certain eligibility requirements must be met. The minimums vary for retirement plans other than IRAs, Roth IRAs, or Coverdell Education Savings Accounts. We may reduce or waive the above minimums in certain cases. As of May 31, 2007, no new or subsequent investments are allowed in the Fund's Class B shares, except through a reinvestment of dividends or capital gains or permitted exchanges.

Tax information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA.

Payments to broker/dealers and other
financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's web site for more information.

SMPR-022 [12/09] DG3 15038 [4/10]