Virtus Herzfeld Fund

Virtus Herzfeld Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has investment objectives of capital appreciation and current income.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate all fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial advisor or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 176 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 114 of the fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - Virtus Herzfeld Fund	Class A	Class C		Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	5.75%	none		none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	none	1.00%	[1]	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Virtus Herzfeld Fund		Class A	Class C	Class I
Management Fees		1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) fees		0.25%	1.00%	none
Other Expenses		0.37%	0.36%	0.33%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses		1.66%	1.66%	1.66%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	[1]	3.28%	4.02%	2.99%
Recapture of expenses previously reimbursed and/or waived		none	none	0.02%
Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.02%)	(0.01%)	none
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement	[1],[2]	3.26%	4.01%	3.01%

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, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Virtus Herzfeld Fund - USD ($)	Share Status	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	Sold	885	1,525	2,187	3,944
Class C	Sold	503	1,223	2,059	4,222
Class I	Sold	304	926	1,574	3,310

Expense Example, No Redemption - Virtus Herzfeld Fund - USD ($)	Share Status	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	Held	885	1,525	2,187	3,944
Class C	Held	403	1,223	2,059	4,222
Class I	Held	304	926	1,574	3,310

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 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests in closed-end investment companies that primarily invest in equity and income-producing securities. The investment methodology utilizes a number of factors and consists of both a quantitative and qualitative approach to identify opportunities across the entire universe of closed-end funds. The overall investment philosophy is predicated on recognizing the recurring valuation patterns found in the closed-end fund industry and capitalizing on opportunities in a systematic manner. The strategy seeks to exploit the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds. The fund may also allocate assets to other investment company structures, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), equity securities, including common and preferred stocks, cash, and/or short term cash equivalents.

The fund primarily invests in closed-end funds whose principal investment strategies include one or more of the following:

Domestic Funds

• Municipal Bond, Build America Bond, Government Bond, Corporate Bond, High Yield Bond
• Equity—Sector Specific (such as Utilities, Real Estate, MLPs), Equity—Covered Call, Equity—General, Equity—Growth & Income, Equity—Dividend, Equity—Tax-Advantaged, Equity—Preferreds, Equity—Convertible Bond
• Loan Participation
• Mortgage-Backed
• Multi-Strategy

Non-U.S. Funds

• Foreign Equity—Country Specific, Foreign Equity—Geographic Region, Global Equity—General, Global Equity—Growth & Income, Global Equity—Dividend
• Global Fixed Income
• Global Multi-Strategy

The closed-end funds that invest in equity securities may or may not use a growth or value strategy and may include funds investing in securities of issuers of any market capitalization. Closed-end funds that invest in non-U.S issuers may include issuers in emerging markets. Closed-end funds that invest in fixed income securities may invest in securities of any credit quality, including below investment grade (so-called “junk bonds”).

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. In addition, you will also be subject to the risks associated with the principal investment strategies of any closed-end funds and ETFs in which the fund invests. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are:

>      Fund of Funds Risk.  The risk that the fund's performance will be adversely affected by the assets owned by the other mutual funds in which it invests, and that the layering of expenses associated with the fund's investment in such other funds will cost shareholders more than direct investments would have cost.

>      Closed-End Funds Risk.  The risk that closed-end funds in which the fund invests will expose the fund to negative performance and additional expenses associated with investment in such funds, and increased volatility. Closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value, which may affect whether the fund will realize gain or loss upon its sale of the closed-end funds' shares. Closed-end funds may employ leverage, which also subjects the closed-end fund to increased risks such as increased volatility. 

>     Redemption Risk.  The risk that redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the fund has an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise take at a given time.

The principal risks attributable to the underlying investment companies in which the fund invests are:

>      Commodity and Commodity-linked Instruments Risk.  The risk that investments in commodities or commodity-linked notes will subject the fund's portfolio to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities, or that commodity-linked instruments will experience returns different from the commodities they attempt to track.

>      Convertible Securities Risk.  The risk that the value of a convertible security held by the fund will decline as interest rates rise and/or vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities, or that the security will be called for redemption at a time and/or price unfavorable to the fund.

>      Credit Risk.   The risk that the issuer of a security will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer's ability to make such payments will cause the price of the security to decline.

>      Derivatives Risk.  The risk that the fund will incur a loss greater than the fund's investment in, or will experience greater share price volatility as a result of investing in, a derivative contract. Derivatives may include, among other things, futures, options, forwards and swap agreements and may be used in order to hedge portfolio risks, create leverage, or to attempt to increase yield.

>      Emerging Market Investing Risk.  The risk that prices of emerging markets securities will be more volatile, or will be more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

>      Equity-Linked Instruments Risk.  The risk that, in addition to market risk and other risks of the referenced equity security, the fund may experience a return that is different from that of the referenced equity security. Equity-linked instruments also subject the fund to counterparty risk, including the risk that the issuing entity may not be able to honor its financial commitment, which could result in a loss of all or part of the fund's investment.

>      Equity Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Securities Risk.  The risk that, in addition to the risks associated with investing in the real estate industry, the value of the fund's shares will be negatively affected by factors specific to investing through a pooled vehicle, such as through poor management of the REIT or REIT-like entity, concentration risk, or other risks typically associated with investing in small or medium market capitalization companies.

>      Equity Securities Risk.  The risk that events negatively affecting issuers, industries or financial markets in which the fund invests will impact the value of the stocks held by the fund and, thus, the value of the fund's shares over short or extended periods. Investments in a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

>      Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk.  The risk that the value of an ETF will be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track, or that the costs to the fund of owning shares of the ETF will exceed those the fund would incur by investing in such securities directly.

>      Foreign Investing Risk.  The risk that the prices of foreign securities in the fund's portfolio will be more volatile than those of domestic securities, or will be negatively affected by currency fluctuations, less regulated or liquid securities markets, or economic, political or other developments.

>      Geographic Concentration Risk.  The risk that events negatively affecting the geographic location where the fund focuses its investments will cause the value of the fund's shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

>      Growth Stocks Risk.  The risk that the fund's investments in growth stocks will be more volatile than investments in other types of stocks, or will perform differently from the market as a whole and from other types of stocks.

>      High-Yield/High-Risk Fixed Income Securities (Junk Bonds) Risk.  The risk that the issuers of high-yield/​high-risk securities in the fund's portfolio will default, that the prices of such securities will be volatile, and that the securities will not be liquid.

>      Income Risk.  The risk that income received from the fund will vary widely over the short- and/or long-term and/or be less than anticipated if the proceeds from maturing securities in the fund are reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

>      Industry/Sector Concentration Risk.  The risk that events negatively affecting an industry or market sector in which a fund focuses its investments will cause the value of the fund's shares to decrease, perhaps significantly. To the extent that the fund invests a significant portion of its portfolio in one or more industries (such as communications, consumer cyclicals and consumer non-cyclicals) or sectors, the fund is more vulnerable to conditions that negatively affect such industries or sectors as compared to a fund that is not significantly invested in such industries or sector.

>      Infrastructure-Related Investment Risk.  The risk that the value of the fund's shares will decrease as a result of conditions, such as general or local economic conditions and political developments, changes in regulations, environmental problems, casualty losses, and changes in interest rates, negatively affecting the infrastructure companies in which the fund invests.

>      Interest Rate Risk.  The risk that when interest rates rise, the values of the fund's debt securities, especially those with longer maturities, will fall.

>      Limited Number of Investments Risk.  The risk that the fund's portfolio will be more susceptible to factors adversely affecting issuers of securities in the fund's portfolio than would a fund holding a greater number of securities.

>      Liquidity Risk.  The risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and price beneficial to the fund.

>      Loan Risk.  The risks that, in addition to the risks typically associated with high-yield/high-risk fixed income securities, loans (including floating rate loans) in which the fund invests may be unsecured or not fully collateralized, may be subject to restrictions on resale, and/or some loans may trade infrequently on the secondary market. Loans settle on a delayed basis, potentially leading to the sale proceeds of loans not being available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the loans.

>      Market Volatility Risk.  The risk that the value of the securities in which the fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual issuers and/or general economic conditions. Such price changes may be temporary or may last for extended periods.

>      Master Limited Partnership (MLP) Risk.  The risk that the fund's investments in MLP units will be negatively impacted by tax law changes, changes in interest rates, the failure of the MLP's parent or sponsor to make payments as expected, regulatory developments or other factors affecting the MLP's underlying assets, which are typically in the natural resources and energy sectors.

>      Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk.  The risk that changes in interest rates will cause both extension and prepayment risks for mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities in which the fund invests, or that an impairment of the value of collateral underlying such securities will cause the value of the securities to decrease.

>      Municipal Bond Market Risk.  The risk that events negatively impacting a particular municipal security, or the municipal bond market in general, will cause the value of the fund's shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

>      Preferred Stock Risk.  The risk that a preferred stock will decline in price, fail to pay dividends when expected, or be illiquid.

>      Sector Focused Investing Risk.  The risk that events negatively affecting a particular market sector in which the fund focuses its investments will cause the value of the fund's shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

>      Short Sales Risk.  The risk that the fund will experience a loss if the price of a borrowed security increases between the date of a short sale and the date on which the fund replaces the security.

>      Tax-Exempt Securities  The risk that tax-exempt securities may not provide a higher after-tax return than taxable securities, or that the tax-exempt status of such securities may be lost or limited.

>      Unrated Fixed Income Securities Risk.  The risk that the subadviser will be unable to accurately assess the quality of an unrated fixed income security, so that the fund invests in a security with greater risk than intended, or that the liquidity of unrated fixed income securities in which the fund invests will be hindered, making it difficult for the fund to sell them.

>      U.S. Government Securities Risk.  The risk that U.S. Government securities in the fund's portfolio will be subject to price fluctuations, or that an agency or instrumentality will default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

>      Value Stocks Risk.  The risk that the fund will underperform when value investing is out of favor or that the fund's investments will not appreciate in value as anticipated.

Performance Information

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year over the life of the fund. The table shows how the fund’s average annual returns compare to those of two broad-based securities market indexes and a composite benchmark that reflects the market sectors in which the fund invests. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares

Returns do not reflect sales charges and would be lower if they did.

Annual Return (%)

Best Quarter: Q2/2014: 6.00% Worst Quarter: Q4/2018: -12.31%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/18)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

Average Annual Total Returns - Virtus Herzfeld Fund	Label	1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class I	Return Before Taxes	(9.29%)	4.95%	5.84%	Sep. 05, 2012
Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions	Return After Taxes on Distributions	(12.27%)	2.88%	3.92%	Sep. 05, 2012
Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	(4.33%)	3.20%	3.95%	Sep. 05, 2012
Class A	Return Before Taxes	(14.72%)	3.47%	4.60%	Sep. 05, 2012
Class C	Return Before Taxes	(10.15%)	3.92%	4.80%	Sep. 05, 2012
MSCI All-Country World Index (net)	MSCI All-Country World Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	(9.42%)	4.26%	7.85%	Sep. 05, 2012
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	0.01%	2.52%	1.73%	Sep. 05, 2012
Herzfeld Composite Benchmark	Herzfeld Composite Benchmark (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	(5.52%)	3.72%	5.51%	Sep. 05, 2012

The MSCI All-Country World Index (net) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that measures equity performance of developed and emerging markets. The index is calculated on a total return basis with net dividends reinvested. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index measures the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market. The index is calculated on a total return basis. The Herzfeld Composite Benchmark consists of 60% MSCI All Country World Index (net) and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The indexes are unmanaged and not available for direct investment.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

[1] The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

[1] The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets appearing in the Financial Highlights tables, which tables reflect only the operating expenses of the fund and do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

[2] The fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund's total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage expenses, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.60% for Class A Shares, 2.35% for Class C Shares and 1.35% for Class I Shares through January 31, 2020. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, or at the time of recapture.