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ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF
Summary Section   Alps Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (The "Fund")
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks investment results that replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the performance of the S-Network® Sector Dividend Dogs Index (ticker symbol SDOGX) (the "Underlying Index").

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund ("Shares"). Investors purchasing or selling Shares in the secondary market may be subject to fees and expenses (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker. These fees and expenses are not included in the expense example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF Shares
Management Fees 0.40%
Other Expenses none
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.40%
Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or 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 all dividends and capital gains are reinvested each year, and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same each year.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example
One Year
Three Years
Five Years
Ten Years
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF | ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF Shares | USD ($) 41 128 224 505
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 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 ended November 30, 2019, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

ALPS Advisors, Inc. (the "Adviser") will seek investment results that replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is a rules-based index intended to give investors a means of tracking the overall performance of the highest dividend paying stocks (i.e. "Dividend Dogs") in the S&P 500 on a sector-by-sector basis. "Dividend Dogs" refers to the five stocks in each of the Global Industry Classification Standard ("GICS") sectors (excluding the real estate sector) that make up the S&P 500 which offer the highest dividend yields.

 

The Underlying Index generally consists of 50 stocks on each annual reconstitution date, which is the third Friday of December each year. The Underlying Index's stocks must be constituents of the S&P 500 Index, the leading benchmark index for US large capitalization stocks. The Underlying Index methodology selects the five stocks in ten of the eleven GICS sectors (excluding the real estate sector) that make up the S&P 500 which offer the highest dividend yields as of the last business day of November. Dividend yield is computed based on the regular cash dividends paid by the company over the previous twelve month period, divided by the share price. The eligible stocks that are selected for inclusion in the Underlying Index's portfolio are equally weighted. If a GICS sector does not contain five stocks which offer dividend yields as computed in the manner described above, then only those stocks in the sector which offer such dividend yields will be included in the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Investors should consider the following risk factors and special considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you to lose money.

 

Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.

 

Market Risk. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stock, may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political and social conditions, inflation (or expectations for inflation), changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed-income securities.

 

Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses incurred by the Fund not applicable to the Underlying Index, costs in buying and selling securities, asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions, cash flows or operational inefficiencies.

 

Index Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not "actively" managed. Therefore, it would not necessarily sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble unless that security is removed from the Underlying Index.

 

Issuer-Specific Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

Underlying Sector Risk. The Fund will be exposed to the additional risks associated with its investments in companies of each GICS sector of the Underlying Index. For more on these risks, see "Risks of Underlying Sectors" in this Prospectus.

 

High Dividend Yield Style Risk. While the Fund may hold securities of companies that have historically paid a high dividend yield, those companies may reduce or discontinue their dividends, thus reducing the yield of the Fund. Also, the market return of high dividend yield securities, in certain market conditions, may be worse than the market return of other investment strategies or the overall stock market.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value. The net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund's holdings. The market prices of the Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for the Shares on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "NYSE Arca"). The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.

FUND PERFORMANCE

The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for certain time periods compare with the average annual returns of the Underlying Index and of another benchmark of market performance. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Total return figures assume reinvestment of dividends and include the effect of the Fund's recurring expenses. Updated performance information is available online at www.alpsfunds.com or by calling 866.675.2639.

Annual Total Returns (calendar years ended 12/31)
Bar Chart

Highest Quarterly Return

14.11%

(March 31, 2013)

Lowest Quarterly Return

-13.81%

(December 31, 2018)

 

The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Average Annual Total Returns For periods ended December 31, 2019
Average Annual Total Returns - ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF Shares 24.09% 8.00% 12.73% Jun. 29, 2012
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF Shares | After Taxes on Distributions 23.05% 7.10% 11.76% Jun. 29, 2012
ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF Shares | After Taxes on Distributions and Sales 14.91% 6.16% 10.23% Jun. 29, 2012
S-Network® Sector Dividend Dogs Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) [1] 24.72% 8.49% 13.27% Jun. 29, 2012
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) [1] 31.49% 11.70% 14.55% Jun. 29, 2012
[1] Index performance shown in the table is the total return, which assumes reinvestment of any dividends and distributions during the time periods shown.