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Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Investment Objective

Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fund Fees and Expenses

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

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund Class Z
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)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund Class Z
Management Fees 0.76%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees none
Other Expenses [1] 0.28%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.04%rr_ExpensesOverAssets
Expense Reimbursement [2] 0.05%rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 0.99%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets
[1] Estimated based on Other Expenses of Class A Shares, restated to reflect Class Z Share fees.
[2] Fred Alger Management, Inc. has contractually agreed to reimburse Fund expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage and extraordinary expenses) through May 31, 2016, to the extent necessary to limit the annual operating expenses of the Fund's Class Z Shares to .99% of the class's average net assets. This expense reimbursement cannot be terminated. Fred Alger Management, Inc. may recoup reimbursed expenses during the one-year term of the expense reimbursement contract if the expense ratio falls below the stated limitation.
Example

The following 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, 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 you would pay the following expenses whether or not you redeemed your shares at the end of each period:
Expense Example (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund Class Z
101 326 569 1,266
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 194.81% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change offer the best investment opportunities. Positive Dynamic Change refers to companies realizing High Unit Volume Growth or companies undergoing Positive Lifecycle Change. High Unit Volume Growth companies are traditional growth companies experiencing, for example, significantly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from regulatory change, a new product introduction or management change.


The Fund focuses on mid-sized companies that Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes demonstrate promising growth potential. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that, at the time of purchase of the securities, have total market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell Midcap Growth Index or the S&P MidCap 400 Index, as reported by the indexes as of the most recent quarter-end. Both indexes are designed to track the performance of medium-capitalization stocks. At December 31, 2014, the market capitalization of the companies in these indexes ranged from $275.2 million to $33.5 billion.


The Fund can also invest in derivative instruments. The Fund currently expects that its primary uses of derivatives will involve: (1) purchasing put and call options and selling (writing) covered put and call options, on securities and securities indexes, to increase gain, to hedge against the risk of unfavorable price movements in the underlying securities, or to provide diversification of risk, and (2) entering into forward currency contracts to hedge the Fund's foreign currency exposure when it holds, or proposes to hold, non-U.S. dollar denominated securities.

Principal Risks

Equity Securities Risk – As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing. The Fund's price per share will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of its investments. Also, the Fund's investments may not grow as fast as the rate of inflation and stocks tend to be more volatile than some other investments you could make, such as bonds.


Investment Style Risk – Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies' earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile. An investment in the Fund may be better suited to investors who seek long-term capital growth and can tolerate fluctuations in their investment's value.


Derivatives Risk – A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund's performance. When purchasing options, the Fund bears the risk that if the market value of the underlying security does not move to a level that would make exercise of the option profitable, the option will expire unexercised. When a call option written by the Fund is exercised, the Fund will not participate in any increase in the underlying security's value above the exercise price. When a put option written by the Fund is exercised, the Fund will be required to purchase the underlying security at a price in excess of its market value. Use of options on securities indexes is subject to the risk that trading in the options may be interrupted if trading in certain securities included in the index is interrupted, the risk that price movements in the Fund's portfolio securities may not correlate precisely with movements in the level of an index, and the risk that Fred Alger Management, Inc. may not predict correctly movements in the direction of a particular market or of the stock market generally. Because certain options may require settlement in cash, the Fund may be forced to liquidate portfolio securities to meet settlement obligations. Forward currency contracts are subject to currency exchange rate risks and the risk of non-performance by the contract counterparty.


The following risks may also apply:


  Mid Cap Securities Risk – there may be greater risk in investing in medium-capitalization companies rather than larger, more established companies due to such factors as inexperienced management and limited product lines or financial resources. It may also be difficult or impossible to liquidate a security position at a time and price acceptable to the Fund because of the potentially less frequent trading of stocks of smaller market capitalization.


An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

The following bar chart and the table beneath it provide some 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 the indicated periods compare with those of an appropriate benchmark of market performance. Class Z Shares were not offered prior to May 28, 2015. Historical performance prior to May 28, 2015 is that of the Fund's Class A Shares. Performance in the bar chart does not reflect the effect of the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A Shares of the Fund. If the bar chart reflected the applicable sales charges, returns would be less than those shown. Remember that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website www.alger.com.

Annual Total Return for Class A Shares as of December 31 (%)
Bar Chart
Best Quarter:
Q2 2009 19.64%
  Worst Quarter:
Q4 2008 -32.40%
 
Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2014
Average Annual Returns Alger Mid Cap Growth Fund
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Alger MidCap Growth Fund Class A
1.99% 11.83% 5.61% 8.44% Dec. 31, 1996
After Taxes on Distributions Alger MidCap Growth Fund Class A
1.99% 11.83% 4.41% 6.69%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares Alger MidCap Growth Fund Class A
1.13% 9.45% 4.04% 6.23%  
Russell Midcap Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
11.90% 16.94% 9.43% 8.76% Dec. 31, 1996

In the foregoing table, 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. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. A "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares" may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens where there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.