ALPS | Smith TOTAL RETURN Bond Fund

FINANCIAL INVESTORS TRUST
Investor Shares: SMTRX | Class A: SMAMX |
Class C: SMCHX | Class I: SMTHX

Summary Prospectus February 28, 2024

Investor
Class

Class
A

Class
C

Class
I

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

None

2.25%

None

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or redemption proceeds)

None

None

1.00%

None

Investor
Class

Class
A

Class
C

Class
I

Management Fees*

0.55%

0.55%

0.55%

0.55%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

0.25%

1.00%⁽¹⁾

0.00%

Total Other Expenses

0.19%

0.18%

0.15%

0.19%

Shareholder Services Fees

0.05%

0.05%

0.00%⁽¹⁾

0.00%

Other Fund Expenses

0.14%

0.13%

0.15%

0.19%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses⁽²⁾

0.99%

0.98%

1.70%

0.74%

Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement⁽³⁾

-0.10%

-0.09%

-0.11%

-0.15%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement

0.89%

0.89%

1.59%

0.59%

*

The Contractual Management Fee is 0.545%.

⁽¹⁾

Per the Distribution and Services Plan (“the Plan”), the Plan allows up to an annual rate of 0.75% for distribution and marketing and up to 0.25% as a service fee.

⁽²⁾

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses have been restated to reflect current fees.

⁽³⁾

ALPS Advisors, Inc. (the “Adviser”) and Smith Capital Investors, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) have agreed contractually to limit the amount of the Fund’s total annual expenses, exclusive of Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees, Shareholder Service Fees, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, brokerage expenses, interest expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses, to 0.59% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This agreement (the “Expense Agreement”) is in effect through February 28, 2025. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser will be permitted to recapture, on a class-by-class basis, expenses they have borne through the Expense Agreement to the extent that the Fund’s expenses in later periods fall below the annual rates set forth in this letter agreement or in previous letter agreements; provided however, that such recapture payments do not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after recapture) to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense cap in effect at the time of the waiver and (ii) the expense cap in effect at the time of the recapture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund will not pay any such deferred fees and expenses more than thirty-six months after the date on which the fees or expenses were deferred, as calculated monthly. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser may not discontinue this waiver prior to February 28, 2025 without the approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

1

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

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Investor Shares

$ 91

$ 305

$ 537

$ 1,203

Class A Shares

$ 314

$ 521

$ 746

$ 1,390

Class C Shares

$ 262

$ 525

$ 912

$ 1,997

Class I Shares

$ 60

$ 221

$ 397

$ 904

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:

Class C Shares

$ 162

$ 525

$ 912

$ 1,997

●

Fixed Income Securities Risk. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the duration of the bonds held by a fund, the more sensitive it will likely be to interest rate fluctuations. Duration measures the weighted average term to maturity of a bond’s expected cash flows. Duration also represents the approximate percentage change that the price of a

2

The Fund’s investments in fixed-income securities and positions in fixed-income derivatives may decline in value because of changes in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities and any long positions in fixed-income derivatives held by the Fund are likely to decrease, whereas the value of its short positions in fixed-income derivatives is likely to increase.

●

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, and are usually more volatile than securities with shorter durations. For example, if an instrument has an average duration of five years, a 1% increase in interest rates generally would result in a 5% decrease in the instrument’s value. A nominal interest rate can be described as the sum of a real interest rate and an expected inflation rate. Inflation-protected securities decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed securities may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations, and in turn, may negatively impact the performance of the Fund.

●

Corporate Debt Risk. Corporate debt securities in which the Fund may invest are taxable debt obligations issued by corporations, are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to factors such as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. The market value of a debt security generally reacts inversely to interest rate changes. When prevailing interest rates decline, the price of the debt obligation usually rises, and when prevailing interest rates rise, the price usually declines.

●

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the credit strength of an issuer of a fixed-income security will weaken and/or that the issuer will be unable to make timely principal and interest payments and that the security may go into default. Lower credit quality may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and in shares of the Fund. Lower credit quality also may affect liquidity and make it difficult for the Fund to sell the security.

●

Sector and Securities Selection Risk. Companies in which the Fund may invest with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. Sector risk is the possibility that a certain sector may perform differently than other sectors or as the market as a whole. Although the Fund does not intend to invest in any particular sector or sectors, the Fund may, from time to time, emphasize investments in one or more sectors.

●

High-Yield/High-Risk Bond Risk. High-yield/high-risk bonds, or “junk” bonds, are bonds rated below investment-grade by the primary rating agencies, such as Standard & Poors, Fitch and Moody’s, or are unrated bonds of similar quality. The value of lower quality bonds generally is more dependent on credit risk than investment-grade bonds. Issuers of high-yield/high-risk bonds may not be as strong financially as those issuing bonds with higher credit ratings and are more vulnerable to real or perceived economic changes, political changes or adverse developments specific to the issuer. In addition, the junk bond market can experience sudden and sharp price swings. Further, secondary markets for high-yield securities are less liquid than the market for investment-grade securities. Therefore, it may be more difficult to value the securities because valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a larger role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available.

●

Market Risk. Overall securities market risks may affect the value of individual instruments in which the Fund invests. Factors such as inflation, supply chain disruptions, real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, war or political unrest, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness, including COVID-19 and its variants, or other public issues or adverse investor sentiment generally affect the securities and derivatives markets. The market value of a security or instrument also may 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. When the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value and you could lose money.

●

Liquidity and Valuation Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that fixed-income securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time that the portfolio manager would like or at the price the portfolio manager believes the security is currently worth. Liquidity risk may be increased to the extent that the Fund invests in Rule 144A and restricted securities. Valuation risk is the risk

3

●

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in Mortgage- and asset-backed securities, which represent interests in “pools” of commercial or residential mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than other types of debt securities. These risks may reduce the Fund’s returns. In addition, the Fund’s investments in mortgage- and asset-backed securities, including those comprised of subprime mortgages, may be subject to a higher degree of credit risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk than various other types of fixed-income securities.

●

U.S. Government Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government debt securities. U.S. Government debt securities are generally considered low risk. Not all U.S. government securities are backed or guaranteed by the U.S. government and different U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk. There is a risk that the U.S. government will not make timely payments on its debt or provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if those entities are not able to meet their financial obligations.

●

Sovereign Debt Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. and non-U.S. government debt securities (“sovereign debt”). Investments in sovereign debt, especially the debt of less developed countries, can involve a high degree of risk, including the risk that the governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest on its sovereign debt in a timely manner. A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to satisfy its debt obligation may be affected by various factors including, but not limited to, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of foreign exchange when a payment is due, and the relative size of its debt position in relation to its economy as a whole. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal remedies for collecting sovereign debt and there may be no bankruptcy proceedings through which the Fund may collect all or part of the sovereign debt that a governmental entity has not repaid. To the extent the Fund invests in non-U.S. sovereign debt, it may be subject to currency risk.

●

Managed Portfolio Risk. The Sub-Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular asset classes, securities or sectors may prove to be incorrect. Such errors could result in a negative return and a loss to you.

●

Prepayment and Extension Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that are exposed to prepayment and/or extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations in which the Fund invest may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Fund’s assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and yield and could hurt the Fund’s performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.

●

Call Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that are subject to call risk. Call risk is the risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a fixed income security held by the Fund may call (or repay) a fixed-income security prior to maturity, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.

●

Income Generation Risk. The Fund may fail to generate anticipated levels of income due to, among other factors, unanticipated market conditions or the materialization of risks associated with the securities owned by the Fund, which failure in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to meet its income level objectives.

●

Floating Rate Obligations Risk. There may be a number of intermediate participants in floating rate obligation transactions and loan agreements that have specific rights and obligations, and terms and conditions. Unexpected changes in the interest rates on floating rate obligations could result in losses to the Fund. In addition, the secondary market on which floating rate obligations are traded may be less liquid than the market for investment grade securities or other types of income-producing securities, which may have an adverse impact on their market price. There is also a potential that there is no active market to trade floating rate obligations and that there may be restrictions on their transfer. As a result, the Fund may be unable to sell assignments or participations at the desired time or may be able to sell only at a price less than fair market value.

●

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The strategy used by the Fund may result in high portfolio turnover. A higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

4

Best Quarter: December 31, 2023

6.66%

Worst Quarter: March 31, 2022

-5.51%

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
(June 29,
2018)

Investor Class Shares

Return Before Taxes

5.94%

1.92%

2.33%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

4.27%

0.74%

1.18%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

3.48%

0.99%

1.31%

Class A Shares

Return Before Taxes

3.63%

0.80%

1.31%

Class C Shares

Return Before Taxes

4.19%

1.19%

1.61%

Class I Shares

Return Before Taxes

6.34%

2.23%

2.64%

Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

5.53%

1.10%

1.30%

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