Summary Prospectus

February 1, 2023

 

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund

 

 

Class Ticker Symbol
Class A Class C Class I  
DPIAX DPICX DPIIX  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Statutory Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Statutory Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.destracapital.com/literature. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 844-9DESTRA (933-7872) or by sending an e-mail to info@destracapital.com. The Fund’s Statutory Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated February 1, 2023, are incorporated by reference into (and are considered part of) this Summary Prospectus. The Statement of Additional Information may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or email address noted above.

 

 

 

443 North Willson Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715 ● 877.855.3434 ● destracapital.com

 

 

 

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek total return, with an emphasis on high current income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. For Class A shares, 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 the Fund or in other mutual funds advised by DFC Preferred Advisors LLC (“DFC” or the “Adviser”). Investors purchasing Class I shares as “clean shares” may be subject to costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker, which are not reflected in the table below. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial professional and in “Shareholder Information” on page 19 of the Fund’s Statutory Prospectus, in the appendix to the Statutory Prospectus and in “Purchases” on page 22 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

 

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

 

  Class A Class C Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price)
4.50% None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or redemption proceeds) None 1.00% None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends None None None
Redemption Fee on shares held for 90 days or less
(as a percentage of amount redeemed)
None None None
Exchange Fees None None None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

 

  Class A Class C Class I
Management Fees 0.75% 0.75% 0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.45% 0.45% 0.45%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.45% 2.20% 1.20%

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund1

 

 

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 Class A or Class C Shares and $100,000 in Class I Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not 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 that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  Redeemed Not Redeemed
Share Class 1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years 1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class A $ 591 $ 888 $ 1,207 $ 2,107 $ 591 $ 888 $ 1,207 $ 2,107
Class C $ 323 $ 688 $ 1,180 $ 2,534 $ 223 $ 688 $ 1,180 $ 2,534
Class I $ 1,223 $ 3,810 $ 6,597 $ 14,546 $ 1,223 $ 3,810 $ 6,597 $ 14,546

 

This example does not reflect sales charges (loads) on reinvested dividends. If these sales charges (loads) were included, your costs would be higher.

 

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 12% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in a portfolio of preferred and other income-producing securities, including traditional preferred stock, trust preferred securities, hybrid securities that have characteristics of both equity and debt securities, convertible securities, contingent capital securities (“CoCos”), subordinated debt, senior debt and securities of other open-end, closed-end, or exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that invest primarily in the same types of securities.

 

The Fund may also invest up to 15% of its net assets in the common stock of small, mid and large capitalization issuers. The portions of the Fund’s assets invested in various types of preferred stock, debt or equity may vary from time to time depending on market conditions. In addition, under normal market conditions, the Fund will concentrate its investments (more than 25% of its total assets) in companies principally engaged in financial services sector. The Fund may also invest in the securities of non-U.S. companies, including the securities of issuers operating in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in income-producing or preferred U.S. dollar-denominated American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), U.S. dollar-denominated non-U.S. stocks traded on U.S. exchanges and U.S. dollar-denominated and non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities issued by companies organized or headquartered in foreign countries and/or doing significant business outside the United States. ADRs are receipts issued by a bank or trust company to evidence ownership of the underlying securities issued by non-U.S. companies.

 

The Fund will principally invest in (i) investment-grade quality securities or (ii) below investment-grade quality preferred or subordinated securities of companies with investment-grade senior debt outstanding, in either case determined at the time of purchase. Below-investment-grade debt instruments (commonly called “high-yield” or “junk” bonds) are those instruments rated BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), or Ba1 or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization, or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality. However, some of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in securities rated (or issued by companies rated) below-investment-grade at the time of purchase. Preferred and debt securities of below investment-grade quality are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay dividends and interest and repayment of principal. Due to the risks involved in investing in preferred and

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund2

 

 

debt securities of below investment-grade-quality, an investment in the Fund should be considered speculative. The maturities of preferred and debt securities in which the Fund will invest generally will be longer-term (perpetual, in the case of some preferred securities, and ten years or more for other preferred and debt securities); however, as a result of changing market conditions and interest rates, the Fund may also invest in shorter-term securities. As of December 31, 2022, the Fund had significant investments in financial services companies.

 

The Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

Principal Risks

Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of certain risks of investing in the Fund. Different risks may be more significant at different times depending on market conditions.

 

Active Management Risk: The Fund is an actively managed portfolio and its success depends upon the investment skills and analytical abilities of the Fund’s Sub-Adviser (as defined below) to develop and effectively implement strategies that achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Subjective decisions made by the Sub-Adviser may cause the Fund to incur losses or to miss profit opportunities on which it may otherwise have capitalized.

 

Concentration Risk: The Fund intends to invest 25% or more of its total assets in securities of financial services companies. This policy makes the Fund more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting financial services companies. For more information, see “Financial Services Companies Risk”.

 

Contingent Capital Securities Risk. CoCos are a form of hybrid, income-producing debt security that are intended to either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain triggers. These triggers are generally linked to regulatory capital thresholds or other regulatory actions. CoCos may provide for mandatory conversion into common stock of the issuer under certain circumstances. Since the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in these instruments could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero; and conversion would deepen the subordination of the investor, hence worsening standing in a bankruptcy. In addition, some such instruments have a set stock conversion rate that would cause a reduction in value of the security if the price of the stock is below the conversion price on the conversion date. CoCos may be considered to be high-yield securities (a.k.a. “junk” bonds) and, to the extent a CoCo held by the Fund undergoes a write-down, the Fund may lose some or all of its original investment in the CoCo. Performance of a CoCo issuer may, in general, be correlated with the performance of other CoCo issuers. As a result, negative information regarding one CoCo issuer may cause a corresponding decline in value of other CoCo issuers. Subordinate securities such as CoCos are more likely to experience credit loss than non-subordinate securities of the same issuer — even if the CoCos do not convert to equity securities. Any losses incurred by subordinate securities, such as CoCos, are likely to be proportionately greater than non-subordinate securities, and any recovery of principal and interest of subordinate securities may take more time. As a result, any perceived decline in creditworthiness of a CoCo issuer is likely to have a greater impact on the CoCo, as a subordinate security.

 

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities are debt securities or preferred stock that may be converted into common stock. Convertible securities typically pay current income as either interest (debt security convertibles) or dividends (preferred stock convertibles). The market value of a convertible security often performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest or principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a security may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability to make such payments. Credit risk may be heightened for the Fund because the Fund may invest in “high-yield,” “high-risk,” or “junk” securities; such securities, while generally offering higher

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund3

 

 

yields than investment-grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy, and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay dividends and interest and repay principal.

 

Currency Risk: Since a portion of the Fund’s assets may be invested in securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies, changes in currency exchange rates may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), the value of dividends and income earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities.

 

Cybersecurity Risk: As the use of internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-advisor, as applicable, or issuers in which a Fund invests, can also indirectly subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Additionally, third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or the Adviser. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

Financial Services Companies Risk: The Fund invests in financial services companies, which may include banks, thrifts, brokerage firms, broker/dealers, investment banks, finance companies and companies involved in the insurance industry. These companies are especially subject to the adverse effects of economic recession; currency exchange rates; government regulation; decreases in the availability of capital; volatile interest rates; portfolio concentrations in geographic markets and in commercial and residential real estate loans; and competition from new entrants in their fields of business.

 

Foreign Custody Risk: The Fund may hold foreign securities with foreign banks, agents and securities depositories appointed by the Fund’s custodian (each, a “Foreign Custodian”). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well-regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.

 

General Fund Investing Risks: The Fund is not a complete investment program and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. All investments carry a certain amount of risk and there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. In general, the Annual Fund Operating Expenses expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets will change as Fund assets increase and decrease, and such percentage may differ in the future. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its objective. Investors in the Fund should have long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.

 

High-Yield Securities Risk: High-yield securities, or “junk” bonds, are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and therefore, may be highly speculative. These securities are issued by companies that may have limited operating history, narrowly focused operations, and/or other impediments to the timely payment of periodic interest and principal at maturity. If the economy slows down or dips into recession, the issuers of high-yield securities may not have sufficient resources to continue making timely payment of periodic interest and principal at maturity. The market for high-yield securities is generally

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund4

 

 

smaller and less liquid than that for investment-grade securities. High-yield securities are generally not listed on a national securities exchange but trade in the over-the-counter markets. Due to the smaller, less liquid market for high-yield securities, the bid-offer spread on such securities is generally greater than it is for investment-grade securities and the purchase or sale of such securities may take longer to complete. In general, high-yield securities may have a greater risk of default than other types of securities.

 

Income Risk: The income earned from the Fund’s portfolio may decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called preferred or debt securities, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk: If interest rates rise — in particular, if long-term interest rates rise — the prices of fixed-rate securities held by the Fund will fall.

 

Investment Companies Risk: The Fund may satisfy its principal strategy of investing 80% in preferred and income-producing securities by investing in securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies, including ETFs, that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. As with other investments, investments in other investment companies are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies. To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. Certain ETFs or closed-end funds traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Liquidity Risk: This Fund, like all open-end funds, is limited to investing up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. From time to time, certain securities held by the Fund may have limited marketability and may be difficult to sell at favorable times or prices. Less liquid investments that the Fund may want to invest in may be difficult or impossible to purchase. It is possible that certain securities held by the Fund will not be able to be sold in sufficient amounts or in a sufficiently timely manner to raise the cash necessary to meet any potentially large redemption requests by fund shareholders.

 

LIBOR Risk: Certain of the Fund’s investments, payment obligations and financing terms may be based on floating rates, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), Euro Interbank Offered Rate and other similar types of reference rates (each, a “Reference Rate”). In July of 2017, the head of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. The FCA and ICE Benchmark Administrator have since announced that most LIBOR settings will no longer be published after December 31, 2021 and a majority of U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will cease publication after June 30, 2023. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. The U.S. Federal Reserve, based on the recommendations of the New York Federal Reserve’s Alternative Reference Rate Committee (comprised of major derivative market participants and their regulators), has begun publishing Secured Overnight Financing Rate Data (“SOFR”) that is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR. Proposals for alternative reference rates for other currencies have also been announced or have already begun publication. Markets are slowly developing in response to these new reference rates. Uncertainty related to the liquidity impact of the change in rates, and how to appropriately adjust these rates at the time of transition, poses risks for the Fund. The effect of any changes to, or discontinuation of, LIBOR on the Fund will depend on, among other things, (1) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts, and (2) whether, how, and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new instruments and contracts. The expected discontinuation of LIBOR could have a significant impact on the financial markets in general and may also present heightened risk to market participants, including public companies, investment advisers, investment companies, and broker-dealers. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets for instruments whose terms currently include LIBOR. It could also lead to a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the completion of the transition. All of the aforementioned may adversely affect the Fund’s performance or NAV. The risks associated with this discontinuation and transition will be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. For example, current information technology systems may be unable to accommodate new instruments and rates with features

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund5

 

 

that differ from LIBOR. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund until new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new instruments and contracts are commercially accepted and market practices become settled.

 

Market Risk: Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund or shares of the Fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies worldwide due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Overall securities values could decline generally or could underperform other investments.

 

Non-Investment-Grade Securities Risk: Non-investment-grade securities are not rated within the four highest categories by certain ratings agencies. To the extent that such securities, which are acquired by the Fund consistent with the factors considered by the Adviser as described in this Prospectus, are rated lower than investment-grade or are not rated, there would be a greater risk as to the timely repayment of the principal of, and timely payment of interest or dividends on, those securities.

 

Non-U.S. Investments Risk: The Fund invests its assets in income producing and preferred non-U.S. instruments. Thus, the value of Fund shares can be adversely affected by changes in currency exchange rates and political and economic developments abroad. Non-U.S. markets may be smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in the United States and, as a result, Fund share values may be more volatile. Trading in non-U.S. markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a non-U.S. country. In addition, the European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro.

 

In June 2016, the United Kingdom (“UK”) approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). The withdrawal, known colloquially as “Brexit”, was agreed to and ratified by the UK Parliament, and the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020. It began a transition period in which to negotiate a new trading relationship for goods and services that ended on December 31, 2020. On January 1, 2021, the UK left the EU Single Market and Customs Union, as well as all EU policies and international agreements. On December 24, 2020, the UK and EU agreed to a trade deal with no tariffs or quotas on products, regulatory and customs cooperation mechanisms as well as provisions ensuring a level playing field for open and fair competition. Further discussions are to be held between the UK and the EU in relation to matters not covered by the trade agreement, such as financial services. Brexit may have significant political and financial consequences for the Eurozone markets, including greater volatility in the global stock markets and illiquidity, fluctuations in currency and exchange rates, and an increased likelihood of a recession in the UK. At this time, the ongoing impact of Brexit cannot be predicted, however, market disruption in the EU and globally may have a negative effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. Additionally, the risks related to Brexit could be more pronounced if one or more additional EU member states seek to leave the EU.

 

In addition, on February 24, 2022, Russia commenced a military attack on Ukraine. The outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could result in more widespread conflict and could have a severe adverse effect on the region and the markets. In addition, sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other countries, and any sanctions imposed in the future, could have a significant adverse impact on the Russian economy and related markets. The price and liquidity of investments may fluctuate widely as a result of the conflict and related events. How long such conflict and related events will last and whether it will escalate further cannot be predicted.

 

Preferred Security Risk: Preferred and other subordinated securities rank lower than bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. Distributions on some types of these securities may also be skipped or deferred by issuers without causing a default. Finally, some of these securities typically have special redemption rights that allow the issuer to redeem the security at par earlier than scheduled.

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund6

 

 

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table 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. Updated performance information is available at destracapital.com or by calling 844-9DESTRA (933-7872). Performance information in the bar chart and table below for the time period prior to October 1, 2016 is that of Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund, a series of Destra Investment Trust II (the “Predecessor Fund”). The Fund is a successor to the Predecessor Fund pursuant to a reorganization that took place on September 30, 2016. The Predecessor Fund was managed by an affiliate of the Adviser and had the same investment objective and investment strategy.

 

The bar chart below shows the Fund’s performance for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges; if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

 

Calendar Year Total Return as of 12/31

 

 

The Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 11.25% and -15.04%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2020 and March 31, 2020.

 

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated to those of a broad-based market index that seeks to track the performance of the preferred securities market.

 

All 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 for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) or employer-sponsored retirement plans. If the Fund incurs a loss, which generates a tax benefit, the return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares may exceed the Fund’s other return figures.

 

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced. The returns that follow reflect sales charges.

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund7

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns for the

Periods Ended December 31, 2022

 

  1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
Class A (return before taxes) -17.48% 0.31% 3.52%
Class A (return after taxes on distributions) -18.40% -0.81% 2.26%
Class A (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares) -9.66% 0.23% 2.56%
Class C (return before taxes) -15.07% 0.47% 3.23%
Class I (return before taxes) -13.40% 1.48% 4.30%

ICE BofA Merrill Lynch 8% Constrained Core West Preferred & Jr. Subordinated Securities Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)(1)

-14.32%

1.57%

4.23%

 

(1)ICE BofAML 8% Constrained Core West Preferred & Jr Subordinated Securities Index tracks the performance of US dollar denominated high grade and high-yield preferred securities and deeply subordinated corporate debt issued in the US domestic market. Qualifying securities must be rated at least B3, based on an average of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch and have a country of risk of either the U.S. or a Western European country. Qualifying preferred securities must be issued as public securities or through a 144a filing, must have a fixed or floating dividend schedule and must have a minimum amount outstanding of $100 million.

 

Management

Investment Adviser: DFC Preferred Advisors LLC

 

Investment Sub-Adviser: Flaherty & Crumrine Incorporated (“Flaherty & Crumrine” or the “Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Managers

Flaherty & Crumrine Incorporated  
R. Eric Chadwick, Portfolio Manager and President Since 2011
Bradford S. Stone, Portfolio Manager, Executive Vice President and CFO Since 2011

 

The portfolio managers are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business. Generally, you may purchase, redeem or exchange shares only through institutional channels, such as financial intermediaries and retirement platforms. The minimum investment for Class A shares and Class C shares is $2,500 per Fund account for non-retirement accounts and $500 per Fund account for certain tax-deferred accounts or UGMA/UTMA accounts. The maximum purchase in Class C shares is $500,000 for any single purchase. The sales charge and expense structure of Class A shares may be more advantageous for investors purchasing more than $500,000 of Fund shares. The minimum investment for Class I shares is $100,000 for institutional investors. Institutional investors generally may meet the minimum investment amount by aggregating multiple accounts within the Fund on a given day. Accounts offered through certain intermediary institutions may meet the minimum investment requirements of $500 for tax-deferred accounts and $2,500 for other account types.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed at ordinary income or capital gain tax rates, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. Distributions from the Fund held in such a tax-deferred arrangement will be taxed at a later date.

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund8

 

 

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 or to recommend one share class over another. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

Destra Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Fund9