NYSE Arca Ticker: GK

 

 

Sub-advised by:

Gerber Kawasaki, Inc.

 

ADVISORSHARES TRUST

4800 Montgomery Lane ● Suite 150

Bethesda, Maryland 20814

www.advisorshares.com

877.843.3831

 

Prospectus dated November 1, 2022

 

This Prospectus provides important information about the AdvisorShares Gerber Kawasaki ETF, a series of AdvisorShares Trust. Before you invest, please read this Prospectus and the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information carefully and keep them for future reference.

 

The shares of the Fund have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor has the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FUND SUMMARY   1
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE 1
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES   1
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER   2
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES   2
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND   2
FUND PERFORMANCE   4
MANAGEMENT   4
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES   5
TAX INFORMATION   5
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES   5
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST AND THE FUND   6
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE   6
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES   6
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND   6
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES   9
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS   10
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND   10
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION   12
DISTRIBUTION PLAN   13
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION   13
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   16
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION   18

 

 

 

 

ADVISORSHARES GERBER KAWASAKI ETF

NYSE Arca Ticker: GK

 

FUND SUMMARY

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

 

The AdvisorShares Gerber Kawasaki ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

 

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table below.

 

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)

MANAGEMENT FEES 0.75%
DISTRIBUTION (12b-1) FEES 0.00%
OTHER EXPENSES 0.62%
ACQUIRED FUND FEES AND EXPENSES(a) 0.06%
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES 1.43%
FEE WAIVER/EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT(b) -0.62%
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES AFTER WAIVER/REIMBURSEMENT 0.81%

 

(a) Total Annual Operating Expenses and Total Annual Operating Expenses After Waiver/Reimbursement in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial highlights include only the Fund’s direct operating expenses and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which represent the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses of exchange-traded funds (including an affiliated ETF) and/or money market funds in which it invests.

 

(b) AdvisorShares Investments, LLC (the “Advisor”) has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse expenses to keep net expenses (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.75% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus. The expense limitation agreement may be terminated, without payment of any penalty, (i) by AdvisorShares Trust (the “Trust”) for any reason and at any time and (ii) by the Advisor, for any reason, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, such termination to be effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. If it becomes unnecessary for the Advisor to waive fees or reimburse expenses, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may permit the Advisor to retain the difference between the Fund’s total annual operating expenses and the expense limitation currently in effect, or, if lower, the expense limitation that was in effect at the time of the waiver and/or reimbursement, to recapture all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements within three years of the date they were waived or reimbursed.

 

EXAMPLE

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This Example does not take into account brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If these fees were included, your costs would be higher.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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:

 

  1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
AdvisorShares Gerber Kawasaki ETF $83 $391 $723 $1,660

 

1

 

 

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 Total Annual Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. This rate excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s shares. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 66% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a focused portfolio of growth stocks. The Fund primarily invests in U.S. exchange traded equity securities, including common and preferred stock and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). ADRs are securities traded on a local stock exchange that represent interests in securities issued by a foreign publicly listed company.

 

The Fund allocates its portfolio investments based on Gerber Kawasaki Inc.’s (the “Sub-Advisor”) proprietary research methods, which seek to identify top companies within the fastest growing current or future global macroeconomic trends (i.e., the economic trends that affect the performance, structure, and behavior of the economy as a whole). This multi-thematic approach allows for investment diversification but also capitalizes on various newly evolving, or “disruptive,” investment themes. Stock selection is determined using the Sub-Advisor’s three-part analysis system that rates a company’s fundamentals,technical indicators (i.e., chart-based calculations created from historic price, volume, or open interest information that aims to forecast future stock price movements), and the results of the Sub-Advisor’s qualitative analysis of the company. The Sub-Advisor’s qualitative analysis includes review of a company’s products and management as well as its fit among macro trends. The Sub-Advisor seeks to identify the best opportunities within identified macro themes that give investors the best opportunity for growth of capital. Companies that no longer satisfy the Fund’s investment criteria developed under the Sub-Advisor’s analysis system may be removed from the portfolio at any time.

 

The Fund may invest in companies of any capitalization but typically invests in companies with capitalizations of $1 billion or more. To a lesser extent, the Fund may invest in ETFs, exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) and other exchange-traded products (collectively with ETFs and ETNs, “ETPs”) to seek to obtain exposure to industries or sectors the Sub-Advisor believes to be top thematic macro opportunities. The Fund’s portfolio is generally comprised of less than 50 stocks or ETPs.

 

The Fund is non-diversified and may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than a diversified fund.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

 

The Fund is subject to a number of risks, described below, that may affect the value of its shares, including the possible loss of money. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

American Depositary Receipt Risk. ADRs have the same currency and economic risks as the underlying non-U.S. shares they represent. They are affected by the risks associated with non-U.S. securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of, or exchange control regulations associated with, foreign currencies, and differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and legal standards and practices. In addition, investments in ADRs may be less liquid than the underlying securities in their primary trading market.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund’s direct and indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

2

 

 

ETF Investment Risk. Through its investments in other ETFs, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETFs’ investments, including the possibility that the value of the securities held by an ETF could decrease. These risks include any combination of the risks described in this section.

 

ETF Market Risk. In stressed market conditions, the market for ETF shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn can lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares. In addition, there are a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants. If these institutions exit the business or are, for any reason, unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund, or purchase and sell securities in connection with creation and/or redemption orders, as applicable, and no other authorized participant steps forward to create or redeem, or purchase or sell securities, as applicable, Fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face operational issues such as trading halts and/or delisting. The absence of an active market in the Fund’s shares could lead to a heightened risk of differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Exchange-Traded Note Risk. ETNs are senior, unsecured unsubordinated debt securities issued by an underwriting bank that are designed to provide returns that are linked to a particular reference asset or benchmark less investor fees. ETNs have a maturity date and generally are backed only by the creditworthiness of the issuer. As a result, the value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market (e.g., the commodities market), changes in the applicable interest rates, and changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the underlying market. ETNs also may be subject to commodities market risk and credit risk.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The Fund’s investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers, including ADRs, may involve certain risks that are greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions; changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges); differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting, investor protection, and legal standards and practices; differing securities market structures; and higher transaction costs. In addition, the securities of some foreign companies may be less liquid and, at times, more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies.

 

Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically.

 

Large-Capitalization Risk. Large-cap securities tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when the demand for large-cap securities is less than for other types of investments — small-cap securities, for instance — the Fund’s performance could be reduced.

 

Management Risk. The Sub-Advisor continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Sub-Advisor’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment.

 

Market Risk. Due to market conditions, the value of the Fund’s investments may fluctuate significantly from day to day. Price fluctuations may be temporary or may last for extended periods. This volatility may cause the value of your investment in the Fund to decrease. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. The market value of a security may also 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. Because of its link to the markets, an investment in the Fund may be more suitable for long-term investors who can bear the risk of short-term principal fluctuations, which at times may be significant.

 

3

 

 

Mid-Capitalization Risk. Mid-cap companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-cap companies to have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, and to depend on a few key employees. Returns on investments in stocks of mid-cap companies could trail the returns on investments in stocks of large-cap companies or the equity market as a whole.

 

Models and Data Risk. When models and data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose the Fund to potential risks. In addition, the use of predictive models has inherent risk. Because predictive models are usually constructed based on historical data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied historical data.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Because, as a non-diversified fund under the federal securities laws, the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and hold a smaller number of portfolio securities; therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may be more volatile than the value of shares of more diversified funds.

 

Small- and Micro-Capitalization Risk. Security prices of small-cap companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than it would be if it did not invest in small-cap companies. These risks are even greater for micro-cap companies.

 

Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The trading price of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from their NAV during periods of market volatility and, in such instances, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund’s shares. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Fund’s shares will develop or be maintained. In addition, trading in shares of the Fund may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), make trading in shares inadvisable.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

 

A comparison of the Fund’s performance with that of a broad measure of market performance may give some indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund; however, the Fund is new and, therefore, does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. Of course, once the Fund has performance, this past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

MANAGEMENT

 

 

Name Title
AdvisorShares Investments, LLC Advisor
Gerber Kawasaki, Inc. Sub-Advisor

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

 

Name and Title Length of Service with Sub-Advisor
Ross Gerber, President, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer since June 2010

 

4

 

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

 

The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit.” Only institutional investors that are acting as the Fund’s authorized participants (typically broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem Creation Units. A Creation Unit transaction generally is conducted in exchange for a basket of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund along with a specified amount of cash.

 

Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. The shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange and, because shares trade at market price rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a value greater than (premium) or less than (discount) NAV. When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads will be available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains (or a combination thereof), unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”), which may be taxed upon withdrawal.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

 

Investors purchasing shares in the secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges. If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing broker-dealers or other intermediaries and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

5

 

 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST AND THE FUND

 

 

AdvisorShares Trust is a Delaware statutory trust offering a number of professionally managed investment portfolios or funds.

 

Creation Units of the Fund are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for portfolio securities along with a specified cash payment.

 

EXCEPT WHEN AGGREGATED IN CREATION UNITS, SHARES OF THE FUND ARE NOT REDEEMABLE SECURITIES.

 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

 

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board without a shareholder vote.

 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

 

The Fund is an actively managed ETF and, thus, does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified passive index of securities. Instead, it uses an active investment strategy in seeking to meet its investment objective. The Sub-Advisor, subject to the oversight of the Advisor and the Board, has discretion on a daily basis to manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and investment policies.

 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

 

The Fund is subject to a number of risks that may affect the value of its shares. This section provides additional information about the Fund’s principal risks. The degree to which a risk applies to the Fund varies according to its investment allocation. Each investor should review the complete description of the principal risks before investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for certain investors. As with investing in other securities whose prices increase and decrease in market value, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

American Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts have the same currency and economic risks as the underlying shares they represent. They are affected by the risks associated with the underlying non-U.S. securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of, or exchange control regulations associated with, foreign currencies, and differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and legal standards and practices. The value of depositary receipts will rise and fall in response to the activities of the non-U.S. entity that issued the securities represented by the depositary receipts, regulatory actions undertaken by a foreign government, and general market and/or economic conditions. Also, if there is a rise in demand for the underlying security and it becomes less available to the market, the price of the depositary receipt may rise, causing the Fund to pay a premium in order to obtain the desired depositary receipt. Conversely, changes in foreign market conditions or access to the underlying securities could result in a decline in the value of the depositary receipt.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund’s indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

 

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

6

 

 

ETF Investment Risk. The Fund may purchase shares of ETFs to gain exposure to the large-cap market. The Fund is subject to the same risks as the underlying ETFs, except the Fund may have the benefit of additional diversification. While the risks of owning shares of an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities of the ETF, lack of liquidity in an ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. ETFs also may trade below their NAV or at a discount, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. In addition, certain of the underlying ETFs may hold common portfolio positions, thereby reducing the diversification benefits of an asset allocation style. Also, when the Fund invests in an ETF, in addition to directly bearing the expenses associated with the Fund’s own operations, the Fund will bear a pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses, including operating costs and management fees. Consequently, an investment in the Fund entails more direct and indirect expenses than a direct investment in the underlying ETF. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will purchase shares of or interest in ETFs in the secondary market.

 

ETF Market Risk. In stressed market conditions, the market for ETF shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn can lead to a difference between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares. This difference can be reflected as a spread between the bid and ask prices quoted during the day or a premium or discount in the closing price from the Fund’s NAV.

 

Because the Fund’s shares trade in the secondary market, a broker may charge a commission to execute a transaction in shares and an investor may incur the cost of the spread between the price at which a dealer will buy shares (bid) and the somewhat higher price at which a dealer will sell shares (ask). In addition, not only are there a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants, direct trading by authorized participants is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s shares trade at or close to NAV. However, market makers are not obligated to make a market in the Fund’s shares nor are authorized participants obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units and, in times of market stress, circumstances could develop that could cause them to refrain from these activities or reduce their role. Any absence of an active market could lead to a heightened risk of differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Exchange-Traded Note Risk. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market, changes in the applicable interest rates, and changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the underlying market. It is expected that the issuer’s credit rating will be investment-grade at the time of investment, however, the credit rating may be revised or withdrawn at any time and there is no assurance that a credit rating will remain in effect for any given time period. If a rating agency lowers the issuer’s credit rating or there is a decline in the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer, the value of the ETN will decline as a lower credit rating reflects a greater risk that the issuer will default on its obligation to ETN investors. The Fund must pay an investor fee when investing in an ETN, which will reduce the amount of return on investment at maturity or upon redemption. There may be restrictions on the Fund’s right to redeem its investment in an ETN, which is meant to be held until maturity. There are no periodic interest payments for ETNs and principal typically is not protected. As is the case with other ETPs, an investor could lose some of or the entire amount invested in ETNs. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The Fund may have significant exposure to securities or obligations of foreign companies through its investments in financial instruments, such as ADRs, which are indirectly linked to the performance of foreign issuers. Investing in financial instruments that are indirectly linked to the performance of non-U.S. issuers may involve risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can perform differently from the U.S. market. The value of financial instruments denominated in foreign currencies, and of distributions from such financial instruments, can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign markets generally have less trading volume and less liquidity than U.S. markets, and prices in some foreign markets may fluctuate more than those of financial instruments traded on U.S. markets. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers, and it may be more difficult to obtain reliable information regarding a foreign issuer’s financial condition and operations. There is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets in certain countries. In addition, in certain countries, legal remedies available to investors may be more limited than those available with respect to investments in the United States. Transaction costs and costs associated with custody services are generally higher for foreign securities than they are for U.S. securities. Some foreign governments levy withholding taxes against dividend and interest income. Although in some countries portions of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion will reduce the income received by the Fund.

 

7

 

 

Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically. Growth stocks may be more expensive relative to their earnings or assets compared to value or other stocks.

 

Large-Capitalization Risk. The large-cap segment of the market may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. The underperformance of large-cap securities may cause the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.

 

Management Risk. The Sub-Advisor continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Sub-Advisor’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment. In fact, no matter how good a job the Sub-Advisor does, you could lose money on your investment in the Fund, just as you could with other investments. If the Sub-Advisor is incorrect in its assessment of the income, growth or price realization potential of the Fund’s holdings or incorrect in its assessment of general market or economic conditions, then the value of the Fund’s shares may decline.

 

Market Risk. Investments in securities, in general, are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. The Fund’s investments may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions or changes in interest or currency rates, or particular countries, segments, economic sectors, industries or companies within those markets. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or other public health issues, recessions, uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years due to a number of these factors. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments. Fluctuations in the value of securities and financial instruments in which the Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate. Historically, the markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Because of its link to the markets, an investment in the Fund may be more suitable for long-term investors who can bear the risk of short-term principal fluctuations, which at times may be significant.

 

Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the resulting responses by the United States and other countries, and the potential for wider conflict could increase volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets and adversely affect regional and global economies. The United States and other countries have imposed broad-ranging economic sanctions on Russia, certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations, and Belarus as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and may impose sanctions on other countries that provide military or economic support to Russia. The extent and duration of Russia’s military actions and the repercussions of such actions (including any retaliatory actions or countermeasures that may be taken by those subject to sanctions, including cyber attacks) are impossible to predict, but could result in significant market disruptions, including in certain industries or sectors, such as the oil and natural gas markets, and may negatively affect global supply chains, inflation and global growth. These and any related events could significantly impact the Fund’s performance and the value of an investment in the Fund, even if the Fund does not have direct exposure to Russian issuers or issuers in other countries affected by the invasion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Risk. Security prices of mid-cap companies may be based in substantial part on future expectations rather than current achievements and may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns. Mid-cap companies themselves may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. During a period when the performance of mid-cap securities falls behind that of other types of investments, such as large-cap stocks or the equity market as whole, the Fund’s performance could be reduced.

 

8

 

 

Models and Data Risk. To the extent a model does not perform as designed or as intended, the Fund’s strategy may not be successfully implemented and the Fund may lose value. If the model or data are incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities that would have been excluded or included had the model or data been correct and complete. The use of predictive models has inherent risks. For example, such models may incorrectly forecast future behavior, leading to potential losses. In addition, in unforeseen or certain low-probability scenarios (often involving a market disruption of some kind), such models may produce unexpected results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because predictive models are usually constructed based on historical data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied historical data.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. As a non-diversified fund under the federal securities laws, the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of the Fund’s shares may be more volatile than the value of shares of more diversified funds.

 

Small- and Micro-Capitalization Risk. Security prices of small-cap companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies. Security prices of small-cap companies are generally more vulnerable than those of large-cap companies to adverse business and economic developments. The securities of small-cap companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-cap companies are typically less stable financially than larger, more established companies and may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Small-cap companies also normally have less diverse product lines than larger companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products. These risks are even greater for micro-cap companies. Micro-cap companies are followed by relatively few securities analysts and there tends to be less publicly-available information about them. Micro-capitalization companies may have limited operational histories and new or unproven product lines or may have product lines that are still in development. Their securities generally have limited trading volumes and are subject to even more abrupt, erratic price movements. Micro-cap companies are even more vulnerable to adverse business and market developments.

 

Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade above or below their NAV. The NAV of shares will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading prices of shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as market supply and demand. When the market price of the Fund’s shares deviates significantly from NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund’s shares. However, given that shares can be created and redeemed only in Creation Units at NAV, the Advisor does not believe that large discounts or premiums to NAV will exist for extended periods of time. Although the Fund’s shares are currently listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained. In addition, trading in shares of the Fund may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.

 

OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES

 

 

Temporary Defensive Positions. To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in cash, high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments. The Fund may be invested in this manner for extended periods, depending on the Sub-Advisor’s assessment of market conditions. Debt securities and money market instruments include shares of other mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, and bonds that are rated BBB or higher. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. Furthermore, to the extent that the Fund invests in money market funds, the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of each such money market fund’s advisory fees and operational expenses.

 

9

 

 

Lending of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Board. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 331/3% of the total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). Such loans may be terminated at any time. Any such loans must be continuously secured by collateral maintained on a current basis in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned by the Fund. In a loan transaction, as compensation for lending its securities, the Fund will receive a portion of the dividends or interest accrued on the securities held as collateral or, in the case of cash collateral, a portion of the income from the investment of such cash. In addition, the Fund will receive the amount of all dividends, interest and other distributions on the loaned securities. However, the borrower has the right to vote the loaned securities. The Fund will call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the investment is to be voted upon. Loans are made only to borrowers that are deemed by the securities lending agent to be of good financial standing. Should the borrower of the securities fail financially, the Fund may experience delays in recovering the securities or exercising its rights in the collateral. In a loan transaction, the Fund will also bear the risk of any decline in value of securities acquired with cash collateral. The Fund will attempt to minimize this risk by limiting the investment of cash collateral to high quality instruments of short maturity.

 

Please see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) for a more complete list of portfolio investment strategies, permitted investments and related risks.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

 

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund portfolio securities is available (i) in the SAI and (ii) on the Trust’s website at www.advisorshares.com. The Fund’s daily portfolio holdings information also is available on the Trust’s website.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR

AdvisorShares Investments, LLC, located at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 150, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, serves as investment adviser of the Fund. As of September 30, 2022, the Advisor had approximately $1.3 billion in assets under management.

 

The Advisor continuously reviews, supervises, and administers the Fund’s investment program. In particular, the Advisor provides investment and operational oversight of the Sub-Advisor. The Board supervises the Advisor and establishes policies that the Advisor must follow in its day-to-day management activities. Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Advisor, the Advisor is entitled to receive an annual advisory fee of 0.75% based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Advisor pays the Sub-Advisor out of the advisory fee it receives from the Fund. For the most recent fiscal year, the Fund paid the Advisor a fee of 0.13% after waiver/reimbursement based on its average daily net assets.

 

The Advisor bears all of its own costs associated with providing these advisory services and the expenses of the members of the Board who are affiliated with the Advisor. The Advisor may make payments from its own resources to broker-dealers and other financial institutions in connection with the sale of Fund shares.

 

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse expenses in order to keep net expenses (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.75% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus. The expense limitation agreement may be terminated without payment of any penalty (i) by the Trust for any reason and at any time and (ii) by the Advisor, for any reason, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, such termination to be effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. If at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Advisor to waive fees or reimburse expenses, the Board may permit the Advisor to retain the difference between the Fund’s total annual operating expenses and the expense limitation currently in effect, or, if lower, the expense limitation that was in effect at the time of the waiver and/or reimbursement, to recapture all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements within three years of the date they were waived or reimbursed.

 

10

 

 

Pursuant to an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Advisor, subject to certain conditions, has the right, without shareholder approval, to hire a new unaffiliated sub-adviser or materially amend the terms of a sub-advisory agreement with an unaffiliated sub-adviser when the Board and the Advisor believe that a change would benefit the Fund. The Prospectus will be supplemented when there is a significant change in the Fund’s sub-advisory arrangement.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent approval of the Fund’s investment advisory agreement is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders dated June 30, 2022.

 

INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISOR

Gerber Kawasaki, Inc. is a registered investment advisory firm located at 2716 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, California 90405. The Sub-Advisor was founded in 2010 as an independent wealth and investment management firm serving a variety of clients. As of September 30, 2022, the Sub-Advisor had approximately $1.9 billion in assets under management.

 

The Sub-Advisor is responsible for selecting the Fund’s investments in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent approval of the Fund’s investment sub-advisory agreement is available in the Trust’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders dated December 31, 2021.

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

The following portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund.

 

Ross Gerber, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Gerber co-founded the Sub-Advisor in June of 2010 and is responsible for overseeing the operations of the firm and serving individual clients. He is also Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Advisor and is responsible for stock selection and research for exchange-traded fund and separately managed account portfolios managed by the Sub-Advisor. Mr. Gerber entered the investment industry in June of 1994 and has over 28 years of experience managing money for clients. Mr. Gerber graduated with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Fund is available in the SAI.

 

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) is the principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Distributor’s principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor will not distribute shares in less than whole Creation Units, and it does not maintain a secondary market in the shares. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, The Bank of New York Mellon or any of their respective affiliates.

 

The Bank of New York Mellon, located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the administrator, custodian, transfer agent and fund accounting agent for the Fund.

 

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, located at Two Liberty Place, 50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

11

 

 

SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

 

 

CALCULATING NET ASSET VALUE

The Fund calculates NAV by (i) taking the current market value of its total assets, (ii) subtracting any liabilities, and (iii) dividing that amount by the total number of shares owned by shareholders.

 

The Fund calculates NAV once each business day as of the regularly scheduled close of normal trading on the New York Stock Exchange, LLC (the “NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The NYSE is typically closed on weekends and most national holidays.

 

In calculating NAV, the Fund generally values its portfolio investments at their current market value as reflected by readily available market quotations. When market quotations are not readily available, the Advisor will determine their fair value as described below and such fair valuations will be used in calculating the Fund’s NAV.

 

FAIR VALUE PRICING

The Board has adopted valuation policies and procedures pursuant to which it has designated the Advisor to determine the fair value of the Fund’s investments, subject to the Board’s oversight, when market prices for those investments are not readily available, including when they are determined by the Advisor to be unreliable. Such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or its trading is halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market and before the Fund calculates its NAV. Generally, when determining the fair value of the Fund investment, the Advisor will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies established by the Advisor. Due to the subjective and variable nature of determining the fair value of a security or other investment, there can be no assurance that the Advisor’s determined fair value will match or closely correlate to any market quotation that subsequently becomes available or the price quoted or published by other sources. In addition, the Fund may not be able to obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if the Fund were to sell such investment at or near the time its fair value is determined.

 

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT AND BID/ASK SPREAD INFORMATION

The price of the Fund’s shares is based on market price, which may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV per share and can be affected by market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Information showing the number of days that the market price of the Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a premium) and the number of days it was less than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a discount) for various time periods is available by visiting the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com. Also available on the Fund’s website is information about bid-ask spreads.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

The Fund pays out dividends and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to shareholders at least annually.

 

ACTIVE INVESTORS AND MARKET TIMING

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange, which allows retail investors to purchase and sell individual shares at market prices throughout the trading day similar to other publicly traded securities. Because these secondary market trades do not involve the Fund directly, it is unlikely that secondary market trading would cause any harmful effects of market timing, such as dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs or realization of capital gains. The Board has determined not to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of the Fund’s shares because the Fund sells and redeems its shares at NAV only in Creation Units pursuant to the terms of a participant agreement between the Distributor and an authorized participant, principally in exchange for a basket of securities that mirrors the composition of the Fund’s portfolio and a specified amount of cash. The Fund also imposes transaction fees on such Creation Unit transactions that are designed to offset the Fund’s transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of the Creation Unit shares.

 

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BOOK-ENTRY

Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), or its nominee, is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares.

 

Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants (e.g., broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, or clearing companies). These procedures are the same as those that apply to any stocks that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.

 

INVESTING IN THE FUND

For more information on how to buy and sell shares of the Fund, call the Trust at 877.843.3831 or visit the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

DISTRIBUTION PLAN

 

 

The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that allows the Fund to pay distribution fees to the Distributor and other firms that provide distribution services. The Fund will pay distribution fees to the Distributor at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of its average daily net assets. If a service provider provides distribution services, the Distributor will pay the service provider out of its distribution fees.

 

No distribution fees are currently charged to the Fund; there are no plans to impose distribution fees, and no distribution fees will be charged for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus. However, to the extent distribution fees are charged in the future, because the Fund would pay these fees out of assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees may cost you more than other types of sales charges and would increase the cost of your investment. At such time as distribution fees are charged, the Fund will notify investors by adding disclosure to the Fund’s website and in the Fund’s Prospectus. Any distribution fees will be approved by the Board.

 

ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION

 

 

The following is a summary of some important tax issues that affect the Fund and its shareholders. The summary is based on current tax law, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. The summary is very general, and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold shares through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged accounts. More information about taxes is located in the SAI.

 

You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes.

 

Tax Status of the Fund

The Fund intends to elect and qualify each year for the special tax treatment afforded to a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code. As long as the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, it pays no federal income tax on the earnings it timely distributes to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

the Fund makes distributions;

 

you sell Fund shares; and

 

you purchase or redeem Creation Units (authorized participants only).

 

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Tax Status of Distributions

The Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income.

 

The Fund’s distributions from income and net short-term capital gains will generally be taxed to you as ordinary income. For non-corporate shareholders, dividends reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income are generally eligible for reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met. Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. For such dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, the Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of the Fund’s shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged.

 

Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund (directly or in some cases indirectly) from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Certain of the Fund’s trading strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.

 

Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s short-term capital gains are generally taxable as ordinary income. Any distributions of net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) that you receive from the Fund generally are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Long-term capital gains are taxed to non-corporate shareholders at reduced tax rates.

 

Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. However, distributions paid in January but declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the previous year may be taxable to you in the previous year.

 

Shortly after the close of each calendar year, the Fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, foreign tax credits, and net capital gain distributions received from the Fund.

 

You may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.

 

Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares held by a shareholder as a capital asset is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gains to the shareholder with respect to such shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of Fund shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

 

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Investment in Foreign Securities

The Fund may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries on dividends, interest, and other income it may earn from investing in foreign securities, which may reduce the return on such investments. The Fund does not expect to satisfy the requirements for passing through to its shareholders any share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, with the result that shareholders will not include such taxes in their gross incomes and will not be entitled to a tax deduction or credit for such taxes on their own tax returns.

 

Medicare Tax

U.S. individuals with income exceeding certain thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” including interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.

 

Non-U.S. Investors

If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. The 30% withholding tax generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gain. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.

 

Foreign Taxes

Dividends, interest, and other income received by the Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund may need to file special claims for refunds to secure the benefits of a reduced rate.

 

Backup Withholding

The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided the Fund either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is 24%. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax applicable to shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.

 

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An authorized participant who purchases a Creation Unit by exchanging securities in-kind generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time and any net cash received, and (b) the sum of the purchaser’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any net cash paid for the Creation Units. An authorized participant who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (x) the sum of the redeemer’s basis in the Creation Units and any net cash paid, and (y) the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received and any net cash received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” by an authorized participant that does not mark-to-market its holdings, or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized participants should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

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The Fund has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Fund also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

 

The Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences to you of an investment in the Fund under all tax laws applicable to you.

 

More information about taxes is in the SAI.

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance since the Fund commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s Annual Report, which is available upon request.

 

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ADVISORSHARES TRUST — Financial Highlights

 

 

    For the period
July 2,
2021* to
 
    June 30,  
AdvisorShares Gerber Kawasaki ETF   2022  
Selected Data for a Share of Capital Stock Outstanding        
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year/Period   $ 25.03  
Investment Operations        
Net Investment Income(1)     0.07  
Net Realized and Unrealized Loss     (8.75 )
Distributions of Net Realized Gains by other investment companies     0.00 (2) 
Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Investment Operations(3)     (8.68 )
Distributions from Net Investment Income     (0.01 )
Total Distributions     (0.01 )
Net Asset Value, End of Year/Period   $ 16.34  
Market Value, End of Year/Period   $ 16.35  
Total Return        
Total Investment Return Based on Net Asset Value(4)     (34.71 )%
Total Investment Return Based on Market(4)     (34.65 )%
Ratios/Supplemental Data        
Net Assets, End of Year/Period (000’s omitted)   $ 15,846  
Ratio to Average Net Assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers and reimbursements(5)     0.75 %
Expenses, prior to expense waivers and reimbursements(5)     1.37 %
Net Investment Income(5)     0.31 %
Portfolio Turnover Rate(6)     66 %

 

 
* Commencement of operations.
(1) Based on average shares outstanding.
(2) Amount represents less than $0.005 or 0.005%.
(3) The amount shown for a share distribution throughout the period may not correlate with the Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of Fund Shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.
(4) Net asset value total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions on ex-date, if any, at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Periods less than one year are not annualized. Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market value during the period on pay date, and sale at the market value on the last day of the period.
(5) Ratios of periods of less than one year have been annualized. Excludes expenses incurred by the underlying investments in other funds.
(6) Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.

 

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ADVISORSHARES GERBER KAWASAKI ETF

 

Advisor

AdvisorShares Investments, LLC

4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 150

Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Sub-Advisor

Gerber Kawasaki, Inc.

2716 Ocean Park Boulevard

Santa Monica, California 90405

Distributor

Foreside Fund Services, LLC

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100

Portland, Maine 04101

Legal Counsel

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

Administrator, Custodian & Transfer Agent

The Bank of New York Mellon

240 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10286

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

 

Additional and more detailed information about the Fund is included in the Fund’s SAI. The SAI has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and, therefore, legally forms a part of this Prospectus. The SEC maintains the EDGAR database on its website (http://www.sec.gov), which contains the SAI, material incorporated by reference, and other information about the Fund. You may request documents from the SEC, upon payment of a duplication fee, by emailing the SEC at [email protected].

 

You may obtain a copy of the SAI and the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports without charge by calling 877.843.3831, visiting the website at www.advisorshares.com, or writing to the Trust at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 150, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports. Also in the Fund’s Annual Report is a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

 

No one has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations not contained in this Prospectus or in the SAI in connection with the offering of Fund shares. Do not rely on any such information or representations as having been authorized by the Fund. This Prospectus does not constitute an offering by the Fund in any jurisdiction where such an offering is not lawful.

 

The Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act File Number is 811-22110.

 

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