Summary Prospectus

Alpine Realty Income & Growth Fund
Institutional Class: AIGYX
Class A: AIAGX
February 28, 2014
 
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.alpinefunds.com. You may also obtain this information at no cost by calling 1-888-785-5578 or by sending an e-mail request to questions@alpinefunds.com. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated February 28, 2014, as may be amended or further supplemented, and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report and financial statements in the Fund’s Annual Report to shareholders, dated October 31, 2013, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
 
Investment Objectives

Alpine Realty Income & Growth Fund   (the “Income & Growth Fund”)   seeks a high level of current income. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

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

You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the Fund’s Class A shares. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class A
Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
5.50%
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
Generally none
None
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed within less than 60 days of purchase)
1.00%
1.00%
 
 
 
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
1.00%
1.00%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
None
Other Expenses
0.42%
0.42%
Interest Expense
0.08%
0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.75% 1.50%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (1)
(0.07)%
(0.07)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements
1.68%
1.43%

(1)
The Adviser has agreed contractually to waive and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund so that total annual fund operating expenses (including 12b-1 fees, but excluding interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed annually 1.60% of the average net assets of the Class A shares and 1.35% of the average net assets of the Institutional Class shares. Total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses exceed the expense cap by 0.08% as a result of interest expense. This arrangement cannot be terminated prior to February 28, 2015 without the Board of Trustees’ consent. The Adviser may recapture amounts waived and/or reimbursed to a class if such recapture occurs within three years of the waiver and/or reimbursement and does not cause the total annual fund operating expenses of the Fund for any year to exceed the limits described above.

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:
 
 
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·
You invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods
 
·
Your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same
 
·
You reinvest all distributions and dividends without a sales charge

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
Class A
$711
$1,064
$1,440
$2,492
Institutional Class
$146
$468
$812
$1,784

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2013, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Income & Growth Fund invests 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of issuers which (i) are principally engaged in the real estate industry, (ii) are principally engaged in real estate financing or (iii) control real estate assets with an aggregate estimated value equal to no less than 50% of such issuer’s assets. These companies include, but are not limited to, real estate investments trusts (“REITs”), real estate operating companies and homebuilders, and companies with substantial real estate holdings, such as hotel and entertainment companies.

The Fund concentrates its investments in the securities of companies engaged principally in the real estate industry and may invest all of its assets in such securities; however, the Fund may temporarily invest less than 25% of its net assets in such securities during periods of adverse economic conditions in the real estate industry.

In addition to common stocks and REITs, securities in which the Fund may invest include preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights and warrants.

The Fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in the securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization. The Fund may borrow up to 10% of its total assets for investment purposes.

In managing the assets of the Fund, the Adviser invests primarily in the equity securities of companies offering high dividend yields and which the Adviser believes offer strong prospects for capital growth. The Fund may also invest in debt securities which the Adviser believes offer attractive income streams, giving consideration to the creditworthiness of the issuer, maturity date and other factors, including industry sector and prevailing economic and market conditions. These securities may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest, and may include zero coupon obligations. The Fund may invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade debt securities, with up to 15% of its net assets in non-investment grade debt securities. In selecting investments, an important focus of the Adviser is to identify investment opportunities where dividends or interest payments are well supported by the underlying assets and earnings of a company.
 
 
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In managing the assets of the Fund, the Adviser generally pursues a value oriented approach. The Adviser also emphasizes investments in the equity securities of companies which it believes have the potential to grow their earnings at faster than normal rates and thus offer the potential for higher dividends and growth in the future.

The Fund is “non-diversified.” This means that, as compared to mutual funds which are diversified, the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer. As a result, the Fund may hold larger positions in a relatively small number of stocks as compared to many other mutual funds.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in shares of initial public offerings (“IPOs”) (subject to the Adviser’s discretionary policy based on percentage of investments in the Fund by the Adviser or principals of the Adviser) and secondary offerings.
 
The Fund’s 80% investment policy may be changed by the Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders.

Principal Investment Risks
 
Risk is inherent in all investing. There is no assurance that the Fund will meet its investment objectives. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. 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 Fund may take temporary defensive positions; in such a case, the Fund will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies. The following is a summary description of certain risks of investing in the Fund.

Concentration Risk — The Fund’s strategy of concentrating in companies in a specific industry means that its performance will be closely tied to the performance of a particular market segment. The Fund’s concentration in these companies may present more risks than if it were broadly diversified over numerous industries and sectors of the economy. A downturn in these companies would have a larger impact on the Fund than on a mutual fund that does not concentrate in such companies. At times, the performance of these companies will lag the performance of other industries or the broader market as a whole.

Convertible Securities Risk — The Fund can invest in securities that can be exercised for or converted into common stocks (such as warrants or convertible preferred stock). While offering greater potential for long-term growth, common stocks and similar equity securities are more volatile and more risky than some other forms of investment. Therefore, the value of your investment in the Fund may sometimes decrease instead of increase. Convertible securities include other securities, such as warrants, that provide an opportunity for equity participation. Because convertible securities can be converted into equity securities, their values will normally increase or decrease as the values of the underlying equity securities increase or decrease. The movements in the prices of convertible securities, however, may be smaller than the movements in the value of the underlying equity securities.

Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer.  The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation.

Dividend Strategy Risk — The Fund’s strategy of investing in dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out favor with investors and underperform the market. Companies that issue dividend paying-stocks are not required to continue to pay dividends on such stocks. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future.

Equity Securities Risk — The stock or other security of a company may not perform as well as expected, and may decrease in value, because of factors related to the company (such as poorer than expected earnings or certain management decisions) or to the industry in which the company is engaged (such as a reduction in the demand for products or services in a particular industry).

Fixed Income Securities Risk — Fixed income securities are subject to issuer risk, interest rate risk and market risk.
 
 
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Growth Stock Risk — Growth stocks typically are very sensitive to market movements because their market prices tend to reflect future expectations. When it appears those expectations will not be met, the prices of growth stocks typically fall. Growth stocks as a group may be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market while the market concentrates on undervalued stocks.

Initial Public Offerings and Secondary Offerings Risk — The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in shares of IPOs or secondary offerings of an issuer. IPOs and secondary offerings may have a magnified impact on the performance of a Fund with a small asset base. The impact of IPOs and secondary offerings on a Fund’s performance likely will decrease as the Fund’s asset size increases, which could reduce a Fund’s returns. IPOs and secondary offerings may not be consistently available to the Fund for investing. IPO and secondary offering shares frequently are volatile in price due to the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer. Therefore, the Fund may hold IPO and secondary offering shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Fund and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. In addition, IPO and secondary offering shares can experience an immediate drop in value if the demand for the securities does not continue to support the offering price.

Interest Rate Risk — Interest rates may rise resulting in a decrease in the value of securities held by the Fund, or may fall resulting in an increase in the value of such securities. Securities having longer maturities generally involve a greater risk of fluctuations in the value resulting from changes in interest rates.

Leverage Risk — The Fund may use leverage to purchase securities. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage.

Management Risk — The Adviser’s judgment about the quality, relative yield or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security or sector, or about interest rates generally, may be incorrect. The Adviser’s security selections and other investment decisions might produce losses or cause the Fund to underperform when compared to other funds with similar investment objectives and strategies.

Market Risk — The price of a security held by the Fund may fall due to changing market, economic or political conditions.

Non-Diversified Fund Risk   Performance of a non-diversified fund may be more volatile than a diversified fund because a non-diversified fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer.

Preferred Stock Risk — Preferred stock represents an interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred stock has investment characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities. However, the value of these securities tends to vary more with fluctuations in the underlying common stock and less with fluctuations in interest rates and tends to exhibit greater volatility.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) Risk — REITs’ share prices may decline because of adverse developments affecting the real estate industry including changes in interest rates. The returns from REITs may trail returns from the overall market. Additionally, there is always a risk that a given REIT will fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment.
 
 
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Real Estate Securities Risk — Risks associated with investment in securities of companies in the real estate industry include: declines in the value of real estate; risks related to local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition; increases in property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; casualty or condemnation losses; variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of properties to tenants; changes in interest rates and changes in general economic and market conditions.

Small and Medium Capitalization Company Risk — Securities of small or medium capitalization companies are more likely to experience sharper swings in market values, less liquid markets, in which it may be more difficult for the Adviser to sell at times and at prices that the Adviser believes appropriate and generally are more volatile than those of larger companies.

Undervalued Stock Risk — The Fund may pursue strategies that may include investing in securities, which, in the opinion of the Adviser, are undervalued. The identification of investment opportunities in undervalued securities is a difficult task and there is no assurance that such opportunities will be successfully recognized or acquired. While investments in undervalued securities offer opportunities for above-average capital appreciation, these investments involve a high degree of financial risk and can result in substantial losses.

Performance

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Institutional Class shares (formerly known as the Investor Class). The Class A shares of the Fund were not issued prior to December 30, 2011. Both Institutional Class and Class A shares would have substantially similar annual returns because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the annual returns would differ only to the extent that the Classes do not have the same expenses. The Fund’s sales load is not reflected in the bar chart, if it were, returns would be less than those shown. The table following the bar chart compares the Fund’s performance over time with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as indices that reflect the market sectors in which the Fund invests. Unless otherwise stated, all index since inception returns reflect the inception date of the Institutional Class. To the extent the Fund engaged in leverage, this may have affected performance. To the extent that the Fund’s historical performance resulted from gains derived from participation in IPOs and/or secondary offerings, there is no guarantee that these results can be replicated in future periods or that the Fund will be able to participate to the same degree in IPOs and secondary offerings in the future. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not a prediction of future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.alpinefunds.com or by calling 1-888-785-5578.

Alpine Realty Income & Growth Fund
Total Returns as of 12/31 Each Year
Institutional Class



Best and Worst Quarter Results
During the periods shown in the Chart for the Fund

Best Quarter
Worst Quarter
41.78%
9/30/09
(42.18)%
12/31/08
 
 
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Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ending December 31, 2013)
         
Alpine Realty Income & Growth Fund – Institutional Class
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since Inception
Inception
Date
Return Before Taxes
2.06%
20.05%
6.47%
10.63%
12/29/1998
Return After Taxes on Distributions
0.37%
18.06%
4.61%
8.44%
 
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
1.31%
15.47%
4.63%
8.00%
 
 
         
Alpine Realty Income & Growth Fund – Class A
(3.76)%
N/A
N/A
6.58%
12/30/2011
           
MSCI US REIT Index Gross USD (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
2.47%
16.73%
8.40%
10.42%
 
 
         
S&P 500 ® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
32.38%
17.94%
7.40%
4.70%
 
 
         
Lipper Real Estate Funds Average
1.72%
16.41%
7.77%
9.82% (1)
 

(1)
The Lipper Real Estate Funds Average reflects the annualized return from December 31, 1998 to December 31, 2013.

The after-tax returns are shown only for Institutional Class shares, are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns for Class A shares will vary from returns shown for Institutional Class shares.

Management

Investment Adviser

Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the Fund’s investment adviser.

Portfolio Manager

Mr. Robert W. Gadsden, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, is the portfolio manager primarily responsible for the investment decisions of the Fund and has managed the Fund since 1999.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Class A

You may purchase or redeem Fund shares on any day the NYSE is open by contacting your financial intermediary. The minimum initial amount of investment in the Fund is $2,500. There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

Institutional Class

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day by written request via mail (Alpine Funds, c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., PO Box 8061, Boston, MA 02266), by wire transfer, by telephone at 1-888-785-5578, or through a financial intermediary. The minimum initial amount of investment in the Fund is $1,000,000. There is no minimum for subsequent investments if payment is mailed by check, otherwise the minimum is $100.
 
 
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Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Fund shares 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 financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
 
 
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