Helios Total Return Fund, Inc. Monthly Dividend Declaration

• Press Release
• Source: Helios Total Return Fund, Inc.
• On 4:30 pm EDT, Friday October 2, 2009

NEW YORK, NEW YORK--(Marketwire - 10/02/09) - Helios Total Return Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE:HTR - News) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a monthly dividend of $0.0475 per share, payable on October 29, 2009 to stockholders of record on October 14, 2009. The ex-dividend date is October 12, 2009. Based on the NYSE closing price of $5.39 on October 1, 2009, the Fund's yield was 10.58%. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund's average duration, as measured on a net asset basis, was 3.0 years.

Dividends may include net investment income, capital gains and/or return of capital. The dividend yield referenced above is calculated as the annualized amount of the most recent monthly dividend declared divided by the stated stock price.

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                            As of September 30, 2009
               Sector Allocation as a Percentage of Total Assets

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Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities ("MBS")                                41%
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High Yield Corporate Bonds                                               15%
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Non-Agency Residential MBS                                               13%
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Commercial MBS                                                           12%
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Asset-Backed Securities                                                  12%
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U.S. Treasury Securities                                                  3%
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Cash                                                                      4%
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               Credit Allocation as a Percentage of Total Assets

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U.S. Government / Agency and AAA Rated                                   53%
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AA Rated                                                                  5%
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A Rated                                                                   3%
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BBB Rated                                                                 5%
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Below-Investment Grade                                                   34%
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The Fund uses its web site as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Fund is routinely posted on and accessible at www.brookfieldim.com.

Helios Total Return Fund, Inc. is managed by Brookfield Investment Management Inc., a registered investment advisor with investment management expertise across core fixed income, high yield, structured products (Commercial MBS, Residential MBS and ABS) as well as global REITs and listed infrastructure securities. Headquartered in New York, the firm has approximately $20 billion of assets under management as of October 1, 2009. Brookfield Investment Management is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a global asset manager focused on property, power and other infrastructure assets with approximately $80 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2009.

 
Contacts:
Helios Total Return Fund, Inc.
Three World Financial Center
200 Vesey Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10281-1010
(800) 497-3746