Helios Total Return Fund, Inc. Monthly Dividend Declaration

Helios Total Return Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE: HTR) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a monthly dividend of $0.0475 per share, payable on November 25, 2009 to stockholders of record on November 18, 2009. Based on the NYSE closing price of $5.16 on November 5, 2009, the Fund's yield was 11.05%. As of October 31, 2009, the Fund's average duration, as measured on a net asset basis, was 3.4 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.

                      As of October 31, 2009
          Sector Allocation as a Percentage of Total Assets

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Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities ("MBS")                        38%
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Commercial MBS                                                   16%
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Non-Agency Residential MBS                                       15%
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High Yield Corporates                                            14%
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Asset-Backed Securities                                          11%
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U.S. Treasury Securities                                          3%
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Cash                                                              3%
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        Credit Allocation as a Percentage of Total Assets

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U.S. Government / Agency and AAA Rated                           52%
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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                                           35%
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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 $23 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

September 30, 2009.