Paying Twice - No! Understanding the true cost of 'f-series' (2024)

January 24, 2023 | James Dryden

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An f-series or f-class mutual fund is a mutual fund that does not pay any additional commissions to the firm or advisor making the purchase. Designed specifically for accounts that pay a percentage based on your overall dollars managed.

Paying Twice - No! Understanding the true cost of 'f-series' (1)

An f-series or f-class mutual fund is a mutual fund that does not pay any additional commissions to the firm or advisor making the purchase. It is designed specifically for accounts that pay a percentage based on your overall dollars managed by an advisor. This is typically referred to as a fee-based model. Therefore, an f-series fund Management Expense Ratio (MER) only includes the costs of that management team to manage, trade and administer that fund.

Let’s look at an example:

ABC Global Balanced Fund f-series.

You have an RSP account valued at $200,000. Of that, $50,000 is invested in ABC Global Balanced Fund. MER for said fund is 1%. Therefore, your weighted cost to own that fund is 0.25% ($50,000/$200,000 * 1%).

If you have 3 other mutual funds, all $50,000 each, with the same MER, you total weighted MER is 1%. Add this to your cost of advice, financial planning and overall wealth management you are paying to the firm, equals your total cost.

The one thing about f-series mutual funds and their cost is you don’t see it in an obvious way. You see it in the return.

For example, ABC Global Balanced Fund returned 8% last year versus DEF Global Balanced Fund returned 7%. DEF might have higher fees, or might be invested or allocated in completely different sectors or geographic areas which explain the difference in returns.

Ultimately, the cost of an f-series mutual fund is just one aspect to be examined in deciding where to invest your money. It is important to consider how that money is invested inside the mutual fund, does it support your end goals, meet your income and financial planning needs, have a buy and sell process, and have scale, breadth and depth in the management team. There are many factors to consider when choosing an investment and working with an advisor will help in those decisions.

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Paying Twice - No! Understanding the true cost of 'f-series' (2024)

FAQs

Paying Twice - No! Understanding the true cost of 'f-series'? ›

Understanding the true cost of 'f-series' An f-series or f-class mutual fund is a mutual fund that does not pay any additional commissions to the firm or advisor making the purchase. Designed specifically for accounts that pay a percentage based on your overall dollars managed.

Are F-series mutual funds worth it? ›

I think F-series funds are a great idea. They make fees transparent so you can hold your adviser accountable for the quality of the advice he or she is delivering. In addition, these funds charge much lower management fees than their rivals since they're no longer paying commissions to advisers.

What does series F mean in mutual funds? ›

Fee-based series (Series F)

These series or classes are available to investors who have fee-based arrangements with their advisor. An investor in a fee-based series or class typically negotiates the rate of their advisor's fee with, and pays such fee directly to, the advisor.

What is the TD F-series? ›

Fee-Based Accounts

TD Asset Management's fee-based funds (F-Series) are some of the lowest-priced F-Series funds in Canada. The series offers a comprehensive line-up with fee-based solutions for various client needs.

What is the difference between Series A and F funds? ›

How do Series F mutual funds compare to embedded advice (Series A) mutual funds? With Series F mutual funds, the account fee (service fee or dealer fee) is charged directly to the investor, whereas with Series A mutual funds, MERs include an embedded trailing commission.

Which is better the F fund or the G fund? ›

In periods of falling interest rates, the F Fund will experience gains from the resulting rise in bond prices. So in the long run, you may expect F Fund returns to exceed those of the G Fund; however, you should also expect greater price volatility (up and down movements).

How safe is the F fund? ›

low because the F Fund includes only investment-grade securities and is broadly diversified. However, the F Fund has market risk (the risk that the value of the underlying securities will decline) and prepayment risk (the risk that a security in the F Fund will be repaid before it matures).

Can I buy Series F funds? ›

Fee-based mutual funds (series F units)

When an investor buys a mutual fund in a fee-based account they will purchase series F units of the fund. Series F units are only available in fee-based accounts as they do not include a trailing commission as a component of their MER.

Is there Series F funding? ›

Series F funding is largely used for capital-intensive businesses that need to fuel their next stage of growth, an IPO, an acquisition, or expansion.

What mer is too high? ›

Anything above 1.5% is considered high.

What is TD investment Savings Account F series? ›

(F Series)

The TD Investment Savings Account is a product for investors seeking flexible fixed income options. Grow your savings in a product that pays a competitive interest rate, and enjoy the security of having your money held in accounts that are CDIC-eligible.

How to buy TD F series? ›

Series F units of mutual funds tend to be available only through a financial representative, often through a fee-based account where you pay a single annual fee for services. Typically advisors who offer this type of service are registered in the category of “Portfolio Manager”.

How to reduce mutual fund fees? ›

In order to keep the cost of a mutual fund down, investors should try to avoid any fund that has a load associated with them. That means the fund is paying a commission to whoever is selling their fund for them.

What is an F class fund? ›

An f-series or f-class mutual fund is a mutual fund that does not pay any additional commissions to the firm or advisor making the purchase. It is designed specifically for accounts that pay a percentage based on your overall dollars managed by an advisor. This is typically referred to as a fee-based model.

What is an F fund? ›

The F Fund invests in a bond index fund that tracks the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. This broad index includes U.S. Government, mortgage-backed, corporate, and foreign government (issued in the U.S.) sectors of the U.S. bond market.

What is a Series A funding for dummies? ›

Essentially, the series A round is the second stage of startup financing and the first stage of venture capital financing. Similar to seed financing, series A financing is a type of equity-based financing. This means that a company secures the required capital from investors by selling the company's shares.

What is mutual fund F? ›

A mutual fund is a pool of money managed by a professional Fund Manager. It is a trust that collects money from a number of investors who share a common investment objective and invests the same in equities, bonds, money market instruments and/or other securities.

What is the difference between Series F and D? ›

Without the fee, F class funds are a good low-cost option for DIY investors, if they're available at the discount brokerage firm you're dealing with. D class funds are for the do-it-yourself investor and may be available at your discount brokerage.

Which series funding is good? ›

Investors will want to know that a business has both a great idea and an idea that can generate revenue. Many startups are not generating a net profit before Series A. But most are generating some form of revenue. Series A funding can provide a huge chunk of revenue to a startup.

Which mutual fund class is best? ›

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to which type of mutual fund is the best. The best type of mutual fund depends on your financial goals and risk tolerance. Equity funds offer growth potential, debt funds provide stability, ELSS funds offer tax benefits, and ETFs offer diversification.

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