Mutual funds
ETFs
Alternative investments
Types of investments
View all learn & plan articles
{{r.fundCode}} {{r.fundName}} {{r.series}} {{r.assetClass}}
  • See all results
  • See results in Products
  • See results in Insights

Welcome to the new RBC iShares digital experience.

Find all things ETFs here: investment strategies, products, insights and more.

.hero-subtitle{ width: 80%; } .hero-energy-lines { width: 70%; right: -10; bottom: -15; } @media (max-width: 575.98px) { .hero-energy-lines { background-size: 200% auto; width: 100%; } }

The TER represents the cost of trading the portfolio management team incurs for buying and selling equities (stocks) within a given fund. Already published in regulatory documents like the Management Report of Fund Performance, the TER is also disclosed in the Fund Facts document which is required to be provided at point of sale.

No, TERs typically only apply to funds that hold equities. Most fixed income funds do not have a TER because commissions for fixed income funds are already embedded in the price of a bond.

The TER is expressed as an annualized percentage of daily average net asset value during the period. This percentage is determined by dividing the fund’s total trading commissions incurred over a reporting period by the fund’s total assets.

Trading
Expense Ratio
(TER)

Total trading
commisions

Total
assets

@media only screen and (max-width: 676px) { .mobile{ flex-direction: column; } }

Example

If a fund had $100 million in assets under management and the portfolio managers incurred trading commissions of $250,000 for a given year, then the funds TER would be calculated as:

ter donut chart en

Trading activity

Trading commissions can vary significantly from fund to fund and from year to year based on market conditions, the fund's investment strategy and asset class.

Fund flows

The larger the fund’s inflows/outflows, the higher its TER will likely be.

Liquidity

A security's liquidity is determined by the number of investors seeking to buy or sell it relative to how much is available. Less liquid securities can be more expensive to trade than more liquid ones.

Trading desk

An efficient trading desk can help reduce the total amount of trading commissions a fund pays.

Since trading commissions are only incurred on equities and not bonds, balanced funds will generally have lower TERs than equity funds. For example:

RBC balaced funds

RBC Balanced Fund

RBC Emerging Markets Equity Fund

RBC Global Equity Leaders Fund C$

The table below provides a sample comparison between a fund’s MER and its TER. It’s important to bear in mind that the TER will vary from fund to fund and from year to year.

Series A

MER TER
RBC Bond Fund 1.05% N/A*
PH&N Monthly Income Fund 1.93% 0.03%
RBC Select Balanced Portfolio C$ 1.94% 0.04%
RBC Global Equity Leaders Fund C$ 2.09% 0.09%
RBC Emerging Markets Equity Fund C$ 2.22% 0.05%
*The cost of trading a bond is reflected in the bond price, not the TER. MER and TER is based on actual expenses for the full year period, January 1 to December 31, 2023. MERs are based on RBC Funds Series A and PH&N Funds Series A.

Series F

MER TER
RBC Bond Fund 0.50% N/A*
PH&N Monthly Income Fund 0.82% 0.03%
RBC Balanced Fund 0.99% 0.03%
RBC Global Equity Leaders Fund C$ 0.99% 0.09%
RBC Emerging Markets Equity Fund C$ 1.00% 0.05%
*The cost of trading a bond is reflected in the bond price, not the TER. MER and TER is based on actual expenses for the full year period, January 1 to December 31, 2023. MERs are based on RBC Funds Series F and PH&N Funds Series F.

What’s most important to keep in mind is that the TER varies from fund to fund and generally funds with a higher TER reflect a higher level of trading activity. Working with an advisor can help you put this cost into context when evaluating a potential investment.
  • TER only applies to mutual funds with equity holdings.
  • TER is included in published fund performance: mutual fund performance is reported after both the MER and TER have been accounted for (the MER & TER are deducted from the fund prior to calculating and reporting the performance).
  • TER may vary from year to year, as it is a reflection of the previous year’s trading activity within a fund.
  • Generally, a fund with a higher TER reflects a higher level of trading activity in the fund’s portfolio.

For more information about the costs of investing in mutual funds, please speak with your advisor.

Disclosure

Please consult your advisor and read the prospectus or Fund Facts document before investing. There may be commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with mutual fund investments. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. RBC Funds, PH&N Funds and BlueBay Funds are offered by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. and distributed through authorized dealers.



This has been provided by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (RBC GAM) and is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, accounting, tax, investment, financial or other advice and such information should not be relied upon for providing such advice. RBC GAM takes reasonable steps to provide up-to-date, accurate and reliable information, and believes the information to be so when provided. Information obtained from third parties is believed to be reliable but RBC GAM and its affiliates assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any loss or damage suffered. RBC GAM reserves the right at any time and without notice to change, amend or cease publication of the information.