Tradex
Tradex has a special offer for Federal Retirees members: a fee-based account at a lower cost, and Tradex will absorb the $200 annual administration fee and up to $2,000 in transfer fees. Contact Tradex for your free, no-obligation portfolio review now!
Tradex’s mission is to provide current and former public servants, Canadian Forces, RCMP members and their families, trustworthy, professional financial advice and high-quality mutual funds and other investments at lower cost. Founded in 1960 by employees of the Departments of Trade and Commerce and External Affairs for their colleagues, we remain Canada’s only not-for-profit provider of mutual funds and financial advice. Since its founding, Tradex has had a board of directors comprised of active and retired public servants.
Regardless of account size, our fee-based accounts charge only 0.70% per annum (in contrast with typical 1.0% – 1.5%) on assets in portfolios of F-series funds. Our experienced, salaried professional advisors can assist you in portfolio creation/customization. Tradex will absorb the $200 annual administration fee and up to $2,000 in transfer fees and does not charge any additional fees.
Contact the Ottawa-based Tradex Team at info@tradex.ca or visit www.tradex.ca for more information.
Tradex FAQs
Tradex was established by public servants for public servants and is operated by a Board of current or former public servants. It is the only mutual fund company in Canada that operates on an “at-cost” or not-for-profit basis, which means that any excess revenue is returned directly to the Tradex Funds. Our salaried advisors provide you with a custom-made portfolio that is specifically suited to your circumstances.
Originally, Tradex was available only to employees of two departments, Trade & Commerce and External Affairs. Even though we are now one of the oldest mutual fund companies in Canada, our marketing budget is quite small in relation to that of the larger for-profit financial institutions, thus we continue to rely on the referrals of satisfied members as our primary source of client growth. Additionally, Tradex Funds don’t pay any sales commission and our trailer fees are only 30% of the industry average, so many dealers and advisors don’t actively promote our funds.
We provide you with a wide range of financial products that include the over 10,000 mutual funds in Canada, corporate class funds, GIC’s, high-interest savings accounts, segregated funds and life insurance. Through Tradex you may hold a TFSA, RRSP, RRIF, Locked-in RRSP, LIF, RESP, RDSP, investment account, in-trust account, joint account or no-fee self-directed account. All are provided with individualized personal human advice and no administration fees.
A fee-based account typically holds so-called “F-class” funds offered by most mutual fund companies. These funds do not pay a trailing commission to the dealer, so this amount is stripped away from the management expense ratio (MER) of the fund, resulting in a lower product cost. Instead of collecting a trailing commission from the fund for the services and advice it provides, Tradex collects a fee of 0.7% per annum directly from the member. This represents a significant savings over the typical fee of 1.0% to 1.5% charged by other dealers for similar accounts.
Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performances may not be repeated.
The Tradex Fund family is registered in all 13 provinces/territories and available through select quality investment dealers and brokers, including all major discount brokers. However, Tradex as Dealer only provides direct* access and our fee-based accounts to members in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
*Provincial securities regulators permit some accommodation for members that move from these jurisdictions to one of the other 10 jurisdictions. Please contact Tradex to confirm if we’re able to assist in purchases or merely provide advice.