Published April 10, 2025 • 9 Min Read
TLDR
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A summary of what you own when you buy a mutual fund and the benefits of investing in them – including professional money management, diversification, and liquidity.
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The rationale behind many mutual funds, the costs of owning them, including management expense ratio (MER), and the distinction between actively and passively managed mutual funds.
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An overview of exchange traded funds (ETFs) and how they differ from mutual funds
Mutual funds let Canadians own part of a professionally managed portfolio. But it’s important to understand what they are, their costs, and their benefits.
What do I actually own when I buy a mutual fund?
When you pick up a fruit salad at the grocery store, you get small portions of several different ingredients in one container. No washing or peeling or chopping required; the fruits are selected, measured, and conveniently packaged for you. You can also find different styles of fruit salad – tropical, berry, melon – depending on your preference.
Investing in a mutual fund is like buying that fruit salad. A mutual fund pools money from many individual investors to buy a collection of stocks, bonds or other securities. Mutual funds are sold in units (or shares). When you invest in a mutual fund, you are buying units in a professionally managed portfolio of securities, with each unit representing a share of ownership of a large investment portfolio. The size of the portion you own depends on how many units you purchase.
Mutual funds are managed by professional portfolio managers who monitor market conditions and buy and sell the securities in the fund’s portfolio according to fund’s goals and objectives. Like the fruit salad you buy in the store, the securities in the fund are conveniently based off the goals of the fund.
Why are there so many different mutual funds?
The vast array of mutual funds can seem overwhelming to investors. The reason for so much choice is the recognition that investors have different needs, goals, risk tolerance levels. Each mutual fund has its own mandate and strategy, which might include focusing on a specific market sector, geographical region, company size, or asset class.
A mutual fund can focus on a narrow corner of the markets or take a broader approach. Just like those fruit salads at the grocery store, there are a lot of options. Because mutual funds hold different investments, they provide investors with a degree of diversification. This can help investors better absorb market fluctuations and avoid the “don’t-put-all-your-eggs-in-one basket” problem. Diversification, along with the ease of purchase, professional management, and variety of available options, are some reasons why mutual funds are popular among investors.
Many mutual funds are actively managed, meaning the portfolio manager selects securities based on the fund’s stated mandate and the overall goal of outperforming the broader market. Other funds, known as index funds, are passive investments meant to simply mirror a market index, such as the S&P/TSX Composite Index, the benchmark index for Canadian stocks. In either case, the transaction and administration costs of the fund are spread across all its investors.
How much do mutual funds cost?
It’s important to differentiate between the price of one mutual fund unit and the fees associated with the management and administration of the fund. The price of mutual fund units fluctuates, depending on the value of the investments it holds. The price of these underlying investments changes throughout the trading day, and so the price of one mutual fund unit is revised and posted at the end of each trading day.
There is a fee associated with mutual funds, which covers the cost of trading, operating expenses, taxes and the expertise of the portfolio management team. This fee is called the Management Expense Ratio (MER) and is expressed as a percentage of the fund’s average net assets. The MER is paid out of the fund before its return is calculated. A fund’s MER is automatically deducted from the fund assets, meaning the return of your fund is calculated after the deduction of such fees.
Though MERs are typically higher for actively managed funds than for index funds, the upside is that the advanced knowledge, skills, and experience of the professional investment managers can help to increase the chances of the fund outperforming the index and securing better returns for investors.
The MER is always disclosed in the fund’s prospectus and is publicly accessible online. Some funds offer fixed MERs to make the cost of investing more predictable. This means that the MER does not change from year to year. Most mutual funds require a minimum initial investment of about $500 or $1,000. From there, you can usually invest smaller subsequent amounts, $25, $50 or $100 at a time. Many investors opt to do this through a monthly preauthorized contribution plan, where the money is automatically deducted from their bank account each month. Think of it as a set it and forget it strategy.
Mutual funds are generally considered liquid investments, which means you can usually sell your units as the need arises and have your money available within two business days. You receive the price based on the unit value at the end of the day you sell.
What are ETFs?
Another way to own part of a professionally managed investment portfolio is through exchange traded funds (ETFs). In fact, ETFs are often confused with mutual funds given their similarities. ETFs are a type of investment fund that is usually passively manage and track an index or sector subindex. Like mutual funds, ETFs allow investors to pool their money and hold diverse investments like stocks, bonds, commodities or currencies. But because ETFs trade on a stock exchange, investors purchase them directly from a broker (as if buying an individual stock) and pay a brokerage fee up front with each purchase. ETFs are sometimes referred to as a hybrid between a mutual fund and a stock.
What is the difference between mutual funds and ETFs?
ETFs offer certain benefits, such as lower fees overall (including MERs), instant diversification, and more flexibility and price transparency when buying and selling. Whereas mutual funds trade at the end of the day, ETFs can be bought and sold like stocks any time during the trading day at the unit price at the time of transaction.
As with mutual funds, different types of ETFs are suited for different types of investors – depending on their goals. An RBC advisor can help you determine how mutual funds, ETFs, or a combination of both, can fit with your investment strategy and help you achieve your goals.
Interested in learning more about mutual funds?
Book an appointment with an RBC Financial Advisor today!
Mutual funds are sold by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI). ETFs are offered through RBC Direct Investing Inc. (RBC Direct Investing) and RBC InvestEase Inc. (RBC InvestEase). RBC Direct Investing, RBC InvestEase and Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI) are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. RBC Direct Investing, RBC InvestEase and RMFI are wholly owned subsidiaries of Royal Bank of Canada. Other products and services may be offered by one or more separate corporate entities that are affiliated to Royal Bank of Canada, including without limitation:, RBC Direct Investing, RBC Dominion Securities, RBC Global Asset Management Inc., Royal Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal Trust Company. RBC Direct Investing and RMFI are members of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
Mutual Funds are sold by Royal Mutual Funds Inc. (RMFI). There may be commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the Fund Facts/prospectus before investing. Mutual fund securities are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. For funds other than money market funds, unit values change frequently. For money market funds, there can be no assurances that a fund will be able to maintain its net asset value per security at a constant amount or that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. Past performance may not be repeated. RMFI is licensed as a financial services firm in the province of Quebec.
This article is intended as general information only and is not to be relied upon as constituting legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the authors as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or any of its affiliates.
Any information, opinions or views provided in this document, including hyperlinks to the RBC Direct Investing Inc. website or the websites of its affiliates or third parties, are for your general information only, and are not intended to provide legal, investment, financial, accounting, tax or other professional advice. While information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by RBC Direct Investing Inc. or its affiliates. You should consult with your advisor before taking any action based upon the information contained in this document.
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