What are Camber's fees?

Financial Dashboards

‍We build you a financial dashboard at no cost. No obligation. No charge. Nada. Zilch. Zero. If you haven’t already filled out the questionnaire please take some time and see why we believe our dashboard is the best in Canada. You can fill out the questionnaire here.

Investment Management Fee

‍If you would like to become a client and get access to our full-service offering: yes, we charge a fee with our full-service offering, but it is eclipsed by the value we create.

Fees are based on Assets Under Management (AUM). The more of your investments we manage, the smaller fee you pay.

Our Fees

         First $2M assets — 0.95%
         Next $3M assets — 0.70%
         Next $5M assets — 0.50%
         Next $10M+ — 0.30%
         _{Minimum account size of $500,000}

What is included?

Camber’s management fee includes: 

• Investment management: actively monitoring and managing your investments on your behalf;
• Trading: the costs of buying and selling involved with managing your investments;
• Administrative support: proactive support from real people handling contributions, completing paperwork, tax preparation, and fulfilling any ad hoc requests;
• Custodial cost: your Camber account is held with NBIN, a division of National Bank of Canada. Their custody and clearing costs are included within our management fee;
• Financial planning: Camber’s key differentiator and where our clients will find the greatest value. Our financial planning services and financial dashboard are provided at no extra charge.

How Do Camber Fees compare to the industry?

‍The fees we charge are at a discount to our competition, and our services go far beyond their offering.  According to Advisory HQ, the average advisory fee in Canada for a $1,000,000 account is 1.02%¹, compared to Camber’s 0.95%.

Other fees?

‍Fees in the banking and investment industry can be hard to understand or even purposefully confusing. Camber does not charge any other fees apart from our management fees (listed above), but in the spirit of transparency, we’ve taken the opportunity to highlight additional “costs” that you should be aware of.

Taxes

‍“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Camber makes every effort to optimize your tax efficiency, but you’ll still have to pay taxes.

Management Expense Ratio (MER)

‍The management expense ratio (MER) is the embedded cost of investing using an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or mutual fund. MER is expressed as a percentage and reflects how much of the fund’s assets are used for administrative and operating expenses. This cost is taken directly at the fund level and not from your account, so it is not a very transparent cost. The average MER for a Canadian Equity fund, as reported by Morningstar, is 1.09%².

At Camber, we invest using DFA Portfolios, like the Dimension Global Equity (DFA 607), which has an MER of 0.30%³. We are happy to partner with Dimensional, a company that reviews pricing, stays competitive,  and passes those savings onto investors.

Custodian

‍As stated above, Camber’s management fee includes NBIN’s costs. Typically, safekeeping and custodial fees are charged separately in the Canadian financial services industry; if Camber isn’t the right fit for you, please keep this in mind when  looking for other advisors. 

Private Equity

‍This is an asset class only appropriate for certain ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices. If participating, fees are disclosed in advance. This asset class is not recommended for the majority of our clients.

Are the fees worth it?

‍It depends on your needs and what you value. 

If you know what you are doing, the most cost-effective way to manage your investments is to do it yourself. But, like a DIY home renovation, mistakes can be time-consuming and costly.

A step-up from the DIY option is using an automated solution, like a robo-advisor. For a fee, typically 0.25% – 1.30%⁴, these tools provide an automated, money management solution: managing portfolio construction and rebalancing. This is a great solution for many Canadians.

Advisors and portfolio managers, like Camber, focus not only on money management but on understanding you and your money. As you build wealth, the complexities and particularities of your life grow and evolve, impacting the levers that make up your financial machine. A comprehensive understanding of your money allows the advisor to engineer structural value, beyond portfolio management, in areas such as planning, tax, estate, and, ultimately, peace of mind.

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