Tag Archives: closing fees

It’s Official: Tangerine is Charging a Fee to Transfer your RRSP or TFSA to Another Bank

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Although I have yet to receive a notice from Tangerine either by email or by the message system they use within your bank account online, it appears to be official that Tangerine will be charging a $45 fee to transfer out your RRSP or TFSA balance.

UPDATE: I received a email notice inside my Tangerine account messages section on December 20 that advised that as of January 19 2015 I would have to pay a $45 fee to transfer out a RRSP or TFSA.

I updated my website with warnings when the rumour of this fee first appeared back in mid-October 2014. To date, I still have received no information directly from Tangerine about this new fee.

Tangerine Will Charge a $45 Fee to Transfer Out a RRSP

In the Frequently Asked Questions on the Tangerine site, it says they charge $45 to transfer out a RRSP.  It does not say when this new fee is applicable! I was told on the phone that it would be in January 2015 but that is not clear here.

Will Tangerine Charge a Fee to Transfer Out a TFSA?

At this point, Tangerine has not yet said anything about a TFSA transfer out fee on their website. Nor have I received any notice by mail, email or message.

For a TFSA, one way to avoid a fee is to wait till December. Instead of transferring your funds, withdraw them. Then on January 1 of the next year and NOT BEFORE you can contribute them into your TFSA at another institution. If you deposit them in the same year you withdraw them you will be fined 1% a month by the CRA. You MUST wait till January 1 of the next year.

Will Tangerine Now Refund a Fee Charged by Another Bank for Transferring a TFSA or RRSP into Tangerine?

In the past, I moved a cash RRSP into Tangerine (when it was called ING Direct.) I asked if they would pay me back the fee that the other bank charged me for moving out my RRSP. They replied that because they did not charge a fee for transferring a RRSP away from Tangerine, they also would not pay a refund for a fee charged for transferring a RRSP in to Tangerine.

So has that now changed? Will they pay up to $45 to cover the fee paid to transfer a RRSP from another bank into Tangerine?

I’ve sent that question to Tangerine and will update this article when they reply.

UPDATE: Ok the reply so far is not encouraging. I emailed to inquire and was told that because I have an account with Tangerine I have to phone them to discuss this. That suggests they don’t have a formal policy yet although if you are interested in transferring in, I would suggest you call and see if they will reimburse your fee.

The worrying part was they also said that owners of registered products had been notified of the “transfer out” change via the messaging system within their account. I have several registered products and have not received any type of notice!

I’ll provide additional updates if/when I can get them.

Can Tangerine Start Charging a Transfer Out Fee Without Any Formal Notice to Customers?

Usually banks warn you a few weeks or months ahead of time when they are changing their fees.

So far I have not received any notice from Tangerine about this new fee. I have not received a letter, an email, a message when I sign in to my accounts, a message on the message system inside my account, or even a few words written in my October banking statements about it.

Do they have to give notice of this fee?

That’s hard to find out! In the USA, they clearly do. The US Government Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website says “a bank or credit union can start charging you fees…[if they notify] you in writing at least 30 days before it starts charging fees….”

I wrote the Canadian Bankers Association, CBA, on November 18, 2014 to ask if there is any required notice for new fees. Unfortunately, they chose to respond that I should direct my question to the federal government’s Financial Consumer Agency.

The (federal) Department of Finance Canada appears to be working on a new Financial Consumer Protection framework, judging by a consultation paper from December 2013 posted online. It’s not clear to me whether this is one of the issues that may be included.

I will update this article if I get any further information about requirements from the Financial Consumer Agency.

UPDATE 1: They have replied that I should expect to wait 10 business days for a reply.

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How to Choose a Self-Directed TFSA Brokerage Account to Minimize Fees and Costs

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Tax Free Savings Accounts, or TFSAs, first began in 2009 with a maximum annual contribution of $5000 for a Canadian who was 18 years of age or older. With that low an initial contribution level, they didn’t really offer much scope for self-directed investing. In each of 2010, 2011, and 2012, another $5000 in contribution room was added. Starting in 2013 $5500 per year in annual contribution room has been added. So a person who was 18 or older in 2009, and who has been a Canada resident every year from 2009 to the present, can now contribute or have contributed up to $31 000 $25,500 to a TFSA, not including any re-contribution of withdrawn funds. With $31 000 $25,500 plus earnings to manage, it makes sense for some investors to keep their TFSA in a self-directed brokerage account. When choosing a brokerage account, one aspect to consider is the fees and costs for holding and using the account. Here’s a review of which accounts have minimal or no fees and which accounts have high costs and commissions.

Please note there are actually two types of Tax Free Savings Accounts brokerage accounts, and those that can only hold a very limited number of investment choices which I call standard Bank TFSA accounts. For more information on the fees for basic bank TFSAs, please see the article How to Choose a Standard Bank Tax Free Savings Account, TFSA, with Minimal or No Fees.

Fees, Costs and Commissions for Self-Directed TFSA Brokerage Accounts

How to Choose a Self-Directed Tax Free Savings Account, TFSA, Brokerage Account with Minimal or No Fees

Some investors have a non-registered emergency savings account with 3-12 months income worth of cash and liquid assets, a topped up work pension plan, and a topped up RRSP. They often consider the TFSA as another long-term investing tool. These investors usually set up a self-directed TFSA brokerage account. They intend to buy stocks, bonds, ETFs and mutual funds from a wide variety of issuers. The self-directed account gives them the investing flexibility and diversity they demand.

BMO InvestorLine CIBC Investor’s Edge Qtrade Questrade
Set-up Fee  0  0  0  0
Transfer Fee  $135  $135  $125  $125 ($25 for partial)
Closing Fee  $135  $135  $75  0
Annual “Maintenance” Fee  0  0  0  0 if $5000 or if 1 trade per 3 months, or $19.95/3 months
Commissions to Buy Shares, ETFs $9.95 for everyone  if $50,000 assets
$29 if less		  $6.95 if $100,000 assets
$9.95 if $50,000 assets
$28.95 if less		  $9.95 if $50,000
$19 if less		  $4.95-$9.95
RBC Direct Investing Scotia iTrade TD Waterhouse
Direct Investing		 Virtual Brokers
Set-up Fee  0  0  0  0
Transfer Fee  $135  $150  $135 $125 plus tax
  $150 (partial $50)
Closing Fee  $135  0  $135 $125 plus tax  0
Annual “Maintenance” Fee  $25/3 months but 0 if $15,000 or various conditions are met  0 0
Update: July 2016:
$25/3 months but 0 if $15,000 or various conditions are met		  CAD TFSA $0
USD TFSA $50/year
Commissions to Buy Investments  $9.95 for everyone  if $50,000 assets
$28.95 if less		  $9.99 if $50,000 assets
$24.99 if less		  $9.99 for everyone  if $50,000 assets
$29 if less		  $0.99-9.99+6.49 per trade depending on assets

* InvestorLine has a minimum contribution to open any type of account of $5000. This appears to apply to TFSA accounts.

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 2014
In January and February of 2014, RBC Direct Investing, TD Waterhouse Direct Investing and BMO InvestorLine all removed the minimum balance requirement for accounts to qualify for $9.95 online trades. I expect CIBC Investor’s Edge and ScotiaBank iTrade will eventually reduce their requirements also but it hasn’t happened quite yet. Please check their websites for up-to-the-second details.

UPDATE: JULY 2016
CIBC Investor’s Edge offers $6.95 trades to all customers regardless of account size.

NOTES:
Generally you should expect to review your account statements online if you do not wish to pay any additional fees.

By Transfer Fee I mean the cost to transfer the TFSA to another financial institution. Generally transfers within an institution, for example from BMO InvestorLine to BMO, do not incur a fee.

Unfortunately fees and costs may be changed at almost any time. Before actually opening an account, contact the financial institution to confirm all costs. I’d hate to cause you a costly mistake if the brokerage raises its fees just after I issue this report!

Sources for the 2014 February Update

  • BMO InvestorLine: https://www.bmoinvestorline.com/public/pdf/schedule_en.pdf
  • CIBC Investor’s Edge: https://www.investorsedge.cibc.com/ie/benefits/fees-and-commission/fees.html
  • Qtrade: http://www.qtrade.ca/investor/en/aboutus/services/fees.jsp
  • Questrade: http://www.questrade.com/pricing/admin_fees
  • RBC Direct Investing: http://www.rbcdirectinvesting.com/commissions-fees-schedule.html
  • Scotia iTrade: http://www.scotiabank.com/itrade/en/0,,3694,00.html
  • TD Waterhouse Direct Investing: http://www.tdwaterhouse.ca/document/PDF/forms/521778.pdf
  • Virtual Brokers: https://www.virtualbrokers.com/contents.aspx?page_id=12

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