Question of the Week: What are Series D mutual funds?

Submitted by nsscadmin on Wed, 02/19/2020 - 10:00

Last week we started our look at mutual funds’ series with Series A funds and Series B &C funds. This week we continue with a look at Series D mutual funds. As we noted last week, while the series we are highlighting are the most common types of mutual funds series offered by investment firms, there is no standard by which investment firms must use letter designations for specific mutual fund classes. Be sure to check the prospectus and/or fund fact sheet to see what letter designations your investment firms use and what they mean.

Series D funds, also know as Discount Series funds, are created specifically for self-directed investors who purchase mutual funds through an online or discount brokerage. One key piece of information about online or discount brokerages is that since they offer self-directed investing, they do not offer investment advice. This lack of advice means that Series D funds have a reduced trailing commission, or in some cases, no trailing commission at all. Series D funds typically have a lower management expense ratio (MER) than Series A funds. However, a lower MER does not mean the fund will always provide better returns. Always do your research and due diligence before purchasing any fund to make sure it fits your risk tolerance and financial goals.

Failure to file annual financial statements.
Failure to file interim financial statements.
Failure to file an annual or interim management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A) or an annual or interim management report of fund performance (MRFP).
Failure to file an Annual Information Form (AIF).
Failure to file a certification of annual or interim filings required by Multilateral Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings (MI 52-109).
Failure to file required proxy materials or a required information circular.
Failure to file an issuer profile supplement on the System for Electronic Disclosure by Insiders (SEDI).
Failure to file a material change report.
Failure to provide a written update after filing a confidential report of a material change.
Failure to file a business acquisition report.
Failure to file annual oil and gas disclosure prescribed by National Instrument 51-101 Standards of Disclosure of Oil and Gas Activities (NI 51-101) or technical reports for a mineral project required under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101).
Failure to file a mandatory news release.
Failure to file corporate governance disclosure as required by national Instrument 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices (NI 58-101).
Failure to file audit committee disclosure as required by Multilateral Instrument 52-110 Audit Committees (MI 52-110) or BC Instrument 52-509 Audit Committees.
Failure to include disclosure in an issuer’s MD&A relating to disclosure controls and procedures and their direct effectiveness that is referred to in a certificate filed under MI 52-109.
Financial statements of the reporting issuer, or the auditors’ report accompanying the financial statements, do not comply with the requirements of NI 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations (NI 51-102), National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure (NI 81-106) or National Instrument 52-107 Acceptable Accounting Principles, Auditing Standards and Reporting Currency (NI 52-107).
The reporting issuer has acknowledged that its financial statements, or the auditors’ report accompanying the financial statements, may no longer be relied upon.
The reporting issuer’s AIF, MD&A, MRFP, information circular, or business acquisition reports do not contain information for each of the content items required by NI 51-102 or NI 81-106.
The reporting issuer’s technical disclosure or other reports do not comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 43-101 or 51-101.
Failure to pay a fee required by the Act or the regulations.
Failure to comply with any other requirement related to continuous disclosure.