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Welcome to the new RBC iShares digital experience.
Find all things ETFs here: investment strategies, products, insights and more.
ETF Knowledge Hub
What is an ETF?
How much does it cost to invest in ETFs?
How do ETFs fit into my portfolio?
How to invest in ETFs
What is a bond ETF?
ETFs and taxes:
Common questions
What are ESG ETFs
Three ways to use Core ETFs in your portfolio
Understanding bid-ask spreads
What are preferred shares?
What are All-in-One ETFs?
What is a market maker?
ETF trading volume and liquidity
What is a CLO (Collateralized Loan Obligation)?
What are discount bonds?
How ETFs can make bond laddering easier
Holding costs:
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Management Expense Ratio (MER): This annual fee is usually shown as a percentage of the ETF's value. It covers management and operating costs like brokerage fees, taxes and administrative expenses. This fee is automatically deducted from the ETF before the fund's net return is calculated.
Example: If the ETF's annual return gross of fees is 8% and the MER is 0.5%, the total return (as reported on fund pages) would be 7.5% (8% – 0.5%).
Trading fees:
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Commissions: Fees you pay to the direct investing platform when buying or selling ETFs. Typically, this is a fixed amount determined by the platform (e.g., $5–$10). Some platforms may offer commission-free trading.
Learn more: How much does an ETF cost?
Updated: February 2026
Taxes when you sell ETFs
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When you sell an ETF, the tax implications depend on what type of account you held the ETF.
Non-registered account: Upon the sale of an ETF any capital gains earned are taxed – 50% of your profit is taxable at your marginal rate.
Registered account (e.g. RRSP, RRIF, RESP, RDSP): When you sell an ETF in your registered account, you don't pay taxes on the capital gains. All taxes on capital gains and income received in registered accounts are deferred until you withdraw funds.
Registered account (TFSA, FHSA): There are no taxes on ETF sales or withdrawals in these two registered accounts.
ETF distributions
ETFs may earn dividends, capital gains and interest income from the individual investments they hold. Your share of the earnings are passed to you through distributions.
Investment distributions are taxed if held in a non-registered account. In registered accounts, no taxes are paid on distributions until the funds are withdrawn from the account.
TFSA and FHSA accounts are the exception. No tax applies to distributions from ETFs you hold in a TFSA or FHSA – whether you leave them in the account or withdraw them.
Learn about how distributions are taxed in a non-registered account:
ETFs and taxes: Common questionsUpdated: February 2026
What is your investing style?
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DIY or Advisor?
If you prefer managing investments yourself, you may consider investing with a direct investing platform.
If you prefer to have someone guide you and provide advice on your investments and financial plan, you may consider working with a financial advisor.
If you are a DIY investor, you may consider the following steps:
Step 1: Define your goals, do your research and pick ETFs
First, depending on your personal and financial situation, figure out your investment goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Are you saving for retirement or a down payment on a home? How much volatility are you comfortable with? How long do you plan to invest for?
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Next, research your ETF choices. Check the ETF provider's website and investment fund research sites such as Morningstar for details about the ETF. Research how current and future market conditions may affect how your ETF performs.
Our ETF Insights articles provide commentaries on market conditions and investing in ETFs (risks and opportunities).
The ETF Learning Centre can help broaden your knowledge about ETFs.
Staying informed can help you make better, smarter decisions.
Choose ETFs that match your profile. Diversification is key to successful investing, so one approach is to invest in ETFs across different asset classes, geographical markets, and industries.
Another option to creating your own diversified ETF portfolio is an asset allocation ETF (also known as an All-in-One ETF). An All-in-One ETF is a single investment holding thousands of stocks and/or bonds from Canadian, U.S., and global markets, giving you instant diversification. You can choose from options ranging from growth-focused to conservative based on your risk tolerance. Such ETFs generally rebalance regularly to maintain their target asset mix as markets move.
Step 2: Decide How to Invest
Lump sum or gradual? If you have a chunk of cash ready, and you consider it a good time to invest, you can choose to invest it all at once.
If not, you can also invest a little on a regular basis. The key is to start early — even small amounts can grow significantly over the long term thanks to compounding.
Updated: February 2026
How can we help?
The RBC iShares alliance offers an unparalleled breadth of ETF solutions, a commitment to exceptional service and top investment expertise located around the world.
Advisors: Contact your dedicated sales team and access portfolio resources – Login here.
Investors: Explore the different ways you can invest with ETFs.
Disclosure
Updated: February 2026.
The RBC iShares alliance includes RBC ETFs managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. and iShares ETFs managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.
The information and opinions herein are provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as the basis for your investment decisions.
The links in the footer under the heading “Investor Information” below relate to RBC Global Asset Management Inc. For information about BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited and its affiliates, please visit www.blackrock.com/ca.