Disclosure
The opinions offered on this web site are those of David Miner and unless otherwise indicated, are not the opinions of Equity Associates Inc. or any other party. Mutual fund performances reflect changes in share value and reinvestment of all dividends but do not take into account sales, redemption, distribution, or optional charges or income taxes which may reduce returns. Fees and expenses are associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Mutual funds are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other deposit insurer and are not guaranteed.
Equity Associates – General Disclosure Statement
The disclosures contained herein are general in nature and make reference to a number of issues including compensation, fees, performance, confidentiality and more. Equity Associates Inc. encourages all investors to read the prospectus for a more detailed explanation of the risks & fees associated with each investment as well as the compensation provided to advisors and dealers.
Front End Load
Mutual funds purchased with a Front End Load may be subject to an up front sales charge that may range from 0-5%. This fee will be deducted from the invested funds and will reduce the dollar value of the funds purchased by an amount equal to the commission fee charged. Typically these funds are not subject to redemption fees but may require the funds to remain invested for a minimum period of time or be subject to an early redemption fee.
Deferred Sales Charge (DSC)
Mutual funds purchased on a Deferred Sales Charge schedule are not subject to an up front fee, all funds provided for investment will go to purchase mutual funds. Typically DSC funds are subject to a fee if redeemed prior to the expiry of the DSC schedule that can range from 5-7 years resulting in fees ranging from 0-6% or more depending on the funds purchased. Please see the prospectus for the DSC schedule applicable to the funds you are purchasing.
No Load
Mutual Funds listed as “No Load” funds may be Front End Load funds purchased at 0% or funds with no sales charge at all. Again these funds may require a minimum investment period or may be subject to an early redemption fee. Please see the prospectus for further details.
Service Fees
Many mutual funds provide on going compensation to advisors to acknowledge the work done on an annual, quarterly or monthly basis by the advisor in continuing to service the account by among many other things, providing advice, statements and answering any of the questions or concerns raised by the investor. These fees very for each fund but in general are lower for DSC funds and higher for Front end Load or No Load funds. Please see the prospectus for further details.
Other
Some fund management companies may provide additional compensation to representatives such as subsidies for educational seminars and conferences, reimbursement for advertising, promotion, merchandising and other programs. The payment of any such fees must be in accordance with National Instrument 81-105 and other relevant Provincial and National regulations as stipulated by the MFDA, OSC, CSA and other provincial commissions.
Self Directed Retirement Savings Plans (SDRSP)
The trustee of retirement products such as the SDRSP charge an administration fee for the record keeping and reporting they are required to make in order to operate such a product. These fees may be deducted directly from the plan itself or may be charged directly to the investor outside of the plan. Please review the documentation for each product carefully to ensure you fully understand these charges.
Introducing Carrying Dealer Disclosure (MRS, B2B etc.)
Equity Associates Inc. is an Introducing Dealer and MRS and B2B are Carrying Dealers. With respect to any transactions entered into, each Carrying dealer will be responsible for trade execution, trade confirmations and statements. Equity Associates Inc. will be responsible for determining the suitability and ensuring appropriate supervision is performed for all trading activity in my account. The Carrying dealers may pay a portion of its fees to Equity Associates Inc. and Equity Associates Inc. may pay the Carrying Dealers for trade execution on my behalf.
Settlement of Trades
Most mutual funds price at the end of each trading day, however, some funds price on a weekly or monthly basis. Be sure to read the prospectus for each fund carefully to understand the pricing schedule. A fund that prices only once a week will result in a delay in the settlement of any purchases or redemptions for up to 5 days or until the fund is next valued according to it’s pricing schedule. Accordingly Equity Associates Inc. and its Partners will use all best efforts to ensure all transactions are processed in a timely fashion, however we can not guarantee trade dates due to the number of variables involved in completing any trade.
Client Complaints
Equity Associates Inc. has a complaint policy in accordance with industry regulatory requirements. Accordingly, any client complaint must first be brought to the attention of the Advisor and then to the attention of Equity Associates Inc. either by contacting our office directly at 905.305.0400 or in writing delivered to the attention of the Compliance Department, Equity Associates Inc. 60 Columbia Way, Suite 700, Markham, Ontario Canada, L3R 0C9.
Privacy & Confidentiality
As a business carrying on “commercial activity” and registered in the Province of Ontario, Equity Associates Inc. is subject to Bill C-6 “The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act”. Accordingly the collection, use storage and disclosure of all personal information as defined by the act must be disclosed to all individuals who provide such information to Equity Associates Inc. The information collected by Equity Associates Inc. is for the sole and specific purpose of reporting and processing mutual fund transactions in accordance with the then current applicable rules, regulations and legislation governing this industry and for no other purpose whatsoever. Information provided to third parties All client accounts held through Equity Associates Inc. are registered in “Client Name” with the Mutual Fund Companies. This type of registration ensures that as an investor you are able to access your funds at any time directly with the Mutual Fund Companies. This type of registration requires that we provide to the Fund Companies your personal information including, name, address, telephone, SIN, DOB and those of any other individuals so named on the account. This information may be forwarded electronically via fax or in industry standard files to the fund companies via “FundSERV” to initiate trades and to update databases with current information for tax reporting, statement generation and transaction confirmation mailings.
Security
Equity Associates Inc. has taken steps to ensure that access to your private information is limited to authorized personal only through the use of on site security personal, electronic security cards, controlled access to filing cabinets, electronic firewalls, passwords and controlled access to computer rooms and servers.
Your Advisor & The Business of Equity Associates Inc.
Equity Associates Inc. is proud to sponsor the mutual fund license of David Miner as an independent Advisor. We refer to your Advisor as a Partner and in many cases they may in fact own shares in Equity Associates Inc. Each Partner’s ownership does entitle them to a share of the profits of the firm. Equity Associates Inc. is a Mutual Fund Dealer and a member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada. Please be advised that Equity Associates Inc. is in the business of Mutual Funds only. Your advisor may also be licensed to sell or advise on insurance based products or may provide financial planning or other services to you that are not related to Equity Associates Inc. you are advised that any such activity is outside of and not the responsibility of Equity Associates Inc.
MUTUAL FUND DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Client Complaint Information
Clients of a mutual fund dealer who are not satisfied with a financial product or service have a right to make a complaint and to seek resolution of the problem. If you have a complaint, these are some of the steps you can take.
- Your complaint should first be explained to your financial advisor. The person who sold you the product or service will solve most problems quickly.
- Contact your mutual fund dealer. Member firms are responsible to you, the investor, for monitoring the actions of their representatives to ensure that they are in compliance with the legislation, rules and guidelines governing their activities.
Some problems are easily solved by a phone call. Some matters can be resolved through the Branch Manager. The dealer's Compliance Department will investigate any complaint that you initiate in writing and respond back to you with the results of their investigation. - Contact the Mutual Fund Dealers Associations of Canada (MFDA), which is the self-regulatory organization in Canada to which your mutual fund dealer belongs. The MFDA investigates complaints about mutual fund dealers and their representatives, and takes enforcement action where appropriate.
There is no cost to clients for referring a complaint to the MFDA. The MFDA can be contacted: - By telephone in Toronto at (416) 361-6332, or toll free at 1-888-466-6332,
- By e-mail at complaints @ mfda.ca, or
- In writing, using the complaint form which is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca
- Contact the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), an organization independent of the MFDA, government, and the financial services industry. OBSI provides an independent and impartial process for the investigation and resolution of complaints about the provision of financial services to clients. OBSI will investigate your complaint only if you have first exhausted your firm's internal complaint-handling processes. OBSI can make a non-binding recommendation that your firm compensate you (up to $350,000) if it determines that you have been treated unfairly, taking into account the criteria of good financial services and business practice, relevant codes of practice or conduct, industry regulation and the law. The OBSI process is free of charge and is confidential. OBSI can be contacted:
- by telephone in Toronto at (416) 287-2877, or toll free at 1-888-451-4519; or
- by e-mail at ombudsman @obsi.ca.
- Retaining a lawyer to assist with the complaint.