Self-directed fees

Question: I am currently reading your books on Investment Strategies and your RRSP guide. I would like to use your aggressive growth suggestions for a portfolio.

My question is: if I select so many funds from different companies, will I have to pay a self-directed fee at each of them? Also, my initial investment will be about $5,000. Is that too little to split up amongst so many companies? – C.B.

Answer:

A self-directed plan will have a single administration fee, usually around $125 annually. It doesn’t matter how many securities you hold. With only $5,000 to invest, however, you cannot really get the full diversification we outline in the books. So start with a few key funds (e.g. Canadian equity, U.S. equity, International equity, bond) and build from there. – G.P.