Vanguard Investments Canada’s line-up of 11 exchange-traded funds has surpassed USD1bn in assets under management.
“We are grateful for the trust that financial advisors and their clients have placed in us,” says Atul Tiwari (pictured), principal and managing director of Vanguard Investments Canada.
Vanguard entered the Canadian market in December 2011, listing six ETFs on Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). In November 2012, Vanguard added another five ETFs. Vanguard also recently filed a preliminary prospectus with the Canadian regulatory authorities for seven new ETFs (five equity ETFs and two bond ETFs).
Vanguard believes that its growth can be attributed to the acceptance of the indexing approach, which offers low costs, broad diversification, relative performance predictability and tax efficiency.
As of 31 December 2012, Vanguard Investments Canada’s ETFs have an average management expense ratio (MER) of 0.27 per cent. That compares with an average MER of 2.03 per cent for all mutual funds in Canada.
“You can’t control market performance, but you can control how much you pay for your investments,” says Tiwari. “All else being equal, investments with consistently low MERs can give you a head start in achieving competitive returns.”
Vanguard’s investment approach has also been embraced by advisors, who are constructing balanced, broadly diversified portfolios for their clients using low-cost ETFs. Vanguard has long been a proponent of the advisor’s alpha concept, under which an advisor creates value for clients through sound asset allocation, behavioural coaching, rebalancing, and tax planning.
