The written costs
Current fees, what each charge covers, and a comparison on the same basis, including expenses and applicable tax.
Group retirement fee review
What are your plan's fees costing your employees?
A percentage on a statement becomes real dollars across your team. See the annual difference, then review what employees receive for it.
For employers with a group RRSP or DPSP, member investment fees reduce employee accounts. They are separate from your company's contributions and any employer administration costs.
What does the difference add up to?
Start with this example, then enter your plan's numbers.
Illustrative annual fee difference
$56,025
Less in annual investment fees across members' accounts in the comparison scenario.
- Current annual fees
- $121,500at 1.80%
- Comparison annual fees
- $65,475at 0.97%
150 members × $45,000 = $6,750,000 in assets. Annual fees = assets × annual fee rate.
These are aggregate member investment fees, not an employer invoice. The annual estimate holds balances and rates constant; actual charges vary as balances change.
1 to 10,000 members
$0 to $1,000,000
0% to 5%, including expenses and applicable tax
Use the same fee components as the current fee
Illustrative inputs, not a quote. Compare written total fees and the services included.
Where to find your plan's fees
Start with the default fund, then check the other investment options employees use.
- Your sponsor portal's plan documents or fee disclosure.
- The investment options and fees schedule attached to the plan summary.
- A member portal's fee disclosure or fund information.
Ask for the complete number
Confirm the investment management fee, fund operating expenses and applicable tax. Ask whether any advice, account or administration charges sit outside that figure.
Labels such as IMF, MER and management fee do not all include the same costs. If the documents are unclear, ask the provider to identify each component in writing.
What RiskX reviews with you
A lower headline rate is only useful when you know what comes with it.
Support for employees
Plan information, education and access to help. Confirm advice access, qualifications and any charges in writing.
The work for your team
Who handles enrolment, payroll questions and account administration, and where your team turns when something needs attention.
A worthwhile next step
Improve the existing arrangement, change advisors where possible, move providers, or keep what works. Record the comparison and your decision.
If your plan came through an association, chamber or sector program
Some companies offer a group RRSP or DPSP through an industry association, a chamber of commerce or a sector program instead of setting one up directly. The program may choose the provider and the investment options, and the fees may be described as built into each fund. That can work well. It's still your employees' plan, so the same questions apply: what it costs them, what they get for it, and who looks after it.
Ask the program in writing for:
- the total annual fee on each investment option, including fund expenses and applicable tax
- what's included for employees, such as education, access to an advisor and the member website
- who does what: the program, the provider and your company
- what leaving the program would involve, if you ever wanted to
Then review it like any other plan: keep it, improve it, or compare it. Whether RiskX can act as your plan's broker depends on the program's own terms, so we check that first.
This section is about group RRSPs and DPSPs. Some programs are registered pension plans, which follow different rules.
Beyond the comparison
Make the benefit easier to understand.
RiskX supports employers with custom employee booklets, plan education, practical review questions and periodic fee checks.
We disclose our compensation to your company in writing each year. That annual disclosure is separate from periodic fee reviews.
Your company retains plan decisions and oversight. Account administration and individual investment advice belong with the appropriate provider or registered advisor.
What working with RiskX looks like →Before you decide
Who pays these fees?
The calculator compares investment fees borne by plan members. Employer contributions, administration charges and other company costs are separate. Confirm who pays each charge in your plan's written terms.
Is this a quote for our plan?
The 1.80% and 0.97% figures are editable illustrative inputs, not confirmed rates for your plan or a market benchmark. Actual pricing depends on the plan and written provider terms. Compare the same fee components and services.
An employee asked HR what the plan costs them. What do we send?
Start with what the plan already publishes. The member portal's fee disclosure or fund information shows the fee on each investment option, and the plan's fee schedule covers the rest. If that doesn't answer the question, ask the provider in writing for four things: the investment management fee, the fund operating expenses, the applicable tax, and any advice, account or administration charge outside that figure. Questions about one person's own account go to the provider's member services. CAPSA's guideline suggests members get fee information at least once a year, in plain language (section 3.4).
If a contribution goes missing or is wrong, who fixes it, and how quickly?
Agree that in writing before it happens. Name who looks into it, for example someone at your company, your payroll contact and the provider. Name who can approve a correction, and how quickly payroll and the provider will answer a question about one. The right fix depends on your plan's terms and who is allowed to act, so ask the provider for its process for your plan. Our DPSP page has a step-by-step checklist for a contribution that doesn't match payroll.
Do we have to change providers?
Not necessarily. A review may support improving the current arrangement, changing advisors where the provider permits it, moving providers, or keeping what works. Confirm the available options, scope and costs before deciding.
Does CAPSA require an annual fee review?
CAPSA Guideline No. 3 calls for periodic review of member-borne fees and value. It does not set a statutory annual fee-review duty. The employer retains plan oversight, and the guidance does not replace applicable law.
Considering a move? See how a provider switch works, including payroll, existing savings and the terms to confirm.
Bring your fee questions.
Bring the fees page from your plan documents if you have it. We will review what you bring and identify what is needed for a fair comparison. You do not need all your documents before we talk.
Optional: a short preparation list
- Current fee schedule and plan summary.
- Written service scope covering education, advice and administration.
- Aggregate membership and balances, if available.
Please do not send identifiable employee records or a payroll file through this page.
Family-owned and Canadian. A partner in helping manage the plan, and in employee education.
Sources and responsibilities
CAPSA Guideline No. 3 (2024), sections 6.1 to 6.5, supports the periodic fee and value review guidance. It is guidance, not a substitute for applicable law.
The calculator's fee inputs are assumptions, not evidence of market pricing.
RiskX Insurance Brokers Inc. is a family-owned Canadian brokerage, founded in 1994. Group retirement plans for employers across Canada outside Quebec, through the registered investment provider.
Prepared by Jarod Smith, CEO. Gordon Smith is RiskX’s founder. About RiskX. Updated November 6, 2026.
How group retirement brokers are paid · Compensation and conflict disclosures
Fee figures are illustrative calculator inputs, not a quote or market benchmark. Use written total-cost figures, including fund expenses and applicable tax, for both plans. Actual pricing, transfer costs and outcomes depend on your plan and can change. No savings or investment outcome is guaranteed.
RiskX provides plan-design, administrative and governance support informed by CAPSA Guideline No. 3. CAPSA guidance does not replace applicable law, and the plan sponsor retains responsibility for its plan. RiskX does not provide legal, tax or securities advice, recommend investments to individual members, or guarantee compliance or investment outcomes.
RiskX Insurance Brokers Inc. places group retirement plans for employers across Canada outside Quebec, through our partnerships with registered investment providers. This page is general information about how group retirement plan fees work. It is not advice, and it is not tailored to any particular employer, plan or individual. We are compensated by the carriers and providers whose products we place, which is a conflict of interest we would rather you saw before booking a call than after. We are not registered as a dealer or adviser under securities legislation and do not recommend specific funds, give investment advice, or manage investments. We do not give legal, tax or accounting advice; where those are needed, we will refer you.