Not Clickbait: These Canadian ETFs are Free to Invest In!

One of the easiest risks to minimize in investing is excessive fund fees. That’s why, when looking for ETFs, you should always try to minimize the management fee, which is the portion of the total cost that goes to the fund provider.

However, in Canada, what you actually pay isn’t just the management fee—it’s the Management Expense Ratio (MER), which includes trading costs, taxes, and other expenses.

For new ETFs, the MER isn’t calculated until after a full year, since expenses take time to accumulate. That means an ETF can have a 0% management fee at launch but still have a small MER later on once all costs are factored in.

Recently, Hamilton ETFs launched several new funds and, as a promotional offer, they’re waiving the management fee to 0% for the first year. That means, for a while, these ETFs will be virtually free to own. Here’s a look at the two I like that focus on Canadian equities.

HAMILTON CHAMPIONS™ Canadian Dividend Index ETF (CMVP)

The newly launched Hamilton CHAMPIONS™ Canadian Dividend Index ETF (CMVP) tracks the newly designed Solactive Canada Dividend Elite Champions Index, a bespoke benchmark built to focus on quality dividend growth stocks in Canada.

To qualify, companies must have increased their dividends for at least six years. On average, the stocks in the index have posted 10% annualized dividend growth, with an average market cap of $73 billion—a sign that it leans toward large, stable dividend payers.

The index’s performance stats are very favorable so far. It has beaten the S&P/TSX 60 in total returns and dividend yield while maintaining lower volatility, smaller drawdowns, and faster recoveries during market downturns.

It also totally outclasses its main competitor, the iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF (CDZ). CDZ charges an absurd 0.60% management fee, making it one of the most expensive dividend ETFs in Canada.

Meanwhile, CMVP is free to own, with a 0% management fee through January 31, 2026. After that, the fee reverts to 0.19%—still one-third the cost of CDZ.

Hamilton Canadian Financials Index ETF (HFN)

For pure-play exposure to Canadian financial stocks, the longstanding option has been the iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index ETF (XFN).

I’m not a fan. Partially because of the 0.55% management fee, but also because market cap weighting in a narrow sector leads to overweights—20% in Royal Bank of Canada (RY) and 12.5% in Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD). That’s not broad TSX financials exposure—that’s mostly just owning two banks.

A cheaper and more balanced alternative is the newly launched Hamilton Canadian Financials Index ETF (HFN), which tracks the Solactive Canadian Financials Equal-Weight Index TR.

This benchmark does exactly what the name suggests—it takes the 12 largest Canadian financial stocks and equally weights them, rebalancing semi-annually. That means less concentration in banks and more exposure to asset managers and insurance companies.

The income is also tax-efficient, with eligible dividends paid monthly. Historically, this equal-weight approach has also outperformed the S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index.

As with CMVP, HFN is charging a 0% management fee through January 31, 2026. After that, it reverts to 0.19%—not free, but still markedly cheaper than XFN’s 0.55%.