Q: Hi Peter
We would very much appreciate your view on this situation, which seems quite unfair to us.
We invested in the TD USD money market fund, TDB2915. At the end of 2024 we received our regular monthly drip and the quantity of units rose accordingly. We also saw a transaction for a much larger drip but there were no numbers put in the quantity column. TD told us that the fund had a Special Distribution. But instead of paying the Special Distribution as cash into our account, the fund instead reduced the cost basis of our shares. TD said that they could either pay out the Special Distribution or reduce the cost basis, and that they chose the latter. TDB2915 has a fixed price of USD 10 per share. Our understanding of what we were told is below by way of an example:
Initial Investment: USD $10,000 with a purchase 1,000 shares of TDB2915 at USD $10 per share.
Special Distribution: USD $2 per share
Instead of receiving USD $2,000 as cash, the fund reduces the cost basis by USD $2 per share
So the Adjusted Cost Basis after the Special Distribution is USD $10 minus USD $2 = USD $8 per share, and so for 1,000 shares the ACB = USD $8,000
When the shares are sold there is a gain of USD $2,000 to report because of the now lower ACB. But we didn’t receive any additional shares.
Putting the tax issues aside, the example shows that the shareholder is no further ahead having not receive the additional USD $2,000 Special Distribution.
Are we missing something? Is this legal?
Many, many thanks for sharing your respected views.
We would very much appreciate your view on this situation, which seems quite unfair to us.
We invested in the TD USD money market fund, TDB2915. At the end of 2024 we received our regular monthly drip and the quantity of units rose accordingly. We also saw a transaction for a much larger drip but there were no numbers put in the quantity column. TD told us that the fund had a Special Distribution. But instead of paying the Special Distribution as cash into our account, the fund instead reduced the cost basis of our shares. TD said that they could either pay out the Special Distribution or reduce the cost basis, and that they chose the latter. TDB2915 has a fixed price of USD 10 per share. Our understanding of what we were told is below by way of an example:
Initial Investment: USD $10,000 with a purchase 1,000 shares of TDB2915 at USD $10 per share.
Special Distribution: USD $2 per share
Instead of receiving USD $2,000 as cash, the fund reduces the cost basis by USD $2 per share
So the Adjusted Cost Basis after the Special Distribution is USD $10 minus USD $2 = USD $8 per share, and so for 1,000 shares the ACB = USD $8,000
When the shares are sold there is a gain of USD $2,000 to report because of the now lower ACB. But we didn’t receive any additional shares.
Putting the tax issues aside, the example shows that the shareholder is no further ahead having not receive the additional USD $2,000 Special Distribution.
Are we missing something? Is this legal?
Many, many thanks for sharing your respected views.
5i Research Answer:
We may need more info here, but to us it sounds like a 'phantom distribution' which is fairly common. However this should typically result in an increase in ACB since taxes are payable on a phantom distribution. Increasing ACB offsets this tax somewhat when units are sold. But it is unusual for this to occur in a money market fund, in our view. We also know of other TD US Money Market funds TD8152 where there was no distribution. There is a piece of information missing here we think. It is not illegal but a strange scenario that we cannot fully explain unless it is a typical phantom distribution.