QDEF Fees and Costs — FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund
Data updated: 2026-09-25
The net expense ratio is 0.39% (0.40% before fee waivers). There are no sales loads or redemption fees. In fiscal 2025 the fund paid $1K in broker commissions, 0.0002% of average net assets, and portfolio turnover was 41%.
QDEF Fees and Expenses
Annual operating expenses and sales charges of QDEF. Prospectus, as of October 31, 2025.
| Annual operating expenses | |
|---|---|
| Management fee | 0.37% |
| 12b-1 fee | 0.00% |
| Other expenses | 0.01% |
| Gross expense ratio | 0.40% |
| Fee waiver | −0.01% |
| Net expense ratio | 0.39% |
| Sales charges | |
|---|---|
| Max front load | — |
| Max deferred load | — |
| Redemption fee | — |
| Expense limitation in place (N-CEN) | Yes |
| Fees waived or reduced during the year | Yes |
| Waived fees subject to recoupment | No |
QDEF Costs Over Time
On $10,000 invested in QDEF, assuming 5% a year before costs, total costs come to $247 over 5 years, cutting the return by 0.41% a year. Illustration, not a forecast: it assumes today's net expense ratio throughout (a fee waiver may end).
| $10,000 invested | Sell after 1 year | Sell after 3 years | Sell after 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value before costs | $10,500 | $11,576 | $12,763 |
| Fund expenses (net expense ratio 0.39%) | $41 | $129 | $224 |
| Trading costs (broker commissions) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Lost growth on money paid in costs | $0 | $6 | $23 |
| Total costs | $41 | $135 | $247 |
| Value after costs | $10,459 | $11,441 | $12,516 |
| Impact on return, per year | 0.41% | 0.41% | 0.41% |
QDEF Trading Costs
Brokerage costs reported on SEC Form N-CEN for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2025.
- Explicit cost rate (commissions ÷ average net assets): 0.0002%
- Total broker commissions: $1K
- Bought from dealers (principal trades, not a cost): $553.7M
- Portfolio turnover (prospectus): 41%
- Securities on loan, average value: $28.4M
- Net income from securities lending: $36K (0.008% of average net assets)
QDEF Agency Brokers
Commissions paid.
| Broker | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | $905 | 86.67% |
| BofA Securities, Inc. | $131 | 12.56% |
| Virtu Americas LLC | $8 | 0.78% |
QDEF Dealer Counterparties
Securities bought directly from dealers (principal trades).
| Broker | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BofA Securities, Inc. | $275.7M | 49.79% |
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. | $127.5M | 23.03% |
| UBS Securities LLC | $115.1M | 20.78% |
| Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. | $18.1M | 3.27% |
| Virtu Americas LLC | $16.3M | 2.95% |
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | $949K | 0.17% |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.