Investment Funds in Canada (IFC)Exam Questions and Answers
Which person would be categorized as a vulnerable client?
Sarah and Kyle are a married couple. They are both 34 years of age and work as teachers. Their combined annual income is $130,000. They are able to save $800 each month. They own a home worth
$340,000 with a $120,000 mortgage. Since they work for the same employer, they have the same defined benefit pension plan. Other than a tax-free savings account (TFSA) in Kyle's name with $5,000, they do not have any other assets.
They are avid sailors and want to save towards a purchase of a sailboat. For the type of sailboat they want, they estimate it should cost around $65,000. They want you to recommend an investment for their monthly savings to help them achieve their goal faster.
What question should you ask them next?
Beatrice is looking for comprehensive information regarding the analysis of financial statements and fund management expenses as it relates to her current mutual fund investment.
Which document would provide the information she is looking for?
Louis is the portfolio manager for Quattro Fund. The mandate of the mutual fund is to invest in a combination of cash, fixed income, and equity securities; however, Louis has the ability to adjust the portfolio according to market conditions. If Louis feels that interest rates will fall, he could invest the whole portfolio in equities. If he feels the market is too high, he could take profits and sit totally in cash.What type of mutual fund is Quattro Fund?
Which of the following is a rationale for a portfolio manager to use a passive portfolio management strategy?
Why do speculators tend to avoid diversification?
A mutual fund sales representative is asked to make a presentation to an investment club. During the presentation, he discusses personal experiences of a questionable nature. What aspect of Professionalism is relevant to this situation?
Which information is typically included in the Letter of Engagement?
Lior is considering an investment that gains exposure to companies that trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). He is not sure what the differences are between a Canadian equity fund and a Canadian dividend fund.
What would you tell him?
Eleanora receives a $500 eligible Canadian dividend from her mutual fund. Her federal marginal tax rate for the year is 29%. Assuming the enhanced gross-up of 38% and a federal dividend tax credit of 15.02%, how much federal tax will she pay on her dividend?
Loretta is looking for a well diversified equity fund. Her ideal mutual fund would hold investments within and outside Canada. Although she is seeking growth, Loretta also wants a mutual fund that invests in quality companies.
Which of the following mutual funds would be the best choice for Loretta?
10 years ago, Felipe opened a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) account and purchased a mutual fund. The mutual fund purchased included a 7-year deferred sales charge (DSC). At the time of making his investment, him and his Dealing Representative agreed that he had a 25-year growth objective. Since Felipe knew that he was not planning to use his investment until he retired, he was not
concerned about the DSC. Although the rate of return did vary from year-to-year, he never noticed his mutual fund having a drop in value. This gave Felipe more confidence in the investment. As a result, he has never made any changes to his investment.
What category of Know Your Client (KYC) information has been given?
Which of the following actions by the federal government or the Bank of Canada is an example of monetary policy?
What term applies to unemployment created by a new technology that eliminates the need for subway train drivers?
Barend is a Dealing Representative with Planvest Group Inc., a mutual fund dealer and member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA). Which of the following CORRECTLY describes
Barend's obligation for conflicts of interest?
Greg is a Dealing Representative. As a part of his business building activity, Greg prepares several messages to post on his website and Facebook page. Which statement CORRECTLY describes this
situation?
Sylvia decided to use the savings from her bank account to purchase a 5-year bond. The face value of the bond is $10,000, the market price is $9,230 and the coupon rate is 7%.
What is the current yield on the bond?Round to 2 decimal places.
What bias would influence an investor’s decision to continue to hold an unprofitable investment despite little likelihood of an improvement in the investment’s value?
Which exchange in Canada deals exclusively with financial and equity futures and options?
What role do investment dealers play in the Canadian and global financial markets?
Bernadette has a high-paying job and is in the top tax bracket. She recently received a payment of $5 million upon the settlement of her uncle’s estate. Bernadette would like to invest her inheritance in financial products that would not only grow her money but is also income tax friendly.
Which of the following would provide the most favourable tax treatment?
Apex Mutual Fund has been structured to avoid taxation by distributing any net interest, dividends, and capital gains to unitholders each calendar year. This is an example of what type of mutual fund structure?
Which of the following transactions takes place in the secondary market?
Which of the following statements about standard deviation is CORRECT?
Which of the following statements about capital gains distributions from mutual fund trusts is correct?
Which among the following BEST describes a company’s income statement?
Last year at age 70, Gregory opened a registered retirement income fund (RRIF). Recently, Gregory unexpectedly received a large cash gift and presently does not need to depend on any payments from his RRIF. He contacts his financial advisor Eric for guidance.
Which of the following statements by his financial advisor would be CORRECT?
Julia is looking for a mutual fund that will give her growth with moderate volatility. Her dealing representative has suggested the Laurentian Fund. The mutual fund's mandate limits the amount of equity exposure in the portfolio to 60%. Also, the portfolio must hold between 40 - 60% in fixed income at all times. The mutual fund distributes interest, dividends, and capital gains to its unitholders. What type of mutual fund is the Laurentian Fund?
Kerry's total income this past year was $100,000 and she claimed a tax deduction of $2,000. When the tax return is filed, what would be the federal tax payable when applying the following federal tax rates?
(Round to the closest whole dollar for the final answer.)
What type of fee does a mutual fund sponsor often reduce the longer an investor holds a back-end load fund?
What equity investment philosophy places greater emphasis on industry weighting than on security selection?
Kendrick is a newly registered Dealing Representative for Oak Solid Financial. He has been assigned the task of contacting existing clients where there has been no record of consultation within the last 12 months. The first person he sees on his list is a client named Chandra Ruffino. He double-checks if her phone number is on the Do Not Call List (DNCL) registry.Which of the following statements apply?
What portion of the withdrawal from a Registered Educational Savings Plan is tax-free?
Which statement regarding the underwriting process and over-the-counter (OTC) markets is CORRECT?
Ken is a member of his employer’s Defined Benefit Pension Plan (DBPP). Which of the following statements about Ken’s plan is CORRECT?
On which of the following does the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) impose requirements?
Karen’s know your client (KYC) profile corresponds to someone who has a long time horizon, is comfortable with risk and volatility, and is primarily interested in growth. She watches the daily movements of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and wants a mutual fund that will closely match what she sees.
What kind of mutual fund would be BEST for her?
One of your clients, Harry, has heard that he can defer paying tax on capital gains. He wants to know if what he has heard is correct and if so, how to defer paying taxes on capital gains.
What would you tell Harry?
An investor seeks an equity investment that will mirror the performance of the energy sector in Canada. She desires a low-cost, flexible alternative that can quickly be bought or sold. Which product is most suited to her needs?
Lucas wants to participate in the Lifelong Learning Program (LLP). He currently has $10,000 in his registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) for this purpose. He plans to make his maximum permitted
withdrawal of $10,000 under the LLP in two months. Based on this information, what would be his investment objective for the $10,000 currently sitting in his RRSP?
Which of the following form part of the disclosure documents relating to mutual funds?
Tony, the investment manager of True North Canadian Equity Fund is deciding on some new investments. He has done an economic analysis of the various provinces and sectors of the Canadian economy and has determined that Nova Scotia and Alberta present the best prospects. He has also identified potential in the oil and gas sector. He narrows down his selection to an oil supply firm in Medicine Hat and a drilling company in Halifax.
What investment approach is Tony employing?
A client has $950,000 in his RRSP account and $550,000 in his non-registered account held in nominee name with Tradewell Mutual Funds.
In the event of his dealer, Tradewell Mutual Funds declaring insolvency, what is the total amount the client be eligible to receive from the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada Investor Protection Corporation (IPC)?
Maureen is 65 years old and will be retiring soon. She has a modest portfolio of mutual funds that focus on growth. As she approaches retirement, Maureen wants to switch to investments that provide steady income with low to medium risk.
Given Maureen’s wishes, which of the following mutual funds would be suitable for her?
Daisy is a Dealing Representative registered in the province of Saskatchewan only. Daisy’s client, Orville, a resident of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan is a retiree who presently has a $1,000,000 with her dealer, Easy Ride Financial. Orville is now planning to move to Vegreville, Alberta next month. Easy Ride Financial is registered in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Neither Easy Ride Financial nor Daisy have any clients who are resident in Alberta.
Which of the following should Daisy do if she wants to continue to service Orville’s account?
Which of the following statements about pension adjustments (PA) is TRUE?
Which statement best describes key differences between dividend funds and standard equity funds?
Which statement about market risk is true?
Joanne’s earned income last year was $45,000 and her pension adjustment was $2,500. She has $2,000 in carry-forward registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) room for the current taxation year. What is Joanne’s maximum tax-deductible RRSP contribution amount for the current year?
Ai Fen has recently become registered to sell mutual funds with Acadian Eastern Financial, a mutual fund dealer. Ai Fen determined that with her background of being a Chartered Financial Analyst, she can help people understand the nature of investing more easily than others in her field.
Which registration category will need to be prominently noted on Ai Fen’s business card to comply with the “holding out rule”?
The owners of Underground Airways Ltd. want to take their privately owned corporation public through an initial public offering (IPO). They are speaking to a specialist from an investment dealer to determine whether it would be advisable to become listed on a stock exchange or the over-the-counter (OTC) market.
In comparing the two options, which of the following considerations is TRUE?
When you buy a put option, which of the following is TRUE?
Jabir begins the registration process with his new dealer Prosper Wealth Inc. Jabir is excited about his new career and eager to start calling clients, opening new accounts, and selling investments. Which of the following CORRECTLY describes when Jabir will be eligible to open new client accounts and sell investments?
Which of the following statements describes a feature of the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP)?
One of your clients, Sheldon, is 65 years old. He has $30,000 to invest. He has a low risk profile, and an investment objective of receiving regular income. He has a time horizon of 5 years.
Based on Sheldon's risk profile and investment objective, which of the following investment recommendations is MOST appropriate for Sheldon?
Which example demonstrates direct use of capital savings?
Felipe is a Dealing Representative who is developing a non-registered investment solution for Laryssa. Felipe is debating between recommending either mutual fund trusts or mutual fund corporations. He wants to recommend an investment that reduces Laryssa's exposure to taxation.
Which feature may influence his recommendation?
Faruq is a Dealing Representative with Smart Planning Group, a mutual fund dealer. Faruq meets with his new client, Taline, and learns that she lives on a low, fixed income.
Taline tells Faruq that she wants to maximize her investment returns as high as possible to make up the difference. Taline also indicates that she cannot afford large investment losses because her income is low. Which of the following CORRECTLY describes how Faruq should assess Taline’s risk profile?
What type of mutual fund can invest in specified derivatives and forward contracts for grains, meats, metals, energy products, and coffee?
Davis invested in a tactical asset allocation fund in his non-registered investment account. Distributions from the mutual fund are paid directly to Davis and not reinvested. Assuming a federal marginal tax rate
of 26%, dividend gross-up rate of 38% and federal dividend tax credit rate of 15%, which type of distribution would result in the lowest amount of tax payable?
Raybert has a very short-term investment objective and has decided to purchase money market instruments. There are plenty of 90-day money market securities available for him to choose from. Although Raybert is aware that all the respective issuers have a similar need for his capital, no matter what he decides, he can only afford to purchase one.
In terms of financial markets and their relationship to the principles of supply and demand, which characteristic of investment capital are the issuers being exposed to?
What is the role of a custodian?
Your client, Rinaldo, wants to know more about the fees associated with his mutual funds. What can you tell him about a mutual fund’s management expense ratio (MER)?
On January 2nd of this year Evan purchased 500 preferred shares of Ingram Ltd. The preferred shares have a par value of $25 per share and a quarterly dividend of $0.98 per share. They also give Evan the option to sell the shares back to Ingram at par value any time from now until September 1st two years from now. What type of preferred shares does Evan own?
One of your clients, Fernando, is approaching 71 years of age and has a few questions regarding life income funds (LIFs).
Which of the following statements about LIFs is TRUE?
Marc asks his new client for copies of his mortgage documents. Which Know Your Client component is Marc researching?
Sonya, a mutual fund manager for Drake Financial, has had a stellar year in managing their Canadian equity portfolio and has outperformed the benchmark by over 200 basis points. She is now concerned that within the last couple of months of this calendar year, the Canadian equity market is due for a 10 to 15% pullback. Which investment strategy would be most appropriate for her to implement for the last couple of months of the year to offset the market correction?
Michael had invested in several mutual funds, most of which have appreciated in value. He is not sure if he needs to report the gain as capital gains when he files his income tax return.
What would you tell Michael?
What type of benefit plan has a final benefit that is dependent on the investment returns within the plan?
Based on your discussions with your client Sierra, you believe an asset allocation of 30% fixed income and 70% equities will help her achieve her long-term goals.What type of asset allocation strategy are you implementing?
Which form of investment income is taxed at an investor’s marginal tax rate?
Francis wants to redeem his US Asset Allocation Fund as he needs the money for a down payment for a home purchase. The current proceeds from the redemption are USD $27,859, and the current CAD/USD exchange rate is 0.7353.
How much will Francis receive in Canadian dollars when he redeems the Funds? Please round your answer to the nearest dollar.
Which among the following plans includes a provision that places a maximum limit on the amount that can be withdrawn during a calendar year?
Every February, Reginald, a Dealing Representative, feels pressured by his Manager to generate new registered retirement savings plans (RRSP) and contributions to assist the branch in meeting broader business targets. Reginald is nearing the end of February, and he has a meeting with a new client, Orel. Orel wants to open a tax-free savings account (TFSA) to develop emergency savings because he does not want to worry about his withdrawals being taxed. Reginald suggests that if Orel were to contribute to an RRSP first, then the resulting tax savings could be used to fund a new emergency account.
In relation to account suitability, what can be said about Reginald’s advice?
Which of the following could be a passively managed fund?
Which security is most likely to provide a capital gain if held to maturity?
Which of the following individuals would qualify for a full or partial Old Age Security (OAS) pension?
What type of managed fund, recently introduced to Canada, is allowed greater use of short sales, leverage, and derivatives compared to mutual funds, but not to the same extent as hedge funds?
Gary chooses not to recommend that his client sell a current mutual fund to purchase a similar new mutual fund despite pressure to meet a sales target for the new fund. What responsibility applies to Gary’s action?
Winter is a Dealing Representative with Top Tier Investing, a mutual fund dealer and member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA). Which of the following statements about Winter's
suitability obligation is CORRECT?
Winter is required to make a suitability determination every time:
i) she makes a recommendation to a client
ii) a client's investment returns decline.
iii) she opens a new client account
iv) the markets fluctuate.
The following table shows Sabrina's earned income for the past few years:
Sabrina has always maximized her RRSP contributions, so she has no carry-forward room available. If the maximum contribution limit for Year 3 is $24,270, what is her RRSP contribution room for Year 3?
Your client has very limited investment knowledge and is confused about what is meant by "marginal tax rate". What do you tell him?
A fund manager who utilizes an interest rate anticipation philosophy forecasts a rise in interest rates. What change in asset allocation should he implement?
Which of the following best describes implied needs of your clients?
Which of the following applies to a mutual fund trust?
Sonya meets with her client Elijah to review different investment approaches that could be offered to help him reach his financial goals. Part of that discussion included Sonya mentioning factors such as
inflation, interest rates, and rates of return. Which stage of the Strategic Investment Planning (SIP) process does this describe?
What term describes the range of possible future outcomes on the price of a security?
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) that track an index and index mutual funds have many similarities. However, what is a major difference between these two products?
Iliana owns 1,000 participating preferred shares in the First Canadian Bank. Which of the following features are characteristic of her investment?
Ellen and her only son Jeff live on the family farm with her father George. Jeff is five years old and Ellen has decided that it is time to start saving for Jeff’s post-secondary education. She has called you to ask about registered education savings plans (RESPs).
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Danica is looking for a mutual fund to hold in her non-registered account that provides a regular stream of income with potential for capital growth. She is having difficulty distinguishing between bond funds and dividend funds. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Your client earns $100,000 from employment and $10,000 from investments each year. Her bills total $95,000 annually. What is her discretionary income?
Darryl has a diversified investment portfolio of mutual funds in a non-registered account with Investwell Mutual Funds, a mutual fund dealer. Darryl’s diversified portfolio is composed of 3 mutual funds. Each mutual fund is currently worth about $100,000. The ABC Canadian Equity Fund has a total return of 6%, the DEF Bond Fund has a total return of 8% and GHI Global Equity Fund has a total return of 10%. Darryl wants to make an in-kind contribution to his registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) account. He has unused RRSP contribution room of $60,000.
From a tax-efficient viewpoint, which funds contribute in-kind to his RRSP account?
Which of the following statements about your mutual fund registration is CORRECT?
Bernadette has a high-paying job and is in the top tax bracket. She recently received a payment of $5 million upon the settlement of her uncle's estate. Bernadette would like to invest her inheritance in financial products that would not only grow her money but is also income tax friendly.
Which of the following would provide the most favourable tax treatment?
Which of the following is a characteristic of a bond fund?
The ZZZ Money Market Fund has a 7-day yield of 0.05%. What is the current yield for the fund? Round your answer to two decimal places.