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?
Correct Answer: B
The category of Know Your Client (KYC) information that has been given is investment experience. Investment experience refers to the level of knowledge and familiarity that a client has with various types of investments, such as mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc. It also includes the client's past performance, frequency of trading, and length of holding period. In this case, Felipe has given information about his investment experience by stating that he purchased a mutual fund with a deferred sales charge, that he had a 25-year growth objective, that he never noticed his mutual fund having a drop in value, and that he never made any changes to his investment. References = Know Your Client (KYC): What It Means, Compliance Requirements, Know Your Client (KYC) - Overview, Importance and Benefits, Process, IFSE CIFC Module 2: The Investment Industry, page 2- 14.
IFC Exam Question 102
What is the national self-regulatory organization (SRO) for investment dealers?
Correct Answer: D
The national self-regulatory organization (SRO) for investment dealers is the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). An SRO is a non-governmental organization that sets and enforces rules and standards for its members in a specific industry or profession. IIROC is an SRO that oversees all investment dealers and their trading activity in Canada's debt and equity markets. IIROC's mandate is to protect investors and support healthy capital markets by ensuring high standards of conduct, competence, and compliance among its members and their representatives. Therefore, option D is correct regarding the national SRO for investment dealers. The other options are not correct or relevant to the question. Option A is false because there is no such organization as the National Securities Commission in Canada; rather, there are provincial and territorial securities regulators that form the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), which is a council of securities regulators that coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets. Option B is false because the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) is not the national SRO for investment dealers; rather, it is the national SRO for mutual fund dealers and their representatives in Canada. Option C is false because the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) is not the national SRO for investment dealers; rather, it is a council of securities regulators that coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets. References: [IIROC - Home], [SROs | GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca], [CSA - Home]
IFC Exam Question 103
Over the course of a couple of weeks and several appointments, Harold was finally able to provide an investment solution for his new client, Felicia. It was a lump sum investment where they plan to see her money grow for the next 5 years. With regards to Know Your Client (KYC) requirements, what are Harold's responsibilities moving forward?
Correct Answer: A
Know Your Client (KYC) requirements are ongoing obligations that advisors must fulfill to ensure that they provide suitable recommendations and services to their clients. KYC requirements include collecting and documenting information about the client's personal and financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and investment knowledge. KYC requirements also include monitoring and updating the client's information and investment performance on a regular basis. According to the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA), advisors must review the KYC information at least once every 36 months, or more frequently if there are any material changes in the client's circumstances or needs1. Advisors must also monitor the investment performance of the client's portfolio and compare it with the client's expectations and goals. If the investment performance is not satisfactory or consistent with the client's risk tolerance, advisors must take appropriate actions, such as rebalancing the portfolio, switching funds, or revising the investment strategy2. Therefore, Harold's responsibility moving forward is to monitor the investment performance of Felicia's lump sum investment and determine if it is on track to satisfy her financial needs for the next 5 years. He must also review her KYC information at least once every 36 months, or sooner if there are any changes in her situation or objectives. References: * MFDA Bulletin #0756-P - Know-Your-Client and Suitability1 * MFDA Bulletin #0760-P - Monitoring of Investment Performance2
IFC Exam Question 104
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?
Correct Answer: C
According to the Canadian Investment Funds Course, an investment objective is the goal or purpose of investing money. An investment objective reflects the investor's desired return, risk tolerance, time horizon, and liquidity needs. An investment objective is one of the key components of the know-your-client (KYC) information that a mutual fund representative must obtain and update from a client. The KYC information helps the representative to assess the suitability of any investment recommendation or trade instruction for the client2 In this case, Sarah and Kyle are a married couple who want to save towards a purchase of a sailboat. They are able to save $800 each month and have a tax-free savings account (TFSA) in Kyle's name with $5,000. They want you to recommend an investment for their monthly savings to help them achieve their goal faster. Before you can make any recommendation, you need to gather more information about their investment objective for these savings. You need to know how much return they expect, how much risk they are willing to take, how long they plan to invest, and how easily they want to access their money. These factors will help you to determine the most suitable investment option for them. Therefore, the question you should ask them next is C. What is your investment objective for these savings? 1: Canadian Investment Funds Course - IFSE Institute 3 (Unit 2: Know Your Client) 2: Canadian Investment Funds Course - IFSE Institute 4 (Unit 10: Portfolio Management)
IFC Exam Question 105
Which investor's needs would be BEST met with an income trust?
Correct Answer: C
An income trust is an investment trust that holds income-producing assets, such as debt instruments, royalty interests, or real properties. It can be structured as either a personal investment fund or a commercial trust with publicly traded closed-end fund shares. The main attraction of income trusts, in addition to certain tax preferences for some investors, is their stated goal of paying out consistent cash flows for investors, which is especially attractive when cash yields on bonds are low12 References = Canadian Investment Funds Course (CIFC) - Module 2: Investment Products - Section 2.3: Income Trusts3 and web search results from search_web(query="income trust")12 3: https://www.ifse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CIFC-Module-2.pdf