Hussein wants to purchase a segregated fund. He has been following the news and believes the pharmaceutical sector will take off soon, and he wants to purchase a fund that will capitalize on his market view. He understands market fluctuations and is comfortable with the level of risk involved because he would only need to access these funds in 20 years.
Which of the following would be the most appropriate fund for Hussein?
Jessica is 61 years old and has $460,000 invested in a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). She is retiring due to health issues that are expected to reduce her life expectancy and will prevent her from working until she is 65. She would like to transfer her RRSP funds into an annuity that will pay her monthly benefits for the rest of her life.
Which of the following annuities is the BEST option for her to purchase?
Thien is 56 years old and has recently been diagnosed by his doctor with a heart condition for which there is no known treatment, and which has dramatically reduced his life expectancy. Thien has decided to take early retirement. Fortunately, after 30 years of service working as a credit officer at a local bank, he has accumulated a large sum in his pension plan. Thien's wife supports his decision to retire early. She is 49 and in good health, and plans to continue working and earning a lucrative income at her current position as a divorce lawyer at a prestigious law firm, at least until she reaches 65 years of age.
What type of annuity would BEST suit Thien's needs?
Six years ago, Diu purchased an immediate life annuity with a 10-year guarantee period. The annuity paid her a monthly benefit of $1,800. She named her son Shan as the beneficiary of the policy and her niece Haru as a contingent beneficiary. Shan died four months ago in a motorcycle accident and between grieving and planning the funeral, Diu forgot to update her beneficiary designation. Last week, Diu died of a heart attack.
Who would receive the annuity benefits?
Oscar is a chartered accountant who owns and operates his own firm, Tax Time Ltd., with the help of five employees. The provincial accountants' association offers group benefits plans to its members' firms. Oscar recently contacted the association to have a group benefits plan quoted and put in place for his firm. Who will be the plan sponsor?
Kaamil meets with Omar, his insurance agent, to purchase a whole life insurance policy. Kaamil wants to name his wife Ofra as the irrevocable beneficiary of the policy. Before proceeding, which of the following considerations should Omar CORRECTLY ask his client to reflect on?
Joel and Gina, a 65-year-old couple, have just retired and are meeting with their advisor, Mark, to do some tax planning. Joel's annual income is $75,000, and Gina's is $35,000. His marginal tax rate (MTR) is 40% and hers is 26%. Mark discusses the advantages of income splitting with them. After their income split, their respective MTRs are 32% for Joel and 30% for Gina. How much income tax will Joel and Gina save if $15,000 of Joel's income is transferred to Gina?
Melissa owns a disability insurance policy from Clarity Life. She makes her premium payment on the second day of each month, but this month, she misses the payment deadline. A week passes before she realizes her oversight. She makes a frantic call to Jonathan, a Clarity Life customer service representative. Jonathan explains about notices of termination. Which of the following responses is CORRECT?
Frankie is a newly licensed insurance of persons agent who meets with Walter, her father's friend since college. Walter is in his late forties, and he mentions that he would like to purchase a life insurance policy and start planning for his retirement. Frankie has never sold a segregated fund before. Not wanting to disclose her inexperience, she clumsily fills out the application form to invest in segregated funds. Which responsibility did Frankie breach?
Paola, an employee at Horizon Pharmaceuticals, was recently diagnosed with depression. She is unable to work and is receiving tax-free disability insurance benefits due to her condition. Paola is deeply indebted, and her creditors have been garnishing a portion of her pay for the last year. She is worried about her creditors also garnishing her disability benefit.
Can her disability benefits be seized by her creditors?
It’s Friday afternoon and Olivier, an insurance agent, has just received the paper copy of his client’s insurance contract. Olivier is about to leave on a three-day weekend, and he's already late for his camping reservation. He wonders if he should delay his departure to deliver the document, or if it can wait until he gets back on Tuesday. How long does Olivier have to deliver the contract?
Alana, Meaghan, and Beatrice are equal shareholders of Advanced Tech Inc. They each own 100 shares of the company. Each share is currently worth $5,000. They recently signed a cross-purchase buy-sell agreement that is funded by life insurance. What will happen under this agreement if Alanadies today?
Konrad is the owner of CrossBoy, a manufacturing company employing over 50 employees. Konrad recently took out a $500,000 loan to expand his business. Terrence works as a sales manager and is responsible for roughly 40% of the company’s revenue. Konrad recognizes the importance of Terrence's contributions to the success of the company. Therefore, in addition to a sizeable basesalary, CrossBoy also pays Terrence regular performance-based bonuses. Konrad understands that if Terrence dies prematurely, CrossBoy would suffer financially. What should he do to protect his company?
Francis owns a $250,000 insurance policy with an accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) rider. Francis calls his insurance agent Andrew to inform him that he permanently lost the use of his right hand. He explains to Andrew that his brother shot him when he broke into his brother’s house to recover a gold watch that was rightfully his. Francis wants to know how much he will receive from his AD&D rider.
Dr. Kumar owns a 10-year term life insurance policy with a level death benefit of $500,000 issued by Expert Health & Life Inc. The policy is renewable, convertible to age 70, and contains no additional riders. Dr. Kumar is the life insured. She is single, has no dependents, and her estate is named as the policy’s beneficiary. The current premiums are $365 per year, based on standard health, non-smoker rates. As the policy is due to renew in a few months, Dr. Kumar meets with Kavya, an insurance agent referred to her by a mutual friend. Kavya reviews all of the information presented above, but notices a missing detail.
What additional information about Dr. Kumar's policy does Kavya need to complete her review?
Axel owns a $150,000 whole life insurance policy with an accumulated cash surrender value (CSV) of $20,000. His monthly premiums are $300, due on the fifth day of each month. Axel misses his November 5 premium payment and then dies a few weeks later, on November 20.
Bea is a married 65-year-old woman applying for a life insurance policy. She meets with Stanley, her insurance agent, to review her insurance needs. Stanley inquires if Bea has started receiving Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits. Why is it important for Stanley to know this?
Svetlana is a 45-year-old single mother with two children: Georgi 17; and Ingrid 13. The children's father, Vladimir, has a serious gambling problem and only visits them sporadically. Vladimir's younger brother Sergei, on the other hand, is a dependable and helpful uncle who helps Svetlana regularly with the children. Svetlana meets with Robert, an insurance agent to review her life insurance needs because she wants to make sure that her children are taken care of if she were to die prematurely. Robert suggests that she purchase a $200,000 policy. Who should she name as a beneficiary?
Maeve is an Ontario resident. Fifteen years ago, she purchased a $250,000 whole life insurance policy and named her husband Guillaume as the primary beneficiary and her 4-year-old son Edwin as the contingent beneficiary. Last week, Tasha, Maeve's insurance agent called her to ask if she has had any life changes that would warrant a meeting to review her insurance coverage. Maeve informs her that over the last year she divorced Guillaume and that she is now living with her new boyfriend Eduardo. Tasha asks to meet Maeve to review her beneficiary designation. Who will receive Maeve's death benefit if she dies today?
Maxine meets with Toshiko, an insurance agent for United Life, to purchase a $10 million universal life insurance policy. Once United Life reviews Maxine's file, they agree to insure her for $3 million. United Life then contacts Extra Life Company, who agrees to insure Maxine for the additional $7 million. Toshiko asks his supervisor Bob how the death benefit will be paid to Maxine's beneficiary when she dies.
Goran and Tanja married two years ago. Last year, they purchased and moved into a three-bedroom house in the suburbs. The current balance on their mortgage is $655,000. They meet with Ljubomir, an insurance agent, to purchase a joint term life insurance policy to cover the mortgage. When Ljubomir asks about their existing coverage, Goran shares that he has none. Tanja explains that she owns a universal life (UL) policy with a level death benefit of $50,000 and a cash surrender value (CSV) of $5,000, purchased 6 years ago from another agent. Tanja would like to surrender her UL policy and use the $5,000 CSV to pay for a trip to Europe. What additional information about Tanja's UL policy does Ljubomir need to collect?
Oliver, an insurance agent, meets with Roman and Julie. They are a married couple with a five-year-old son William. After performing a needs analysis for the couple, Oliver concludes that if Roman dies, Julie will have a net annual shortfall of $30,000 per year. Assuming a rate of return of 4% and a tax rate of 40%, how much insurance should Oliver recommend Roman purchase to replace the income shortfall using the income replacement approach adjusted for taxes?
Joseph, a retired jeweler, meets with Larry, an insurance agent with Summit Life Co., to review Joseph's life insurance needs. Joseph has made it clear in his will that upon his death, his son will inherit his collection of diamond necklaces, valued at $1.8 million.
What type of asset is Joseph's diamond necklace collection considered to be?
Aari and Jonila are a married couple in their late sixties. They both enjoy a comfortable retirement. Both receive regular payments from their pension plans, Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP). They own a house and a cottage that are both mortgage-free. They also have over $500,000 in savings and investments. They know that if one of them dies, the surviving spouse will be financially comfortable. The couple has two grown children to whom they would like to leave all their assets when they die. The couple informs Herbert, their insurance agent, that they want to make sure when they die that their children have the funds needed to pay the taxes on the assets that they will bequeath them.
Which life insurance policy would be most suited to meet the couple's needs?
Coraline owns a $250,000 whole life insurance policy. She purchased the policy last year and does not have any funds accumulated in her cash surrender value (CSV). On December 30,Coraline assigns the policy to the cancer foundation, and she plans on continuing to pay the $200 monthly premium. Coraline calls her accountant James to ask him how much of her donation she will be able to use to obtain a charitable tax credit this year.
Kirill purchases a $250,000 permanent life insurance policy on the life of his grandson, Dmitry. Kirill asks his wife Katya to pay the policy premiums and names his daughter, Natalya, as the subrogated policyholder. He does not name a beneficiary. Subsequently, Kirill dies without a will.
Who will become the new policyholder?
The company Xtra is growing. Mr. Trenet, chair of the executive committee, invites his financial security advisor, Noah, to meet with them to underwrite an annuity contract. The treasurer of Xtra offers to invest $2,500,000 of the company’s retained earnings. Before voting on a resolution to designate a policyholder, the treasurer asks Noah if Xtra can be designated as the policyholder instead of Mr. Trenet. What answer should Noah give?
Vasu, an insurance agent, meets with Francine, his new client. Francine wants to purchase a disability insurance policy. Vasu helps her complete the application form. In the process, he collects all the required medical and lifestyle information on his client and wonders what he must do with the information he collected.
Which of the following options is CORRECT?
Isaac and Natasha, Quebec residents, were married 18 years ago. At the time, they visited a notary to get married under the "separation as to property" matrimonial regime and had indicated their wish to waive the application of the division of the patrimony by agreement. After experiencing a series of personal crises, the couple is now divorcing.
Which of the following assets, if any, will they have to separate when they divorce?
Samya and Gary, who are both insurance representatives, are having lunch together. Gary has been very successful for several years and proposes a scheme to Samya to get insurance proposals signed for a fictional company they would create together. He believes that this system would make them millionaires in about ten years. Gary advises Samya to keep their conversation a secret. If Samya agrees to Gary’s proposal, what sanctions could she face?
Ontario residents, Juan and Maria, are a married couple approaching retirement. They have asked their representative, Carlow, to review the details of Maria’s defined benefit plan (DBPP).
Which of the following statements about Maria's pension is CORRECT?
Alec is sure he sent his insurer his annual life insurance premium payment. The insurer did not receive it, however. The insurer then sent Alec a notice of non-payment of premiums, but Alec had moved in the meantime. Therefore, he never got the notice, even though he had emailed hisfinancial security advisor, Olivier, to inform him of his change of address. Unfortunately, Olivier was on a leave of absence and no one else in the firm took over the file. As a result, the policy lapsed. Alec sent Olivier’s firm several emails to complain, but no one responded. Which organization can Alec turn to?
Claudie’s mother has been the policyholder and beneficiary of an insurance policy on the life of Claudie since she was five years of age. Claudie is now the mother of a three-month-old boy. Claudie would like for Marc-André, her de facto spouse, to be the beneficiary of the policy. What steps need to be taken in order for this to happen?
Valerie, age 42, recently left her job after 15 years of service. She participated in a defined contribution pension plan and had accumulated benefits amounting to $88,000, eligible for transfer into a registered contract. What must Valerie do with this money?
Concilius has had a whole life (permanent) insurance policy for the past eight years. He decides he no longer wants this policy and stops paying the premiums. The cash value keeps the policy in effect for 28 months, after which it lapses. However, 46 months later, Concilius regrets his decision and applies to reinstate his policy. He is prepared to prove that he still meets the insurability conditions and to pay the overdue premiums plus interest, the cash value used, and the interest. Under what conditions will Concilius’ policy be reinstated?
Justin decides to lease the personal vehicle of his friend Simon, who owns a window installation company. They agree on Justin having exclusive use of the vehicle in exchange for some renovations on Simon's house. What type of contract is this?
Benjamin is a financial security advisor working for the Larson Group. He is following a mandatory compliance training session given by Andrew, the compliance manager. Andrew explains the importance of following the Chambre de la sécurité financière code of ethics, and Benjamin would like to know to whom the code of ethics applies.
What is Andrew's CORRECT response?
Angus is involved in a motorcycle accident and due to his injuries has to spend a few nights in thehospital. He is released from the hospital with a doctor's note indicating that he is able to perform certain parts of his job, but that it would take months until he can be back to normal. He promptly calls his insurance agent Dawn to ask her if he would be entitled to his disability benefits. Dawn reads his policy and tells him that he will not receive any disability benefits.
Which disability definition is MOST LIKELY included in his policy?
Juliette owns a medium-sized business with approximately 100 employees. Three years ago, she set up a small group benefits plan. Her employees, however, are unhappy with the coverages offered under the plan. Moreover, for tax purposes, the group plan shares the cost of disability premiums with the employees—an expense they do not welcome. What should Juliette’s agent tell her?
Eric is a group benefits specialist and he is meeting with Lionel to review his company’s benefits plan after it has been in force for one year. The biggest issue to bring up with Lionel is that his premiums are going to increase. What is the reason as to why the premiums would increase after one year?
Kerry is 52 years old and he is purchasing additional coverage on his individual disability income insurance policy using a future purchase option. His income has increased about 35% since he took out the policy four years ago. What is Kerry guaranteed to receive as a result of the rider?
Xavier meets and fills out an application form with Jose, an insurance representative, because he would like to purchase a critical illness insurance policy. When Jose asks Xavier about his alcohol consumption, Xavier admits he regularly drinks 10 beers a day.
What is the next step in the application process?
Jonas recently graduated with his engineering degree and is joining the Alberta Engineering Association. He is informed that the association offers a group plan to all members. Jonas wants to join the plan but wishes to know who will pay the premiums for the coverage.
Which of the following answers is CORRECT?
Patricia is a laboratory technician who normally earns $4,000 a month. A few months ago, she injured her leg rollerblading and was unable to work for four months. Since she owns a disability insurance policy with a residual benefit option, she received $2,400 a month from the insurer. Now that she is recovered, her doctor has cleared her to slowly return to work. Since she cannot work her regular full-time hours, her pay has decreased to $3,000 a month.
How much will she receive from her residual benefit when she returns to work?
Josephine visits her dentist in downtown Victoria, BC, to have a cavity filled. The procedure costs her $550 but the maximum fee for a standard filling, according to the provincial dental schedule, is $400. Josephine works for a company that offers employees group dental coverage with a yearly maximum of $1,000 and an 80% co-insurance factor.
How much will Josephine receive from the insurer for her procedure?
Tyler, a group insurance agent, is meeting with Yolanda, the director of his new group insurance client, Compact Funds Inc., to set up the company’s plan. Compact Funds employs over 30 employees, and Tyler recommends that they implement a contributory plan. Yolanda would like to understand what this means. Which of the following statements about contributory plans is CORRECT?
A few months ago, Urmish filed a complaint to the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) about the services he received from his insurance agent, Jaba. The complaint was heard by the discipline committee, and Jaba was found guilty and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Jaba is upset and does not agree with the verdict. She would like to appeal the verdict.
Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
Xander fills out a life insurance application to purchase a $75,000 policy. The policy is accepted by the insurer and delivered to him on March 3. He pays the first month’s premium upon receipt of the policy. Unfortunately, on March 9, Xander loses his job and decides that he no longer wants the policy. What will be the consequence of this cancellation?
Andre, an insurance agent, meets with his client Jasper to discuss his $150,000 whole life insurance policy. Jasper is deeply indebted and needs at least $40,000 to cover his debt. Andre tells him about a company he knows that will be willing to give him $75,000 if he assigns his policy to them. Did Andre act appropriately?
Cassie applies for a $100,000 renewable 10-year term insurance policy through Mason, her insurance of persons representative. A month later, when Mason meets with Cassie again to deliver her contract, Cassie says she had to have a biopsy the previous week for a persistent cough. Mason tells her not to worry because the policy is already accepted. He completes the policy delivery. Six months later, Mason receives a call from Cassie's boyfriend informing him that Cassie died of stage 4 throat cancer.
How will the insurance company handle the claim?
Jane took out a $100,000 Term 20 life insurance policy on herself when she got her first baby. She does not work and has no group insurance coverage. Five years later, she got another two newborn babies and needed greater insurance coverage to support her children financially in case of her own death. Jane talked to her insurance agent about having more coverage and, rather than having multiple policies, she decided to have one policy for the total coverage amount. She made an application to the life insurance company to change the coverage from $100,000 to $300,000. She is still in good health and the request for change has been approved. One year later, Jane took her own life after losing her husband in a tragic car accident. Based on the situation, how will the insurance company pay out the claim?
Trisha is new to the insurance industry and wants to understand the primary responsibility of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations (CISRO). Which of the followingstatements about CISRO is CORRECT?
Ten years ago, Albert purchased a life insurance policy and designated his brother Stephen as the sole beneficiary. Albert is single and Stephen is his only family. Albert is a frequent traveler and enjoys doing exotic sports in South Africa. During his trip in South Africa in July 2019, there was a heavy earthquake in the region and a lot of the buildings fell apart. It was reported that Albert could be drinking in one of the restaurants when the disaster happened. His body was not located at that time. The South African government declared the incident as a national disaster. After the incident, Stephen got a letter from the life insurance company indicating Albert’s life insurance was in grace period and a payment was required or it will lapse on August 15, 2019. Two weeks have passedsince the mail arrived and the grace period is over. The policy is now lapsed because Stephen was occupied with Albert’s disappearance. On October 1, 2019, Albert’s body is finally located in one of the building ashes. The coroner’s report indicated he died when the building collapsed. What should Stephen do to handle the life insurance matter?
Janice meets with Patrick, an insurance agent, to review her investment needs. Patrick suggests that she invest in segregated funds. Janice is not familiar with these types of funds.
What information can Patrick provide to Janice to help her understand the advantages of segregated funds?
Sebastian is a 44-year-old sales representative employed at Premier Aqua. He wants to take a year off to travel and relax. He has worked for the company for 25 years and accumulated $230,000 in adeferred profit sharing plan (DPSP). He would like to know if he can use some of the funds in his DPSP to fund his sabbatical.
Seven years ago, Amber invested $150,000 in a non-registered equity segregated fund. Her investment grew, and today, the market value of her fund is $165,000. She places an order to redeem her fund and she wants to know how her investment will be taxed.
Aadi is retiring from Scotia Grand, his employer of 25 years. While employed, Aadi benefitted from the company's deferred profit sharing plan (DPSP) and over the years, he accumulated $75,000.
Where should Aadi transfer these funds on a tax-deferral basis, now that he is retired?
Mohammed is an employee at Optima Plus Inc. Over the years, he accumulated $15,000 in the company's group plan. He knows that his contributions into the plan are not tax-deductible, and he is not taxed on the funds when he makes a withdrawal.
What type of plan does Mohammed have with his employer?
Arianna, a healthy 61-year-old university professor, is retiring this year and wants to transfer the funds she accumulated in her registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) into an annuity. She is looking at different options and would like to know which of the following annuities will pay the highest monthly benefit.
Planet Source decides to implement a defined contribution pension plan (DCPP) for its 75 employees. The company's president appoints Josie, the human resources director, as the plan administrator.
Which of the following BEST describes Josie's responsibility as a plan administrator?
Leonard and Ashley, a couple in their early 30s, meet with Howard, an insurance agent, to review their investment needs. Leonard earns $60,000 a year as a research physicist, and Ashley earns $25,000 as an actress. They each have $3,000 in their respective chequing accounts. Leonard also has $40,000 invested in his group registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). Ashley has a Subaru WRX worth $20,000 with a car loan of $10,000. Leonard does not own a car, but he has an outstanding student loan of $30,000.
What is the couple's net worth?
Larson, an insurance agent, meets with Julia, a real estate agent, to review her insurance needs. Julia has $500 in her savings account and does not own a tax-free savings account (TFSA) or registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). She earns an average of $150,000 a year in sales commissions and rental income from two condo units she owns. The combined value of her income properties is $1,000,000, and the mortgage is $200,000.
Larson recommends that Julia open a TFSA and use it to invest $400 a month in a money market fund.
Which of the following personal risks is Larson trying to mitigate with this advice?
Jean, who is in business, would like to understand why his segregated funds, which resemble mutual funds, allow this type of asset to be sheltered from creditors. How should Patrice, his financial security advisor, answer?
Kevin owns a construction business and wants to take out accident and sickness insurance to protect his income in the event of disability. On his application form, he indicated that he had competed in motocross races over the past five years. What requirements does Kevin need to comply with before the insurer can issue the policy?
Amani owns Amani's Passions, an eco-friendly cosmetics company she started in her garage three years ago. The business is booming—so much so that Amani's Passions recently hired over 20 employees to keep up with demand. Now Amani wants to set up a group insurance plan for her staff.
Whose role is it to solicit quotes from insurers and put the right plan in place?