Free Practice Questions for CSI IFC Exam

Factors that increase a mutual fund’s management expense ratio (MER) include investing in foreign equities and paying trailer fees, as these add to operational costs. The feedback from the document states:

"Four factors primarily affect the management expense ratio. Funds that invest in foreign equities; are small in size; are managed by an outside specialist firm; and charge trailer fees will have higher management expense ratios."

Overconfidence bias leads investors to overestimate their knowledge or the reliability of information, such as a “hot tip,” prompting them to act without sufficient due diligence. The feedback from the document states:

"Overconfidence is defined generally as unwarranted faith in one’s intuitive reasoning, judgements and cognitive abilities. People tend to overestimate both their predictive abilities as well as the precision of the information they have been given. For example, an investor may get a tip from a wealth advisor or read something on the Internet about an investment opportunity, and then take action (that is, make the decision to invest) based on her perceived knowledge advantage."

To calculate Peter’s net federal tax liability for the year, we need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Calculate Peter’s taxable income. This is the amount of income that is subject to federal income tax. It is equal to his earned income from employment plus his net capital gain plus his grossed-up dividend income. A net capital gain is 50% of the capital gain realized from selling an asset. A grossed-up dividend income is the actual dividend received plus a percentage of the dividend that reflects the corporate tax paid by the issuer. According to the image, the dividend gross-up rate is 15.02%. Therefore, Peter’s taxable income is:

50000+0.5×15000+(500×2)×(1+0.1502)=68251.00

Step 2: Apply the federal tax rates to Peter’s taxable income according to the tax brackets shown in the image. The federal tax rates are progressive, meaning that higher income is taxed at higher rates. Therefore, Peter’s federal tax before credits is:

0.15×(48535−0)+0.205×(68251−48535)=11293.69

Step 3: Subtract the federal tax credits from Peter’s federal tax before credits. A tax credit is an amount that reduces the tax payable by a taxpayer. There are two types of federal tax credits: non-refundable and refundable. Non-refundable tax credits can only reduce the tax payable to zero, but not below zero. Refundable tax credits can reduce the tax payable below zero, resulting in a refund to the taxpayer. In this question, we assume that Peter only has two non-refundable tax credits: the basic personal amount and the dividend tax credit. The basic personal amount is a fixed amount that every taxpayer can claim to reduce their taxable income. According to this site, the basic personal amount for 2021 is $13,808. The dividend tax credit is a percentage of the grossed-up dividend income that reflects the corporate tax paid by the issuer and avoids double taxation. According to this site, the federal dividend tax credit rate for eligible dividends in 2021 is 15.0198%. Therefore, Peter’s federal tax credits are:

0.15×13808+0.150198×(500×2)×0.1502=2100

Step 4: Subtract Peter’s federal tax credits from his federal tax before credits to get his net federal tax liability. This is the amount of federal income tax that Peter has to pay or has overpaid for the year. Therefore, Peter’s net federal tax liability is:

11293.69−2100=9193.69

Hence, option B is correct. References: Federal Income Tax Rates for Canada - TurboTax Canada Tips, Capital Gains Tax in Canada | Wealthsimple, Dividend Tax Credit | TurboTax Canada Tips, Basic Personal Amount (BPA)

 C is correct because bond funds receive fixed interest payments from most of their investments, as they invest mainly in bonds and other fixed-income securities that pay a regular coupon rate. Dividend funds receive variable dividend payments from most of their investments, as they invest mainly in stocks and other equity securities that pay dividends based on the company’s earnings and policies. The return of dividend funds does not rely only on interest rates (A), but also on other factors such as stock prices, earnings growth, dividend yield, and dividend payout ratio. The return of bond funds also depends on interest rates, as well as other factors such as credit quality, maturity, duration, and yield curve. When interest rates rise, the NAVPU of both bond funds and dividend funds decreases (B), not rises, as it lowers the present value of their future cash flows. Bond fund distributions do not receive more favorable tax treatment than that of dividend funds (D), but rather less favorable, as interest income is fully taxable at the investor’s marginal tax rate while eligible dividends receive a dividend tax credit that reduces their taxable amount.

An income statement is a financial report that shows the earnings and expenses of a business over a period of time, such as a month, a quarter, or a year. It also shows the net income or net loss of the business, which is the difference between the total revenues and the total expenses. An income statement helps investors and creditors evaluate the profitability, performance, and risk of a business. The other options are not accurate descriptions of an income statement. Option A describes retained earnings, which are part of the equity section of the balance sheet. Option B describes contributed capital, which is also part of the equity section of the balance sheet. Option D describes the balance sheet, which is another financial statement that shows the assets, liabilities, and equity of a business at a specific point in time. References: Income Statement - Definition, Explanation and Examples, Income Statement: How to Read and Use It - Investopedia, How to Prepare an Income Statement | HBS Online

The lifetime RESP contribution limit is $50,000 per beneficiary.

Monique has already contributed $45,000.

Remaining contribution room = $50,000 – $45,000 = $5,000.

Even though she wants to contribute $7,000, the maximum allowed is $5,000.

Thus, the correct answer is B. $5,000.

Given Jeff’s low wealth level and strong emotional biases, the advisor should moderate and adapt to these emotional biases to ensure suitable investment recommendations. The feedback from the document states:

"Jeff has a relatively low level of wealth and strong emotional biases; that’s why the advisor should moderate and adapt to Jeff’s emotional biases."

Investment funds, commonly referred to as mutual funds, are the longest-established form of managed funds. The Investment Funds in Canada course explains that mutual funds have existed for decades and were created to allow individual investors to pool their money and gain access to professionally managed, diversified portfolios. This structure predates hedge funds, segregated funds, and discretionary portfolio management services.

Hedge funds are a relatively recent development and are generally restricted to accredited or sophisticated investors. Segregated funds were introduced later by insurance companies and combine investment features with insurance guarantees. Discretionary management is a service model rather than a fund structure and became more prominent as wealth management evolved.

The CIFC text emphasizes that mutual funds form the foundation of the Canadian managed products industry due to their accessibility, regulatory oversight, and long history. Because investment (mutual) funds were the first widely available managed investment vehicle, Option B is the correct and fully verified answer.

Inflation is the general increase in the prices of goods and services over time. Inflation reduces the purchasing power of money, meaning that a dollar can buy less than it used to. Inflation also erodes the real value of investment income, such as interest, dividends, and capital gains. Therefore, an increase in the inflation rate could mean that investors have less money to invest, as their income and savings lose value.

References = Canadian Investment Funds Course, Unit 5: Types of Investments, Lesson 1: Economic Factors and Financial Markets, Section 5.1.2: Inflation1; CIFC prepkit, Chapter 5: Types of Investments, Question 5.1.2 2