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?
A specialty fund would be the most suitable option for Hussein, given his specific interest in the pharmaceutical sector. Specialty funds focus on specific sectors or industries, allowing investors to capitalize on particular market views and trends. Hussein's belief in the potential growth of the pharmaceutical sector and his comfort with market fluctuations over a long investment horizon aligns well with a specialty fund. According to LLQP, specialty funds are suited for investors seeking exposure to specific industries and who are willing to accept the higher risk associated with concentrated investments.
Option A (Bond fund) does not align with Hussein's interest in the equity market, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. Options C and D (Balanced and Target date funds) are not focused on a specific sector and instead offer broader diversification across asset classes.
Ariana is a Vancouver restauranteur who owns a $250,000 universal life (UL) insurance policy with a cash surrender value that has grown considerably over the years. Unfortunately, her restaurant has fallen on hard times and in an effort to turn the business around, she takes out a string of business loans that she personally guaranteed. To protect her life insurance from creditors, she changes the beneficiary designation from her estate, naming her husband as a revocable beneficiary. Despite her efforts, the restaurant's profits do not improve, and she is forced to close her business and file for bankruptcy. Can her creditors seize her cash surrender value?
In most Canadian provinces, if a policyholder names a spouse as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, the cash surrender value of the policy is generally protected from creditors, as long as the spouse qualifies as a ''protected class'' beneficiary. By designating her husband as a beneficiary, Ariana's policy benefits and cash surrender value are typically shielded from her personal creditors, even in the event of bankruptcy.
However, if she had named her estate as the beneficiary, the cash surrender value could have been subject to claims by creditors during her bankruptcy.
Laekyn purchased an individual disability insurance policy 3 years ago from Awah, her insurance agent. Today, Awah receives a call from Laekyn, who says she is hospitalized following a suicide attempt. Laekyn says her doctor diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and expects she will be able to return to work in 3 months.
Will Awah be able to help Laekyn receive disability benefits?
Most individual disability insurance policies include a two-year incontestability clause, after which the insurer cannot deny claims due to misrepresentations on the application, unless they involve fraud. Since Laekyn's policy was purchased over three years ago, and assuming there was no fraudulent application, she should be eligible for benefits. The fact that her disability is related to a suicide attempt is not an automatic disqualification beyond this period unless specifically excluded by the policy. Therefore, the insurer should process her claim under the standard disability terms of the policy.
Emeka, a new insurance agent with Sunrise Insurance, meets with her client, Mosi. After analyzing Mosi's needs, Emeka determines that Mosi's current life insurance coverage with Starlight Insurance is more than sufficient. Nevertheless, she persuades Mosi to cancel his existing coverage and buy a new life insurance policy with Sunrise Insurance. She believes this is a good compromise because Mosi will have the coverage he needs, and the new transaction will pay her a commission. Which of the following offences did Emeka commit?
Twisting involves persuading a client to replace an existing insurance policy with a new one from a different insurer, often to earn a commission, without a clear benefit to the client. Emeka's action of convincing Mosi to cancel his sufficient coverage with Starlight Insurance to purchase a new policy with Sunrise Insurance, primarily for her commission, constitutes twisting. This practice is generally considered unethical, as it may not be in the best interest of the client and can lead to unnecessary costs and potential coverage gaps.
Churning, on the other hand, usually involves replacing policies within the same company to generate additional commissions, which does not apply here.
Owen meets with his insurance agent, Rachel, to review his investments. Owen is interested in segregated funds. In particular, he wants to know more about the reset feature.
What should Rachel tell Owen about resetting his funds?
Rachel should inform Owen that some segregated funds offer an automatic reset feature, which adjusts the guaranteed value periodically based on the fund's market performance. This can lock in gains during rising markets without requiring manual intervention. According to LLQP resources, automatic resets can occur on specific anniversaries or under certain conditions specified in the contract.
Option A is incorrect as not all segregated funds offer a reset feature. Option C is incorrect as there may be costs associated with funds that provide reset options. Option D is incorrect because resets typically lock in gains, not losses.
