85 SIE Practice Exam Questions with Correct Answers
The Sierra Verde Coffee Company recently developed a new flavor, jasmine chili salted
mocha. Unfortunately, the coffee has a horrible taste, and the company discontin
...
85 SIE Practice Exam Questions with Correct Answers
The Sierra Verde Coffee Company recently developed a new flavor, jasmine chili salted
mocha. Unfortunately, the coffee has a horrible taste, and the company discontinues the
flavor. The costs involved in bringing the new product to market combined with the drop
in sales and a reputational hit have translated into a significant drop in the price of the
stock. This is an example of what type of risk?
A) Market risk
B) Interest rate risk
C) Business risk
D) Default risk >>> C) Business risk
Risk that arises out of a poor business decision is business risk. Interest rate risk and
default risk impact bond values. Market risk impacts the entire market.
Which of the following is an example of systematic risk?
A) Interest rate risk
B) Default risk
C) Call risk
D) Business risk >>> A) Interest rate risk
Interest rate risk affects all fixed-income investments in a similar way due to the inverse
relationship. Business and default risk are issuer specific. Call risk is issue specific, and
is generally seen as unsystematic.
In the event of a corporate bankruptcy, which of the following is true?
A) A shareholder's liability is limited to the amount invested when shares were
purchased.
B) A shareholder has unlimited liability as an owner of the corporation.
C) A shareholder can be obligated to liquidate personal assets to meet the liabilities of
the corporation.
D) A shareholder can be required to rebate all dividends received during ownership to
meet the liabilities of the corporation. >>> A) A shareholder's liability is limited to the
amount invested when shares were purchased.
Shareholders have limited liability and are personally at risk only for the amount that
was invested.
Which of the following is not reported on Form U4?
A) Aliases
B) Marital status
C) Employment historyD) Residency history >>> B) Marital status
Marital status is not on Form U4. The form requires a 5-year residency history, 10-year
employment history, and any aliases you use.
Risk that is difficult to reduce by diversification within an asset class is called which of
these?
A) Financial risk
B) Unsystematic risk
C) Nonsystematic risk
D) Systematic risk >>> D) Systematic risk
Systematic risk affects an entire asset class in the same way, so diversification does
little to reduce systematic risks.
Market and interest rate risk are examples. Unsystematic and nonsystematic risk are
different terms for the same class of risk. Financial risk is a specific nonsystematic risk.
An investor with no other positions in LMN stock purchases 600 shares at the market.
This investor is:
A) short LMN stock and bullish.
B) short LMN stock and bearish.
C) long LMN stock and bullish.
D) long LMN stock and bearish. >>> C) long LMN stock and bullish.
With no other positions in LMN stock, the purchase was an opening transaction. Having
purchased the stock in an opening transaction, the investor now has a long position in
LMN stock and is bullish—wanting to see the stock rise in value.
An IRA can be funded using all of the following except:
A) stocks and bonds.
B) an investment company.
C) securities.
D) works of art. >>> D) works of art.
IRAs can be funded with stocks, bonds, investment company securities (open- and
closed-end funds), U.S.-minted gold and silver coins, and many other securities.
There are, however, certain investments that are ineligible in an IRA such as
collectibles, antiques works of art, and others.
As participants in a firm commitment underwriting agreement, the underwriters know
that:A) they, the underwriters, will not be at risk for any securities left unsold.
B) they, the underwriters, will be acting as principals buying the securities from the
issuer.
C) if shares cannot be sold to the public, the issuer will not be able to raise all of the
capital needed as an agent.
D) for the issuer, they are only committing to making their best effort to sell securities for
them. >>> B) they, the underwriters, will be acting as principals buying the securities
from the issuer.
In a firm commitment, the underwriters contract with the issuer to buy the securities
from them and thus are acting as principals rather than agents. In this type of
underwriting, it is the underwriters who are at risk for any shares they cannot sell to the
public, not the issuer. The issuer knows that ultimately all of the securities will be sold
and all of the capital needed will be raised.
Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts may be opened for beneficiaries at
what age?
A) Before the beneficiary's 26th birthday
B) On or after the beneficiary's 26th birthday
C) Any age
D) Before the beneficiary reaches the age of majority in their home state >>> C) Any
age
The age limit for ABLE accounts is based on the onset of disability, not their current
age. The onset must be before they turn 26 years old.
For common shareholders, which of the following true?
A) Dividends declared by the board of directors represent neither income nor growth.
B) An increase in the value of shares owned represents growth or capital appreciation.
C) An increase in the value of shares owned represents income.
D) Dividends declared by the board of directors represent growth or capital
appreciation. >>> B) An increase in the value of shares owned represents growth or
capital appreciation.For shareholders, an increase in the value of shares owned represents growth or capital
appreciation, while any dividends paid represent income.
If Edna moves $50,000 from a maturing certificate of deposit to her checking account,
which of the following measures of money supply would change?
A) All of these
B) M2
C) M3
D) M1 >>> D) M1
This move would only impact M1.
M1 is a component of M2 and M3, so the funds never leave those measurements. The
only change would be an increase in M1.
The Windmill Alternative Energy Fund offers its shares to the public at the fund's net
asset value (NAV) based on the next calculation of that figure. Based on this, you can
say that the fund is
A) a no-load fund.
B) a closed-end fund.
C) a front-end load fund.
D) a hedge fund. >>> A) a no-load fund.
Offering shares at the next NAV calculation is a characteristic of mutual funds and other
open-end management companies (called forward pricing). If a mutual fund has a public
offering price equal to its NAV, it has no sales charge and is therefore a no-load fund.
Details surrounding a termination must be included with a Form U-5 filing for all of the
reasons below except:
A) other.
B) discharged.
C) death.
D) permitted to resign. >>> C) death.
Death is self-explanatory. All of the others require a full explanation as to the
circumstances of the termination.
An investor owns a municipal bond fund. What is the tax status of distributions from the
fund?
A) Income is tax free, but capital gains distributions are taxable.
B) Income is taxable, but capital gains distributions are tax free.C) Both income and capital gains distributions are taxable.
D) Both income and capital gains distributions are tax free. >>> A) Income is tax free,
but capital gains distributions are taxable.
Interest income distributed from municipal bond funds is normally tax free to an investor.
Trading profits from portfolio adjustments, however, are taxable at capital gains rates.
An investor is selling shares of Rule 144 restricted stock after holding it the required
length of time. The buyers of these shares are purchasing shares of stock that:
A) are now considered registered but will still be subject to a holding period.
B) will still be unregistered and will still be subject to a holding period.
C) will still be unregistered but no longer subject to a holding period.
D) are now considered registered and no longer held to a holding period. >>> D) are
now considered registered and no longer held to a holding period.
Shares being sold subject to Rule 144 after having met the required holding period are
now effectively considered registered. These registered shares are being purchased
unencumbered and no longer require that any holding period be met.
A registered representative (RR) wants to give employees of another broker-dealer
located in the same office building $20 boxes of chocolates for the holiday season.
Which of the following is true?
A) The gifts are permitted if no condition of sales or reciprocal business is expected,
and the RR's employing firm gives prior approval.
B) The gifts do not violate the annual dollar gift limit threshold and are therefore
permitted in all circumstances with no approval required.
C) The gifts would not be permitted, as all gifts to other member firm employees are
strictly prohibited.
D)Because the gifts are not conditional on sales or reciprocal business from the other
member firm, no permission is needed from the RR's employing firm to give the gifts.
>>> A) The gifts are permitted if no condition of sales or reciprocal business is
expected, and the RR's employing firm gives prior approval.
Broker-dealers or their associated persons may not distribute business-related gifts or
gratuities to the employees of other member firms. However, a broker-dealer may give
other firms' employees gratuities without violating the rules, provided the compensation
is not conditional on sales or promises of sales, the employing member has given priorapproval, and the compensation's value given to any one person does not exceed the
annual limit set by the regulatory bodies (currently $100 per year).
Your customer, Rodrigo, is 40 years old. He is married and has four sons. Five years
ago, he purchased a nonqualified variable annuity for $20,000. It has grown to $25,000
by the time he withdraws $10,000 to pay for his oldest son's college tuition. How will the
withdrawal be taxed?
A) $5,000 tax free and ordinary income, plus a 10% penalty on the other $5,000
B) No taxes on the withdrawal if customer specifies it is from principal only
C) Ordinary income on $10,000
D) Ordinary income and a 10% penalty on the entire amount of the withdrawal >>> A)
$5,000 tax free and ordinary income, plus a 10% penalty on the other $5,000
Any withdrawal from a variable annuity must first come from any growth in the portfolio.
All growth is taxed as ordinary income in the year it is withdrawn. If the owner is under
59½ at the time of withdrawal, there is a 10% penalty on the taxable portion of the
withdrawal. Once any growth has been exhausted, what remains is principal. There are
no taxes on the return of principal.
A registered representative is introducing options terminology to a client. Of the
following, which explanation regarding owners and writers of listed equity option call
contracts would be true?
A) The owner of a call has the right to exercise the contract, and the writer would then
be assigned the obligation to buy shares from the owner at the strike price.
B) The owner of a call has the right to exercise the contract, and the writer would then
have the right to buy shares from the owner at the strike price.
C) The owner of a call has the right to exercise the contract, and the writer would then
be assigned and obligated to sell shares to the owner at the strike price.
D) The owner of a call is obligated to exercise the contract to sell shares to the writer,
who may choose to purchase them or not. >>> C) The owner of a call has the right to
exercise the contract, and the writer would then be assigned and obligated to sell
shares to the owner at the strike price.
Owners of option contracts have the right to exercise, and writers are obligated to
perform when they are assigned.In the case of an equity call contract, the owner has the right to exercise the contract to
purchase shares at the strike price, and the writer would then be assigned and obligated
to sell the shares at the strike price.
Your customer, Cecelia, is 40 years old. She is married and has four sons. Her third
child, age 13, has committed to going to college at the prestigious Bookworm Institute of
Los Angeles in Southern California. Cecelia and her spouse have noted the rapid
increase in the school's tuition over the past few years and are worried about their
savings keeping pace with tuition costs. They also express discomfort with the
uncertainties in market returns. Which of the following is the most suitable
recommendation for the customer?
A) A Coverdell ESA account
B) A 529 college savings plan
C) A 529 prepaid tuition plan
D) A custodial account in the name of the minor >>> C) A 529 prepaid tuition plan
529 prepaid tuition plans are designed to protect against inflation in tuition costs. Both
the college savings and ESA are likely exposed to market risk, as is the custodial
account. Additionally, the custodial account is not earmarked for education, and the
minor may take control of the account when she reaches the age of majority.
Joshua, a registered representative, calls a prospect at 7:00 pm only to be told that the
caller is in a different time zone, where it is 10:00 pm. Joshua has done which of these?
A) Not a violation because the rule is no longer valid due to emerging mobile technology
B) Violated the TCPA because it is after 9:00 pm the prospect's time
C) Not a violation because the area code was local to Joshua's location
D) Not violated the TCPA because it is still within the allowed time at his location >>> B)
Violated the TCPA because it is after 9:00 pm the prospect's time
This is still a violation. The rule clearly states that the time requirements are based on
the prospective customer's time. The existence of cell phones does not invalidate the
law.
A broker-dealer must make a reasonable effort to obtain the name and contact
information for a trusted contact person for a senior customer when doing which of
these?
A) Opening an account and annually thereafter
B) Opening an account or when updating account information
C) Opening an account and every two years thereafterD) Opening an account and on the customer's birthday every third year >>> B) Opening
an account or when updating account information
The requirement is to attempt to obtain this information when opening the account and
whenever updating existing account information.
Supply-side economists believe that the government should:
A) use taxation to increase or decrease the money supply.
B) use fiscal policy to control the demand for goods and services.
C) allow market forces to determine prices of all goods.
D) manipulate the money supply to bring about stability in prices. >>> C) allow market
forces to determine prices of all goods.
Supply-side economics holds that the government should allow market forces to
determine prices of all goods.
Monetarists believe the quantity of money—the money supply—is the major
determinant of price levels
and according to Keynes, a government's fiscal policies determine the country's
economic health. Fiscal policy involves adjusting the level of taxation and government
spending.
You are recommending the purchase of the XYZ Growth Fund to one of your clients,
and you explain that the fund operates pursuant to a 12b-1 plan. Under the terms
described in the prospectus, the fee is:
A) reduced on purchases that reach or exceed specified breakpoints.
B) included in the sales charge when shares are purchased.
C) a part of the fee paid to the fund's investment manager.
D) part of the expense ratio of the fund. >>> D) part of the expense ratio of the fund.
A 12b-1 fee is deducted each quarter from a mutual fund's assets to cover the costs of
marketing and distributing the fund to investors.
A company's net worth belongs to its owners (shareholders). The net worth for a
company is computed as:
A) assets divided by liabilities.
B) liabilities plus assets.
C) fixed assets less liabilities.
D) assets less liabilities. >>> D) assets less liabilities.
The basic net worth computation is business assets minus the company's liabilities.A common shareholder's preemptive right is the right to:
A) share in earnings of the corporation via dividends when declared.
B) any increase in share value between the time purchased and sold.
C) vote for board members when vacancies arise.
D) maintain a proportionate share of ownership in the corporation. >>> D) maintain a
proportionate share of ownership in the corporation.
A shareholder's preemptive right is the right to maintain a proportionate share of
ownership in the corporation.
If a corporation wants to issue additional shares, existing shareholders have the right to
purchase those shares in an amount that would keep their proportionate ownership in
the corporation unchanged.
For tax purposes, which of the following is not associated with being reportable as
ordinary income?
A) Rent or lease payments received
B) Interest received from debt securities
C) Gains from securities transactions
D) Wages earned >>> C) Gains from securities transactions
Ordinary income can be defined as the income earned from interest, wages, rents,
royalties, and similar income streams.
Capital gains are usually associated with the sale or exchange of property, including
securities.
If a representative possesses material inside information about a publicly traded
company, under which of the following circumstances may he communicate this
information to a customer?
A) If the customer knows it is inside information
B) Under no circumstances
C) If the customer enters an unsolicited order
D) If the information will be made public the next day >>> B) Under no circumstances
Inside information may never be divulged to a client. Violations are punishable with both
civil and criminal penalties.
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 covers all of the following except:
A) issuance of corporate securities.
B) broker-dealers and associated persons.
C) trading of corporate securities.D) manipulative, deceptive devices. >>> A) issuance of corporate securities
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the People and Places Act) regulates the
secondary market, including strict prohibitions from using manipulative, deceptive, or
other fraudulent tactics.
The Securities Act of 1933 (the Paper Act) regulates the primary market.
Rob takes a job with Seacoast Securities, a FINRA member broker-dealer firm, as a
receptionist in a branch. Which of the following activities may violate the rules
concerning activities of registered persons?
A) Providing a prospectus in response to the customer request
B) Directing a customer to a flyer for a specific mutual fund that Rob really likes
C) Directing a customer to the restroom
D) Directing a customer to a deli Rob really likes >>> B) Directing a customer to a flyer
for a specific mutual fund that Rob really likes
Nonregistered persons may not engage in investment banking activities. Giving a
customer information on an investment without their prior request is likely to be seen as
a recommendation.
Member Bank A wants to borrow from the Federal Reserve Bank's window. What would
be the interest rate on this loan?
A) The federal funds rate
B) The prime rate
C) The discount rate
D) Zero percent, since members are prohibited from charging other members interest
>>> C) The discount rate
Member banks borrow from the Federal Reserve Bank's "discount window" at the
discount rate. Member-to-member borrowing and lending is made at the federal funds
rate.
The prime rate is set by individual banks and is the rate of interest charged to a bank's
best customers.
A client and her spouse own shares in the ACE Fund as tenants in common. If each has
a 50% ownership interest in the account, and the client dies, what happens to the
shares in the account?
A) Her spouse would automatically own all the shares.
B) Half of the shares would belong to her spouse, and the remaining half would be
distributed to her estate.
C) Ownership of the shares would be determined by probate court.D) The account would be liquidated. >>> B) Half of the shares would belong to her
spouse, and the remaining half would be distributed to her estate.
In a TIC account, securities pass to the deceased owner's estate.
If consumer prices are steadily dropping from month to month, this is known as what?
A) Disinflation
B) Stagflation
C) Deflation
D) Inflation >>> C) Deflation
Deflation is a steady drop in consumer prices. Inflation is a steady increase in those
process.
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