IFSE Institute LLQP - Life License Qualification Program (LLQP)

Since Caleb is looking for a fund that mirrors the S&P/TSX Composite index, an index fund would be the best choice. Index funds are specifically designed to track the performance of a specific index, providing broad market exposure at a low cost. This aligns with Caleb’s objectives of long-term investment with a strategy that matches a known market benchmark, as emphasized in LLQP’s sections on investment options​.

Other options like equity, dividend, and target date funds do not directly track an index in the way that an index fund does, making them less suitable for Caleb’s stated preference.

According to the LLQP Group Savings and Pension Plans curriculum, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan (DBPP) represents a significant long-term obligation for an employer. In a DBPP, the employer guarantees a specific retirement benefit to employees, typically based on years of service and earnings. As a result, the employer bears the investment risk and funding responsibility. Because of this obligation, pension legislation places strict limits on when and how such a plan may be terminated.

The most clear-cut circumstance under which a defined benefit pension plan may be terminated is when the employer becomes insolvent or goes bankrupt. In this situation, the employer is no longer financially capable of maintaining the plan. Pension standards legislation recognizes that continuing the plan is no longer feasible, and the plan may be wound up. This is why Option C is correct. Even in bankruptcy, however, employee pension rights are protected to the extent possible, and pension assets must be distributed according to legislated priorities.

Options A and B are incorrect because business growth—whether faster company growth or a rapid increase in plan membership—does not justify terminating a DBPP. In fact, growth often strengthens a company’s ability to support pension obligations rather than undermining it. Pension plans are designed to accommodate changes in workforce size and business expansion.

Option D is also incorrect. When a company is sold to another employer with an identical or comparable pension plan, pension legislation generally allows the plan to be continued or transferred, rather than terminated. The intent of pension regulation is to preserve employees’ accrued benefits, not eliminate them due to corporate restructuring.

The LLQP curriculum emphasizes that DBPPs are highly regulated precisely because employees rely on them for retirement security. Termination is therefore permitted only in exceptional circumstances, with employer insolvency being the most definitive example.

Accordingly, the most accurate and LLQP-compliant answer is Option C.