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Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs) — Series 7 FINRA practice questions

65 multiple-choice questions and 48 flashcards on Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs), about 10% of the Series 7 FINRA bank. Every one carries a written rationale.

Written and maintained by Nick Burton · last updated 2026-08-22 · how we write and review questions

What this chapter covers

Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs) is one of 9 chapters in CoStudy's Series 7 (FINRA) bank, and it holds 65 of the bank's 630 multiple-choice questions — roughly 10% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.

Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.

Free Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs) practice questions

10 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.

In a variable annuity's payout phase, if actual sub-account performance falls below the Assumed Interest Rate (AIR), the next annuity payment will:

  1. Increase
  2. Stay exactly the same
  3. Decrease
  4. Automatically convert to a fixed payment

Answer: C — Decrease

C) Correct — performance below the AIR causes the payment to fall for that period. A) Underperformance versus the AIR reduces, not increases, the payment. B) Payments fluctuate with performance relative to the AIR; they don't stay flat. D) There is no automatic conversion to a fixed payment triggered by this.

A mutual fund breakpoint is a reduction in the:

  1. Annual expense ratio
  2. Fund redemption fee
  3. Front-end sales charge
  4. Quarterly dividend rate

Answer: C — Front-end sales charge

A) Expense ratio is separate. B) Not tied to redemption fees. C) Correct — larger buys get lower load. D) Not tied to dividend payouts.

A mutual fund's expense ratio includes:

  1. Management fee only, excluding all other expenses
  2. Management fee plus front-end sales charges only
  3. Only administrative costs, excluding portfolio mgr fee
  4. Management, 12b-1, and other operating expenses

Answer: D — Management, 12b-1, and other operating expenses

A) Excludes 12b-1 and other operating costs incorrectly. B) Front-end loads are not part of the expense ratio. C) Excludes the management fee incorrectly. D) Correct — expense ratio is total annual operating expenses divided by average net assets.

A fund with a fixed number of shares outstanding that trades on an exchange at a price that may deviate from its NAV is a(n):

  1. Open-end fund
  2. Closed-end fund
  3. Money market fund
  4. Unit investment trust with a stated termination date

Answer: B — Closed-end fund

B) Correct — closed-end funds have a fixed share count and trade at market prices that can diverge from NAV. A) Open-end funds continuously issue/redeem at NAV, with no exchange-price deviation. C) Money market funds seek a stable NAV, not exchange trading. D) A UIT is a fixed, unmanaged portfolio with a set termination date — a related but distinct structure from an exchange-traded closed-end fund.

Class B mutual fund shares typically feature:

  1. A contingent deferred sales charge on redemption
  2. A front-end sales charge with no back-end fee
  3. No load and no ongoing 12b-1 fees at all
  4. A 100% front-end load fully at purchase

Answer: A — A contingent deferred sales charge on redemption

B) That describes Class A. A) Correct — CDSC that declines over years; converts to Class A eventually. C) Class B carries 12b-1 fees. D) Class B has no front-end load.

Class B mutual fund shares typically feature:

  1. A large front-end load and no ongoing 12b-1 fees
  2. A pay-per-transaction ticket charge only per trade
  3. An institutional-only R6 share class structure only
  4. No front-end load, a 12b-1 fee, and declining CDSC

Answer: D — No front-end load, a 12b-1 fee, and declining CDSC

A) Class B has no front-end load; 12b-1 does apply. B) That describes a wrap or brokerage account. C) That is R6, not Class B. D) Correct — Class B: no front load, 12b-1 fee, CDSC that fades and converts to A.

A mutual fund breakpoint is a reduction in the:

  1. Annual expense ratio
  2. Fund redemption fee
  3. Front-end sales charge
  4. Quarterly dividend rate

Answer: C — Front-end sales charge

A) Expense ratio is separate. B) Not tied to redemption fees. C) Correct — larger buys get lower load. D) Not tied to dividend payouts.

Class A mutual fund shares typically feature:

  1. No sales charge and no 12b-1 fee at all
  2. Front-end load and lower ongoing 12b-1 fees
  3. Contingent deferred sales charge only structure
  4. The highest 12b-1 fee of any share class

Answer: B — Front-end load and lower ongoing 12b-1 fees

A) That describes true no-load funds. B) Correct — Class A shares carry a front-end sales charge with lower 12b-1. C) That describes Class B shares. D) Class C typically carries the highest 12b-1.

REIT dividends are generally taxed to the shareholder as:

  1. Qualified dividend income
  2. Long-term capital gain
  3. Federal tax-exempt interest
  4. Ordinary taxable income

Answer: D — Ordinary taxable income

A) Most REIT payouts are not qualified. B) LTCG treatment is limited. C) REIT dividends are not tax-free. D) Correct — taxed as ordinary income.

A closed-end fund typically trades at a:

  1. Fixed premium to NAV
  2. Discount or premium to NAV
  3. Exactly NAV every day
  4. Last week's NAV figure

Answer: B — Discount or premium to NAV

A) Not fixed premium. B) Correct — trades relative to NAV. C) Never exactly always at NAV. D) Prior-week NAV is not price.

Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs) flashcards

4 cards from the 48 in this chapter.

What is a surrender period?

Period during which annuity withdrawals incur a surrender charge, typically 5-10 years, decreasing over time.

What is a commodity ETF?

An ETF that tracks commodity prices (gold, oil, agriculture) using futures contracts or physical holdings. Subject to unique tax treatment (K-1 forms in some cases).

What is an REIT?

Real Estate Investment Trust — a company owning/financing income-producing real estate. Must distribute at least 90% of taxable income as dividends.

What is an inverse ETF?

An ETF designed to profit from a decline in its benchmark index using derivatives. Used for hedging or speculation.

Practise the full chapter

These are a sample. The full Packaged Products (Mutual Funds, Annuities, UITs, ETFs) chapter runs 113 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.

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