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Tontines originated in the 17th century as a method for governments to raise capital.
Answer: True
The source indicates that tontines originated in the 17th century and were initially adopted by governments as a means to raise capital.
Lorenzo de Tonti is popularly credited with inventing the tontine in France in 1653, though he likely modified existing schemes.
Answer: True
Lorenzo de Tonti is popularly credited with inventing the tontine in France in 1653, although historical accounts suggest he likely modified existing Italian investment schemes.
The first true tontine was organized in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1641.
Answer: False
While a precursor proposal was made in Lisbon in 1641, the first true tontine was organized in Kampen, Netherlands, in October 1670.
The French government established its first state tontine in 1689, but it was not named after Tonti due to his disgrace.
Answer: True
The French government established its first state tontine in 1689, utilizing it to fund military operations, and it was indeed not named after Tonti due to his prior disgrace.
British government tontines were generally more popular and successful than their continental counterparts.
Answer: False
British government tontines were generally less popular and successful than their continental counterparts, often failing to be fully subscribed.
By the end of the 18th century, tontines had fallen out of favor with governments as a revenue-raising tool.
Answer: True
By the close of the 18th century, governments largely ceased using tontines as a primary method for raising revenue, though smaller-scale versions persisted.
Financial inventions were patentable under French law for a brief period between 1791 and 1792.
Answer: True
Financial inventions were indeed patentable under French law for a brief period from January 1791 to September 1792, during which a tontine-related patent was issued.
Charlotte Barbier was the last survivor of Louis XIV's state tontine, dying at age 96 and receiving a substantial final payment.
Answer: True
Charlotte Barbier was indeed the last survivor of Louis XIV's 1689 state tontine, dying at age 96 in 1726 and receiving a substantial final payment of 73,000 livres.
By the mid-1850s, tontine schemes were largely abandoned by governments and replaced by 'penny policies,' a precursor to modern pension schemes.
Answer: True
By the mid-1850s, governments largely abandoned tontine schemes, replacing them with 'penny policies,' which served as an early form of modern pension schemes.
The Victoria Park Company, a property development tontine, was central to the legal case of Smith v. Jones in mid-19th-century England.
Answer: False
The Victoria Park Company, a property development tontine, was central to the legal case of *Foss v Harbottle* in mid-19th-century England, not *Smith v. Jones*.
Henry Baldwin Hyde introduced tontines into the U.S. life insurance industry in 1868 to reduce competition.
Answer: False
Henry Baldwin Hyde introduced tontines into the U.S. life insurance industry in 1868 primarily as a strategy to sell more life insurance and address competitive demands, rather than to reduce competition.
Over four decades following 1868, tontine policies constituted approximately two-thirds of the nation's outstanding insurance contracts in the U.S.
Answer: True
Over the four decades following 1868, tontine policies indeed constituted approximately two-thirds of the nation's outstanding insurance contracts in the U.S., with around 9 million policies sold.
During the Panic of 1873, life insurance companies offering tontines were among those that failed due to solvency issues.
Answer: False
During the Panic of 1873, life insurance companies offering tontines were notably among those that *survived* the crisis, despite many other companies failing.
Who is popularly credited with inventing the tontine in France in 1653?
Answer: Lorenzo de Tonti
The investment plan is named after Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti, who is popularly credited with inventing it in France in 1653, though he likely modified existing schemes.
Where and when was the first true tontine organized?
Answer: Kampen, Netherlands, in October 1670
The first true tontine was organized in the city of Kampen in the Netherlands in October 1670.
When did the French government establish its first state tontine?
Answer: 1689
The French government established its first state tontine in 1689, utilizing it to fund military operations.
How did British government tontines generally compare to their continental counterparts?
Answer: They were less popular and often not fully subscribed.
British government tontines were generally less popular and successful than their continental counterparts, frequently failing to be fully subscribed.
By what time did tontines largely fall out of favor as a government revenue-raising instrument?
Answer: The end of the 18th century
By the end of the 18th century, tontines had largely fallen out of favor with governments as a revenue-raising tool.
For what primary purpose did Louis XIV first utilize tontines in 1689?
Answer: To fund military operations.
Louis XIV first utilized tontines in 1689 as a means to fund military operations when other methods of raising capital proved insufficient.
Who was Charlotte Barbier in the context of Louis XIV's state tontine?
Answer: The last survivor, receiving a substantial final payment.
Charlotte Barbier was the last survivor of Louis XIV's state tontine, dying at age 96 and receiving a substantial final payment of 73,000 livres.
What investment vehicles largely replaced tontine schemes by the mid-1850s?
Answer: 'Penny policies,' a precursor to 20th-century pension schemes
By the mid-1850s, tontine schemes were largely abandoned by governments and replaced by 'penny policies,' which served as a precursor to 20th-century pension schemes.
Which notable legal case in mid-19th-century England involved the Victoria Park Company, a property development tontine?
Answer: Foss v Harbottle
The Victoria Park Company, a property development tontine, was central to the notable case of *Foss v Harbottle* in mid-19th-century England, a foundational case in company law.
Who introduced tontines into the U.S. life insurance industry in 1868?
Answer: Henry Baldwin Hyde
Henry Baldwin Hyde of the Equitable Life Assurance Society introduced tontines into the U.S. life insurance industry in 1868.
What percentage of the nation's outstanding insurance contracts did tontine policies constitute over four decades following 1868?
Answer: Approximately two-thirds
Over the four decades following 1868, tontine policies constituted approximately two-thirds of the nation's outstanding insurance contracts in the U.S.
How did tontine-offering life insurance companies generally fare during the Panic of 1873?
Answer: They were among the companies that survived the crisis.
During the Panic of 1873, life insurance companies that had offered tontines were notably among those that survived the financial crisis.
A tontine is an investment plan designed to provide income for a fixed period, regardless of the individual's lifespan.
Answer: False
A tontine is an investment plan linked to a living person, providing income for as long as that individual remains alive, not for a fixed period regardless of lifespan.
Upon the death of the final member, a tontine trust scheme typically reallocates its assets to a charitable foundation.
Answer: False
Upon the death of the final member, a tontine trust scheme is typically wound up, and its operations cease. The original capital is never repaid to investors, nor is it reallocated to a charitable foundation.
In a real-world tontine model, the original capital invested is repaid to the last surviving investor.
Answer: False
In a real-world tontine model, the original capital invested is never repaid to the investors; only the annual interest is reallocated among survivors.
A tontine transaction strictly involves three distinct roles: the organizer, the subscribers, and the nominees.
Answer: False
Strictly speaking, a tontine transaction involves four distinct roles: the organizer, the subscribers, the shareholders, and the nominees.
In 18th and 19th-century tontine schemes, the subscriber, shareholder, and nominee were typically the same individual.
Answer: True
In 18th and 19th-century tontine schemes, the subscriber, shareholder, and nominee were typically the same individual, though investing in another's name was permitted.
Tontines in the 17th and 18th centuries were often divided into age-based classes because younger nominees generally had a longer life expectancy.
Answer: True
Tontines in the 17th and 18th centuries were often divided into age-based classes, as younger nominees typically had a longer life expectancy, influencing payout structures within each group.
What is the primary characteristic of a tontine as an investment plan?
Answer: It is an investment plan linked to a living person, providing income as long as that individual remains alive.
A tontine is fundamentally an investment plan designed to provide income for as long as a designated individual remains alive, with payouts increasing as other participants pass away.
How do tontines allow subscribers to mitigate the risk of living a long life?
Answer: By blending elements of a group annuity with a mortality lottery, reallocating payouts as members pass away.
Tontines mitigate longevity risk by combining a group annuity with a mortality lottery, where the payouts of deceased members are reallocated to the survivors, increasing their income over time.
What typically occurs when the final member of a tontine trust scheme dies?
Answer: The scheme is formally closed and its operations cease.
Upon the death of the final member, a tontine trust scheme is typically wound up, meaning it is formally closed and its operations cease, with the original capital never being returned to investors.
What is never repaid to investors in a real-world tontine scheme?
Answer: The original capital invested
In a real-world tontine scheme, the original capital invested by participants is never repaid; only the annual interest is reallocated among surviving investors.
Which of the following is NOT one of the four distinct roles involved in a tontine transaction?
Answer: The beneficiaries (recipients of the final capital payout)
The four distinct roles in a tontine transaction are the organizer, subscribers, shareholders, and nominees. There is no specific role for 'beneficiaries' receiving a final capital payout, as the capital is typically not returned.
How did the roles of subscriber, shareholder, and nominee typically relate in 18th and 19th-century tontine schemes?
Answer: They were typically the same individual, though investment in another's name was allowed.
In 18th and 19th-century tontine schemes, the subscriber, shareholder, and nominee were typically the same individual, although investment in the name of another party, such as a child, was permitted.
Why were 17th and 18th-century tontines often divided into age-based classes?
Answer: Because younger nominees generally had a longer life expectancy.
Tontines in the 17th and 18th centuries were often divided into age-based classes because younger nominees generally had a longer life expectancy, influencing the payout structures within each group.
The Armstrong Investigation in 1906 led to the complete outlawing of all forms of tontines in the United States.
Answer: False
The Armstrong Investigation in 1906 led to restrictions and the banning of tontines containing 'toxic clauses' for consumers, but it did not result in the complete outlawing of all forms of tontines in the United States.
Governments issuing tontines often faced financial problems because they consistently overestimated the longevity of the population.
Answer: False
Governments issuing tontines often faced financial problems because they consistently *underestimated* the longevity of the population, leading to higher-than-expected payouts to long-lived participants.
Problematic practices with U.S. tontine pensions included contracts where a single missed payment could wipe out a policy owner's life savings.
Answer: True
Problematic practices with U.S. tontine pensions included contracts that stipulated a single missed payment could result in the forfeiture of a policy owner's entire life savings.
An actuary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society praised tontine insurance in the 1880s for its ethical investment structure.
Answer: False
An actuary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society in the 1880s criticized tontine insurance, describing it as 'an immoral contract' that 'put a premium on murder,' rather than praising its ethical structure.
What was a direct consequence of the Armstrong Investigation in 1906 regarding tontines in the United States?
Answer: It resulted in the banning of tontines that contained 'toxic clauses' for consumers.
The Armstrong Investigation in 1906 led to restrictions on tontines in the United States, specifically banning those that contained 'toxic clauses' deemed harmful to consumers.
What common mistake did governments make when issuing tontines, leading to financial problems?
Answer: They underestimated the longevity of the population.
Governments issuing tontines often faced financial problems because they tended to underestimate the longevity of the population, leading to higher-than-expected payouts to long-lived participants.
What was one problematic practice associated with U.S. tontine pensions that led to the Armstrong Investigation?
Answer: Diverting accumulated profits into the pockets of directors and agents.
One problematic practice associated with U.S. tontine pensions was the diversion of accumulated profits from their deferred payout structures into the pockets of directors and agents, leading to corruption.
How did an actuary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society criticize tontine insurance in the 1880s?
Answer: He described it as 'an immoral contract' that 'put a premium on murder.'
An actuary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society criticized tontine insurance in the 1880s, describing it as 'an immoral contract' that 'put a premium on murder,' highlighting ethical concerns.
Tontines are currently banned in all European Union countries due to past questionable practices.
Answer: False
Tontines are not banned in all European Union countries; they remain common in France and are permitted for European insurers under Directive 2002/83/EC.
In France and Belgium today, tontine clauses are used in property ownership deeds primarily to increase property taxes.
Answer: False
In France and Belgium today, tontine clauses are inserted into property ownership deeds primarily as a method to potentially reduce inheritance tax, not to increase property taxes.
The European Union's First Life Directive explicitly prohibits tontines as a class of business for insurers.
Answer: False
The European Union's First Life Directive actually includes tontines as a permitted class of business for insurers, rather than prohibiting them.
The U.S. Supreme Court considers tontines true insurance if the issuer provides a fixed return, thereby assuming actual risk.
Answer: True
The U.S. Supreme Court considers tontines to be 'true insurance' when the issuer provides a fixed return, thereby assuming actual investment risk, rather than merely reallocating longevity risk.
The new Pan-European Pension Regulation, effective March 2022, specifically allows for pension products based on the 'tontine principle'.
Answer: True
The Pan-European Pension Regulation, effective March 2022, explicitly permits the creation of pension products based on the 'tontine principle,' allowing for their offering across Europe.
Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions and Pooled Annuity Funds are examples of modern pension architectures that utilize the tontine risk-sharing structure.
Answer: True
Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions and Pooled Annuity Funds are indeed examples of modern pension architectures that incorporate the tontine risk-sharing structure to manage longevity risk.
Which of the following statements about the current use of tontines is true?
Answer: Tontines are receiving renewed consideration in the United States as a potential source of retirement income.
Despite past restrictions, tontines are currently receiving renewed consideration in the United States as a potential source of steady retirement income, and they remain common and legally permitted in parts of Europe.
In France and Belgium today, for what purpose are tontine clauses inserted into property ownership deeds?
Answer: To potentially reduce inheritance tax.
In France and Belgium today, tontine clauses are inserted into property ownership deeds primarily as a method to potentially reduce inheritance tax for the surviving owner.
What is the European Union's stance on tontines within its First Life Directive?
Answer: They are permitted as a class of business for insurers.
The European Union's First Life Directive includes tontines as a permitted class of business for insurers, indicating their legal recognition within the EU's regulatory framework.
According to the U.S. Supreme Court, when are tontines considered 'true insurance'?
Answer: When the issuer provides a fixed return, thereby assuming actual risk.
The U.S. Supreme Court considers tontines to be 'true insurance' when the issuer provides a fixed return, thereby assuming actual investment risk, rather than merely reallocating longevity risk.
Which new European legislation, effective March 2022, specifically permits pension products based on the 'tontine principle'?
Answer: The Pan-European Pension Regulation
The new Pan-European Pension Regulation, effective March 2022, specifically permits financial service providers to create new pension products based on the 'tontine principle'.
Which of the following is an example of a modern pension architecture that utilizes the tontine risk-sharing structure?
Answer: Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions
Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions are an example of modern pension architectures that partially or fully utilize the tontine risk-sharing structure.
Works of fiction often depict a tontine variant where the entire capital devolves upon the last surviving nominee, a model that definitely existed in reality.
Answer: False
While works of fiction often depict a tontine where the entire capital devolves upon the last survivor, it is unclear if this specific model ever existed in reality; real-world tontines typically reallocated only annual interest.
In French-speaking cultures, the term 'tontine' has broadened to include group savings schemes where benefits depend on members' deaths.
Answer: False
In French-speaking cultures, the term 'tontine' has broadened to include group savings and microcredit schemes where the benefits *do not* depend on the deaths of other members, a key distinction from traditional tontines.
A Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) is a group where members contribute to a common fund, and the accumulated 'kitty' is lent to each participant in turn.
Answer: True
A Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) is accurately defined as a group where members regularly contribute to a common fund, and the accumulated 'kitty' is lent to each participant in turn.
In Singapore, 'chit funds' were colloquially known as tontines and are regulated under the Chit Funds Act of 1971.
Answer: True
In Singapore, 'chit funds,' a type of ROSCA, were indeed colloquially known as tontines and are regulated under the Chit Funds Act of 1971.
In the UK during the mid-20th century, 'tontine' referred to communal summer holiday saving schemes.
Answer: False
In the UK during the mid-20th century, the term 'tontine' referred to communal *Christmas* saving schemes, not summer holiday saving schemes.
The 1889 comic novel The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne uses a tontine as a central plot device.
Answer: True
The 1889 comic novel *The Wrong Box* by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne indeed uses a tontine as a central plot device, focusing on family members vying for the final payout.
In the M*A*S*H episode 'Old Soldiers,' Colonel Potter's tontine prize was a substantial sum of money.
Answer: False
In the M*A*S*H episode 'Old Soldiers,' Colonel Potter's tontine prize was a single bottle of brandy, not a substantial sum of money.
The Simpsons episode 'Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'' features a tontine for ownership of art looted during World War II.
Answer: True
The Simpsons episode 'Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'' indeed features a tontine established to determine ownership of art looted during World War II.
The 2001 comedy film Tomcats depicts a tontine where the last investor to get married receives the full invested funds.
Answer: True
The 2001 comedy film *Tomcats* features a tontine where the last investor among a group of friends to get married receives the full amount of the invested funds.
The Diagnosis: Murder episode 'Being of Sound Mind' uses a tontine as a motive for murder, where participants are eliminated to increase remaining shares.
Answer: True
The Diagnosis: Murder episode 'Being of Sound Mind' indeed uses a tontine as the motive for murder, implying that participants are being eliminated to increase the shares of the remaining members.
What is the key difference between the real-world tontine model and the variant often depicted in fiction?
Answer: In the real-world, only annual interest is reallocated; in fiction, the entire capital often devolves upon the last survivor.
The key difference is that in real-world tontines, only the annual interest is reallocated among survivors, whereas fictional portrayals often depict the entire capital devolving upon the last surviving nominee.
In French-speaking cultures, particularly in developing countries, how does the broadened meaning of 'tontine' differ from traditional tontines?
Answer: The benefits do not depend on the deaths of other members.
In French-speaking cultures, the broadened meaning of 'tontine' refers to group savings and microcredit schemes where the benefits do not depend on the deaths of other members, unlike traditional tontines.
What is a 'Rotating Savings and Credit Association' (ROSCA)?
Answer: A group where members regularly contribute to a common fund, and the accumulated 'kitty' is lent to each participant in turn.
A Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) is a group where members regularly contribute to a common fund, and the accumulated 'kitty' is lent to each participant in turn.
In Singapore, what were 'chit funds' colloquially known as?
Answer: Tontines
In Singapore, 'chit funds,' a variant type of ROSCA, were colloquially known as tontines and are regulated under the Chit Funds Act of 1971.
What did the term 'tontine' refer to in the UK during the mid-20th century?
Answer: Communal Christmas saving schemes.
In the UK during the mid-20th century, the term 'tontine' was applied to communal Christmas saving schemes, where participants made regular payments to be withdrawn before Christmas.
Which 1889 comic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne features a tontine as a central plot device?
Answer: The Wrong Box
The 1889 comic novel *The Wrong Box* by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne features a tontine as a central plot device, revolving around family members vying for the final payout.
What was the unique prize in Colonel Potter's tontine in the M*A*S*H episode 'Old Soldiers'?
Answer: A single bottle of brandy
In the M*A*S*H episode 'Old Soldiers,' Colonel Potter's tontine prize was a single bottle of brandy, saved by his Army buddies for the last survivor.
In which Simpsons episode do Grampa Simpson and Mr. Burns become the final survivors of a tontine?
Answer: 'Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish''
The Simpsons episode 'Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'' features Grampa Simpson and Mr. Burns as the final survivors of a tontine established for ownership of art looted during World War II.
What is the premise of the 2001 comedy film Tomcats regarding a tontine?
Answer: The last investor to get married receives the full invested funds.
The 2001 comedy film *Tomcats* features a tontine where the last investor among a group of friends to get married receives the full amount of the invested funds.
In the Diagnosis: Murder episode 'Being of Sound Mind,' how is a tontine used?
Answer: As a motive for murder.
The Diagnosis: Murder episode 'Being of Sound Mind' uses a tontine as the motive for murder, implying that participants are being eliminated to increase the shares of the remaining members.
The Tontine Coffee House in New York City, funded by a tontine, famously housed the first New York Stock Exchange.
Answer: True
The Tontine Coffee House in New York City, funded by a tontine, indeed served as the first home of the New York Stock Exchange.
Which of the following public works projects was NOT funded by a tontine according to the source?
Answer: The Eiffel Tower in Paris
According to the source, the Assembly Rooms in Bath, Richmond Bridge, and the Tontine Coffee House were funded by tontines, but the Eiffel Tower was not mentioned in this context.
How was Richmond Bridge's financing structured as a tontine?
Answer: The toll charged was shared among investors, with shares increasing as others died, until the last survivor received all tolls.
Richmond Bridge was financed such that the toll charged was shared among investors, with each receiving a larger share as other investors died, until the last survivor received the entire toll income.
What significant institution had its first home in the Tontine Coffee House in New York City?
Answer: The New York Stock Exchange
The Tontine Coffee House on Wall Street in New York City, funded by a tontine, famously served as the first home of the New York Stock Exchange.