E-signatures for financial advisors
RIAs and financial advisors navigate SEC, state, and client-specific requirements. Here's the e-signing playbook.
Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and financial advisors sign client agreements, Forms ADV, investment policy statements, trade authorizations, and more — often subject to SEC or state regulator requirements.
Document types
- Investment advisory agreement (IAA)
- Financial planning agreement
- Form ADV delivery confirmation
- Privacy policy acknowledgment
- Risk tolerance questionnaire
- Investment policy statement (IPS)
- Trade authorizations
- Beneficiary designations (for held accounts)
- ERISA disclosures (for retirement accounts)
- Fee schedule acknowledgments
SEC / state requirements
RIAs must deliver:
- Form ADV Part 2A (brochure) to every client annually
- Form ADV Part 2B (brochure supplement) when material changes occur
- Privacy notice annually
- Code of ethics to certain clients
Delivery can be electronic with client consent. E-signed acknowledgment is sufficient evidence.
Client onboarding flow
1. Prospective client meeting 2. Send: IAA, Form ADV 2A, privacy policy, risk questionnaire via SignBolt 3. Client reviews and signs 4. Account opening documents (custodian-specific: Schwab, Fidelity, LPL, etc.) 5. Funding transfer authorization 6. IPS drafted and signed 7. Trading authorized
Custodian-specific forms
Most major custodians have their own platforms for account opening documents:
- Charles Schwab — Schwab Advisor Center
- Fidelity — WealthScape
- LPL — ClientWorks
- Interactive Brokers — their own
For advisory agreements and supplementary documents, use SignBolt.
Features advisors need
- Templates for standard documents (ADV, IAA, IPS)
- Multi-party signing (for joint accounts, trusts)
- Audit trail for SEC examination
- Retention per SEC Rule 204-2 (5 years minimum)
SignBolt Business tier supports all.
Compliance
- SEC Rule 204-2 — books and records retention (5 years)
- SEC Advertising Rule — communications with clients
- State securities regulators — additional requirements
- FINRA (for broker-dealers) — Rule 4511 records
Next
Free, no signup, 5 ops per day.
All 6 tools, 25 MB files, zero ads. Go Pro for 100 MB + batches + unlimited.