Advisory agreements, planning engagements and IPS sign-offs, signed by every client
An advisory relationship starts with paper: the advisory agreement, the brochure and relationship summary delivered with it, a risk questionnaire and, later, an investment policy statement. SignMaster gets your firm's own documents signed by both spouses from their phones, with a signed PDF and certificate for the file. What it doesn't do is make any of it compliant for you; the rules below are for your compliance team to apply.
Updated November 9, 2026 · 3 min read
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Documents an advisory firm sends
| Document | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Investment advisory agreement | Services, fees, discretion, termination | Both account owners sign, then the firm countersigns |
| Financial planning agreement | A one-time or ongoing plan and its fee | Often signed before the discovery meeting |
| Form ADV Part 2 and Form CRS | Disclosure documents you deliver | Delivered before or when the contract is signed; many firms get a receipt acknowledged |
| Risk tolerance questionnaire | The client's goals, horizon and risk answers | Answers export from the Responses tab |
| Investment policy statement | The agreed strategy, targets and review schedule | Re-signed when it changes |
| Custodian forms and transfers | Account opening, transfers, beneficiaries, standing letters | Usually the custodian's own forms and e-signature process |
Rules your compliance team will ask about
For SEC-registered advisers, Rule 204-3 requires delivering your current brochure to a client before or at the time you enter into an investment advisory contract, and Rule 204-5 does the same for Form CRS with retail investors. Sending the brochure and relationship summary in the same envelope as the agreement, ahead of the signature pages, is one way to put them in front of the client at signing. Whether it satisfies your delivery obligations is your chief compliance officer's call.
Rule 204-2 requires advisers to keep all written agreements with clients, generally for at least five years from the end of the fiscal year of the last entry, the first two in an appropriate office. Records kept electronically must be indexed for easy retrieval, protected from loss and alteration, limited to authorized people, and backed by a separately stored duplicate. SignMaster isn't a books-and-records archive, and it doesn't claim to meet SEC or FINRA requirements. Download each signed PDF and its certificate into the system your firm uses for required records.
State-registered advisers and dual registrants
State-registered advisers follow their state securities regulator's rules. If you're also a registered representative of a broker-dealer, the broker-dealer decides which tools you may use for client documents, so ask your supervision team first.
Onboarding a household
- 1
One envelope for the whole package
Combine the advisory agreement, the disclosure documents and the risk questionnaire into one envelope, SignMaster's word for one or more documents going to one or more signers. Roles with the same name merge, so each client signs everything in one sitting.
- 2
Add both owners and the firm
Add each spouse as a signer, signing at the same time, then your principal last in the signing order to countersign once both have signed.
- 3
Lock it to the client
Add an access code that you give the client by phone, or one SignMaster emails them, before the documents open. Signers need no account and sign from any phone or computer.
- 4
File it
When the last signature lands, every party gets the sealed PDF with its certificate of completion: names, emails, IP addresses, times and a SHA-256 fingerprint. Save it to your records system the same day.
Questionnaires, reviews and your CRM
A risk questionnaire built as a template uses radio groups and dropdowns, with conditional fields that ask follow-up questions only when an answer calls for them. The template's Responses tab lists every client's answers side by side, ready to export as CSV or JSON on every paid plan. For annual reviews, send each household the updated investment policy statement with an Approve field under the target allocation.
On Crew and Company, webhooks send signer answers out as they arrive, to your own server or caught by Zapier, Make or n8n and passed to your CRM. There's no built-in CRM connector. Custodian paperwork usually runs through the custodian's own platform; check the custodian's rules before signing its forms anywhere else.
Pricing for an advisory firm
A solo advisor fits Solo at $15 a month with unlimited envelopes. A firm with advisors, a paraplanner and operations fits Crew at $49 a month for 5 people, or Company at $99 a month for 15. New workspaces get 14 days of Crew free. Compare plans.
What SignMaster doesn't do
- It doesn't claim SEC, FINRA or state compliance, and it isn't a books-and-records or email archive.
- It doesn't open custodial accounts or move assets.
- It doesn't verify identity with knowledge-based questions or ID checks.
- It doesn't bill advisory fees.
Questions? Answers.
Can clients e-sign an investment advisory agreement?
Generally, yes. Federal and state e-signature laws give electronic signatures the same effect as ink for most contracts. Your compliance team decides how signed agreements are delivered and kept.
Is SignMaster SEC or FINRA compliant?
SignMaster doesn't claim to meet SEC or FINRA requirements. It gives you a signed PDF and a certificate of completion; your firm decides whether and how it fits its own recordkeeping and supervision rules.
Can both spouses sign a joint advisory agreement?
Yes. Add each as a signer, at the same time or in order. Each signs from their own email link without an account, and your principal can countersign last.
How long must advisers keep client agreements?
For SEC-registered advisers, Rule 204-2 generally requires at least five years from the end of the fiscal year of the last entry, the first two in an appropriate office. State rules may differ.