The new-client welcome pack: what a small RIA should send in the first week
A small RIA's welcome pack should tell a new client what happens next and when, how to reach the firm and how fast you'll reply, how money requests are confirmed, and what documents they've signed. Include a trusted contact form and copies of their agreement and IPS, send it in the first week through a secure method, and record the date it was sent on the client's record.
The agreement is signed and the transfers are under way. Then the new client hears nothing for two weeks while paperwork moves in the background. They start to wonder if they made the right choice. A short welcome pack in the first week answers the questions they haven't asked yet.
What goes in it?
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| What happens next | Transfers, first meeting, first bill, first review, with rough timing |
| How to reach us | Names, phone, email, approved messaging channel, office hours |
| Our service standards | Reply times, how routine requests are handled |
| How we confirm money requests | We'll always call you on the number on file before moving money |
| A trusted contact form | Optional; someone we can contact if we're worried or can't reach you |
| Your documents | Copies of the signed agreement and IPS, and a link to the brochure |
Why explain how money requests are confirmed?
Because it protects the client. A client who knows you always call before moving money is far more likely to spot a fake email claiming to be from you, and won't be surprised by your callback.
What should you record?
- The date the pack was sent, and how.
- Whether the trusted contact form came back, and the details if so.
- Any questions the client asked after reading it.
A worked example
Take a hypothetical two-person RIA that used to send nothing between signing and the first meeting. It writes a three-page welcome pack: a timeline, contact details and reply times, a paragraph on callbacks for money requests, and a trusted contact form, plus copies of the signed documents. It goes out through the firm's secure link within a week of signing, and the date is noted on the household. Calls asking "what's happening with my transfer?" drop noticeably.
What are the common gaps?
- Silence between signing and the first meeting.
- Signed documents never sent back to the client.
- No mention of how money requests are confirmed.
- No record that the pack went out.
When is this overkill?
It isn't. Write it once, and it serves every new client.
How Advorra fits
Advorra keeps the new client's household, signed IPS, communications and tasks on one record, with a prospect pipeline that carries notes from first contact and a brochure-delivery log, so the welcome pack's send date and the client's replies sit with everything else. See the product page, or read about the client onboarding checklist and service standards.
One thing to do this week: write the "what happens next" timeline for a new client, on one page.
An operations guide, not legal or compliance advice.
Questions advisors ask
What's the most important part of a welcome pack?
A plain timeline of what happens next: account transfers, the first meeting, when the first bill arrives. New clients worry most when they don't know what's happening.
Should the brochure be in the welcome pack?
The brochure generally needs delivering before or when the agreement is signed, so it usually goes out earlier. Include a link for reference and record the original delivery.
How should we send it?
Through a secure portal or encrypted method, especially if it includes signed documents.
Does the welcome pack need to be long?
No. Two or three pages plus copies of signed documents is plenty.
Is this compliance advice?
No. It is an operations guide.
See it on a demo firm
Advorra is practice software for independent RIAs: clients, models, IPS, billing and compliance records in one place, on top of the custodian you already use. Built by The CollabHub.
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