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Learn MoreA new client wants to know one thing: Am I on track for retirement? To answer that question, you don’t need every detail of their financial life. By gathering the essential information now, you can deliver value sooner.
In last month’s Best Practice, we shared how to keep clients moving forward before the full plan is ready. This month, we’re going back to where it all begins: establishing a new planning relationship with a thoughtful onboarding process you can reuse client after client.
In this video, you’ll see how to:
Start with what you need for the first planning conversation, then build from there. This approach keeps onboarding focused while building momentum from the first interaction onward.
1. Invite your client to the Client Portal to create a secure, centralized experience from day one, giving them one place to share information and stay connected with you.
2. Ask only the questions that matter. Guide clients through an onboarding experience that captures foundational information about their goals, family, and financial priorities. Tailor the experience even further with Customized Data Gathering, available in Premium Client Portal.
3. Request documents early to give you additional context quickly as you begin evaluating planning needs. Use Document Upload during Onboarding to collect:
4. Review and start the conversation. Use this information to identify planning opportunities and where to focus the conversation first.
This workflow turns onboarding into the start of planning, creating a faster path from prospect to planning client.
Consider framing the discussion like this:
“Before we meet, I’ll send you an invitation to our secure Client Portal. You’ll answer a few questions about your retirement goals and upload your recent statements and latest tax return. That way, we can get right to what matters: your goals and the best strategy to get there.”
This helps clients understand:
When clients are clear on how the information you’re requesting connects to their goals, they can see that onboarding is already moving the planning conversation forward.
Planning can start before comprehensive onboarding is complete.
By connecting Client Portal, Data Gathering and Customized Data Gathering, and Document Upload into one workflow, you can collect the right information at the right time and demonstrate value earlier in the relationship.
What starts as onboarding becomes the foundation for meaningful planning conversations.
Connecting onboarding to planning is one way to build momentum and demonstrate value from the start.
Start here:
