Determining if delivery of Form ADV is required for each client or prospective client that contains all information required by Part 2 of Form ADV and what must be included in the Firm’s ADV is a complex topic. An RIA should consult an attorney or compliance consultant to ensure their brochure contains the necessary information.
For advisers to utilize electronic delivery for regulatory documents such as disclosures, prospectuses, shareholder reports, and proxy solicitation materials, there are a few requirements that must be met. The SEC’s guidance states that the electronic distribution of regulatory materials must satisfy the following three elements:
The Release contains over fifty Q&A examples to illustrate the interplay of these three elements – twenty-two of which relate to mutual funds. See the additional resources file for a copy of the release.
Investment advisers that have custody of client funds or securities are required to undergo an annual surprise examination by an independent public accountant to verify client funds and securities. Form ADV-E is used as a cover page for a certificate of accounting of securities and funds of which the investment adviser has custody, aka a surprise exam report. Form ADV-E contains both information about the adviser and the surprise exam conducted. The Form ADV-E is filled out by the investment adviser and then submitted along with the surprise examination report or statement by the independent public accountant after a surprise inspection of the adviser.
Institutional investment managers (“Managers”) must use Form 13F for reports to the Commission required by Section 13(f). Rule 13f-1(a) provides that every Manager which exercises investment discretion with respect to accounts holding Section 13(f) securities, as defined in rule 13f-1(c), having an aggregate fair market value on the last trading day of any month of any calendar year of at least $100,000,000 shall file a report on Form 13F with the Commission within 45 days after the last day of such calendar year and within 45 days after the last day of each of the first three calendar quarters of the subsequent calendar year.
Under rule 17a-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rule 204-5 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, broker-dealers registered under section 15 of the Exchange Act and investment advisers registered under section 203 of the Advisers Act are required to deliver to retail investors a relationship summary, Form ADV Part 3, disclosing certain information about the firm. Read all the General Instructions as well as the particular item requirements before preparing or updating the relationship summary.
Under rule 17a-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rule 204-5 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, broker-dealers registered under section 15 of the Exchange Act and investment advisers registered under section 203 of the Advisers Act are required to deliver to retail investors a relationship summary disclosing certain information about the firm.
This relation ship summary, or Part 3 of the Form ADV, is a written disclosure that provides a retail investor with succinct information about the relationships and services the firm offers to retail investors, fees and costs that retail investors will pay, specified conflicts of interest and standards of conduct, and disciplinary history, among other things. The relationship summary must be written in plain English, be concise, and provide certain meaningful and accurate information about the firm, its financial professionals and the services it offers retail investor clients and customers.