What is Client Onboarding?

• A. An initial questionnaire asking about a client's family, goals, retirement plans, and their property
• B. A comprehensive investment performance review
• C. A training module for new advisors
• D. A monthly statement of accounts

Answer: (A)

Onboarding is the process of bringing a new client into the advisor relationship by collecting the information needed to understand who they are and what they want to achieve. The initial intake questionnaire is exactly how this starts: it gathers details about the client’s family situation, their goals, retirement plans, and assets like property. This information creates the foundation for building a personalized financial plan, determining risk tolerance, setting time horizons, and ensuring you have the data required for compliance and suitability.

The other items describe different activities. A performance review looks at how investments have performed for current clients, not the onboarding stage. A training module for new advisors is internal education, not the client intake process. A monthly statement is ongoing reporting of existing accounts. So the intake questionnaire best fits the onboarding idea because it initiates the relationship with the essential data needed to tailor recommendations.