76% of high-net-worth investors visit a financial advisor’s website before agreeing to a consultation — and they’re evaluating trust signals, credentials, and regulatory compliance as part of that review. [Source: Cerulli Associates Digital Wealth Management Report 2024] For a financial advisor where a single new client can represent $500K+ in AUM, a website that shows stale credentials, outdated ADV information, or misleading performance language is not just a credibility problem — it can be a regulatory one.
Financial advisor websites carry specific maintenance requirements under SEC and FINRA regulations that most standard web vendors are not equipped to understand. These requirements affect what you can say, how you can display it, and how often it must be reviewed.
Key Findings
- ADV and regulatory disclosure information requires regular review and update. Form ADV Part 2 (the brochure) and CRS (Client Relationship Summary) must be accurate on your website. Posting an outdated version without a clear disclosure is a compliance issue.
- Performance claims and testimonials are regulated. Marketing rules for investment advisers (effective November 2022 under the SEC Marketing Rule) changed what advisors can display on their websites — including performance data and client testimonials under specific conditions.
- Trust signals on financial advisor websites are evaluated more critically than almost any other professional services category. Credentials, registrations, and professional designations that are no longer current must not be displayed.
What Makes Financial Advisor Website Maintenance Different?
Financial advisor websites operate at the intersection of sales, trust, and regulation. The content must be both compelling enough to drive consultation requests and accurate enough to remain compliant with SEC/FINRA requirements and state securities regulations.
Three characteristics make financial advisor website maintenance distinct:
Regulatory disclosure requirements. Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) must keep Form ADV Part 2A and Part 3 (CRS) current and publicly accessible. The website is often the primary vehicle. An outdated ADV link or a version that doesn’t match your current Form on the IAPD is a compliance exposure.
Credential and designation accuracy. CFP, CFA, ChFC, CLU, and other designations have ongoing maintenance requirements — continuing education, dues, and ethics standards. A designation that has lapsed or been revoked that remains on your website is a false credential claim. Designations should be reviewed annually.
Performance display and testimonial rules. The SEC Marketing Rule changed what advisors can display. Performance data must meet specific presentation requirements. Testimonials are now permitted under specific conditions including disclosures. Websites that haven’t been reviewed for post-2022 marketing rule compliance may contain prohibited content.
What Are the Most Common Financial Advisor Website Maintenance Mistakes?
From Tuesday
Get website updates done in 48 hours — tested before they go live.
You send the request. We make the change, QA every affected page across desktop and mobile, and sign off before anything goes live. No follow-ups needed.
Book a free 15-min call →Outdated ADV or regulatory disclosures. The most common compliance-adjacent failure on financial advisor websites. An ADV Part 2A from two years ago, an outdated Form CRS, or a “click here for our disclosures” link that leads to a 404 page — these create regulatory exposure and signal disorganization to sophisticated prospects.
Stale designations and credentials. A CFP displayed without the current license number, a CFA charterholder designation that hasn’t been renewed, or a board certification from a defunct organization — prospects and regulators can check credential databases. Stale credentials are both a trust problem and a potential misrepresentation.
Performance language that hasn’t been reviewed since 2022. The SEC Marketing Rule introduced significant changes to how performance can be shown and what disclaimers are required. Websites built before 2022 and not reviewed since are likely showing performance information that needs to be updated.
Missing or outdated ADV Part 3 (CRS). The Client Relationship Summary became mandatory for RIAs in 2020. It must be prominently accessible on the website and kept current. Many advisor websites have a buried link or an outdated version.
Contact form failures during tax or market volatility periods. Financial advisors often see spikes in consultation requests during tax season, market events, or year-end financial planning. A broken contact form during these periods loses prospects who were ready to act.
What Does a Financial Advisor Website Maintenance Checklist Look Like?
Monthly tasks:
- Test all contact and consultation request forms end-to-end
- Verify firm and advisor contact information is current and accurate
- Check that ADV and CRS links are functional and lead to current versions
Quarterly tasks:
- Full credential audit — verify all designations are current and accurately listed
- Review any performance data displayed — does it meet current marketing rule requirements?
- Check team pages — are all current advisors listed with accurate bios?
- Review testimonials (if displayed) — are required disclosures present and accurate?
- Verify all required regulatory disclosure pages are present and current
Annually:
- Full compliance review of website content against current SEC/FINRA marketing rules
- ADV review cycle — update website links when new ADV is filed
- Check all professional designation databases against website listings
How Do You Evaluate a Website Maintenance Provider for Financial Advisors?
A vendor who maintains financial advisor websites needs to understand that compliance-sensitive content requires more care than standard business content. Ask:
Do you have experience with regulated professional services websites? Financial advisor, attorney, and medical websites all share the characteristic that content errors can create regulatory exposure, not just marketing problems.
How do you handle changes that touch compliance-sensitive content? For a financial advisor, changing a service description, adding a performance example, or updating a testimonial may have regulatory implications. A good vendor flags these for your review rather than publishing immediately.
What is your turnaround for regulatory disclosure updates? When you file an updated ADV, you need the website updated within days, not weeks.
What Does a Tuesday Engagement Look Like?
Tuesday’s Core Plan handles the ongoing maintenance financial advisor websites require — team updates, disclosure link maintenance, content changes, and form testing — with 48-hour turnaround and regression QA on every change.
Core Plan — $199/month:
- 10 change requests per month
- 48-hour standard turnaround
- Desktop and mobile regression QA on every change
- Works on Wix, WordPress, Webflow, and Shopify
Growth Plan — $399/month adds local SEO monitoring — valuable for financial advisors competing on location-based queries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a financial advisor update their website? Regulatory disclosures should be updated whenever you file an updated ADV or CRS. Team credentials should be reviewed annually. Contact forms should be tested monthly. Any performance data should be reviewed quarterly against current marketing rule standards.
What are the SEC requirements for financial advisor websites? RIAs must prominently link to Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS from their website. Performance advertising must meet specific presentation and disclosure requirements. Testimonials are permitted under the 2022 marketing rule with specific required disclosures. Consult with your compliance officer for your specific regulatory obligations.
Can financial advisors display client testimonials on their website? Under the SEC Marketing Rule effective November 2022, investment advisers registered with the SEC can display client testimonials subject to specific disclosure requirements. State-registered advisers should check their state’s rules. Work with your compliance officer before adding testimonials.
What should I do if my ADV changes? File the updated ADV as required. Submit a change request to your website vendor within 48 hours to update your website’s disclosure link and any content that references ADV-covered information. Verify the updated document is accessible and the link works.
Is there a service that handles financial advisor website maintenance? Yes. Tuesday manages website changes for professional services firms including financial advisors, starting at $199/month with 48-hour delivery and regression QA.
How do I know if my website’s performance displays comply with the current marketing rule? Engage a compliance consultant to review your website against the current SEC Marketing Rule (effective November 2022). The rule introduced significant changes to how performance data must be displayed, hypothetical performance disclosures, and what back-tested performance can show.
Written by the Tuesday team — specialists in website maintenance and care plans for SMBs, with 500+ sites maintained across Wix, WordPress, Webflow, and Shopify.
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