Your Guide to Client Onboarding

Welcome to the Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Advisor Portal onboarding guide. This guide is designed for professional financial advisors and provides a step-by-step walkthrough of onboarding new clients on the IBKR platform. It covers everything from initial setup to ongoing account management. Use it as a quick-reference manual to streamline your workflow and ensure a smooth experience for you and your clients.

Client Onboarding Overview
The Advisor Portal as Your Central Hub for Client Onboarding

Interactive Brokers’ Advisor Portal is a web-based client relationship management (CRM) platform and custody interface for financial advisors. It serves as a one-stop dashboard where you can manage client accounts, initiate onboarding, monitor portfolios, place trades, and run reports – all in one place. The portal is accessible via the IBKR website (Login > Advisor Portal) and is available to you at any time.

Key Onboarding Features

The Advisor Portal includes several features tailored to make client onboarding efficient and flexible:

  • Integrated CRM Tools: The portal helps you manage the entire client lifecycle, from prospect to active client. A Dashboard provides a quick overview of all your client accounts and any pending tasks requiring attention. The Contacts management allows you to organize prospects and clients, recording their details and notes in one place. These CRM features let you track onboarding progress and client interactions without needing external software.

  • Digital Client Applications: IBKR offers a fully digital account application process. You can invite clients via email to fill out an online application and e-sign documents, or even complete an application on a client’s behalf for review. (We’ll cover the different onboarding methods in the next section.) The portal also provides a Pending Applications view on your dashboard that highlights any outstanding actions or documents needed from clients. This enhanced view allows you to address tasks directly or send automated reminders to clients, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

  • Advisor Control & Service Models: A major advantage of the IBKR platform is the ability to streamline client approvals. IBKR allows advisors to perform certain administrative tasks on behalf of clients (e.g. initiating funding requests or updating client information) and then have clients simply approve the action via a simplified process. Each service level offers a tailored degree of efficient communication. IBKR offers three service levels (Streamlined, Streamlined Plus, Full-Service) that determine the scope of tasks you can handle for clients during onboarding and beyond . You can choose the model that fits your business, but all are aimed at making onboarding and account management more efficient.

Security and Compliance Built-In

The Advisor Portal guides you through compliance requirements (KYC/AML) during the account opening process. It prompts for all necessary client information and documentation uploads. Two-factor authentication (IBKR Secure Login) is supported to protect account access . The platform also routes electronic agreements and disclosures to clients for e-signature, ensuring all regulatory documents (like margin agreements, tax forms, etc.) are completed as part of onboarding.

In summary, the Advisor Portal is a centralized hub that not only lets you open accounts quickly, but also gives you ongoing tools to manage and serve your clients efficiently at a lower cost . Keep this overview in mind as we dive into specifics of choosing account types and the onboarding process.