RIA — ADV / Form CRS Compliance Checklist

Industry front door for checklist. Adds domain triggers, example, packs only. Parent Process unchanged. Not legal or compliance advice. Verify against current SEC/state rules and your CCO before filing or publishing.

Activate when: annual ADV amendment season; onboarding/updating Form CRS delivery; launching marketing/testimonials; a mock/real exam; "are we books-and-records compliant?", "can we post this ad/testimonial?" Do NOT activate when: the question is portfolio construction, not compliance.

Why this variant

The parent checklist converts "are we covered?" into a verifiable gate. RIA regulation is a set of recurring, penalty-backed gates (ADV update, CRS delivery, Marketing Rule, Custody, Books & Records). This maps those obligations onto the parent's gate discipline.

Domain inputs → parent's gate

Checklist items (state/SEC as applicable):

• ADV Part 1/2A/2B annual amendment within 90 days of fiscal year-end; material-change interim updates.
• Form CRS delivered to retail clients at/before engagement; filed; posted.
• Marketing Rule (206(4)-1, 2021): testimonials/endorsements disclosed & overseen; no cherry-picked performance; substantiation on hand.
• Custody Rule 206(4)-2: qualified custodian, account statements, surprise exam if deemed custody.
• Books & Records 204-2: required records retained (generally 5 yrs, first 2 easily accessible).
• Reg S-P privacy notice; Code of Ethics 204A-1; AML as applicable.