How Do You Look Up an Investment Advisor Representative?
You look up an investment advisor representative through the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website, which shows every registered IAR’s registrations, employment history, exams passed and any disclosure events. You can search by the person’s name or by their CRD number, the unique identifier assigned in the industry’s Central Registration Depository. FINRA’s BrokerCheck links to the same records and adds brokerage history for anyone who is also a registered representative.
Both tools are free and public. A search takes a few minutes and tells you far more than a business card or a website. It confirms whether the person is actually registered, with which firm and in which states.
This guide explains what each part of the record means, which disclosures deserve attention, and how IARs can keep their own record accurate. If you are thinking about the career itself, our complete guide to how to become an investment adviser representative covers every step.
Why Looking Up an IAR Is Worth the Time
An investment advisor representative may manage a large part of a client’s savings, so confirming their registration before signing an agreement is basic due diligence. The title “financial advisor” can be used by many people with different registrations, while IAR is a specific registration that must be filed and approved. Our guide on investment advisor representative vs financial advisor explains the difference.
The record also tells you what kind of professional you are dealing with. Someone registered only as an IAR acts as a fiduciary in the advisory relationship. Someone also registered as a broker may act under a different standard for some accounts.
Finally, a lookup reveals history the professional may not mention. Past customer complaints, regulatory actions and terminations all appear in the record, alongside the professional’s own explanations.
Step One: Search the IAPD Record
On the IAPD site, choose to search for an individual and enter the person’s full name, or their CRD number if you have it. Adding the firm name or state narrows the results when the name is common. Select the matching profile to open the summary.
The summary shows whether the person is currently registered as an investment adviser representative, the firm they are registered with and the states where they are registered. It also shows whether they hold a brokerage registration. From the summary, you can open a detailed report with the full history.
If no record appears, check spelling and try the CRD number. If the person still cannot be found, ask them directly for their CRD number and the name of their advisory firm before going further.
Step Two: Check the Firm Too
Every IAR works for an investment adviser, so checking the firm is the second half of a proper lookup. The firm is a registered investment advisor, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or a state regulator. Its own IAPD record shows its registration status and its Form ADV.
Form ADV Part 2A, the firm brochure, explains the firm’s services, fees, conflicts of interest and disciplinary history in plain English. Form ADV Part 2B, the brochure supplement, describes each individual adviser who will work with a client, including their education, experience and any disciplinary history. Clients are entitled to receive both.
Reading the two together gives the full picture. A strong individual record at a firm with regulatory problems, or the reverse, is worth knowing about. Our guide on investment advisor representative vs registered investment adviser explains how the two records relate.
What the Registration Section Shows
The registration section lists the states where the IAR is currently registered and the dates those registrations began. It also lists any registrations as a securities agent or broker. A professional who will advise you should be registered in your state, or in a state where they have a place of business, depending on the firm’s regulatory status.
The section also shows past registrations with previous firms. A long, stable registration history is common for experienced advisers. Frequent moves are not automatically a concern, but they are worth asking about.
Our guide to investment advisor representative requirements by state explains when a state requires registration.
What the Exams Section Shows
The exams section lists the qualification exams the person has passed and the dates. For an IAR, you would normally expect to see the Series 65, or the Series 66 alongside the Series 7. The SIE and the Series 63 may also appear for dual registrants.
Exam scores are not shown, only the fact that the exam was passed. Some IARs qualify through a recognised professional designation instead of the exam, in which case the record may show a waiver rather than an exam. Our comparison of Series 65 vs Series 66 explains the two exam routes.
The exams section is also a quick way to see whether the person is registered as a broker. If the Series 7 appears with an active brokerage registration, they are a dual registrant.
What the Employment History Shows
The employment history covers the person’s jobs for the past ten years, including roles outside the financial industry. It shows the firms they worked for, their positions and the dates. Gaps and short tenures are visible.
This section helps you judge experience. An adviser who has worked in advisory roles for many years brings different experience from someone newly registered. Both can serve clients well, but you should know which you are hiring.
For newly registered IARs, the employment history often shows a recent move into the industry. Our guide to what an investment advisor representative does describes what the role involves day to day.
Reading the Disclosures Section
The disclosures section is the most important part of the record for most clients. It lists customer disputes, regulatory actions, criminal matters, civil judicial actions, terminations and certain financial events such as bankruptcies, liens and unpaid judgments. Each disclosure includes dates, allegations, outcomes and often a statement from the professional.
Not every disclosure means wrongdoing. A customer complaint may have been denied or withdrawn, and a bankruptcy may reflect personal circumstances years ago. Read the details, the outcome and the professional’s comment before drawing conclusions.
Patterns matter more than single events. Multiple customer disputes with similar allegations, regulatory sanctions or terminations for cause are serious and worth discussing directly with the adviser before proceeding.
Other Places to Check
State securities regulators keep their own records and can tell you about complaints or actions that are pending. NASAA, the association of state regulators, provides contact details for every state regulator. Calling or emailing the regulator in your state is a reliable way to confirm a registration.
The SEC also maintains a search tool for individuals named in its enforcement actions. A name that appears there warrants careful reading of the case. Court records can add further detail on civil matters.
FINRA publishes disciplinary actions against brokers and firms. For dual registrants, those records may add to the picture shown in IAPD.
Red Flags to Watch For
The clearest red flag is a professional who claims to give investment advice but does not appear in IAPD at all. Unregistered individuals giving advice for a fee may be breaking securities law. A second red flag is a mismatch between what the person tells you and what the record shows, such as a different firm or a missing state registration.
Other warning signs include a reluctance to share a CRD number, pressure to sign quickly, unusual fee arrangements and promises of guaranteed returns. Legitimate advisers expect clients to check their records and usually welcome it. The fiduciary duty includes full and fair disclosure.
If something seems wrong, contact your state securities regulator. Regulators rely on public reports to identify problems.
A Worked Example
Imagine a prospective client meets an adviser who describes herself as a wealth manager at an independent firm. The client searches IAPD by her name and the firm, and finds a profile showing an active IAR registration in the client’s state, a Series 65 passed six years ago and no brokerage registration. That tells the client she acts as an adviser only and is paid through advisory fees.
The employment history shows four years at a larger advisory firm before her current role, with no gaps. The disclosures section shows a single customer complaint from five years ago, closed with no action, with her own short explanation. Read in context, the record is reassuring.
The client then opens the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A and finds a clear fee schedule and a list of conflicts of interest. Her Part 2B supplement matches what IAPD shows. With the record checked, the client’s remaining questions are about services and fit, not about whether the adviser is properly registered.
Questions to Ask After Your Lookup
A lookup is the start of due diligence, not the end. Ask the adviser to explain any disclosures in their own words and compare the answer with the record. Ask whether they act as a fiduciary at all times and how they are paid.
Ask for the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A and their Part 2B supplement if you have not already received them. Ask which custodian holds client assets and how often you will receive statements. These answers, combined with the record, give you a clear view of the relationship.
For advisers, these questions are part of every new client meeting. Answering them clearly and in writing builds trust from the start.
For IARs: Your Record Is Public From Day One
Once an advisory firm registers you through Form U4, your record appears in IAPD and is visible to anyone. Every registration, every firm and every disclosure becomes part of it. That makes accurate, complete Form U4 answers essential from the start.
You also have to keep the record current. Changes such as a new address, a new outside business activity or a new disclosure event must be reported, usually within 30 days. Our guide to how IAR registration works explains the filings involved.
When you leave a firm, the firm files Form U5, and its description of your departure becomes part of the public record. Professionals can usually add comments to explain disclosures through their current firm’s filings.
Checking Your Own Record
IARs should look up their own record regularly, just as clients would. Check that registrations, exams, employment history and any disclosures are accurate and complete. Errors can be corrected through your firm’s compliance team.
Keeping continuing education current matters too. In jurisdictions that require IAR continuing education, missing the credits can leave a registration inactive, which clients may notice. As of 2026, 25 jurisdictions require it, and the list continues to grow.
A clean, accurate record is one of an adviser’s most valuable assets. It is the first thing many prospective clients and employers will see.
Before Your Record Exists: The Series 65
Every IAR record begins with qualification, usually the Series 65. The exam has 130 scored questions, a 180-minute time limit and a pass mark of 92, with a $187 fee, and it needs no sponsoring firm. Once you pass and a firm registers you, your IAPD record goes live.
FRC’s Series 65 Exam Prep is $200, and each chapter must be assessed before the next unlocks. Our guide to how much a Series 65 course costs sets out the full budget, and our guide to whether you can become an IAR without the Series 7 explains why the Series 65 alone is enough.
From January 4, 2027, NASAA shortens the Series 65 retake wait after a third failed attempt from 180 days to 60, for exam windows opened on or after that date. Our guide to the Series 65 rule change explains the detail.
Practise the Terms With the FRC Dictionary
The free FRC dictionary explains the registrations and rules behind every lookup, and signing in with Google unlocks on-page quizzes and interactive flash cards. Entries such as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Uniform Securities Act and Regulation Best Interest explain the standards a record helps you check. They also cover much of the law the Series 65 tests.
Making Your Progress Visible
A public registration record shows what you have already achieved. FRC’s Digital Profile shows what you are working toward, with your courses, completed chapters and real-time assessed progress, verified by FRC. With Professional Membership, a QR code on your resume takes a hiring manager straight to it, and the FRC Video Resume shows how you communicate before anyone meets you.
Check the Record, Then Ask Questions
Looking up an investment advisor representative takes minutes: search IAPD by name or CRD number, check the firm’s Form ADV, read the disclosures and confirm registration with your state regulator if anything is unclear. The record shows registrations, exams, employment history and disclosures, and BrokerCheck adds brokerage history for dual registrants. A lookup combined with direct questions gives clients a clear, honest view.
For IARs, the same record is a career-long public profile that starts on the first day of registration. For an introduction to the role, read what an investment advisor representative (IAR) is.
