Your First 90 Days

The day the last big transfer lands feels like the finish line. It isn't quite. The first 90 days on your new platform decide whether you end up with a firm that runs smoothly or one that runs on whoever remembers what. This module covers the operational work that follows the move, and a checklist you can work through from before you announce until your first quarter is done.

Chase the long tail

Most accounts move in the first wave. A handful don't: the non-ACAT transfers, the plan rollovers waiting on an administrator, the accounts stuck on a correction, the households that haven't signed yet. These are easy to lose track of once the pressure eases. Keep a single list of every account still outstanding, with its status and the next step, and review it every week until it's empty.

Check what arrived

When assets land, confirm they match what left. That usually means checking positions against the last statement from the delivering firm, and checking that cost basis came across. Cost basis information can arrive later than the assets themselves, so set a reminder to check back. Make sure any residual cash or dividends that post to the old account after the transfer get swept over too.

Set up the routines you'll run forever

A transition is the rare chance to set up your operations from scratch, the way you want them. Use it. In the first 90 days, get these running:

• Billing. Fee schedules loaded and checked against each household's signed advisory agreement before the first bill goes out.
• Reporting and portals. Every household able to log in and see all of their accounts in one place.
• CRM. Every household, account, contact detail and open action item in your CRM, not in a spreadsheet from the move.
• Standing instructions. Recurring distributions, RMDs, automatic contributions and money-movement instructions re-established at the new custodian, with client sign-off where required.
• Records. Signed agreements, client communications and transition paperwork filed where your compliance policies say they belong.

Hand over what repeats

By the end of your first quarter, you'll have a clear view of the operations work that repeats every week: meeting notes, onboarding new households, service requests, billing checks. That's the right moment to decide what to hand to agents permanently, so the habits you build in your new firm don't depend on working evenings. The AI Operations for RIAs 101 course walks through picking that first workflow.

Your transition checklist

Work through the list below as you go. Your progress saves in this browser, so you can come back to it throughout the move. It's a general operational checklist, not legal or compliance guidance, so add anything your attorney, custodian or compliance consultant asks for.