The short answer: to get statements, tax returns and onboarding paperwork from clients securely, send each client an upload link instead of asking for email attachments. ShieldFive document requests work this way: you send the client one link with a checklist of the documents you need, the client uploads from a phone or computer without creating an account, and each file is encrypted on the client's device before upload. We store only ciphertext and never hold your keys. Firm seats are €29 per seat per month (€290 per seat per year) with a 14-day trial.
Secure client document upload tools for financial advisors, compared
| Tool | Best for | Price | Client needs an account? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShareFile | Firms that want a full client portal with e-signature and integrations | Advanced $16.50, Premium $26 per user per month billed annually; 3-user minimum | No for a request link set to "Anyone"; yes for the client portal |
| SmartVault | Accounting and tax practices that want document management plus a branded portal | Business Pro and Accounting Pro $65 per user per month billed annually; 2- or 3-user minimum | Yes: a client opening a document request is asked to log in |
| FileButler | Small practices that want a white-label portal with e-signature and messaging | $39.95 per month per license, or $439.45 per year; 14-day trial | Yes: clients are invited and log in to their folder |
| ShieldFive document requests | Advisors whose main need is collecting client documents without a client login | €29 per seat per month or €290 per seat per year; no seat minimum; 14-day trial | No: link plus a PIN sent separately |
Vendor facts come from each vendor's own pages, checked on 6 October 2026: ShareFile pricing and request files; SmartVault pricing and responding to a document request; FileButler. Prices change; check the vendor before relying on one.
Reading the table fairly. ShareFile, SmartVault and FileButler are portals: they also do e-signature, messaging, document storage and, for ShareFile and SmartVault, integrations. ShieldFive document requests do one job, getting files in from clients. They encrypt each file and its name in the client's browser to your firm's keys, so the provider stores ciphertext. ShareFile and SmartVault encrypt at rest with keys they manage; FileButler's site does not say who holds its keys.
What the rules ask of advisors
Financial advisors operating in the US face layered obligations depending on registration and client type.
- SEC Regulation S-P requires registered investment advisers and broker-dealers to maintain written policies safeguarding nonpublic personal information about clients.
- FINRA rules impose supervisory obligations that extend to how client records are handled and stored.
- GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) applies broadly to financial services firms, including independent RIAs, requiring a written information security program.
- State privacy laws, including California's CCPA, add obligations for advisors serving clients in those states.
None of these rules names a product. They specify outcomes: client data is protected, access is controlled, and you can show how when an examiner asks.
Where advisory documents leak
Account statements contain enough for identity theft and account takeover. They are usually PDFs, often emailed as attachments, and once sent you have no control over where they are stored or forwarded.
Onboarding packages carry the full financial profile: Social Security numbers, tax IDs, existing account numbers and personal history, collected at the start of the relationship before habits are set.
Estate documents such as wills, trusts and powers of attorney are long-lived. A copy sitting in an inbox or a shared folder from years ago is still exposure today.
What a client upload workflow should do
- One link per client, with a checklist. The client sees which documents you need and ticks them off as they upload.
- No client account. Every login screen is a point where clients give up and email a phone photo instead.
- Encryption on the client's device. If the file is encrypted before upload to a key only your firm holds, a breach of the storage provider does not produce readable statements.
- An end date. Links that expire, and that you can revoke when the engagement is over.
Where ShieldFive falls short
These caveats matter for a regulated practice, so they are stated plainly:
- No completed third-party audit or certification. The evidence today is the open-source crypto core and a published internal review, not a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 report.
- No self-serve access-log export. Access is recorded server-side, but there is no in-product export for an examiner.
- No e-signature, CRM or recordkeeping integration. Pair it with the systems you already use for those.
- No HIPAA Business Associate Agreement.
- Client-code trust. Like any web app, we serve the JavaScript that does the encryption. The guarantee is "encrypted in the client's browser, ciphertext at rest", not a claim that no compromised server could ever interfere. The request security page sets out the threat model.
If your compliance owner needs a finished independent assessment today, the established portals are ahead on that point.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most secure way for clients to upload documents to a financial advisor?
An upload link the client opens without an account, where each file is encrypted on the client's device to a key only your firm holds. That keeps statements out of email and keeps the storage provider from reading them. ShieldFive document requests work this way, at €29 per seat per month with a 14-day trial.
Do my clients need an account to upload?
Not with ShieldFive: the client opens the link, enters the PIN you sent separately and uploads. With SmartVault and FileButler, clients log in to the portal. ShareFile request links can be set so anyone with the link can upload, while its client portal uses client logins.
How much do client upload tools for advisors cost?
As of 6 October 2026: ShareFile Advanced $16.50 and Premium $26 per user per month billed annually with a 3-user minimum; SmartVault Business Pro and Accounting Pro $65 per user per month billed annually; FileButler $39.95 per month per license; ShieldFive €29 per seat per month or €290 per seat per year with no seat minimum.
Is ShieldFive enough for an SEC or FINRA examination?
It covers the collection step: encrypted upload, no client account, links you can revoke. It has no completed third-party audit and no self-serve access-log export, so confirm with your compliance owner that it meets your examiner's evidence expectations before standardizing on it.