Get the weekly research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean. No account.
Betterment Advisor Solutions operates under a distinct set of customer agreements and disclosures applicable to financial advisers using Betterment's platform to manage client accounts, separate from Betterment's direct-to-consumer agreements.
This analysis describes what Betterment's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision establishes that financial advisers using Betterment's B2B platform are subject to a separate contractual framework with its own terms, disclosures, and compliance obligations distinct from those applicable to retail customers.
Interpretive note: The directory page does not disclose the operative terms of the Betterment Advisor Solutions agreements; specific obligations, liability limitations, and data provisions require review of the underlying documents.
Under this structure, retail clients whose assets are managed by a financial adviser using Betterment Advisor Solutions may have their accounts governed by a combination of the adviser's own client agreement and Betterment Advisor Solutions terms, meaning the operative custodial and platform terms are specific to the Advisor Solutions contractual framework.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Betterment Advisor Solutions Customer Agreements and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Monitoring
Betterment has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 20 platforms.
"Betterment Advisor Solutions Customer Agreements The terms that you agree to as a Betterment Advisor Solutions customer. Betterment Advisor Solutions agreements and disclosuresExcerpt from Betterment's Terms of Use
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Betterment Advisor Solutions as a platform for registered investment advisers engages SEC oversight applicable to both Betterment as a sub-adviser or platform provider and the independent advisers using the platform. FINRA rules may apply depending on whether any brokerage functions are involved. The SEC's expectations for third-party platform arrangements in the advisory context are relevant. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Independent advisers using Betterment Advisor Solutions retain fiduciary obligations to their own clients and must ensure that the Betterment platform terms are consistent with those obligations and with their own Form ADV disclosures. The contractual relationship between the adviser and Betterment Advisor Solutions may create joint or shared liability considerations. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: State securities regulators in states where independent advisers are registered may have oversight authority over the adviser's use of the Betterment Advisor Solutions platform. State-specific adviser registration requirements and custody rules may interact with the platform arrangement. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Legal teams at advisory firms using Betterment Advisor Solutions should review the platform agreement for liability allocation, data access provisions, and termination rights, and should assess whether the agreement is consistent with their obligations to clients under their own investment management agreements. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Advisory firms should confirm that their Form ADV Part 2 disclosures accurately describe the use of Betterment Advisor Solutions as a platform provider, including any relevant conflicts of interest or fee arrangements, and that client consent to the platform relationship is documented appropriately.
This provision establishes that financial advisers using Betterment's B2B platform are subject to a separate contractual framework with its own terms, disclosures, and compliance obligations distinct from those applicable to retail customers.
Under this structure, retail clients whose assets are managed by a financial adviser using Betterment Advisor Solutions may have their accounts governed by a combination of the adviser's own client agreement and Betterment Advisor Solutions terms, meaning the operative custodial and platform terms are specific to the Advisor Solutions contractual framework.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Betterment.