A beginner-friendly guide to Registered Investment Advisor, who can access them and why you should contact them.
The Indian middle-class is smart and quick to adapt to changes. These strengths can be highly beneficial in the financial market. However, traditional practices like savings and investing only in FDs and gold takes away from their strength and ignores issues like inflation erosion. Additionally, relying on advice from peers and suggestions made by fin-fluencers on the internet makes them prone to losses during volatility. The missing link between Indian middle-class investors and achieving financial freedom is professional guidance.
Professional guidance and advice is always profitable in any area, however, it is absolutely necessary when it comes to your wealth. This is where a Registered Investment Adviser comes into the picture.
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Who is a registered investment advisor?
A registered investment adviser (RIA) in India is a person or firm registered with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) They are legally permitted to provide investment advice to clients based on their financial situation, goals, and risk appetite, while acting in the clients’ best interest and following SEBI regulations.
RIAs fiduciary duties:
Registered investment advisors have fiduciary duties that require them to place the client’s interests above their own at all times, act with honesty and good faith, avoid conflicts of interest, fully disclose any potential conflicts, and provide advice that is suitable, unbiased, and based on a thorough understanding of the client’s financial goals, risk tolerance, and personal circumstances.
What is SEBI registration?
RIAs must register with SEBI under 2013 reparations, meeting qualification, capital and compliance standards like NISM certification by National Institute of Securities Markets and net worth requirements.
This registration ensures transparency through disclosures, audits and fiduciary duties, protecting middle class investors from miss-selling.
RIAs vs mutual funds distributor:
A Registered Investment Advisor is not the same as a Mutual Fund Distributor. Unlike distributors, RIAs are not focused on selling the product. They simply work on providing holistic advice for better financial outcomes of the client. Their primary role is to convert life objectives into a structured financial plan based on your timelines, risk capacity, and real-world constraints, always prioritizing your interests.
Whereas, distributors are in charge of services such as, onboarding, execution (buying, selling, or switching funds), reporting (statements, NAV updates), Basic advice like scheme suggestions per profile. Although distributors play a substantial role in the market, for financial planning and investment advice, your best bet is an investment adviser.
What are the roles of a SEBI registered investment adviser?
So what do registered investment advisers actually do? The roles of a SEBI registered investment adviser include:
- Assessing client goals
- Analyse risk profiles and timelines
- Recommend diversified portfolios across mutual funds, equity boards, and ETFs.
- Conduct market research
- Educate clients on risk and options
- Offer behavioral coaching during volatility.
Why should you contact a Registered Investment Adviser?
Despite the limited financial literacy in India, the middle-class investors hold an immense market potential due to their disciplined traditional saving habits, rising adoption to equity investments, and increased market investments.
The 2025 Financial Inclusion Index reached a score of 67 aiming for a high growth economy when paired with expert portfolio rebalancing.
For many Indian families, financial planning is not just about chasing high returns but also about protecting hard-earned savings, meeting life goals debt-free, securing and providing for their families for years, and building long-term wealth. These goals cannot be achieved simply by following confusing advice from banks, agents, or influencers on social media, where products are sold based on commissions rather than suitability. By understanding investor’s income, expenses, responsibilities, and future plans, and then offering practical and realistic advice, a registered investment adviser helps bridge this gap.
Bound by fiduciary duties and regulated by SEBI, an RIA provides transparent, unbiased advice that focuses on their long-term financial well-being. This support is especially valuable for middle-class investors since even their smallest mistakes can result in lasting consequences. Thus, well-informed and disciplined decisions can make a meaningful difference to their financial security.
Who can access a SEBI registered investment adviser?
Due to the growth of digital platforms that connect investors with qualified professionals, access to registered investment advisers has become much easier. In the past, expert financial advice was largely limited to the wealthy or those who lived in major cities. However, thanks to online platforms, middle-class investors can now access professional guidance from anywhere in the country. They can easily and transparently obtain structured guidance, manage goals, and exchange financial information through digital platforms. Making professional fiduciary-led financial planning a lot more accessible, inexpensive and useful for regular investors while also reducing reliance on unofficial or product driven advice.
DISCLAIMER: Multistrato Capital Advisors Private Limited Type of Registration: Non-Individual. RIA Registration Number: INA000015969 Validity: Perpetual Registered Office Address: #903, EcoStar Building Off Aarey Road, Vishweshwar Road, Goregaon East Mumbai- 400063, India GST number: 27AAHCM9321Q1ZS
SEBI regional/local address SEBI Bhavan BKC, Plot No.C4-A, ‘G’ Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai — 400051, Maharashtra Email: sebi@sebi.gov.in
Registration granted by SEBI, membership of BASL and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.
