You wouldn’t drive without a seat belt. You wouldn’t leave your office unlocked overnight. So why go online without multifactor authentication (MFA)?

In wealth management, trust is your most valuable asset. Clients count on you not only for financial guidance but also to protect their most sensitive information. Yet every day, hackers attempt to pry open advisor accounts with stolen or phished passwords.

That’s where multifactor authentication (MFA) comes in. Think of it as the seat belt of cybersecurity, one extra step that prevents disaster when something goes wrong.

Why Passwords Alone Don’t Cut It

A password is like a lock on your office door. Useful, but not foolproof. Criminals pick, steal, or guess them all the time. MFA adds a second lock, an app, text code, fingerprint, or other quick verification. Even if a hacker has your password, they can’t get through that second barrier.

According to Microsoft, enabling MFA reduces the risk of account compromise by over 99.2%. For a financial advisor, that’s the difference between business as usual and a costly compliance breach.

MFA in Action: Your Compliance Shield

Imagine this scenario: a hacker manages to obtain one of your employees’ passwords. Without MFA, they’re in. With MFA, they’re stopped cold, and you’re immediately alerted that something is wrong.

This isn’t just cybersecurity. It’s compliance protection. SEC and FINRA regulators expect firms to demonstrate strong safeguards. Turning on MFA is one of the clearest, most defensible ways to prove you’re protecting client data.

Where Wealth Managers Need MFA Most

While every login benefits from MFA, these areas are especially critical for Sacramento and Reno advisory firms:

• Custodian platforms: Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade

• Client portals and CRMs: Orion, Envestnet, eMoney

• Email and cloud storage: Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Dropbox

• Communication tools: Teams, Zoom

If client information passes through it, MFA should protect it.

Making MFA Simple for Your Team

For staff, MFA usually means a quick tap on a phone app or entering a short code. The process takes seconds but provides exponential peace of mind.

The smoothest path? Partner with an MSP that specializes in financial services. A local Sacramento/Reno IT partner who understands FINRA, SEC, and regional privacy laws (like CCPA and Nevada SB220) can implement MFA seamlessly, without disrupting your team’s daily work.

Take the Next Step Toward Security and Peace of Mind

Multifactor authentication is one of the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective tools to protect your firm’s reputation. It’s not just about cybersecurity, it’s about safeguarding trust, ensuring compliance, and giving you one less thing to lose sleep over.

Ready to strengthen your defenses? Let’s make sure your firm is audit-ready, secure, and client-trusted.

Call us at: (916) 221-0855