# One record the client owns, across every firm

Clients get one place for their plan, money, taxes and estate, and one Rutledge ID that works with every firm they choose. They decide what each professional may see, and they can change their mind at any time.

## One ID across every firm
A personal Rutledge ID follows the client from firm to firm. The client sees every firm and professional they work with in one directory. A new firm does not mean starting over: with the client's permission, the facts they already gave can travel with them. A security timeline shows each sign-in and each change to sharing, so the client always knows who had access and when. Signing a document happens in the same place.

## Family linking
Family linking keeps parents, children and trustees in one picture. A family sees how their records connect, and each person keeps control of their own information. When a plan carries across generations, the professionals work from the same household facts, shared only with permission. A trustee sees what the trust needs and nothing more. Read about [multi-generational planning](/advisors) and [estate planning](/estate-planning).

## Verified identity and passwordless sign-in
Identity is verified with a photo ID, a selfie and a liveness check before sensitive work begins. After that, sign-in needs no password: clients use a passkey on their phone or computer. The same sign-in works in the portal, the iOS app and with every firm the client uses. Firms can trust that the person on the other side is who they say they are, and clients never juggle another password.

## Consent the client controls
The client decides what each professional may see. Sharing is set firm by firm and can be revoked in one action. When access is withdrawn, it ends right away, and the change is recorded. Professionals see a clear picture of what they may use, so a referral starts with the right facts and nothing more. Every sharing choice appears in the client's security timeline. Read [Security & Control](/trust) to see how access works.

## Plan, money, taxes and estate
The portal and the iOS app show the client's plan, money, taxes and estate in one place. Linked bank and investment accounts, payroll and income data, and custodian statements keep the picture current without manual uploads; see [connected data](/connected-data). Clients pay invoices, sign documents and finish onboarding steps from the same screens. Returns and reports their professionals deliver arrive here, ready to read or download. Records keep their source, so everyone knows where a number came from.

## A document vault on the desktop
Every client has a document vault with private and shared spaces. A file the client keeps private stays private; a file they share goes only to the professionals they choose. Uploads are scanned before anyone opens them. Rutledge Drive syncs the vault to the desktop, so files open like any other folder and download the first time they are used. Each item stays private or shared by choice, and the app shows recent activity. See [mobile and Drive](/mobile-and-drive).

## What this means for the firm
Clients arrive with a verified identity, current account data and documents already in order. Professionals spend less time chasing statements and signatures, and more time on advice. A referral to another profession carries the facts the client has agreed to share. The client sees the same record the firm sees, so there are fewer surprises at review meetings. See how the [practice side](/practice) uses the same record, [try the platform](/try) or [talk with us](/contact).