The purpose of SEC examinations is to protect investors by determining whether registered firms are complying with the law, adhering to the disclosures that they have provided to their clients, and maintaining appropriate compliance programs to ensure compliance with the law.
If you are examined, you are required to provide examiners with access to all requested advisory records that you maintain (under certain conditions, documents may remain private under the attorney-client privilege).
More information about examinations by the SEC and the examination process is provided in the brochure, “Examination Information for Broker-Dealers, Transfer Agents, Clearing Agencies, Investment Advisers and Investment Companies,” which is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov/info/cco/ccons2006exambrochure.pdf.