We’ve all done it: composed an e-mail, hit “send,” then realized the message has gone to the wrong person. It’s a mistake that is as avoidable as it is common.

In the financial services business, it’s important to ensure confidential information intended for a client does not end up on someone else’s screen.

The best way to ensure confidential information stays that way is to avoid sending anything by e-mail that’s ultra-sensitive, says Allison Merrow, a consultant and coach with Advisor Pathways Inc. >in Toronto. If necessary, call ahead and have your client confirm the e-mail address before sending the information. Or, get the client to send you an e-mail and reply to it with the requested information.

“I had a manager,” she says, “who used to say, ‘When you are going to send an e-mail, make sure that there’s nothing in it that’s controversial’.”

Merrow offers these simple rules to prevent e-mail nightmares:

> Save clients’ e-mail addresses into your address book so that you don’t have to type the address out each time, reducing the chance of a typing error.

> Arrange clients into groups according to common traits, such as how they are invested or their interests. This way, you can send group e-mails of non-sensitive information to a number of people at once. For example, you can send an article about cross-border tax issues to all your snowbird clients.

> When sending out a group e-mail, use the “BCC” address feature, which prevents recipients from seeing the identities of others on the list.

> Verify e-mail addresses when you are doing client reviews.

> Beware of hitting the “reply all” button when responding to an e-mail that was sent to you and others. If your response is intended for the sender only, hit “reply.”

> Find out from clients whether they want to receive information by e-mail at all. Some clients prefer “snail mail” only.

> Verify which e-mail address your client wants you to use. Although you might have the client’s business card, he or she might not want to get information at work and would prefer that you use a personal address.

> Make sure you have a disclaimer that appears on all your e-mails, covering issues such as confidentiality and unauthorized dissemination of information. Most firms provide a disclaimer.

> Always double-check the address before you hit “send.”

> If you do send confidential information to the wrong person, notify your firm’s legal department immediately.

“Think hard about what you are sending before you send it,” Merrow says, “because once you send it, you can’t retrieve it.” IE