Research & Insights | Latest Commentary

Latest Publications

Take the mystery out of the markets

From historic performance to current drivers to predictions on what’s ahead, our logical, straightforward resources make it easier to understand forces affecting the economic landscape.

Research & Insights Latest Publications

Witch’s Brew: Stirring up a Cauldron of Diversification

As market volatility creeps in like a Halloween chill, our team brews up five essential ingredients for building a resilient portfolio. From understanding your risk tolerance to adding alternative investments, this seasonal commentary blends spooky themes with smart diversification strategies to help investors stay grounded—no broomstick required.

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Media-News-11

2025 Fourth Quarter Market Outlook

In our Q4 2025 market outlook, we explore how the Fed’s next move, rising tariff risks, and a weakening labor market are shaping investor sentiment. As uncertainty builds, we highlight where we see opportunity — and why diversification remains essential heading into year-end.

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Media-News-11

Cetera Sector Insights - September 2025

We’re pleased to share the latest edition of Cetera Sector Insights — our monthly report offering timely, actionable insights into what’s driving equity performance across the S&P 500 sectors. By combining macro trends, fundamentals, valuations, and technicals, this new piece helps you stay ahead—whether you're managing portfolios or tracking market leadership.

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Media-News-05

The Augmented Labor Market: AI and the Future of Work

From driverless cars to declining demand for entry-level tech roles, artificial intelligence is reshaping the labor market faster than ever. In our latest commentary, we explore how AI, demographics, and productivity trends are transforming the workforce—and what it means for investors.

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Media-News-04

Trade Tensions Test Investor Nerves - but Opportunity Awaits

In our latest commentary, we explore how rising U.S.–China trade tensions are fueling market volatility—and why that may present a buying opportunity. Despite near-term uncertainty, strong fundamentals and ample investor liquidity suggest the pullback could be a healthy reset within a longer-term bull market.

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Media-News-02

Explore our latest insights

Fed-O-Meter

Fed-O-Meter

Our Fed-O-Meter gives you a monthly snapshot of where we see the Fed moving on monetary policy. Dive deeper by reviewing the numbers behind the needle and our summary analysis below.

to-avoid-tag-deletion
to-avoid-tag-deletion
to-avoid-tag-deletion
to-avoid-tag-deletion
Higher Chance of
More Conservative
Fed Policy
Higher Chance of
More Aggressive
Fed Policy
Research & Insights Fed-O-Meter

Summary Analysis

The economic expansion has advanced from the initial recovery, and the focus is now on metrics the Federal Reserve is looking at to gauge the health of the economy. Since the Fed’s dual mandate is to keep prices stable and maximize employment, we will focus on labor and inflation metrics, keeping in mind the broader economic impact as well. We created a Fed Monitor to track some of the data points that will impact the Fed’s decisions to tighten financial conditions. Additionally, we try to quantify the data and information outside of the dashboard to determine if the Fed is being more dovish than the data, and likely to be more aggressive in the future, or if they are being hawkish relative to the data, and likely to be more conservative in the future.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) appears on track for a second consecutive rate cut at the upcoming FOMC Meeting in late October. Minutes from the September meeting revealed that most officials see it as appropriate to move rates lower, citing rising downside risks to employment. However, the Fed’s data dependent approach may be challenged by the government shutdown.

Key economic reports have been delayed, leaving Fed officials with limited visibility into current conditions. Data through August showed persistent above-target inflation and a cooling labor market. Weekly jobless claims, which were available the week before the shutdown, indicated that layoffs remained low through September. Private payroll data from ADP showed a decline of 32,000 jobs in September, the third decline in the prior four months. While the ADP job figures aren’t always aligned with BLS figures, they typically follow the same trend. Meanwhile, the ISM Services and Manufacturing PMIs signaled contraction in employment indices in September, but at a lesser degree than in August. The prices paid index showed that price pressures are elevated, but there are signs of easing.

The overall trend of above-trend inflation and softening job growth remains in place. We are keeping the Fed-O-Meter in its current position, anticipating a rate cut at the end of October.

Resources

Crunch the Numbers
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Marketing | Financial Institutions

Integrated solutions. Individualized support. Infinite possibilities.

Marketing and sales solutions built to scale

Attract prospects and gain wallet share with a marketing strategy that promotes your program and its ability to help clients pursue greater financial well-being.

Get noticed

Maximize your in-branch marketing potential with our ready-to-use, customizable campaign kits including posters, counter signs, ATM screens, and more.

Business man on tablet browsing through campaign kit
Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

Deepen engagement

Enrich connections with current clients. Grab the interest of new ones. Recruit fresh talent. Easily keep your program top of mind with the right audience at the right time.

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Pump up your prospecting

Leverage powerful solutions to fill your pipeline with qualified leads that you can easily integrate into your marketing outreach strategy.

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Two professionals working on a desktop computer to generate leads

Our results say it best

“Are you prepared to turn your recruiting efforts into success? Cetera’s tools give us strong leads we can target and track and turn into advisors.”

Greg Brackett

Greg Brackett

BAR Financial

“I might be a really good financial advisor, but I’m not a marketer. Cetera has the right people in place to help.”

Jim Starnes

Jim Starnes

Totus Wealth Management

“Cetera's established marketing and growth resources are industry-leading and helped us envision a better future for our practice and for our clients.”

Dean Packard

Dean Packard

Harvest Wealth

 
 

Let’s promote your program

Connect with a Business Development Specialist to learn how our marketing team can help make your program the standout option for clients and prospects looking to pursue a stronger financial future.

Tami
Tami Cain
Head of Institutional Business Development
(414) 254-5330
Zach
Zach Porter
Regional Business Development Officer
(630) 453-4721

Marketing

Exclusive end-to-end sales and marketing solutions built to scale.

We help grow your reach and revenue (and shrink your time spent on it)

We’ll build a comprehensive, bespoke growth engine for you that connects with clients, prospects, and other advisors to drive measurable organic and inorganic growth—activating a flywheel of opportunity for your business and positioning you as a market leader.

A cohesive, multistep approach to driving growth, efficiency, and engagement

Brand & customer strategy

Brand & customer strategy

Stand out with a defined identity and cross-channel strategy that differentiates you and positions you as providing more value.

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Sales channel optimization

Sales channel optimization

Enhance all touchpoints in your sales funnel to be optimized for your goals and better connect with your target market.

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Customer experience

Customer experience

Understand how people want to engage with you and create meaningful customer journeys.

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Digital marketing

Digital marketing

Harness the power of digital to expand brand awareness, connect with clients, and boost business performance.

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Marketing effectiveness

Marketing effectiveness

Identify your biggest marketing opportunities and create an action plan trackable against your initial goals.

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Insights & analytics

Insights & analytics

Understand your key sales and marketing metrics, then optimize your ability to execute against them and drive growth.

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Proprietary solutions that drive value and success

A brand built just for you

We’ll cultivate a brand and graphic identity to reflect and promote your vision. Then, we’ll help you connect meaningfully with your ideal client.

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Exclusive marketing plans

Stay top of mind with clients and prospects with quarterly marketing plans tailored to multiple demographics.

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More leads with less effort

It couldn't get simpler. We'll fill your pipeline with leads, then ramp up your conversion potential with targeted marketing.

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Our results say it best

“Are you prepared to turn your recruiting efforts into success? Cetera’s tools give us strong leads we can target and track and turn into advisors.”

Greg Brackett

Greg Brackett

BAR Financial

“I might be a really good financial advisor, but I’m not a marketer. Cetera has the right people in place to help.”

Jim Starnes

Jim Starnes

Totus Wealth Management

“Cetera's established marketing and growth resources are industry-leading and helped us envision a better future for our practice and for our clients.”

Dean Packard

Dean Packard

Harvest Wealth

 
 

Take the first step towards greater success

Connect with one of our Business Development Specialists to discover how our marketing resources and personalized support will put your brand—and your business—in front of more clients.

Matt
Matt Smith
Business Development
(848) 254-7557
Jascha
Jascha Wilson
Business Development
(657) 753-7021

LeadEngine | Financial Institutions

LeadEngine

Fill your pipeline with leads.

Turn prospects into clients with ease

LeadEngine powers your program with solutions designed to attract and engage motivated prospects. Whether you’re hosting impactful events or receiving high-intent leads directly, it keeps your pipeline full and your momentum strong—with up to 100% cost reimbursement to support your success.

Home Marketing LeadEngine

LeadEngine gets results

94,000+

94,000+

leads delivered*

$1.5+ billion

$1.5+ billion

total assets in pipeline*

$220+ million

$220+ million

total assets added, and growing daily*

$6.5+ million

$6.5+ million

average assets in pipeline per advisor*

Your pipeline. Unlimited possibilities.

Get high-intent, qualified leads delivered straight to your advisors' inboxes from SmartAsset. To maximize their potential and close more new clients, they can opt for live phone introductions to leads.

Fill your next workshop or seminar with motivated, high-quality leads through LeadJig. Advanced targeting ensures you're connecting with the right audience, increasing attendance and engagement.

Simplify seminar prospecting with White Glove’s “done for you” marketing approach. From promotion to registration, every detail is covered so your advisors can focus on delivering value to potential clients.

See what your peers have to say

“In four months with LeadEngine, I have three new clients and over $1M in assets closed with another $1.5M in pipeline.”

Michael Argiro

Michael Argiro

4T Financial

“I wish I did this 20 years ago! In just two years, I've raised $30 million new assets and had a larger pipeline than ever.”

Chad Coe

Chad Coe

Coe Financial Group

“LeadEngine saves time, focuses energy, and is the equivalent of modern-day networking. Participating in this program is a clear winner!”

Evan Guido

Evan Guido

Avantax

Win over prospects more easily with MarketingCentral

A Cetera exclusive: our automated campaigns and personalized cross-channel marketing strategies help your advisors engage leads throughout the prospecting process.

Learn More
Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

*Performance results for Cetera financial professionals using LeadEngine as of January 2025.

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LeadEngine

LeadEngine

Fill your pipeline with leads.

Turn prospects into clients with ease

LeadEngine powers your business with solutions designed to attract and engage motivated prospects. Whether you’re hosting impactful events or receiving high-intent leads directly, it keeps your pipeline full and your momentum strong—with up to 100% cost reimbursement to support your success.

Home Marketing LeadEngine

LeadEngine gets results

94,000+

94,000+

leads delivered*

$1.5+ billion

$1.5+ billion

total assets in pipeline*

$220+ million

$220+ million

total advisory assets added, and growing daily*

$6.5+ million

$6.5+ million

average assets in pipeline per advisor*

Your pipeline. Unlimited possibilities.

Get high-intent, qualified leads delivered straight to your inbox from SmartAsset. To maximize your potential and close more new clients, you can opt for live phone introductions to leads.

Fill your next workshop or seminar with motivated, high-quality leads through LeadJig. Advanced targeting ensures you're connecting with the right audience, increasing attendance and engagement.

Simplify seminar prospecting with White Glove’s “done for you” marketing approach. From promotion to registration, every detail is covered so you can focus on delivering value to potential clients. 

See what your peers have to say

“In four months with LeadEngine, I have three new clients and over $1M in assets closed with another $1.5M in pipeline.”

Michael Argiro

Michael Argiro

4T Financial

“I wish I did this 20 years ago! In just two years, I've raised $30 million new assets and had a larger pipeline than ever.”

Chad Coe

Chad Coe

Coe Financial Group

“LeadEngine saves time, focuses energy, and is the equivalent of modern-day networking. Participating in this program is a clear winner!”

Evan Guido

Evan Guido

Avantax

Make a strong first impression with GrowthLine

Our team of seasoned marketing pros will help ensure your brand, visual identity and digital presence are optimized for greatest impact across your marketing needs.

Learn More
Business man and woman designing a website on a computer using GrowthLine
Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

Win over prospects more easily with MarketingCentral

We’ll help you build and implement a holistic marketing strategy across digital media to keep your leads engaged and promote the benefits of working with you.

Learn More

*Performance results for Cetera financial professionals using LeadEngine as of January 2025.

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MarketingCentral | Financial Institutions

MarketingCentral

Automate your outreach. Maximize your potential.

Engage clients and prospects where they are

Bring potency and personalization to your advisors’ marketing and communications strategy. Our advanced platform, MarketingCentral, helps them seamlessly connect across multiple channels.

Home Marketing MarketingCentral

Marketing with reach

24,000

24,000

social posts per month

40,000

40,000

email campaigns per month

4.8 million

4.8 million

investors reached per month

MarketingCentral: Where growth meets efficiency

Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

Advisors can efficiently build a holistic plan to stay connected to clients and prospects through email, social media, events, and print.

Email and social campaigns can be scheduled for effortless set-and-forget consistency.

Maximize outreach with our four-segment multimedia marketing plans. They’re completely customized and compliance-approved for plug-and-play ease.

Campaigns can be customized to different segments of your advisors’ books to better target client needs and uncover new opportunities for growth.

Implement our targeted recruiting campaigns to attract new talent and stay engaged throughout the prospecting process.

Our multichannel library of regularly updated content helps ensure your advisors’ communications are relevant and welcomed.

Let AI curate a personalized library of great content from top sources for your advisors to share across channels.

Connect more while doing less

“MarketingCentral has been a game-changer—we don't need to worry about scheduling outreach or content. This is truly set it and forget it.”

Ryan Marshall

Ryan Marshall

ELA Financial Group

“I sincerely believe financial professionals that aren't using this tool are missing out on potential new business.”

Pamela Malara

Pamela Malara

Bank of St. Francisville

“Marketing doesn't have to be overwhelming. With MarketingCentral, just a few clicks and it’ll seem like you spend way more time than you do on marketing and communications.”

Alison McClure

Alison McClure

Ohana Wealth Management

Marketing plans as good as your financial plans

It doesn’t get easier than this. Advisors can flip a switch to automate professionally curated marketing plans across multiple demographics. Pre-approved content is available for email and social, plus recommendations for digital or in-person events.

Nurture (and fill) your pipeline with LeadEngine

What makes it even easier for your advisors to use MarketingCentral to stay connected to your program’s pipeline of leads? Us filling that pipeline for you.

Learn More

Average MarketingCentral usage data as of August 2024.

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MarketingCentral

MarketingCentral

Marketing really can be this easy.

Engage clients and prospects where they are

Bring potency and personalization to your communication strategy with our advanced marketing platform, MarketingCentral. Seamlessly engage, prospect, and recruit across multiple channels.

Home Marketing MarketingCentral

Marketing with reach

24,000

24,000

social posts per month

40,000

40,000

email campaigns per month

4.8 million

4.8 million

investors reached per month

MarketingCentral: Where growth meets efficiency

Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

Build a comprehensive communications strategy to connect with clients and prospects through email, social media, events, and print marketing.

Maximize your outreach with our four-segment multimedia marketing plans. They’re completely customized and compliance-approved for plug-and-play ease.

Schedule email and social campaigns for effortless set-and-forget consistency.

Access regularly updated content from the multichannel library to ensure your communications are relevant.

Stay in touch and get more facetime with clients using our virtual and in-person event management tools.

Leverage a collection of multi-touch email sequences, social posts, and thought leadership materials to recruit advisors to your business.

Let AI curate a personalized library of great content from top sources to share across your social media channels, refining your library based on the content you select.

Connect more while doing less

“MarketingCentral has been a game-changer—we don't need to worry about scheduling outreach or content. This is truly set it and forget it.”

Ryan Marshall

Ryan Marshall

ELA Financial Group

“I sincerely believe financial professionals that aren't using this tool are missing out on potential new business.”

Pamela Malara

Pamela Malara

Bank of St. Francisville

“Marketing doesn't have to be overwhelming. With MarketingCentral, just a few clicks and it’ll seem like you spend way more time than you do on marketing and communications.”

Alison McClure

Alison McClure

Ohana Wealth Management

Marketing plans as good as your financial plans

It doesn’t get easier than this. Just flip a switch to automate professionally curated marketing plans across multiple demographics. Pre-approved content is available for email and social, plus recommendations for digital or in-person events.

Build your brand value

Empower your engagement and recruiting efforts to work in concert and reinforce your value proposition with a memorable, cohesive brand identity and digital presence.

Learn More
Business man and woman designing a website on a computer using GrowthLine

Nurture (and fill) your pipeline

MarketingCentral’s automated campaigns and personalized marketing strategies greatly simplify keeping your pipeline of leads engaged. Even better, we can fill that pipeline for you.

Learn More

Average MarketingCentral usage data as of August 2024.

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GrowthLine

GrowthLine

We’ll put your brand ecosystem to work for you.

Outshine your competition

With GrowthLine, our specialists work with you to create a complete brand experience to promote your value proposition, engage clients and prospects, recruit new talent—and set you apart. Valued at up to $150,000, it's offered at no cost to you when you join Cetera.

Home Marketing GrowthLine
BISA Technology Innovation Award 2025

The award’s great. Your reward’s greater.

GrowthLine was honored with this year’s BISA Technology Innovation Award for its contributions to technological advancement. But you’ll be most appreciative of its contributions to helping you attract and engage clients, prospects, and talent.

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It's time to grow for it

Looking for more growth? Your participation in the GrowthLine program entitles you to our Growth Guarantee—we guarantee you’ll grow at least 50% more, or we'll refund your affiliation fees. Where else can you get a promise like that?

Not for consumers • Not investment advice • Limited to refund of initial affiliation fee. See terms & conditions.

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Growth Guarantee

Be the center of attention

300%

300%

more unique visitors to website

200%

200%

increase in reach on social media

80%

80%

increase in organic search traffic

We meet you where you are

Our digital audit gives you an extensive evaluation of how you’re being seen across channels—so we can build a strategy for measurable growth.

Business man and woman designing a website on a computer using GrowthLine

Our elevation of your website and digital presence will make it easier for your business to be found by the people you want to attract.

Fast. Responsive. Simple to use. Secure. We’ll optimize your site to encourage engagement designed to turn visitors into leads, and clients into referrers.

Wow, impress, and win screen time across social platforms with a tech-powered plan leveraging automated campaigns and pre-scheduled communications.

Then take you where you want to grow

More clients and wallet share

More clients and wallet share

55%

more annual revenue growth than comparable peers

More organic growth

More organic growth

$17.5+ billion

incremental AUA from participating advisors

More impact delivered 

More impact delivered 

2,300+

advisors served

Grow more with GrowthLine

“The GrowthLine team took time to understand our personality, our brand, our uniqueness, and then refreshed our website to make it all come to life.”

J.R. Phillips

J.R. Phillips

Premier Retirement Plan Advisors

“We’ve been thrilled with the responsiveness, professionalism, and quality of the work Cetera’s done for us, empowering us to share our vision with clients old and new.”

Dean Packard

Dean Packard

Harvest Wealth

“The GrowthLine team really took their time to understand our unique footprint in the financial world and customized our website to be first-class.”

Mark Burgdorf

Mark Burgdorf

Burgdorf Wealth Managers

Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

Animate your ecosystem with MarketingCentral

Elevate your engagement strategy with automated campaigns, tailored marketing plans, and customizable content that keep you front and center with clients and prospects.

Learn More

Boost leads and conversion with LeadEngine

The only thing that can improve upon your newly strengthened brand presence is a strong pipeline of leads to take notice—and we can fill it for you.

Learn More

The BISA Technology Innovation Award is designed to recognize leadership in the advancement of the financial industry’s products, services, and platforms through technology innovation. Listing in this publication and/or award is not a guarantee of future investment success. This recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client. No compensation was provided directly or indirectly by the recipient for participation or in connection with obtaining or using the third-party rating or award.

Data based on Cetera financial professionals using GrowthLine who have completed all program initiatives from May 2021 through December 2024.

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