FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Home Frequently Asked Questions

About Cetera

Cetera was formally established in February 2010 when ING Group sold three broker-dealers to an investment fund managed by Lightyear Capital LLC, a private equity firm specializing in financial services. Though 2010 is the birth of Cetera, our history stretches back much further: Cetera Advisors and Cetera Financial Specialists were founded in 1981, Cetera Wealth Services in 1983, and Cetera Investment Services in 1984. While names have changed over time, our commitment to independent financial guidance and personal connections hasn’t.

Cetera is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with other main office locations in El Segundo, CA; Denver, CO; Schaumburg, IL; and St. Cloud, MN. Our Cetera Investors division has a nationwide network of approximately 40 branches, and our independent professionals have offices in all 50 states.

The Advice-Centric Experience is a framework we use to empower financial professionals to deliver more value and better serve a rapidly changing investor. Now, more than ever, financial professionals must provide a more personalized, comprehensive level of service that proves its worth on the balance sheet. The Advice-Centric Experience defines how we demonstrate and elevate that value.

We support some 9,000 independent financial professionals, including solo practitioners, teams and ensemble organizations, institutional financial professionals, and branches.

Cetera is comprised of four broker-dealers representing five communities: Cetera Advisors, Cetera Wealth Services, Cetera Financial Specialists, and Cetera Investment Services (comprising the communities Cetera Financial Institutions and Cetera Investors). Each community has its own unique business focus and specialized support.

All broker-dealers are members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and we have a robust team of compliance professionals who, on a timely basis, will review requests, examine books and marketing materials, and keep our financial professionals informed of regulatory change to help them effectively manage risk and stay focused on clients.

Cetera uses Pershing LLC for clearing solutions to deliver an efficient experience. Additionally, in 1991, Cetera Investment Services became the first broker-dealer in the institutional space to become self-clearing.

Genstar Capital assumed majority ownership of Cetera and our network of broker-dealers in 2018. It has a long track record of helping companies accelerate success—much like how we partner with our financial professionals and institutions to help them expand their services and enhance their delivery of financial guidance. Genstar provides us with the resources to make sustainable long-term investments in the areas that matter most to those we serve.

For financial professionals

We’ll help you. When you work with our Business Development team, you’ll share more about you, your business, and your specific goals, and then your team member will guide you toward the best fit within our network. They’ll introduce you to different home office team members and currently affiliated financial professionals to help you get the best picture of what working with each broker-dealer is like.

As every business is different, our Onboarding Group will customize your experience to your needs using our Accesslink program. Your dedicated experience manager and coach will guide you every step of the way. From account movement preparation to tech setup, we’ve got you covered. We’ll also connect you with your new Cetera community, plugging you in to our vast peer network and helping you get to know your growth and business support teams.

Yes. In your conversations with the Business Development team, it may be determined you’d fit best within one of our independent financial professional’s offices, an ensemble organization, an affiliated financial institution, or as part of a Cetera Investors branch. We’ll connect you with the leaders of those offices so you can get to know them, their culture, and their business goals, and then help you find the right fit for you.

Yes. If your business growth strategy includes recruiting new financial professionals or growing through acquisitions, our Business Development and growth teams can work with you to define your recruitment plan, connect you with financial professionals or offices, and offer ongoing support.

Yes. Our Legacy Builder program is designed to safeguard against the unexpected and give you control over the future of your business. You’ll work with our Business Consulting Group to create your continuity and succession plans, and receive guidance on how you can maximize the value and eventual purchase price of your business. And if you’re looking to grow through acquisitions, you can become part of the Qualified Buyer portion of the program to be matched with sellers within our network.

Yes. We offer a comprehensive suite of marketing services. For more information, view our Marketing overview.

Working with a Cetera-affiliated financial professional

With offices in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, there’s likely a Cetera financial professional ready to help near you. You can search based on your location using our Find an Advisor feature.

It starts with a simple question: What are your life goals? Cetera financial professionals work with you to make a customized plan based on your unique priorities and timeline to put you on the path to reach them. Depending on their specialty, your financial professionals can help you with:

  • Asset allocation
  • Retirement preparedness
  • Cash management
  • Education funding
  • Long-term care planning
  • Trust services
  • Overall wealth management
  • Giving strategies
  • Home and education planning
  • And more

You can learn more about working with a Cetera financial professional and how to locate one near you by using our Find an Advisor app.

Cetera-affiliated financial professionals are licensed professionals who are required to sit for an examination, take ongoing continuing education courses, and have background and fingerprint checks. They are registered in any states where they do business and are subject to credit checks and regular auditing to ensure they are compliant. Our financial professionals also must attend annual compliance trainings so they are up to date on regulatory matters. All firms are members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which provide greater oversight.

Working for Cetera

You can explore what a career at Cetera is like and what our employees find special about Cetera on our Careers page.

Current job postings are available on our career portal.

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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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

Your complete digital marketing solution.

A path to growth that comes with shortcuts

With Cetera’s end-to-end marketing suite, your advisors move seamlessly from building their brand presence to scaling engagement to attracting new clients, all in one connected journey.

Transform your brand with our expertise

GrowthLine

Transform your brand with our expertise

Let us evolve a compelling brand identity and multi-channel digital presence for your advisors’ business—valued at up to $150,000 and delivered at no cost when you join Cetera.

  • Digital audit and personalized plan
  • Brand identity creation
  • Website development and SEO optimization designed to convert
Learn More
Marketing Central

Automation that makes scaling easy

Attract and engage investors with a steady stream of high-value content that effortlessly keeps your advisors top-of-mind all year long.

  • Customizable quarterly plans with AI-curated content
  • Calendarized marketing strategy tailored to your segments
  • 25+ automated and compliant campaigns ready to deploy
Learn More
Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

LeadEngine

Driving new prospects to your door

Expand your advisors' reach with an intelligent prospecting system that identifies, engages, and converts high-quality leads.

  • Prospecting campaigns and automated lead generation with up to 100% cost reimbursement
  • Smart targeting with niche segmentation and HNW parameters
  • Implement nurture workflows, conversion resources, and performance optimization to turn prospects into clients
Learn More

Proven success

“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

“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

“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

Contact Representative BG Rachel Tina Purple Plane

Let’s promote your program

Connect with our Business Development team to discover how our marketing resources and personalized support can transform your advisors’ brand, elevate visibility, and drive business growth.

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Marketing

Your complete digital marketing solution.

A path to growth that comes with shortcuts

With Cetera’s end-to-end marketing suite, you move seamlessly from building your brand presence to scaling engagement to attracting new clients, all in one connected journey.

Transform your brand with our expertise

GrowthLine

Transform your brand with our expertise

Let us evolve a compelling brand identity and multi-channel digital presence for your business—valued at up to $150,000 and delivered at no cost when you join Cetera.

  • Digital audit and personalized plan
  • Brand identity creation
  • Website development and SEO optimization designed to convert
Learn More
Marketing Central

Automation that makes scaling easy

Attract and engage investors with a steady stream of high-value content that effortlessly keeps you top-of-mind all year long.

  • Customizable quarterly plans with AI-curated content
  • Calendarized marketing strategy tailored to your segments
  • 25+ automated and compliant campaigns ready to deploy
Learn More
Business woman demonstrating MarketingCentral functionality with laptop

LeadEngine

Driving new prospects to your door

Expand your reach with an intelligent prospecting system that identifies, engages, and converts high-quality leads.

  • Prospecting campaigns and automated lead generation with up to 100% cost reimbursement
  • Smart targeting with niche segmentation and HNW parameters
  • Implement nurture workflows, conversion resources, and performance optimization to turn prospects into clients
Learn More

Proven success

“The growth has been unbelievable! We’ve nearly doubled most of our measurables since our engagement with Cetera Marketing.”

Michael Simon

Michael Simon

GTE Investment Group

“Working with the Cetera Marketing team transformed the look and feel of my entire company. I am continuously grateful for their help.”

Ali Kazemi

Ali Kazemi

Sentinel Financial Group

“Marketing is not as daunting as I had feared—it was actually relatively easy! And when clients begin to leave Google reviews, it is very gratifying to see that they truly care about the growth of our business as much as we do.”

Anthony Rahrig

Anthony Rahrig

Rahrig Financial Group, LLC

Contact Representative BG Rachel Tina Purple Plane

Take the first step towards greater success

Connect with our Business Development team to discover how our marketing resources and personalized support can transform your brand, elevate visibility, and drive business growth.

.cet-z-pattern-bullet li { font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400; padding-bottom: 7px; line-height: 28px; } @media (max-width: 767.98px) { .cet-z-pattern-bullet li { font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; } } /* custom hero banner settings */ .single-row-hero-banner.purpleclr.parallax-visible { transform: translate(-50%, -80%); } @media (min-width: 992px) { .cet-prpl-medium { margin-bottom: 40px; } } @media (min-width: 418px) and (max-width: 991.98px) { .single-row-hero-banner.purpleclr.parallax-visible { transform: translate(-50%, -70%); }

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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