Cetera Financial Group has combined two of its existing registered investment advisor (RIA) businesses, creating a national employee-advisor planning platform with over 100 advisors and approximately $19 billion in assets under advisement. The newly formed division, Cetera Planning Partners, unites Avantax Planning Partners and The Retirement Planning Group under a single brand.
The Retirement Planning Group has already rebranded to Cetera Planning Partners, while Avantax Planning Partners is expected to complete its transition later this year. The combined platform operates within Cetera's RIA and Branches channel, which is led by President Jennifer Hanau. Hanau joined Cetera from Mariner in June 2024 to head the newly created channel.
Cetera Planning Partners is designed to serve two distinct advisor profiles: growth-focused advisors seeking specialist support and operational scale, and practices approaching succession that need continuity for clients and staff. Advisors on the platform will have access to in-house specialists spanning financial planning, tax, investments, estate planning, insurance, trust services, and retirement solutions. The firm also highlighted relationships with CPA firms and a multi-custodial platform built to support RIAs.
The launch is the latest move in a broader acquisition and consolidation strategy Cetera has pursued over the past six years. The firm said it has completed roughly 70 transactions in that period supporting its employee-advisor RIA model. This year alone, Cetera has added Darnall Sikes Wealth Partners, Plains Wealth Management, and Matkovic Financial Group.
Cetera CEO Mike Durbin said in a statement that undertaking a shift as significant as Cetera Planning Partners required the right conditions, alignment, and leadership, adding that advisor sentiment is increasingly aligned with the RIA model, driven by accelerating client demand for financial planning and advice.
The division falls under the broad purview of Hanau, who before Mariner held leadership roles at Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab focusing on RIA consulting and development. Since her arrival, the channel has continued to build out its leadership bench. In October 2024, Cetera named Paul Polese as community leader of RIA Blueprint, a segment focused on independent and hybrid RIA advisors. Polese brings nearly three decades of industry experience, including senior roles at Pershing, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity, along with founding BCA Consultants.
Cetera Planning Partners positions itself as both a succession solution and a growth platform, reflecting broader industry trends as an aging advisor population seeks structured exit paths that preserve client relationships and team continuity. With the merger, Cetera also stands to reduce costs and client confusion by applying its brand name to the newly formed division.
More broadly, large broker-dealer firms like Cetera, Osaic, and LPL are catering to marketplace demand by focusing more on their RIA businesses, as RIAs command higher valuations than broker-dealers. Cetera's broader RIA and Branches channel currently supports more than 600 advisors with $33.5 billion in client assets, according to figures from March 2025. Across all channels, the firm reported more than $640 billion in assets under administration and $294 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024.
For advisors considering their options, the consolidation trend is evident. As noted in recent coverage, AI-driven M&A analysis widens the gap between scaled platforms and independent RIAs, making platforms like Cetera's increasingly attractive. Additionally, Merit Financial Advisors integrates Prizm's digital insurance platform to enhance planning, a move that mirrors Cetera's focus on in-house specialists.
