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Cetera Financial Group

Engaged Employer

"Ceterable" Workplace - Compliance Cetera Financial Group Employee Review

1.0
Mar 9, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Good 401k benefits -Earned PTO is high

Cons

History: RCAP was a dirty company, cooked the books, bought a bunch of BDs (Cetera being the biggest) filed for bankruptcy, emerged as the new Cetera. With that being said, there's still about about 7 BDs within the "CFG" network. -HORRIBLE communication. Everyone got converted to CFG network and instead for working for 1 BD you work for 7 BDs, meaning reviewing/approving pieces from all 7. No one communicates with the non-Cetera BDs. Everything goes through Cetera BDs and they are the worst. -The worst technology in Compliance ever. To review an advertising piece, they still have their advisers email a person, that person distribute the work, then the analyst re-faxes the document to their record system, DOCUPACE, so much duplicate meaningless administrative work for analysts. It's no wonder they are overworked. All the numbers are inflated because of all the administrative inefficient way of submitting a piece for review. -"We don't favor one BD but we're going to do it the Cetera way", they told us that when they converted us, which is one step forward and 5 steps back on everything...especially technology and internal procedures. -Systems are inadequate, Docupace, Smartworks, HR Connect -Health insurance sucks, when they converted the BDs to the Cetera way, they took out HMO option. So now you pay for PPO and pay more for health costs. -Inadequate structure...like they messed up on our W-2s this year and mailed corrected W-2 in March. Taxes are due in April. Some people have to refile. They can't simply get numbers right. They are off by a few dollars, and forgot to add in FSA amount, and line 12 DD, all the numbers are off... Are they cooking books again?! What kind of company messes up on a W2?! Seriously. This is the first time I ever got a corrected W2 so late in the season. -Slow response for everything. Like simple things like changing your address, or obtaining access to a system. -Unorganized upper management, can't even tell you if you're eligible for bonuses or where you stand in the company. -So many changes (not for the better) for all employees, it won't stop. It keeps coming. Restructuring here and there. Cetera is what LPL was like in the stone ages days. -Morale is not the greatest because they squeeze their employees of everything and expect more work with less pay. -Worst than LPL, if you worked at LPL you'll understand what I mean about this. It makes LPL look like the happiest BD to work for, even WITH all the layoffs.

Explore other reviews about Cetera Financial Group

5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Overall, I've had a very positive experience. One of the biggest strengths has been the people. I've had the opportunity to work with a great team and strong leadership, and everyone has been supportive, collaborative, and approachable. I appreciate the positive culture and the willingness of colleagues to help one another and share knowledge. I also value the work-life balance, which have helped create a healthy and productive work environment. The team fosters open communication, and I've enjoyed the variety of work and the opportunity to learn from different people and perspectives. Overall, it's been a great place to work, and I've genuinely enjoyed being part of the team.

Cons

* Greater visibility into long-term career development and advancement opportunities would be valuable. Establishing more structured career development programs and mentorship opportunities could help employees better understand potential growth paths and support their long-term development. * While there have been noticeable improvements, having more in-office activities and opportunities for collaboration and connection for employees who come into the office could make the experience more engaging and further strengthen team culture and employee engagement.

3.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I truly love the people I work with, my team itself is 100% the best part of this job. Reliable employment in this job market. It’s hard to get fired

Cons

Hybrid is great, but I hate that they keep pushing in office more and more. It truly impacted my work life balance after last year when the hybrid policy was changed. Benefits reduced after Avantax was bought by cetera. Bonuses are far from generous for being annual. Team is understaffed, takes forever to back fill roles once someone leaves due to HR red tape.team is stretched thin at this point Workload significantly increased after Avantax was bought by cetera The systems suck, nothing works and tech seems to have no idea how to fix things. Cetera is in the business of acquiring more and more firms vs improving what already exists Really pushing the use of AI and they closely track your usage. AI use is factored into your review and bonus

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