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Cetera Financial Group

Engaged Employer

Cetera Financial.....a sinking ship - Executive Management Cetera Financial Group Employee Review

1.0
Mar 9, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Location is easy if you live on the Westside

Cons

Cetera suffers from years of being handed off by one private equity firm to another. In their latest past life, prior to the 2016 Bankruptcy, RCAP piled on additional acquisitions to a company already beset with crumbling technology, infrastructure, and offices. In the last 5-10 years the lack of investment in the company as left them in dire straits. To this day their IT department has not been given the resources or attention needed to manage a conglomerate and the firm has been glued together with spreadsheets and pixie dust. To make matters worse, the current management is years behind the competition when it comes to the eventual move from a mom & pop advisor model to the robo allocation model of business. To keep this short...Cetera is like a cab company trying to catch up to Uber and Lyft. The current strategy by the "top" management has not sufficiently addressed the problem and at best is trying to play catch up far too late. In terms of culture, it's mixed between the different departments. Finance and Accounting suffer from a lack of leadership, HR is suffering from turnover, IT is overly dependent on workers in India and contractors to build any real culture. Every single department faces heavy turnover problems...which is why you have probably been contacted by a recruiter and why why you are reading this. They are a recruiters dream becasue turnover is astronomical and moral is abysmal. In summary....do your homework before you go work for a company that will either be bankrupt a second time or sold again within a year.

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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