Cetera merges two RIA units into nearly $19B planning division

Cetera Financial Group has combined two of its existing RIA businesses, creating a national employee-advisor planning powerhouse with over 100 advisors and approximately $19 billion in assets under advisement.

The newly formed division, called Cetera Planning Partners, brings together Avantax Planning Partners and The Retirement Planning Group under one roof.

The Retirement Planning Group has already rebranded to Cetera Planning Partners, with Avantax Planning Partners expected to complete its transition into the brand later this year.

The combined platform operates within Cetera's RIA and Branches channel and is designed to serve two distinct advisor profiles: growth-focused advisors seeking specialist support and operational scale, and practices in or approaching succession who need continuity for clients and staff.

Jennifer Hanau, president of Cetera's RIA and Branches channel, said in the announcement that the firm was built around the idea that "advisors should never have to choose between what's best for their clients today and what's right for the future."

She added that for advisors thinking about succession, the model offers "certainty: for their clients, their team, and the legacy they've built."

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 noted 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, the firm has added Darnall Sikes Wealth Partners, Plains Wealth Management and Matkovic Financial Group.

Cetera CEO Mike Durbin said in the statement that undertaking "a shift as significant as Cetera Planning Partners" required "the right conditions, the right alignment and the right 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 joined Cetera from Mariner in June last year to lead the newly created RIA and Branches channel. Before Mariner, she held leadership roles at Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab with a focus on RIA consulting and development.

Since Hanau's arrival, the channel has continued to build out its leadership bench. In October, Cetera named Paul Polese as community leader of RIA Blueprint, a segment of the channel 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.

Hanau said at the time of Polese's appointment that he was a "natural fit in the evolution of our team and offerings" as the firm scales RIA Blueprint.

Cetera Planning Partners positions itself as a succession solution as well as a growth platform – a dual pitch that reflects broader industry trends as an aging advisor population looks for structured exit paths that preserve client relationships and team continuity.

With its merging of two RIA units, Cetera also stands to potentially reduce costs and reduce client confusion as it applies 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 a higher valuation 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.