Cetera taps veteran leader from Choreo to lead tax-focused CFS unit

Cetera has named a new leader for its Cetera Financial Specialists community, putting a tax-focused wealth executive at the head of the firm's advisor group built around the intersection of tax and financial planning.

The newly announced external hire, Craig Bartlett, will be taking the helm of a community that sits within Cetera's Tax & Accounting channel alongside Avantax.

Bartlett joins Cetera from Choreo, a wealth management firm built around a network of advisors serving CPAs, entrepreneurs, and individuals, where he served as senior vice president of advisors focused on advisor leadership and organizational growth.

His broader background spans more than 30 years across wealth management, broker-dealer, insurance and advisory platforms, including earlier roles at Creative Planning/Wipfli Financial Advisors – the wealth arm of accounting firm Wipfli – as well as U.S. Bank, UBS, Transamerica and Allstate.

Beyond the highlights on Bartlett's resume, Andy Watts, Cetera's Tax & Accounting channel leader, pointed to his "strategic thinking, execution-oriented sales leadership, and relationship management skills" as reasons for the hire. 

For his part, Bartlett described the move as an opportunity to build on a tried and truly successful advisor culture.

"CFS advisors have created something truly special – a culture where deep tax expertise and genuine client care go hand in hand, and the results speak for themselves," he said.

Bartlett's appointment is the latest in a series of community-leader moves Cetera has made since last year. In May 2025, the firm promoted Clint Brookshire to community leader of Avantax, the tax-focused advisor group it acquired in 2023, while also naming John Lefferts to head Cetera Investors.Lefferts, who arrived following a leadership role at Equitable Advisors, parted ways with Cetera in April.

Last July, Cetera appointed Richard Vogel – a Merrill Lynch and Bank of America alum who was most recently affiliated with Ameriprise – to lead Cetera Advisors. A few months later in October, the firm tapped Paul Polese, a veteran of Pershing, Charles Schwab and Fidelity, to lead its RIA Blueprint program.

Read more: At Cetera, CEO Durbin says that recruiting advisors is strong but remains expensive: analyst

The CFS appointment lands as survey data suggests many advisors still aren't making taxes a regular part of client conversations, even though clients increasingly expect them to. According to Nationwide's most recent Advisor Authority research, 80% of investors expect taxes to rise in the future, yet less than one-third of that group said they are proactively adjusting their financial plan.

The disconnect extends to advisor engagement. Only 37% of respondents said their advisor proactively discusses tax planning strategies or tax policy changes as part of regular review meetings, while another 11% said those discussions happen only when major tax law changes occur, and 11% said taxes come up only when the client asks.

"Advisors should make taxes a part of regular client discussions," said Nationwide Annuity president Kush Kotecha, adding that investors not receiving regular tax guidance should ask for it or consider working with a professional who prioritizes tax-efficient retirement planning.

Read more: Where investment returns meet tax returns: Why integrating wealth management and tax services matters

Tax planning is also increasingly becoming a factor in RIA M&A. Last month, Waverly Advisors announced a deal to acquire WealthPlans in Maryland, along with its affiliate tax and accounting firm, Cooley & Associates.

Shortly after, Wealth Enhancement revealed it had acquired Trippon Wealth Management Group & J.M. Trippon & Company PC CPAs in Houston, adding eight tax professionals and eight support staff.