employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

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
Jun 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As with most larger size companies there are some genuinely great people that work here but there are also many who are just here for a paycheck. It pays to make friends and internal connections with subject matter experts. There are always new projects starting up and changes seem to be constant, so depending on timing and business segment, advancement can happen quickly. The pay and benefits are OK-decent, but could be better. While there’s change in some areas, others can be stable and very easy to get comfortable with, always work to be done! This can be a good thing for those craving consistency and stability but bad for those looking for something challenging, personal growth and/or advancement opportunities. Hybrid work environment for most roles but must be in office at least 2-3x weekly, and this is tracked.

Cons

Change is constant and training/support aren’t always available. Many acquisitions have led to culture and policy clashes or conflicting info/processes. Many people are overworked and burnout can and does occur. It can take forever for resolutions to come around as most internal systems and programs are outdated. Support is outsourced to third parties and require service tickets to be opened. Updates are also vendor dependent, so things take forever to get fixed, or require annoying long term workarounds. Pay and benefits are OK, but could be better. Advancement opps can also vary across business segments and there’s a lot of promotions based on favoritism or nepotism rather than merit/experience. Lots of little perks like free sodas, snacks, Nespresso machines and such disappeared. Team or department lunches and outings are far and few between. Holiday party went way downhill, although it seems like they might be trying to improve it more recently.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All