Cetera Financial Group Continues Build-Out of Advice-Centric Solutions with Launch of New Advisory Platform

LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cetera Financial Group^® (Cetera)*, a leading network of independent firms supporting the delivery of objective retail financial advice, today announced the launch of the first of its new Advice Architect Ecosystem™ suite of tools for financial advisors and their clients: My Advice Architect^TM, a technology-driven, innovative investment solutions offering that provides advisors with a seamless and streamlined approach to conducting advisory business.  The platform constitutes a key component of the broader Advice Architect Ecosystem, a series of integrated platforms and services that the company will be announcing in the coming months as it works toward its strategic vision of creating a truly advice-centric experience for its advisors and their clients.

My Advice Architect, developed in collaboration with Envestnet, brings Cetera's three core advisor-driven investment programs together on the same technology platform, enabling advisors to serve their clients with an unprecedented degree of flexibility, choice and transparency.  The new platform is being made available to financial advisors and financial institutions supported by Cetera in a phased rollout across the network, beginning with Cetera Financial Institutions, its firm specifically focused on serving the wealth management programs of banks and credit unions.

Adam Antoniades, President of Cetera said, "We're excited to take the next step forward in our ongoing mission of redefining what it means to provide retail financial advice with the launch of the first platform in our Advice Architect Ecosystem suite of tools – My Advice Architect.  With this platform, Cetera is giving advisors the ability to seamlessly match their clients' individual needs with the right investment program – and then offering further options for customization within those programs.  My Advice Architect provides our advisors and institutions with a level of flexibility, breadth of investment options and access to expert third-party asset managers that has not previously been available from a single, consolidated source. By rewriting the rules of engagement between advisors and clients with the introduction of breakthrough technologies, Cetera is showing how the advice-centric experience is an idea whose time has arrived."

My Advice Architect combines the following investment programs on a seamless technology platform under a single client agreement with no ticket charges, allowing advisors to position their clients among the three solutions as needed:

• Unified Program: Enables advisors to combine any number of advisor-directed models, fund strategist portfolios (FSPs) and separately managed accounts (SMAs) into one custodial account, thus eliminating the artificial silos around the different investment solutions and allowing advisors to invest their clients in the most appropriate portfolio. The platform provides advisors with access to a broad selection of nearly 100 strategists offering more than 800 mutual fund and ETF strategies, as well as approximately 300 managers offering more than 700 SMA models.
• Guided Program: A solution that allows advisors to leverage asset allocation models created by third-party model providers and enables them to apply these models to their clients' needs through asset-class weight adjustments and fund selection.
• Advisor Program: A purely advisor-directed solution that offers a wide selection of asset types for both discretionary and non-discretionary client accounts.

Lincoln Ross, Executive Vice President, Head of Product Strategy and Marketing of Envestnet, said, "We are pleased to partner with Cetera Financial Group to make this innovative new investment management platform available to all of its advisors. As Cetera continues to reshape its service offerings to provide advisors and their clients with greater levels of choice, integration and transparency, Envestnet is proud to serve as a critical part of that evolution, providing the technology to make Cetera's vision a reality."

Robert Moore, CEO of Cetera, said, "A number of rapidly converging industry, regulatory, demographic and consumer trends are creating a new era in financial advice.  Firms that work to relentlessly put advisors' client interests first, with the support of technologies that help drive a transparent and personalized experience, will define the future of this industry.  We're very excited about My Advice Architect, as this platform is the first component of a much larger story.  In the coming months, we will be announcing additional comprehensive service offerings, including a client-driven, digital advice solution that will also be offered as part of My Advice Architect.  In its entirety, our Advice Architect Ecosystem will transform how advisors guide individuals and families towards the achievement of financial well-being at every stage of life."

About Cetera Financial Group®

Cetera Financial Group ("Cetera") is a leading network of independent firms empowering the delivery of objective financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions.  Cetera is the second-largest independent financial advisor network in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions.

Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations.  Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support and innovative technology.  For more information, visit www.ceterafinancialgroup.com.

* "Cetera Financial Group" refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, Girard Securities and Summit Brokerage Services. All firms are members FINRA/SIPC.

About Envestnet

Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) is the leading provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. Envestnet's unified technology enhances advisor productivity and strengthens the wealth management process. Envestnet empowers enterprises and advisors to more fully understand their clients and deliver better outcomes.

Envestnet enables financial advisors to better manage client outcomes and strengthen their practices. Institutional-quality research and advanced portfolio solutions are provided through Envestnet | PMC, our Portfolio Management Consultants group. Envestnet | Yodlee is a leading data aggregation and data analytics platform powering dynamic, cloud-based innovation for digital financial services. Envestnet | Tamarac provides leading rebalancing, reporting, and practice management software for advisors. Envestnet | Retirement Solutions provides an integrated platform that combines leading practice management technology, research, data aggregation, and fiduciary managed account solutions.

More than 54,000 advisors and 2,500 companies including: 16 of the 20 largest U.S. banks, 38 of the 50 largest wealth management and brokerage firms, over 500 of the largest Registered Investment Advisers, and hundreds of Internet services companies, leverage Envestnet technology and services. Envestnet solutions enhance knowledge of the client, accelerate client on-boarding, improve client digital experiences, and help drive better outcomes for enterprises, advisors, and their clients. For more information on Envestnet, please visit www.envestnet.com and follow @ENVintel.

Cetera Media Contacts:

Joseph Kuo
Haven Tower Group
Tel: 424.652.6520 ext 101
[email protected]

Matthew Griffes
Haven Tower Group
Tel: 424.652.6520 ext 103
[email protected]

SOURCE Cetera Financial Group

Related Links

http://www.ceterafinancialgroup.com