Cetera Financial Group, a network of independent broker-dealer firms, has rolled out its Advanced Planning Group’s services to advisors across the network, representing roughly 10% of all Cetera Financial Group-affiliated advisors.
The Advanced Planning Group is an in-house consulting resource that supports advisors in addressing clients’ complex financial planning needs by providing guidance on legal, taxation, accounting and insurance matters.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
Led by Stanley R. Smiley, Esq., senior vice president and an industry veteran with more than 30 years of legal and estate planning experience, the Advanced Planning Group equips advisors across the Cetera Financial Group network with the ability to meet the increasingly complex and sophisticated challenges involved in developing tax, wealth transfer, estate planning and wealth preservation strategies for high-net-worth clients and their families.
The dedicated team is comprised of many highly credentialed legal and tax professionals and will be adding more professionals in the coming months in anticipation of strong demand from advisors across the network.
Adam Antoniades, president of Cetera Financial Group, said: "The Advanced Planning Group enables our advisors to provide more holistic financial planning in an environment where their clients are more frequently seeking advice that goes beyond the scope of traditional investment management."
"As a result, our advisors gain a valuable differentiator with their enhanced ability to provide solutions in situations that often require the assistance of attorneys or tax professionals. It’s like adding a new team of highly specialized professionals to an advisor’s staff to help them provide the best possible service to their clients."
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataSteve Dunlap, executive vice president, Wealth Management, Cetera Financial Group, said, "More than ever, independent financial advisors are dealing with complex wealth management issues, as high-net-worth clients seek effective strategies to maximize and transfer their wealth in a landscape of ever-changing tax laws and regulations."
"With the support of the highly experienced Advanced Planning Group, advisors will be better equipped to address a wide array of client financial planning needs, ranging from complex tax deferral strategies and employer stock options analyses to intergenerational asset transfers."
In addition to providing tax and legal counsel to Cetera Financial Group advisors, the Advanced Planning Group regularly provides advisors with updates and interpretations regarding emerging legislation and tax code changes that will affect advisors and their clients.
The Advanced Planning Group does not provide advisors with operational advice or portfolio management counsel.
