Cetera Financial Group Named Advisory Solutions Sponsor Firm of the Year and Honored for Year's Best Advisory Solutions Marketing Program by the Money Management Institute

LOS ANGELES, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cetera Financial Group today announced that it has been named Advisory Solutions Sponsor Firm of the Year and has also received top honors for Advisory Solutions Marketing Program of the Year by the Money Management Institute (MMI), the national association representing the $3.4 trillion managed investment solutions and wealth management industry.

These prestigious awards were bestowed by MMI as part of its 2014 Industry Leadership Awards, its sixth annual event recognizing innovation and achievement in the advisory solutions industry. 

Steve Dunlap, Executive Vice President, Wealth Management at Cetera Financial Group, said, "We are deeply honored to be named Advisory Solutions Sponsor Firm of the Year, recognizing all the hard work and innovative thinking of the people on our team. We have some of the most talented people in the industry here at Cetera, and this award is a reflection of their diligent efforts and clever ideas. 

"During the past year, Cetera has rolled out numerous creative offerings including expanded capabilities within our industry-leading wealth management platform.  We launched a new asset-management group, added features to our award-winning SmartWorks Adviser^® technology platform, grew our Wealth Management Consulting Team, tripled our Research team, and invested in our advisor education capabilities, to name just a few," he said.

Susan Theder, Chief Marketing Officer of Cetera Financial Group, said, "We are equally proud that our Connect2Clients marketing program has been chosen as the Advisory Solutions Marketing Program of the Year. C2C has proven extraordinarily effective at helping advisors grow their business through the use of more effective and efficient communications with their clients."

The C2C program combines customizable content – ranging from highly personalized and timely content to broad-based messaging – with a powerful marketing automation system that enables advisors to connect with clients on a consistent basis, strengthen relationships and prompt conversations on additional investment topics.

"Advisors who have adopted C2C, which now includes approximately 20% of our advisor base, have shown strong year-over-year revenue growth and have shared countless success stories with us. Our analysis has shown that advisors who have truly engaged with the program have grown their business on average twice the rate of their peers. They also tell us that because the program is so easy to use, it has dramatically reduced their time spent on marketing, yet the sophistication and frequency of their efforts have grown exponentially. We are so pleased that our advisors have embraced this program and that it is helping them grow and deepen their client relationships," she concluded.

In addition, Cetera's strategy of building our platform by providing seamless integration with industry-leading technology providers was emphasized by MMI's recognition of two of its key partners. FolioDynamix and Envestnet both received awards for their accomplishments. Their partnership with Cetera has lent best-in-class technological capabilities to the SmartWorks Adviser^® wealth management technology platform, which enables advisors to manage accounts – individually, as classes of accounts, or as entire books of business – and provide performance reporting with industry-leading efficiency and flexibility. 

Christopher L. Davis, President of the Money Management Institute, said, "We heartily congratulate Cetera Financial Group on winning not just one, but two of these highly coveted awards, which are determined through the vote of our member firms. Following its 2012 award for MMI's Advisory Solutions Product of the Year for its MF/ETF Advisory program, Cetera has continued to demonstrate industry leadership and we look forward to their ongoing innovation and contributions to the growth of advisory solutions."

About the Money Management Institute (MMI)
Since 1997 MMI has been the leading voice for the global financial services organizations that provide advice and professionally-managed solutions to individual and institutional investors. Through industry advocacy, educational initiatives, regulatory affairs, data reporting and professional networking, MMI supports and advances the growth of advisory solutions. MMI members' advice-driven investment solutions serve an evolving worldwide financial landscape and their organizations are committed to the highest standards of fiduciary responsibility and ethical conduct. For more information, visit www.MMInst.org.

About Cetera Financial Group
Cetera Financial Group is one of the nation's largest privately-held families of firms, which provide award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment advisor services, and innovative technology to approximately 7,400 independent financial professionals and nearly 600 financial institutions nationwide. Through its four distinct firms, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, and Cetera Investment Services LLC (Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera offers the benefits of a large, established and well-capitalized broker-dealer and registered investment advisor, while serving advisors in a way that is customized to their unique needs and aspirations. Cetera is committed to helping advisors grow their businesses and strengthen their relationships with clients. For more information, visit www.Cetera.com.

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SOURCE Cetera Financial Group