Cetera Financial Group has intensified its efforts to attract top talent, offering recruitment packages that surpass those of competitors such as LPL Financial and Osaic.

With approximately 12,000 advisors and $590 billion in assets, Cetera is pursuing aggressive growth through scale, according to InvestmentNews.

According to Todd Mackay, president of Cetera Wealth Management, the firm's transition assistance packages are "extremely competitive." Mackay emphasized that advisors ultimately choose Cetera for its "advisor-centric culture," customized growth consulting, and multiple affiliation options that align with each advisor's business model.

InvestmentNews reports that independent broker-dealers such as LPL, Cetera, and Osaic paid recruits small percentages—often around 20 basis points (0.2%)—of their prior year's fees and commissions, known as trailing 12. Larger payouts were reserved for wirehouse advisors, who operate as employees rather than independent contractors.

That model changed in 2018, when LPL Financial began tying recruiting bonuses to advisors' assets under management instead of trailing 12 revenue. This shift allowed for significantly higher recruiting offers and prompted competitors to follow suit.

Industry sources told InvestmentNews that Cetera has now gone even further, offering select advisors up to 150 basis points (1.5%) on assets if 60% or more are held in advisory accounts. For an advisor managing $1 billion, that translates to a $15 million recruiting bonus, structured as a forgivable loan over nine to ten years.

Financial Advisor Transitions consults advisors nationwide to explore employment transition options and to preserve and protect their practice in any transition that they make.