Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is a division of Cetera Financial Group that provides turnkey and select retirement plan administration, 3(38) fiduciary, and consulting services to financial advisors and plan sponsors nationwide, managing approximately 20,000 retirement plans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists does
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is a specialty division of Cetera Financial Group, Inc., a privately held network of independent retail firms headquartered at 655 W. Broadway, 11th Floor, San Diego, California. The division provides workplace and retirement plan solutions to financial advisors, plan sponsors, and plan participants nationwide, managing approximately 20,000 retirement plans as of year-end 2025 and drawing on four decades of specialized industry experience. The division operates with approximately 12 employees, suggesting a lean specialist team that leverages the broader Cetera Financial Group infrastructure, including FINRA/SIPC member entities and SEC-registered investment advisers.
The company operates a dual-path product platform. The turnkey offering, Cetera Retire, handles proposal, plan setup, administration, compliance, and participant engagement for advisors serving business-owner clients with few or no existing plans. The Select Services offering bundles three modules for advisors with established plan books: Cetera TPA for delegated third-party administration, 3(38) Fiduciary for transferred investment oversight, and a Retirement Consulting Team for project-based engagements. Underlying these services are the AdviceWorks® Advisor Portal and AdviceWorks® Client Portal for digital access, plus a plan sponsor administration login through plansponsorlink.com.
The business operates on a managed-services revenue model with quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed pricing. Distribution is sales-led and concentrated through Cetera Financial Group's network of independent financial advisors and financial institutions, supplemented by website content marketing (Research and Insights publications, Fed-O-Meter monetary policy analysis, topical research) and a Find an Advisor tool that connects prospective clients with the advisor channel.
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists
- Legal name
- Cetera Financial Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://ceteraretirement.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is a division of Cetera Financial Group that provides turnkey and select retirement plan administration, 3(38) fiduciary, and consulting services to financial advisors and plan sponsors nationwide, managing approximately 20,000 retirement plans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retirement Plan Administration & Consulting
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD), Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF)
Keywords
Where Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Retirement Plan Management and Administration Services: Revenue generated from managing 20,000+ retirement plans under management. Services include plan setup, administration, compliance, fiduciary oversight (3(38) Fiduciary investment management), and participant engagement. Offered as turnkey solutions (Cetera Retire) or select services (Cetera TPA, Retirement Consulting Team).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists provides workplace retirement plan solutions to financial advisors and plan sponsors, offering a turnkey solution (Cetera Retire) for advisors with few or no plans and a Select Services suite (Cetera TPA, 3(38) Fiduciary, Retirement Consulting Team) for advisors who want to delegate administration, fiduciary oversight, or specific consulting tasks. The firm manages approximately 20,000 retirement plans nationally and supports operations through the AdviceWorks advisor and client portals.
Product overview
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists offers a dual-path retirement plan platform consisting of Cetera Retire (turnkey plans) and Select Services ( Cetera TPA, 3(38) Fiduciary, and Retirement Consulting Team). Advisors can choose between full turnkey simplicity—where Cetera handles proposal, plan setup, administration, compliance, and participant engagement—or collaborative support by delegating specific complex tasks. The platform manages approximately 20,000 retirement plans under management with four decades of experience, serving advisors, plan sponsors, and participants nationwide. Additional self-service functionality is provided through AdviceWorks portals for both advisors and clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cetera Retire: Turnkey retirement plan solution offering proposal, plan setup and administration, compliance, and participant engagement services.
- Cetera TPA
- AdviceWorks
Products and services
- Cetera Retire
Quantifiable outcome
- 20,000 retirement plans under management
Companies that use Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ADP Retirement Services: ADP provides 401(k) plan administration bundled with payroll, competing directly with Cetera Retire in the small and mid-sized business segment served through advisors.
- Empower Retirement: Empower (formerly Empower Retirement/Prudential Retirement) is one of the largest recordkeepers in the US, providing plan administration, fiduciary, and participant services overlapping directly with Cetera's offering.
- Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Charles Schwab offers 401(k) recordkeeping and plan administration, serving both plan sponsors and advisors in the same SMB and mid-market segments Cetera targets.
- John Hancock Retirement Plan Services: John Hancock offers recordkeeping and plan administration services for defined contribution plans through advisors and financial institutions, overlapping significantly with Cetera's advisor channel.
- T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services: T. Rowe Price provides recordkeeping and investment management for defined contribution plans, serving plan sponsors and advisors with a comparable product set to Cetera's retirement platform.
- CAPTRUST: CAPTRUST is an independent RIA specializing in retirement plan consulting and investment advisory, directly competing for the same advisor-driven retirement plan relationships as Cetera.
- Principal Financial Group Retirement: Principal offers retirement plan recordkeeping, administration, and fiduciary services, with comparable advisor-channel distribution to Cetera's workplace and retirement business.
- Vanguard Retirement Plan Services: Vanguard serves 401(k) and defined contribution plan sponsors with low-cost administration and investment options, competing for advisor-sold plans and plan sponsor mandates.
- Fidelity Workplace Investing: Fidelity's workplace retirement division provides recordkeeping, administration, and investment solutions for defined contribution plans, directly competing with Cetera's retirement plan services across plan sponsors and advisors.
Emerging players
- Vestwell: Vestwell is a fintech platform providing modern 401(k) and retirement plan administration for advisors and small businesses, intersecting with Cetera Retire's SMB turnkey offering through differentiated technology.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists social profiles
Digital presenceCetera Retirement Plan Specialists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists
What does Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists do?
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists provides workplace retirement plan solutions to financial advisors and plan sponsors, offering a turnkey solution (Cetera Retire) for advisors with few or no plans and a Select Services suite (Cetera TPA, 3(38) Fiduciary, Retirement Consulting Team) for advisors who want to delegate administration, fiduciary oversight, or specific consulting tasks. The firm manages approximately 20,000 retirement plans nationally and supports operations through the AdviceWorks advisor and client portals.
Is Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists a public or private company?
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists founded?
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists based?
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists make money?
One revenue line is on record: retirement Plan Management and Administration Services.
Who are Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Schwab Retirement Plan Services, John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, CAPTRUST, Principal Financial Group Retirement, Vanguard Retirement Plan Services and Fidelity Workplace Investing. Vestwell is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists.
What industry is Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists in?
Cetera Retirement Plan Specialists's product category is Retirement Plan Administration & Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAACAF, Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)), with a secondary code of FSAEABAE, Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.