Cetera Financial Group last week unveiled an emergency planning tool designed to support business clients during calamity scenarios.
Cetera’s Emergency Planning and Communications Kit (E-PACK) provides planning tools available for affiliated and unaffiliated financial professionals. Among its set of resources includes a disaster recovery plan template, which helps advisors outline procedures for repairing critical business functions in the aftermath of a disaster, and emergency response guidelines that lists the advisor’s priorities to clients during moments of crises.
“During times of uncertainty, clients often turn to their financial professional first for guidance, resources and reassurance,” said Cetera Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Michael Zuna. “The E-PACK is a testament to our commitment to supporting our financial professionals, ensuring they have the tools necessary to serve their clients when it matters most.”
Other resources include pre-written client communication scripts, a disaster preparation checklist, and charitable donation advice for clients who want to provide financial support to impacted communities.
The E-PACK was developed as a response to last year’s hurricane season in Florida, as well as the wildfires that devastated Southern California in January. The Anderson Forecast, issued by UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, estimated that local businesses and employees faced a total wage loss of $297 million as a result of the natural disaster.
Such events can have an even more profound impact on small businesses, who struggle against competing margins and high supply chain costs. While these businesses could obtain financial relief through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Disaster Loan Program, the agency announced last year that its funds had been fully exhausted.
In response to January’s wildfires in California, Cetera deployed portions of its E-PACK to financial professionals in the region. More information about the resource guide can be found here.
Cetera Financial Group, owned by Cetera Holdings, houses 12,000 financial professionals and oversees more than $545 billion in assets under administration (AUA) and $235 billion in assets under management (AUM), as of Sept. 30, 2024.
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with nearly a decade of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado.