RCS Capital moved to become the nation's second-largest independent broker-dealer by advisor count on Thursday by agreeing to purchase Cetera Financial Group for $1.15 billion in cash. The deal was driven by RCAP's desire to target the $7.5 trillion mass affluent market that is increasingly focusing on retirement needs, RCAP chief executive William Kahane said at a press conference. "This is a market whose reliance on good financial advice is more important than it's ever been," Kahane said. The newly combined retail advice platform, which is expected to challenge LPL Financial, the industry's leading independent broker-dealer, will have approximately $1.7 billion in revenue, 8,900 advisors, $191 billion in assets and 2.6 million clients, company executives said at the press conference.