Mercer Advisors Acquires Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC

Acquisition of Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC (Registered Investment Adviser), Bolsters Mercer Advisors' Existing Presence in Georgia and Southeast

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Mercer Global Advisors Inc.

Jan 07, 2021, 07:50 ET

DENVER, Jan. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors"), a national Registered Investment Adviser ("RIA"), today announced the acquisition of Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC ("AFA"), a respected wealth management firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. AFA serves approximately 570 clients with assets under management ("AUM") of approximately $815 million. AFA was founded in 1992 by Julianne Andrews, MBA, CFP®, AIF® ("Julie") and Cathy Miller MBA, CFP®, CRPS®, CDFA™ ("Cathy") focusing on delivering comprehensive wealth management services to their high net worth clients. AFA has four shareholders that include Julie, Cathy, Rick Henderson, CPA, CFP®, AIF®, and Chris Blackmon, CPA, CFP®. In all, nineteen AFA team members will be joining the Mercer Advisors' team. The AFA transaction closed December 31, 2020.

AFA is a woman led and founded RIA that has been an industry leader for decades. Similar to Mercer Advisors, AFA is a multi-family office of financial experts who have acquired generations of knowledge and diverse skill sets to provide industry leading financial guidance for their clients. AFA's proprietary FIT™ programs: systematic analysis and roadmap of their clients' needs that charts a course from where they find their clients' current financial status to where they want to be, while simultaneously building their family's financial wellness for decades to come.

Commenting on the transaction, Julie Andrews, Founder, stated: "AFA is an RIA that puts the needs of our clients first, fiduciary minded and built. We surround our clients with industry experts designed to ensure their objectives are met in whatever context pertinent. When it came time for us to discuss our own succession plan and business continuity strategy, we wanted to make sure our clients continued to receive the highest quality of care. To that end, we looked for a partner that shared our 'client first' mindset and could deliver on the promise of the highest caliber financial stewardship. After meeting with David Barton, Mercer Advisors Vice Chairman and M&A Leader, we knew we had found the right partner in Mercer Advisors." Co-Founder Cathy Miller added: "We had many suitors, but Mercer Advisors was most aligned with our business model and culture and allowed us to take advantage of their scale and leverage so we could offload middle and back-office responsibilities to disciplined and specialized experts. We also loved that they offered their clients in-house family office services like estate planning, tax return preparation and corporate trustee services."

David Barton, who led this transaction on behalf of Mercer Advisors, added: "Julie, Cathy, Rick, and Chris have built a multidisciplinary RIA practice that closely aligns to our operating model. They also have a deep and talented team that stacks talent in our already strong and fast-growing Georgia hub. AFA is both compatible and complementary and our business combination presents a formidable juggernaut in the Southeast. We are poised for rapid growth."

Dave Welling, Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors said, "AFA is a strong and growing RIA who shares our dedication to providing an integrated and expansive set of services to clients to help them achieve financial health and peace of mind. AFA will be joining forces with our local resources in Atlanta expanding our already strong presence in Georgia and the Southeast region. We are excited to partner with the AFA team and look forward to serving their clients as part of the Mercer Advisors family with expanded wealth management services for years to come."

Park Sutton Advisors LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC in this transaction with legal representation by Riezman Berger, P.C.

About Mercer Advisors
Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors") is a wealth management firm that specializes in providing investment advice, financial and estate planning, and taxes, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. It is one of the largest Registered Investment Advisers and financial planning firms in the U.S. with nearly $25 billion in client assets. Headquartered in Denver, Mercer Advisors is privately held, has over 440 employees, and operates nationally across the country with 45+ locations. Mercer Advisors Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), majority owned by both Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. Mercer Global Advisors has a related insurance agency. Mercer Advisors Insurance Services, LLC (MAIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercer Advisors Inc. Employees of Mercer Global Advisors serve as officers of MAIS. For Mercer Global Advisors clients who wish to purchase insurance products, MAIS has entered into a non-exclusive referral agreement with Strategic Partner(s). More information about MAIS and our Strategic Partners may be found in our Form ADV 2A. Visit us at www.merceradvisors.com.

Data as of December 31, 2020. AUM includes affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries announced to date.

Contact: Chris Tofalli
Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC
914-834-4334

SOURCE Mercer Global Advisors Inc.