Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (“Mercer Advisors”), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), today announced the acquisition of Middleton Financial Management, LLC, dba Brighton Financial Planning (hereinafter “Brighton“). Brighton is a comprehensive wealth management firm located and operating in New Jersey and South Carolina founded by John P. Middleton, CFA®, CFP®, CAIA, AIF®. Brighton has AUM of approximately $90 million.

Brighton is an independent, fee-only, Registered Investment Advisor focused on helping their clients achieve financial success. They have a 25+ year history built on a foundation of prudent investment management, sound financial analysis, and exemplary service. Brighton’s purpose is to help clients achieve their goals by providing financial coaching, financial planning and investment management services.

John P. Middleton, CFA, CFP®, CAIA, Founder stated: “I was looking to partner with a like-minded national RIA to provide scale and leverage while removing time-consuming back-office responsibilities from our plates so we can focus on what we do best, serving existing clients and adding new ones.  Of course, we were also looking to partner with an organization that could provide value-add services to our clientele.  In talking with David Barton, Vice Chairman who heads up mergers and acquisitions for Mercer Advisors, I knew we had found the right partner. The fact that Mercer Advisors can support me and my team with additional resources, take over middle and back-office responsibilities, and provide my clients with estate planning advice, documentation and administration, in addition to tax return services, made them the perfect partner for us. They presented a one-stop shop solution for all my clients’ financial needs.”

David Barton, Vice Chairman, who led the acquisition of Brighton on behalf of Mercer Advisors stated: “John is a highly credentialed wealth manager providing high quality wealth management service to his clients, exactly the type of person and firm we seek to partner with and where we can add significant value, a true win-win.”

Dave Welling, Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors, said, “Brighton is a great fit for us and will add to our very capable teams on the East Coast. This is a great example of a team who we can support through accelerating their growth and providing exceptional operational support. We are thrilled they are joining the Mercer Advisors team and look forward to working together to deliver meaningful results for our shared clients.”

Company statistics as of September 30,2023. Client assets refers to client assets under management (AUM) and client assets under advisement (AUA) by both Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition Inc. Client Assets includes assets gained from recent acquisitions where the advisory agreements have been properly assigned to Mercer Global Advisors, but the custodial accounts have yet to be transferred and/or the accounts have yet to be migrated to Mercer Global Advisors’ portfolio management system. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition Inc. are affiliated SEC registered investment advisers and deliver investment advisory and family office related services. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition Inc., are subsidiaries of Mercer Advisors Inc., a parent company not involved with investment services.

Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through select third parties unrelated to Mercer Advisors. Tax preparation and tax filing are a separate fee from Mercer Advisors’ investment management and planning services. Trustee services are offered through select third parties with which a client would engage directly. 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. MAIS provides individual life, disability, long term care coverage, and property and casualty coverage through various insurance companies.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.