You Work Hard for Your Clients.
Partner with Us and We’ll Work Hard for You.
You put a lot into building your RIA.
When it comes to RIA succession planning or reaching the next step of growth, you want to know you’ll get what you’re worth, your staff will thrive, and above all, your clients will be well cared for. After having completed more than 89 acquisitions (since 2016), we have the experience and resources to help make the process as seamless as possible. Whether you’re thinking about retiring or becoming part of a firm that can help you accelerate your growth, talk to Mercer Advisors.
As of December 4, 2024.
What Sets Mercer Advisors Apart
Our family office services, like in-house estate planning and tax planning and returns, are big reasons why many owners come to us when considering selling their RIA.
When advisors join us, they typically have access to more services and expertise than they did previously. Our “family office for your family” service model includes financial planning, estate planning, investment planning, tax planning and preparation, and trustee services—all managed by a single team.
You’ll team up with a group of specialists — investment and portfolio strategists, CPAs1, and estate planning and trust specialists to help manage your clients’ wealth, so you can offer more high-quality services than ever before.
From the very beginning, Mercer Advisors has held itself to the fiduciary standard of always acting in our clients’ best interests. We have, and always will, act in a fiduciary capacity.
1.Mercer Advisors charges an additional cost for the optional service of tax strategy and preparing clients’ annual tax returns.
2.Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning document preparation and other legal advice is provided through select third parties unaffiliated to Mercer Advisors. Trustee services are offered through select third parties with which a client would engage directly, as such additional fees may apply.
The scale of Mercer Advisors helps you do the life planning for yourself that you’ve been doing for your clients. We take the middle- and back-office burden off your plate, allowing you more time to focus on your passions.
If you want to keep advising clients, we’ll enable you to focus 100% on meeting their financial needs. That’s because our teams handle all activities, such as compliance, IT, accounting, HR, marketing, and legal, so you can do more of what you love, with less administrative burden. If you’d prefer to design a life after ownership, we’ll help you with RIA succession planning, too.
Like most RIAs that join us, you’ll benefit from our growth engines, which means you’ll get more new business opportunities through our expansive sales and marketing programs.
That’s because we’re one of the fastest growing wealth managers in the industry, so you get more opportunities coming through the door. The best part is, you don’t have to spend time on business development, because our dedicated salesforce does it for you. As a national firm we receive referrals from the national exclusive referral programs: Schwab and Fidelity.
Our goal is to triple the amount of business the RIA’s that join us handled, while allowing them to focus on the part of the business they love.
While many wealth management companies choose only one type of valuation method for RIA acquisitions, we use several methods.
That includes multiple of net income and multiple of revenue. This gives you a 360-degree view of your business and a competitive offer that you can feel confident about when selling an RIA. With dozens of acquisitions under our belts, we understand how to complete deals tailored to the goals of each firm.
We offer professional fulfillment and leadership opportunities for you and your employees, so you’re well taken care of today and tomorrow.
Our size and scale provide clear career paths, with robust training programs and attractive compensation packages. Our advisors have a path to progress up the ladder, from office manager, to regional director, to managing director managing multiple regions across the country. You and your employees can enjoy full careers here at Mercer Advisors.
Our dedicated Integration Team has integrated many RIAs like yours into Mercer Advisors, so you can trust the transition to Mercer Advisors’ systems and practices to happen as seamlessly as possible.
Because we’re an integrator, not an aggregator, we don’t just buy organizations without blending the client experience. We think of ourselves as the “Mayo Clinic” of wealth management. We develop best practices in each role, department, branch, and region, then bring them to everyone at all levels and locations. This enables our financial planners, accountants, strategists, and other professionals in all our offices to offer your clients the same high-level experience of doing business on a personal level.
Our digital client onboarding process creates an easy transition from first contact through digital processing, with convenient features such as DocuSign digital document signing, streamlined account opening paperwork, and account registration.
It’s all supported by our robust Advisory portal that serves as a central hub and resource for your relationships and activities.
With Mercer Advisors, you can rest assured that your clients will get high-quality advisory assistance with a unified customer experience that makes it easy for them, and for you, to collaborate with them.
“The tools now available to my team as part of Mercer Advisors enable us not only to better serve the clients we have but also to expand our reach in ways that we couldn’t do before.”
Kimberly Foss, CFP®, CPWA®
Empyrion Wealth Management
“Our team is better equipped to navigate this shifting RIA landscape for decades to come. Our clients will be the ultimate beneficiaries.”
John E. Howard, CPA, JD, CFP®
Resource Planning Group, Ltd.
“As we looked at our choices, we began to realize that the merger route with a larger, more resourced firm would take a lot of the administrative tasks off of our plates, freeing us up to continue working with clients and growing their net worth.”
Kara Duckworth, CFP®, CDFA®
Duckworth Wealth Advisors
“It was important to us to integrate into a firm where we knew it would be a good home for us, our staff, and our clients. We wanted to integrate but also wanted the service experience to remain consistent for our clients.”
Paul Barbehenn, CFP®, CFA®
Andesa Financial Management
Martine Lellis
Principal, M&A Partner Development
Martine Lellis
Principal, M&A Partner Development
CPA, CFP®
Martine is Principal, M&A Partner Development, and is responsible for driving the growth and expansion of the organization through strategic mergers and acquisitions of other RIAs. Based on her more than two decades of experience in the independent wealth management space, she leads like-minded firms in their transition decisions, including assessment of fit, due diligence, financial analysis, talent mapping, and deal negotiations. Previously, Martine served as the company’s Chief Talent Officer (a role she held since joining Mercer Advisors in 2020), with a focus on developing and growing the talent of the organization. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
Before joining Mercer Advisors, Martine was a Principal and both the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney. She also served on the Technology, Operations & Service Advisory Board of one of the largest RIA custodians, and has been involved as a writer and instructor for CFP™ exam review courses.
Randy Magdaluyo
Vice President, M&A Program Management
Randy Magdaluyo
Vice President, M&A Program Management
Randy joined Mercer Advisors in 2019 as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Team. Previously, he served as a resource for RIA owners on M&A and succession at TD Ameritrade Institutional. Randy’s other past roles include Manager in the Capital Markets Group at Accenture and Vice President at Fidelity Investments serving independent RIAs. He also served as a Vice President at State Street, helping conduct due diligence and integrate global investment managers with $25 billion to €300 billion under management in the US and Europe.
Randy began his career in the investment management industry in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Joe Pellizzari
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Joe Pellizzari
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Joe has worked exclusively with RIAs for over two decades. He has extensive industry experience in helping firms with a variety of practice management topics, including strategic planning, business succession, implementing growth strategies, and deploying technology solutions.
Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, Joe worked within the Advisor Services business enterprise of Charles Schwab. He was responsible for providing leadership, sales management, and coaching to a team of Senior Relationship Managers that covered the top firms in the Southeast territory, which included over $250 billion in assets. His territory exceeded its growth goals by more than 140% during Joe’s tenure. He began his career helping RIAs to implement software solutions to drive firm productivity and profitability.
Joe earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from North Carolina State University and completed the Personal Financial Planning Accelerated Program through the University of California at Irvine. In addition, Joe has obtained the CFP® certification.
In his spare time, Joe enjoys biking, swimming, and traveling with his wife and two children.
Andy Burgess
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Andy Burgess
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Andy has been serving financial advisors for 25 years. He has extensive experience helping financial advisors with technology solutions and various practice management topics. Andy understands the landscape of different business models, industry partners, and the myriad paths advisor businesses may take. He seeks to guide the choices presented to advisors as they consider, plan, and execute strategies for their clients, employees, and personal successes.
Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, Andy served in a business development role at NewEdge Advisors, where he supported advisors in transition decisions. He previously worked in similar business development and consulting roles at Fidelity Institutional, SS&C Black Diamond, and Schwab Performance Technologies, among others.
Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh.
Greg Mayes
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Greg Mayes
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Greg has worked in the financial advisor space for 30 years. He has extensive experience helping RIAs and other financial advisors with a variety of business management challenges, including, business succession, implementing growth strategies, and technology solutions.
Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, Greg worked within LPL Financial in Strategic Business Development as a specialist who helped advisors transition to independence. He previously spent 25 years at TD Ameritrade Institutional and Schwab Advisor Services consulting with advisors about their businesses. He started his career as a financial advisor at Shearson Lehman Brothers.
Greg earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon.
In his spare time, Greg enjoys golf, skiing and traveling with his wife and two daughters.
Jay Robinson
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Jay Robinson
Vice President, M&A Partner Development
Jay has worked in the financial services industry for more than 30 years, with 20 years dedicated to the RIA industry. Jay has extensive experience helping RIAs of all sizes create stronger businesses to better serve their clients and teams. Prior to Mercer Advisors, Jay worked in the Advisor Services business of Charles Schwab. He was responsible for providing leadership, sales management, and coaching to a team of Relationship Managers who covered the Midwest territory, which included more than $325 billion in assets. Previously, Jay led regional sales teams at broker-dealers and began his career as a financial planner at Ameriprise.
Jay holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Todd Sanford
Partner Development Advisor
Todd Sanford
Partner Development Advisor
Todd joined Mercer Advisors when his firm, Sanford Advisory Services, was acquired in 2022. He works closely with our M&A Partner Development team to help guide advisors decisions around business succession, growth strategies, and technology solutions. Todd began his career in financial services in 1983 and was the first financial advisor hired directly out of college by Investors Diversified Services (IDS), now Ameriprise Financial. The Sanford Center for Financial Planning and Wellness at his alma mater, Western Michigan University, is part of his legacy. The center gives students and community members hope to live a better life financially. Todd is formerly the board president of the Kalamazoo Valley College Foundation after serving as treasurer.
In his spare time, he enjoys competitive travel tennis, which he has been pursuing for more than 35 years. He also enjoys skiing, reading biographies, various forms of art, antique cars, and many activities involving his deep Christian faith.