AFA: Mercer Advisors acquires Atlanta Financial Associates

Mercer Advisors acquires Atlanta Financial Associates Submitted 08/01/2021 - 9:27am Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) Mercer Global Advisors has acquired Atlanta Financial Associates (AFA), a wealth management firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. AFA serves approximately 570 clients with assets under management (AUM) of approximately USD815 million. AFA was founded in 1992 by Julianne Andrews, MBA, CFP, AIF and Cathy Miller MBA, CFP, CRPS, CDFA, focusing on delivering comprehensive wealth management services to high net worth clients. AFA has four shareholders: Andrews and Miller, plus 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 31 December, 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 programmes: 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. Andrews says: "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." Miller adds: "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 specialised 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, says: "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, adds: "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, PC. Tags Deals & Transactions Acquisitions Wealth