Merit Financial snaps up $900M Bridgeway Group in California push

Merit Financial Advisors has acquired The Bridgeway Group, a Pasadena and Covina, California-based wealth management firm overseeing approximately $900 million in client assets, as the Atlanta-based RIA continues its aggressive acquisition strategy.

The deal marks the sixth firm formerly affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network to join Merit since LPL completed its purchase of the independent broker-dealer in April 2025 and the third in 2026 having previously picked up GlennCo, a $208 million Newtown, Pennsylvania practice, in February as well as Strategic Retirement Plans, a Wyoming-based RIA managing $582 million, in April.

The Bridgeway Group was founded by partners Matt Dupon, Sean Montgomery, and Scott Miller, who together lead a nine-person team. The firm had been affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network for 13 years and grew its assets at an annualized rate of approximately 22 percent over the past five years, according to Merit.

All Bridgeway employees have joined Merit. Dupon and Montgomery have taken on roles as wealth managers and partners, while Miller, the youngest of the founding trio at 34, joins as area director, wealth manager, and partner. The firm has been rebranded as Merit Financial Advisors.

A growing California footprint

The acquisition extends Merit's presence in Southern California, one of the wealthiest wealth management markets in the United States.

Merit, which is backed by Constellation Wealth Capital, now operates more than 55 offices nationwide and manages approximately $30.1 billion in total client assets, broken down as $22.98 billion in advisory assets, $3.32 billion in brokerage assets, $2.65 billion in employer plan assets, and $1.8 billion in ESOP assets, as of July 20, 2026.

"Bridgeway brings together many qualities we seek: client focus, planning orientation, experience, and growth ambition," said David Wahlen, Merit's executive vice president of strategic partners.

Merit's deal-making has not been limited to the Commonwealth diaspora. The firm completed the acquisition of Towson Wealth Management, a Maryland-based RIA with approximately $502.5 million in total assets, in late July and with nine deals closed through mid-2026, the firm appears on course to surpass its stated goal of 15 acquisitions for the year. Merit has made 61st acquisitions overall.