Merit enters Wyoming with $582M Strategic Retirement Plans from Commonwealth

Merit Financial Advisors has acquired Strategic Retirement Plans, a former Commonwealth Financial Network practice managing $582 million that marks Merit's first advisor presence in Wyoming.

SRP manages approximately $582 million in total client assets across 800 households, including $576.9 million in assets under management and $5.35 million in retirement plan assets under advisement. The RIA is headquartered in Billings, Montana with an additional office in Gillette, Wyoming. Merit’s existing Montana presence includes an office in Kalispell that’s overseen by managing principal Josh Mersberger.

Gabe Lapito and Ryan Gomendi, the founding owners of Strategic Retirement Plans, join Merit as area directors, wealth managers and Partners. They bring SRP’s entire 10-person staff joining Merit, including five advisors and five support members. SRP had been affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network since 2007, and marks at least the fifth ex-Commonwealth team to join Merit since Commonwealth’s sale to LPL in April 2025. 

“I spent 19 years at Commonwealth, and obviously developed some really great relationships, and expect those to continue,” said Lapito. “Can I say that we would have left had Commonwealth not sold? I don't know. But it certainly gave us the opportunity to make sure that we took a deep dive into what sort of affiliations and business models were out there.” 

SRP’s move to Merit follows former Commonwealth teams Blueprint Wealth Advisors ($1.2B), Global Wealth Advisors ($860M), TL Financial Group ($217M) and GlennCo ($208M). Atlanta-based Merit has now made 57 total acquisitions to grow to 68 office locations and about $25 billion in managed assets. Private equity firm Constellation Wealth Partners is a minority investor in Merit.  

Merit’s recruiting pipeline from Commonwealth also includes Alex Hansen, who became chief advisor success officer in November 2025. Hansen was SVP of RIA solutions at Commonwealth since 2021, after previous stops at Dynasty Financial Partners, Citi, and Raymond James.  

“Commonwealth felt very interested in not only your business, but you as an individual, and Merit has that same feel,” Hansen told InvestmentNews. “It's very collegial, it's very cooperative, and everybody's rowing in the same direction. Some stops I've been in the past, it feels like everybody has their own business and their own agenda, and the sharing is almost guarded, but here everybody's on the same team, wearing the same jersey. So it just feels almost like one big operation versus individual satellites.” 

Much of SRP’s client base consists of high earners from energy industry jobs across oil and coal in Wyoming and Montana, said Lapito. 

“I think what draws folks to us is that people are wanting to experience their wealth in a different way, whether it's hunting or fishing or golfing or skiing, and we relate to that because I'm born and raised in this part of the world,” said Lapito. “Whether it's you want to own a horse or you want to have a ranch, their financial planning might look a little different than somebody who's like, well I want a second home in Florida.”