It's more than fair to say Merit Financial Advisors is officially in motion, entering 2026 with a familiar accolade and some remarkable achievements under its belt.
Arguably the biggest point of pride for the Atlanta-based RIA would be its RIA Firm of the Year win at the 2025 InvestmentNews Awards, the second time it took the distinction from a competitive circle of worthy rivals.
For founder and CEO Rick Kent, the "tremendous honor" was a reaffirmation of his team's commitment to "building the wealth management firm of the future. "We are extremely proud of our achievements and grateful for the recognition from InvestmentNews, confirming that we are doing the right things for the right reasons," he said.
Merit has certainly made its mark in the busy RIA M&A space. Fueled by private equity backing – most recently, it secured a minority investment from Constellation Wealth Partners in July – its inorganic growth strategy officially crossed the 50-deal mark last year. It kicked off the 2026 leg of that effort with the recently announced acquisition of SSC Wealth, the wealth management arm of SSC CPAs + Advisors.
LEARN MORE: Nominations are now open for the 2026 InvestmentNews Awards to be held at the Edison Ballroom in New York.
For Kent, having multiple buyers in the RIA space is a sign of healthy competition, which he said "allows [selling] advisors to find the best fit for their team, clients, and themselves." He argued that the heated rivalry among acquirers and consolidators, with more than 300 deals estimated during the 2025 season, also sets a higher bar for buyers to meet amid rising seller expectations.
"Prospective buyers need to be well-prepared with transition support, due diligence resources, integration strategies, legal expertise, and access to capital," he said. "I think sellers are best served by partnering with firms where M&A is a core focus and an integral part of their strategic plan."
All told, Merit doubled its assets over the course of 2025, having added 13 firms while hitting a 10% organic growth rate. Kent attributed that latter bit of success to his firm's two-pronged focus on diversification and people.
"We offer multiple growth tracks for our advisors, including custodial referral programs, formal relationships with banks, digital marketing strategies, event marketing, and partnerships with professionals such as property & casualty insurance and CPAs," he said. "Our current and future success relies not just on these options, but also on having the right leadership for each growth track and the right advisors to serve new clients."
While assets at wealth firms and advisory practices have grown steadily with the markets, organic growth has been more of a struggle. Recent numbers from Cerulli showed an 11% CAGR for assets in the RIA channel over the past decade, but 57% of RIAs named new client acquisition as a leading challenge, with 83% of bilion-dollar RIAs agreeing that advisors have limited time to implement organic growth strategies.
Mathematically, the largest RIA platforms could find it harder to achieve growth due to base effects in assets and the number of clients. But in reality, Kent argues that advisory practices can benefit from tapping size and scale given the complexity and expense needed to grow organically.
"Having the necessary financial resources and leadership is essential," he said. "This is one of the main reasons advisors seek partnerships with larger RIAs today."
Merit has even bigger things in store this year, with the Atlanta-based RIA projecting around 15 acquisitions in 2026. Kent said he is also looking forward to the next InvestmentNews Awards event in June, where he anticipates the most innovative companies in the industry will take the stage and be recognized.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow industry colleagues and leaders, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's successes and challenges," he said.
LEARN MORE: Nominations are now open for the 2026 InvestmentNews Awards to be held at the Edison Ballroom in New York.
InvestmentNews Awards is one of the top RIA conferences happening in the USA in 2026 to grow your business and improve client outcomes.
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