One of the messiest divorces in RIA M&A

Loading player...
Andrew, Ian and Alex discuss the end of a two-year legal saga between Mercer and ACG Wealth, a $1.3bn shop that the mega-RIA acquired in 2021. The deal quickly soured leading to claims and counterclaims over missing revenue, lower payouts, golf days and defamation. The team recap one of the messiest divorces in RIA M&A. They also breakdown LPL's move to stake $41bn Private Advisor Group and what this might mean for the broke-dealer's (sometimes tense) relationships with its OSJs.
21 Nov 2025 English United States Investing

Other recent episodes

What Fidelity's AUM hike means for RIAs and rival custodians

Fidelity has raised its custodial minimum to $100m, giving RIAs until June 30, 2027, to meet that new requirement or face removal from the platform. It's a move with wider ramifications for hundreds of RIAs, rival custodians, and one that might redefine what it means to be a small wealth…
9 Oct 24 min

What Constellation looks for when buying RIAs

This bonus episode of This Week in Wealth features a fireside chat with Karl Heckenberg, founder and managing partner of Constellation Wealth Capital. Since its launch in 2023, Constellation has invested in 18 RIAs, which have a combined $340bn in assets. At last week’s Citywire CIO Summit in Austin, Texas,…
7 Oct 46 min

An RIA M&A juggernaut switches CEOs

This Week in Wealth breaks down the C-suite shuffle at Merit Financial Advisors, a $32bn Georgia-based RIA that has become one of the most acquisitive firms in the market. At the end of a year in which the firm will have completed 15 deals, Merit’s founder and chief executive Rick…
25 Sep 21 min

Can Claude change the game for RIAs? 

Ian dials in from the Future Proof conference in Huntington Beach, California, to give the lowdown on Anthropic’s Claude for Financial Advisors suite and dig into the AI firm’s tie-up with custodian Charles Schwab. Alex and Ian also discuss Creative Planning’s acquisition of RVK Inc., an institutional investment consultancy overseeing…
18 Sep 17 min