Wealth Management Acquisitions in Pennsylvania

Merit Financial Advisors, an Atlanta-based wealth management firm, has acquired GlennCo, LLC, a Newtown, Pennsylvania-based wealth management practice overseeing approximately $208 million in assets; the transaction was finalized on February 6, 2026. The acquisition expands Merit’s footprint in Bucks County and establishes its seventh office in Pennsylvania; Glenn Cohen and his advisory team join Merit. Financial and legal terms were not disclosed.

Waverly Advisors, an RIA based in Birmingham, Alabama, has acquired Forefront Wealth Management of Malvern, Pennsylvania, expanding Waverly's Mid-Atlantic presence. The Forefront team will join Waverly and the deal adds approximately $257 million of AUM; the transaction closed on December 5, 2025.

Creative Planning, a large independent wealth management firm, has acquired Financial Abundance, a Pennsylvania-registered investment advisor, in a deal that closed Sept. 30 and will add over $275 million of AUM. The acquisition expands Creative Planning’s East Coast footprint and brings Financial Abundance founder Paul Nichols and his team into Creative Planning’s national platform.

Nomura has agreed to acquire Macquarie Asset Management’s North American and European public asset management business (including equities, fixed income and multi‑asset strategies) in an all‑cash transaction for roughly US$1.8 billion, subject to closing adjustments and regulatory approvals. The business—led from Philadelphia with more than 700 employees and approximately US$180 billion of AUM—will join Nomura’s Investment Management division, and the firms will also enter a broader product and distribution collaboration.

Merit Financial Advisors has acquired Zimmermann Investment Management & Planning, adding approximately $739 million of assets and establishing Merit's fourth office in Pennsylvania. The deal, finalized on December 20, 2024, will see Curt H. Zimmermann join Merit as Partner and Wealth Manager and expands Merit's footprint as part of its ongoing roll-up strategy (Merit's 31st acquisition since taking a minority investment from Wealth Partners Capital Group and investors led by HGGC's Aspire platform).

Empower has acquired Plan Management Corporation (PMC), the creator of the OptionTrax equity compensation administration platform, and will integrate the platform into its digital wealth and retirement offerings. The OptionTrax platform — used by more than 300 employers and representing approximately $62 billion in equity compensation plan value — will be rebranded as "OptionTrax by Empower" and operated under the newly formed Empower Stock Plan Services, LLC.

Avantax has acquired Pennsylvania-based GA Investment Management, onboarding $400 million of GA client assets to its platform and converting 10 GA employees to Avantax W-2 employees. The GA partners selected Avantax as part of a succession plan because of aligned tax-focused planning, in-house asset management, eMoney compatibility, and access to Avantax's network for future advisor growth.

Osaic, a portfolio company of Reverence Capital Partners, has completed the acquisition of Lincoln Wealth — Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation and Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation — from Lincoln National Corporation / Lincoln Financial Group. The deal transfers roughly 1,400–1,450 financial professionals and about $115 billion in assets under management to Osaic and was reported to provide Lincoln with approximately $650 million of capital benefit.

Dakota Wealth Management has agreed to acquire JMG Wealth Management Group, an independent advisory firm that manages roughly $300 million across offices in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The deal gives Dakota its second Pennsylvania office and first South Carolina presence, brings the JMG leadership team into Dakota as managing directors, and pushes Dakota's assets under management toward the $4 billion mark.

Pathstone has acquired Veritable LP from Veritable’s management partners and Affiliated Managers Group, adding Veritable’s ~87-person team and over $17 billion in client assets across roughly 200 clients. The deal brings Pathstone’s assets under advisement and administration to more than $100 billion and strengthens its position as a leading independent RIA serving ultra-high-net-worth families.

Sequoia Financial Group has agreed to acquire Zeke Capital Advisors, a Berwyn, Pennsylvania–based multifamily office that oversees roughly $5 billion in ultra-high-net-worth client assets. The deal, which will bring Sequoia's total client assets to more than $15 billion, will have Zeke operate under the Sequoia brand beginning March 1; Zeke's leadership will remain involved post-close.

EP Wealth Advisors, a PE-backed independent registered investment adviser, has acquired Warren Financial Services & Associates, a Philadelphia-area wealth advisory firm. The deal closed Nov. 29, 2022, adds roughly $274 million in AUM and brings the Warren team (founder Randall Warren plus four advisors and four support staff) into EP Wealth's platform as part of its continued geographic expansion on the East Coast.

Apella Capital, a Glastonbury, Connecticut-based RIA, has acquired Structured Asset Management, a Berwyn, Pennsylvania–based registered investment advisor, adding approximately $140 million in AUM. The Structured team, led by founder Bill Suplee, will join Apella (with Suplee becoming Senior Financial Advisor); the deal, completed Sept. 30, 2022, was executed jointly with investor Wealth Partners Capital Group.

Informed Family Financial Services, a Norristown-based wealth management firm, has acquired Strategic Wealth Advisory and will merge the practices under the Informed Family Financial Services brand. The deal brings two staff members and two offices (in Reading and the Lehigh Valley) into Informed Family's platform, and Strategic Wealth Advisory's president Earl D. Schultz and advisor Shannon LaRosse join the expanded team.

Cerity Partners announced a merger with Permit Capital Advisors, combining the Philadelphia-region wealth advisory firm into Cerity under the Cerity Partners name. Permit Capital Advisors brings approximately $1.6 billion in client assets and specialist ultra-high-net-worth and foundation advisory capabilities, helping Cerity deepen its capabilities and anchor the firm in the Philadelphia market.

Spouting Rock Asset Management acquired a majority interest in Penn Capital Management Company, LLC, with the transaction announced alongside The RBB Fund, Inc.'s adoption of the Penn Capital Funds Trust effective June 24, 2021. The partnership is intended to scale Penn Capital's offerings by leveraging Spouting Rock's platform and RBB's turnkey fund administration and governance capabilities.

Wealth Enhancement Group, a TA Associates-backed independent wealth management firm, has acquired Hoover Financial Advisors, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based RIA with $1.46 billion in total client assets. The deal brings HFA's 26-person team onto Wealth Enhancement Group's platform as the firm continues an acquisition-focused growth strategy to expand its Northeast U.S. footprint and enhance centralized back-office and technology capabilities.

Apella Wealth announced it has added Marrella Private Wealth to its firm, bringing approximately $518 million in AUM and expanding Apella’s East Coast presence. Marrella, headquartered in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, will join Apella’s platform to provide comprehensive financial planning and investment management services; financial terms were not disclosed.

Orion Advisor Solutions and Brinker Capital have completed a merger to create an integrated technology and turnkey asset management platform (TAMP), backed by new investor Genstar Capital alongside continuing investor TA Associates. The combined business expands Orion's wealthtech capabilities and Brinker’s investment management scale — creating a unified TAMP with roughly $44 billion in assets and service access for more than 10,000 active advisor representatives.

Fiduciary Trust Company International, a global wealth manager and subsidiary of Franklin Resources (Franklin Templeton), agreed to acquire The Pennsylvania Trust Company, an independent, employee-owned wealth management firm based in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The deal expands Fiduciary Trust's presence in the Philadelphia market and enhances its suite of trust, estate, investment and tax planning capabilities for high-net-worth clients; terms were not disclosed and the transaction was expected to close in Franklin Resources' 2020 fiscal third quarter.