Merit Adds $860M Global Wealth Advisors
Merit Financial Advisors announced the acquisition of Global Wealth Advisors (GWA), a transaction that brings approximately $860 million in client assets and expands Merit’s national footprint with new offices in Lewisville, San Antonio, Angleton, and Snyder, Texas; Naples, Florida; and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. With this deal, Merit now counts seven offices across Texas, further deepening its presence in a key growth market.
As part of the integration, GWA’s president Kris Maksimovich and managing partner Chris Powers will join Merit as regional directors and partners, bringing along their 14-person team and client support staff. “This partnership is especially meaningful to me,” said Kay Lynn Mayhue, President of Merit. “Kris and I started our careers together more than 25 years ago. It is a full-circle moment for us to now be working together under the Merit brand, and a powerful step forward toward our shared commitment to clients.”
Maksimovich emphasized the strategic rationale for the transition: “We weren’t actively looking to make a change, but based on recent developments at our broker-dealer, we decided to seize an opportunity and make a change that’s better for our clients and team.” The GWA team will now benefit from Merit’s operational support and in-house wealth management platform, enabling them to sharpen client service delivery while pursuing long-term growth.
The acquisition closed on August 18, 2025, though financial terms were not disclosed. This marks Merit’s 41st acquisition in four and a half years, underscoring its aggressive expansion strategy.
Earlier this month, Merit acquired Second Half Financial Partners, adding $225 million in assets and marking its fifth Florida office. That deal followed July acquisitions of AMP Wealth Management and Olympic Wealth, which together manage $569 million in assets, as well as the firm’s entry into Utah with the purchase of RCM Investments. In February, Merit acquired Pennsylvania-based Hershey Wealth Advisors, LLC, with $233 million in client assets, marking its fifth office in the Keystone state.