Advisory M&A News – 12/17/2025

Osaic Acquires $1.1B Veater Financial Group

Osaic Inc. announced the acquisition of Veater Financial Group to Osaic’s Empowered Independence channel.

Led by President and Financial Professional George Veater, VFG oversees approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management, with offices in Fresno and Brea, California.

VFG has been affiliated with Osaic Wealth since 2020. Veater will expand his responsibilities within Osaic, working closely with other Empowered Independence offices, particularly across the Western region.

VFG’s advisers and staff became W-2 employees under the Empowered Independence model, while its brokerage, direct business and advisory relationships with Osaic Wealth, Inc. remain unchanged. The firm will continue operating under the VFG brand.

“The transition of Veater Financial Group represents the continued momentum and appeal of Osaic’s flexible operating model for advisors, including our Empowered Independence channel,” Jamie Price, Osaic’s president and CEO, said in a statement. 

Wealth Enhancement Group Buys $476M Hybrid RIA

The Wealth Enhancement Group announced the acquisition of Wealth Advocates, a Logan, Utah-based hybrid registered investment adviser firm. The team oversees more than $476 million in client assets and is led by Wealth Manager John Mickelson.

“Wealth Advocates embodies the principles of holistic planning that are central to Wealth Enhancement’s roundtable approach to wealth management,” said Jeff Dekko, the Wealth Enhancement Group’s CEO, in a statement.

Wealth Advocates specializes in working with business owners, retirees and current or former employees of the following institutions: the state of Utah, Intermountain Healthcare, Northrop Grumman and Utah State University.

“By leveraging Wealth Enhancement’s proven systems and processes, we can better help clients optimize their financial lives and pursue their goals with greater clarity and confidence,” Mickelson said in the announcement.

The acquisition is expected to close on December 31.

Wealth Enhancement and its registered investment adviser, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, had $128.8 billion in client assets, including $4.4 billion in brokerage assets with Wealth Enhancement Brokerage Services, as of November 30.

Wealth Advocates had approximately $476 million in client assets as of August 8. With the addition of previously announced acquisitions and the addition of Wealth Advocates, Wealth Enhancement will have more than $131.7 billion in client advisory, trust and brokerage assets.

Mercer Advisors Expands in Idaho With McConnell Financial Advisors

Mercer Global Advisors Inc., announced the acquisition of McConell Financial Advisors, a boutique financial planning firm with $130 million in assets under management.

Based in Boise, Idaho, with a growing client base in Sun Valley, the addition marks Mercer Advisors’ continued expansion across the Mountain West region and builds on Mercer’s existing presence in Boise and Sun Valley, according to the announcement.

McConnell Financial Advisors provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management services to clients across various life stages. 

For McConnell Founder Renée McConnell, the decision to partner with Mercer Advisors was guided by a desire to find a firm that embraced similar values and could support continued growth while maintaining a boutique, relationship-driven client experience, according to the announcement.

Mercer Advisors Inc. is the parent company of Denver-based Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and is majority owned by Oak Hill Capital, Genstar Capital and Altas Partners. Mercer Advisors has $90 billion in client assets, as of September 30.

Procyon Adds VP Bevin Nealon

Procyon, the nearly $9 billion independent registered investment adviser, announced that Bevin Nealon has joined the firm as a vice president and private wealth adviser, based in Shelton, Connecticut.

Nealon brings nearly three decades of experience in comprehensive financial planning and retirement strategy. She joins from Wells Fargo, where she served as first vice president and managed more than $100 million for clients. Prior to that, she spent 15 years at Merrill Lynch and began her career in 1996 at Smith Barney.

At Procyon, Nealon will serve clients across the Northeast, California and Florida. Her role will focus on deepening client relationships through personalized wealth planning and bespoke portfolio management.

Headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, Procyon also operates offices in New York City; Long Island, New York; Maryland; Michigan; and Texas. The firm manages nearly $9 billion in client assets and is a partner within the Dynasty Financial Partners network of independent wealth management firms.

Storen Financial Forms Alliance With Dynasty Financial

Dynasty Financial Partners LLC and Storen Financial announced a strategic alliance.

Indiana-based comprehensive financial services firm Storen Financial offers wealth management, financial planning, tax strategy and investment services, with $500 million in client assets and 5,000 business, tax and investment clients.

The Storen team includes four equity partners, multiple certified public accountants and enrolled agents, as well as a growing number of advisory professionals, totaling more than 40 in-house staff.

“This partnership will enable us to tap into Dynasty’s full suite of institutional-quality services—including advanced technology, investment solutions, operational infrastructure and capital markets access,” said Greg Storen, Storen Financial’s managing partner and CEO.

Brown Plus Acquires Ross Buehler Falk & Co.

Ross Buehler Falk & Co. will join Brown Plus on January 1, 2026, the firms announced.

Brown Plus is a leading accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in Hanover and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as well as Frederick and Westminster, Maryland. With the merger, Brown Plus will now be comprised of 166 team members. Current RBF Partners Sean Smith and Jeffrey Groff will join Brown Plus as two of its 22 principals.

“For us, this is a strategic acquisition to help us grow in the Lancaster market, strengthening our presence in the region while aligning with a firm that believes in caring for their people in the same way that we do,” said Brown Plus President and Managing Principal Ken Wolfe in a statement.

Brown Plus intends on retaining the RBF Lancaster office through the end of the 2026 tax season, at which time there will be an integration with the current Brown Plus Lancaster location.

EP Wealth Advisors Buys Clearview Wealth Advisors

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired Clearview Wealth Advisors LLC, a planning-focused firm serving clients across the Pacific Northwest and the Phoenix metropolitan area. Through the acquisition, the Clearview team will join EP Wealth’s Phoenix region, adding nearly $218 million in assets under management.

Clearview Advisors is comprised of father-and-son team Michael and Corbin Coursey, who recently relocated to Phoenix.

“As our clients’ financial needs grew more layered, we saw the value in having more specialists support the planning work we do,” Michael Coursey said in a statement. “Partnering with EP lets us bring added expertise and capabilities to the table while preserving the level of attention and care that has always defined our approach.”

The Clearview team will integrate with EP Wealth’s Phoenix region under Regional Directors M.J. Nodilo and Adrian Larson, joining a collaborative advisory group focused on service and long-term client relationships.

EP Wealth Advisors is a fee-only registered investment adviser and financial planning firm with more than 61 offices across 22 states, managing more than $40.5 billion in assets as of September 30.