Mercer Advisors Debuts National ‘Women & Wealth’ Practice
The firm intends to include ‘women-centered financial planning’ in its business priorities, leadership structure and client experience.
Mercer Global Advisors Inc. launched a national Women & Wealth practice Wednesday as part of a “firm-wide commitment” to support women’s financial planning and wealth building. The Denver-based registered investment adviser’s team is led by Laura Combs, an executive managing partner and head of Women & Wealth, and the team is intended to help “women fiduciary professionals to do the best work of their careers.”
The Women & Wealth practice will embed “women-centered financial planning” and career advancement into Mercer Advisors’ business priorities, leadership structure and client experience. The practice focuses on longevity planning, career transitions, caregiving, business ownership and multigenerational wealth, which the announcement called “areas that matter most to women.” The firm’s integrated suite of family office services includes institutional-grade investment management, financial planning and estate and tax planning.
“Meeting women’s needs—building trust, engaging them meaningfully and sustaining those relationships—is not just sound advice, it’s a business imperative,” Combs said in a statement. “I’m grateful to my partners at Mercer Advisors for entrusting me with this opportunity as we are committed to being the firm best positioned to serve women with excellence.”
Combs, who joined Mercer Advisors in 2008, helped develop the Wealth Path offering to extend family office services to more families. In 2018, she helped launch InvestHERs, a program dedicated to advancing women as both investors and financial service professionals. The initiative offers educational and professional development opportunities, mentorship, affinity groups and client-focused programming tailored to women’s financial planning needs.
Nearly 50% of Mercer Advisors’ client-facing team members are women, as are 40% of its executive team, according to the announcement.
Mercer Advisors, majority owned by Oak Hill Capital, Genstar Capital and Altas Partners, has more than 1,500 employees in more than 110 locations nationwide and $96 billion in client assets.