Merit Financial Group, LLC (Alpharetta)

Name: Merit Financial Group, LLC
Address: 2400 Lakeview Parkway, Alpharetta, GA, 30009
Telephone: 678-867-7050

Merit Financial Group, LLC is a large advisory firm based in Alpharetta. It manages $1.68 billion of regulatory assets for 6,866 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2015 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, and 20 other states.

Merit Financial Group provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, pension consulting services, selection of other advisers, and educational seminars and workshops. It prepares financial plans for more than 100 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Merit Financial Group: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Merit Financial Group, LLC is $1.68 billion. The firm's AUM has grown by 200% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $1.68 billion in discretionary accounts and $1.51 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $244.92 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $116.3 thousand.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 91% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is non-exchange traded securities, which make up 3% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in exchange traded securities form 3% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Merit Financial Group, LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, and fixed fees. Compensation based on assets under management promotes a long-term relationship between a client and the adviser and helps align mutual interests. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Merit Financial Group serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, corporations or other businesses, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Merit Financial Group is individuals with 2,785 clients and $966.28 million of assets under management. Among the 9 most similar advisory firms, Merit Financial Group has the 2nd highest percentage of individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $1.68 billion for 3,426 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Merit Financial Group doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Merit Financial Group, LLC

The company employs 103 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 50 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 58 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There’s a single person with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Rick Lee Kent	Chief compliance officer	1 Mar 1997	Other	2871310
Inc. Merit Financial	Owner	1 Oct 2011	50% - 75%	58-2294255
Merit Financial Inc.	Owner	1 Jan 2012	75% - 100%	58-2294255
Afsg Llc	Owner	1 Jan 2012	Other	45-4036365
Inc. Merit Financial	Owner	1 Jan 2012	50% - 75%	58-2294255
Cpa Retirement Network Inc.	Owner	1 Jan 2012	25% - 50%	59-2089558
Llc Wisdom Theory Financial Holdings	Owner	1 Oct 2017	Other	82-2675802
Llc Financial Development Systems	Owner	1 Oct 2017	Other	45-4007536
Amelia Babasa Wood	Chief operating officer	1 Oct 2017	Other	4314372
Douglas Lee Blanton	Chief investment officer / chief financial officer	1 Oct 2017	Other	2580584

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 5 indirect owners.

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
William Montgomery Traer	President	1 Jan 2011	75% - 100%	3072517
Dennis L. Davis	Member	1 Oct 2011	75% - 100%	4818472
Joseph L Owenby	Managing member	1 Mar 2012	75% - 100%	2006419
Kay Lynn Mayhue	Managing member	1 Aug 2017	75% - 100%	3138135
Gregory Vincent Gerhard	Member	1 Oct 2017	Other	2966114

Based in Alpharetta

The principal office where Merit Financial Group, LLC performs its advisory services is located at 2400 Lakeview Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30009, which is also the mailing address of the firm. An additional office of the firm is in Mount Dora, FL. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 678-867-7050 or by fax 678-867-7060. The normal business hours are 8:30 am - 4:30 pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at afsgadvantage.com and its LinkedIn profile.