Mercer Global Advisors, Inc (Mercer Advisors), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), has acquired ET George Investment Management, LLC (George), a wealth management firm located in Starkville, Mississippi.
George serves approximately 155 clients with assets under management of approximately USD170 million. George was founded in 1974 by Ernie George, CFP, CLU focusing on delivering comprehensive wealth management services to their successful clients. The entire George team will be joining Mercer Advisors.
Founder Ernie George entered the financial services business in 1974 in Starkville after graduating from Mississippi State University. He has served as a board member of the Society of Financial Services Practitioners (formerly the American Society of CLU and CHFC), Financial Planning Association (formerly the International Association for Financial Planning), Northeast MS Planned Giving Council, and the MS Estate Planning Council.
Ernie George, Founder, states: “It was time for our firm to implement our business succession strategy. I had heard of Dave Barton, Mercer Advisors’ Vice Chairman who leads mergers and acquisitions for them and reached out. I liked Dave’s vision for the future based on his experience. Dave, as the former CEO of Mercer Advisors, understood my business concerns, helped problem solve with me, and together we forged a partnership I’m very proud of. I love Mercer Advisors’ family office service offering, and that they could take over with back-office responsibilities and help us to offer a broader range of services for our clients. Most importantly, however, was their commitment to serving their clients with excellence, and likewise committed to providing career development opportunities for their staff. We shared key business values and virtues – this was most important to me.”
David Barton, Vice Chairman, who led this transaction on behalf of Mercer Advisors, adds:“Ernie and I first talked in July 2020 discussing business succession strategies for him and what that might look like including the challenges he was facing. We also talked about our families, our children, our interests, and generally got to know one another. Over the coming months Ernie and I became close, and that trust and confidence in one another led to our business partnership. Ernie is all about serving his clients at the highest level and is deeply loyal to his staff. In these and other areas we shared a common bond. This transaction is founded upon high cultural alignment, bedrock for any successful partnership. We are thrilled to have Ernie and his team join Mercer Advisors.”
Dave Welling, Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors, says: “Ernie has assembled a very strong team and is highly respected. His involvement and contributions to his community, this industry, and local philanthropic organizations demonstrates his strong character. This is the type of talent we seek to add to our team. We are excited to partner with the George team and look forward to serving their clients with expanded wealth management services for years to come.”
