Merit Financial Advisors, an Atlanta-based RIA managing about $30.1 billion in assets for high-net-worth clients, has acquired the Bridgeway Group, a Southern California-based wealth management firm with offices in Pasadena and Covina.
Led by longtime partners Matt Dupon, Sean Montgomery and Scott Miller, Bridgeway oversees about $900 million in total assets and was affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network for 13 years. The advisors began contemplating a move upon LPL Financial’s acquisition of Commonwealth.
Bridgeway is the sixth former Commonwealth team to join Merit since LPL’s acquisition announcement last year, Merit said in its news release. It’s also Merit’s 61st acquisition and ninth partnership in 2026.
Merit didn’t disclose the financial and legal terms of the transaction, which closed July 31.
The Bridgeway Group rebranded as Merit Financial Advisors after the close, and all Bridgeway employees will join Merit. Dupon and Montgomery will serve as wealth manager-partners, while Miller will become an area director, wealth manager and partner.
The nine-person team provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management, with a particular focus on retirement planning, according to the release.
For its part, Merit views Bridgeway as an important platform to continue its expansion in Southern California.
“Bridgeway brings together many of the qualities we look for in a partner: a deeply client-centric culture, a strong financial planning orientation, an experienced multi-generational team and a genuine desire to continue growing,” said David Wahlen, executive vice president of strategic partners of Merit. “Combined with the addition of Pradel Financial Group in the Seattle area earlier this year, Bridgeway gives us another outstanding team and further strengthens our growing presence on the West Coast.”
According to the release, Bridgeway had grown about 22% annually over the past five years through a combination of market appreciation, acquisition and organic growth.
Furthermore, the firm has historically generated organic growth primarily through referrals from clients and centers of influence, including attorneys and CPAs, according to the release, and the partners aim to use Merit’s marketing, technology, operational and growth resources to build on that.
“Commonwealth’s acquisition created a natural opportunity for the partners to evaluate what they wanted the firm’s next chapter to look like,” Merit said in the release.
Dupon added, “We knew we were going to make a transition, so it made sense to step back and ask where we wanted to go from here. We have built a strong business and want to keep growing, but continuing at this pace requires greater infrastructure and support. Merit gives us that support while allowing us to maintain the independence that has always been extremely important to us.”
For reference, Bridgeway’s partners also spoke with advisors they knew and respected who had made the Commonwealth-to-Merit transition, according to the release.
“We had an incredibly positive experience at Commonwealth for many years, so our standard for what came next was very high,” Montgomery said in a statement. “What I liked about Merit was the service, the people, the accessibility and the feeling that you are part of a community rather than simply a number in a much larger organization. Those qualities mattered a great deal to us.”
The partnership also creates new opportunities for Bridgeway’s next generation, Merit said. In his role as area director, Miller, 34, will focus heavily on growth and talent development.
“For me, one of the most exciting parts of joining Merit is what it can mean for the next generation of our business,” Miller said. “We have always operated much like a family business, where clients can reach the people they know and trust. Merit has that same accessibility while giving us a much broader set of growth, marketing and career-development opportunities.”