Mercer Advisors Hits 50 Percent Employee Ownership Milestone

Equity ownership reflects Mercer Advisors’ commitment to employee participation in the firm’s future growth and success.

Mercer Global Advisors, a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), announced a major milestone: more than half of its 1,300+ employees are now equity owners, underscoring the firm’s commitment to shared success and long-term value creation. Mercer Advisors has steadily increased the percentage of employee-shareholders in recent years. The number of employee-shareholders has grown tenfold since 2018—from fewer than 70 to 674 today. In just five years, the firm has doubled its ownership rate, from under 25% in 2020 to over 50% in 2025.

Mercer Advisors’ ownership structure blends employee participation with strategic capital, combining a strong employee-owned culture with the backing of leading investors. The firm makes equity ownership opportunities available to all full-time employees at the equivalent share class of its four institutional investor partners, reinforcing its singular mission to build the nation’s leading fiduciary-based wealth management platform and one-team culture.

Equity ownership is central to Mercer Advisors’ employee value proposition, empowering team members to share in the firm’s growth and conduct their day-to-day work like owners. Equity ownership is a powerful extension of the firm’s mission to create Economic Freedom™—not only for the 35,000+ families that it serves but also for its employees. Since 2015, Mercer Advisors has grown AUM and earnings at an average rate of greater than 30% per year, underscoring the financial opportunity tied to employee ownership.

“Crossing the 50% threshold of employee ownership is a major milestone for Mercer Advisors,” said Dave Welling, CEO at Mercer Advisors. “Our team believes deeply in creating and sustaining Economic Freedom™ for our clients, and our partnership is fully aligned with helping our employees share in the growth and success of Mercer Advisors. We are building a place where fiduciary-minded financial professionals can do their best work. By making equity available to employees at all levels, we are assembling a team of long-term partners who believe in the power of building together.”

The firm makes equity ownership available through direct equity purchase as well as through a key contributor equity grant program. As part of its strategy to expand equity opportunities, the firm has launched an innovative “Path to Partnership” program which is open to all full-time employees.

Launched in 2020, the Path to Partnership program provides access to equity where employees become direct owners at the time of investment, with financing options available to support participation. The program opens annually, typically accompanied by a firmwide informational session to encourage enrollment and transparency. The 2025 enrollment just wrapped up with the new record of employee owners.

“Our culture is about collaboration and deep commitment to our clients – and treating each other with the same care and regard we have for our clients,” said Elizabeth Hioe, Chief People Officer at Mercer Advisors. “The Path to Partnership program is a direct expression of this culture, where employees are empowered to be long-term stewards of the firm’s growth. While many RIAs limit ownership to founders, principals and select advisors, we believe equity compensation should be possible for every full-time employee.”