Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. has acquired Mallard Advisors LLC., a Hockessin, Del.-based firm with about $165 million in assets under management, according to a news release.
Founded by William D. Starnes in 2002, Mallard, a financial planning and wealth management practice, has experience working with data-driven clients, including scientists, engineers, and financial professionals, the release said. The firm serves 109 clients.
“At Mallard, my team and I are dedicated to serving our clients with excellence and see our clients as extended family. Moreover, I am committed to the success and development of my staff,” Starnes said in a statement.
Starnes said that several years ago he worked with Mercer Advisors vice chairman David Barton to put an arrangement in place that “would look after my clients and staff if something unforeseen should happen to me.” He said he has been happy with the arrangement, but as time went on, he realized that he needed to work on his own transition plan and again called on Barton, who helped him to complete a succession plan. “I am thrilled to join a firm like Mercer Advisors alongside my fantastic team.”
Barton, who led the acquisition, said Starnes is “a superior financial planner, a salt of the earth person, and is committed to his clients and team. These are all traits I look for in determining whether or not a cultural fit exists between our firms,” he said. “In Mallard, we found a perfect fit and we could not be more excited to partner with Bill and his team to expand our Delaware presence.”
Denver-based Mercer Global Advisors Inc. is a national registered investment advisor that is majority owned by Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. It has more than $37 billion in client assets and more than 760 employees and more than 60 offices across the country.