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Merit Financial Advisors Acquires $900 Million firm, The Bridgeway Group, Expanding Southern California Presence

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ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Merit Financial Advisors (“Merit”), a Georgia-based financial advisory firm specializing in financial planning and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals and families and those navigating life transitions, today announced the acquisition of The Bridgeway Group (“Bridgeway”), a Southern California-based wealth management firm with offices in Pasadena and Covina.

Bridgeway oversees approximately $900 million in total assets and is led by longtime partners Matt Dupon, Sean Montgomery and Scott Miller. The nine-person team provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management, with a particular focus on retirement planning.

This marks Merit’s 61st acquisition and ninth partnership in 2026, continuing the firm’s national expansion strategy of partnering with high-quality, growth-focused firms and teams. Bridgeway is also the sixth team formerly affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network to join Merit since the announcement of Commonwealth’s acquisition by LPL Financial last year.

David Wahlen, Executive Vice President/Strategic Partners of Merit Financial Advisors, said Bridgeway represents an important addition to Merit’s growing West Coast presence and reflects the type of next-generation, growth-oriented leadership Merit is seeking as it expands.

“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 Wahlen. “Matt, Sean and Scott are entrepreneurial partners who want to invest in the future of their business and in 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.”

All Bridgeway employees will join Merit. Dupon and Montgomery will serve as Wealth Manager, Partner, while Miller will become Area Director, Wealth Manager, Partner.

Bridgeway had spent the past 13 years affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and had grown approximately 22% annually over the past five years through a combination of market appreciation, acquisition and organic growth. Commonwealth’s acquisition created a natural opportunity for the partners to evaluate what they wanted the firm’s next chapter to look like.

“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,” said Dupon. “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.”

Bridgeway has historically generated organic growth primarily through referrals from clients and centers of influence, including attorneys and CPAs. The partners see an opportunity to build on that foundation through Merit’s marketing, technology, operational and growth resources while spending less time on administrative responsibilities.

“So much of owning a growing firm becomes HR, insurance, marketing, operations and other responsibilities that have little to do with why we entered this profession,” Dupon added. “If we can spend more time serving clients and doing the work we enjoy, and less time on the things that pull us away from that, we believe it makes us a better firm and gives us greater capacity to grow.”

Culture was equally important in Bridgeway’s decision. Dupon said the accessibility of Merit’s leadership and the fact that many senior leaders have themselves worked as financial advisors stood out during the evaluation process.

“There is a difference when the people leading an organization have actually sat across the table from clients and understand an advisor’s day-to-day responsibilities,” Dupon said. “We felt that from Merit’s leadership. There was an understanding of what matters to advisors and a culture where everyone seems to be rowing in the same direction.”

Bridgeway’s partners also spoke with advisors they knew and respected who had previously moved from Commonwealth to Merit, reinforcing their view that Merit could offer the personal service and community they valued while providing broader resources.

“We had an incredibly positive experience at Commonwealth for many years, so our standard for what came next was very high,” said Montgomery. “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. Miller, 34, will assume the additional role of Area Director and expects to focus heavily on growth and talent development. Bridgeway recently added two associate-level planning professionals, increasing its capacity to serve clients and develop future advisors.

“For me, one of the most exciting parts of joining Merit is what it can mean for the next generation of our business,” said Miller. “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.”

Merit sees Bridgeway as an important platform for continued expansion throughout Southern California.

“This is already a highly successful firm with significant momentum,” said Tait Lane, Managing Principal, Partner. “They are not looking for someone to change the business. They are looking for a partner that can help remove constraints around a great business and give a talented team more capacity to grow. That is where we believe Merit can add tremendous value.”

The Bridgeway Group rebranded as Merit Financial Advisors upon the closing of the transaction on July 31, 2026. Financial and legal terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Merit Financial Advisors

Merit Financial Group, LLC, doing business as Merit Financial Advisors (“Merit”), is a national wealth management firm that supports both the independent broker-dealer and RIA models. Merit exists to enrich the lives of those they serve, and its mission is to revolutionize the client experience by building the wealth management firm of the future. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Merit has over 55 offices throughout the U.S. and manages approximately $30.1 billion in assets as of July 20, 2026, including $22.982 billion in advisory assets, $3.32 billion in brokerage assets, $2.65 billion in employer plans, and $1.8 billion in ESOP assets. For more information, please visit www.meritfinancialadvisors.com. Investment advice offered through Merit Financial Group, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser.

About Constellation Wealth Capital

Constellation Wealth Capital (CWC) is an alternative asset management platform dedicated to the wealth management sector. CWC provides flexible, long-term capital solutions and strategic advisory support to scaled wealth management platforms, leveraging deep industry expertise and an extensive network of relationships to help partner firms accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn more at www.constellationwealthcapital.com.

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SOURCE Merit Financial Advisors

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Cetera Welcomes Former Commonwealth Advisors Jim Tucker, Patrick Bria and Their Team Overseeing Approximately $420 Million in AUA

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August 12, 2026

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After building their businesses over two decades, the advisors chose Cetera’s Summit community for its high-touch service, flexibility and commitment to helping advisors operate their way

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cetera welcomes financial advisors Jim Tucker, CFP®, CRPS®, and Patrick Bria, and the Tucker Bria Wealth Strategies team overseeing approximately $420 million in AUA1. Tucker Bria Wealth Strategies joined Cetera through its Summit Financial Networks2 community. Based in Durham, North Carolina, co-founders Tucker and Bria have built their practice together since 2013. The two have been friends since their teenage years in Pittsburgh, and later were teammates on Duke University’s varsity swim team.

Tucker Bria Wealth Strategies – a name built around the firm’s belief that “Life alters wealth®” – provides individualized financial planning and wealth management to individuals and families navigating life’s transitions, from wealth creation and preservation to windfalls such as inheritances and business sales.

The move to Cetera follows more than a decade at Commonwealth Financial Network, a firm Tucker and Bria deliberately chose for its culture of experienced advisors and personalized support. When LPL announced its acquisition of Commonwealth, the partners launched a monthslong search for a new financial services partner, including traditional broker-dealers and RIA models.

Keeping continuity for clients, some of whom have been with the practice since its inception, was central to their search. With Cetera, the firm could maintain its existing custodian, Fidelity’s NFS. Another key decision point was Cetera’s flexibility, which allowed Tucker Bria to continue using third-party technology that had become integral to their client service model during their years at Commonwealth.

Ultimately, the firm wanted access to a well-established and scaled infrastructure, products, services and AI-powered growth resources – tools designed to augment how advisors already work, not change how they operate – without asking the practice to give up how it runs its business.

“We were deliberate about choosing Commonwealth, and we were just as deliberate about where we went next. We wanted a partner strong enough to provide the compliance, technology and back-office support we didn’t want to build ourselves, but flexible enough to let us keep running our business exactly the way we always have,” Tucker said. “Summit has a clear reason for being, the same way our previous firm did, and that mattered to us as much as anything else.”

The firm’s high-touch approach to client service – centered on close, ongoing relationships rather than scale, with regularly scheduled client meetings and financial planning built around each family’s specific circumstances – was also at the forefront of their decision-making process.

“We tell our team to love our clients, not because of what they’ve entrusted to us, but because that’s simply the standard we hold ourselves to,” Bria said. “Our next-gen advisors are in the room with clients from day one, learning the relationships, not just the technical side of the job. Because of this, our clients know their advisor team is going to be in place for the next 30-plus years.”

Tucker Bria’s next generation – including Wealth Advisors Josh Polidori, CFP®, CPFA®; Financial Planning Associate Chris Bleeker; and Financial Planning Associate Taylor Clement, CFP® – already serves as the primary point of contact for many of the firm’s second- and third-generation clients.

Tucker is also the author of Family, Legacy, Wealth: How to Nurture and Grow Your Family Orchard, a book designed to help families define and pass on their legacy, one that goes beyond money.

Welcoming the Tucker Bria team, Cetera Advisor Channel Leader Tom Halloran said: “Jim and Pat have spent decades building something special together that grew into a client-centered practice with the kind of robust next-gen advisor strategy that doesn’t happen by accident. We’re thrilled to welcome Jim, Pat and their team to Cetera, and we’re eager to help them expand their legacy for many years to come.”

About Cetera

Cetera is the premier financial advisor Wealth Hub, empowering independent advisors and institutions with personalized support, flexible affiliation models, and end-to-end growth solutions. Home to approximately 12,000 financial professionals and institutions, Cetera’s multi-channel ecosystem enables financial professionals to grow, scale or transition their businesses on their own terms.

Unlike traditional IBDs, Cetera offers true choice – blending modern technology, integrated wealth solutions, and a community-driven culture. Cetera’s five-channel model and commitment to long-term advisor value provide a scalable blueprint for consistent, repeatable growth.

As of March 31, 2026, Cetera firms manage approximately $630 billion in assets under administration and $296 billion in assets under management. Its Voice of the Customer program has captured nearly 50,000 advisor reviews, with more than 43,000 five-star ratings, giving Cetera a 4.7 out of 5 satisfaction score.

Learn more at www.cetera.com and follow Cetera on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X.

Cetera is a network of independent retail firms, including those that are members of FINRA/SIPC: Cetera Advisors LLC; Cetera Wealth Services, LLC (formerly known as Cetera Advisor Networks); Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors); and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. Entities registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission include Cetera Investment Management LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera’s principal office is located at 655 W. Broadway, 11th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101.

Avantax Planning Partners, Inc., is an SEC registered investment adviser within the Aretec Group, Inc. (dba Cetera Holdings, an affiliate of CFG). All the referenced entities are under common ownership.

Cetera exclusively provides investment products and services through its representatives. Although Cetera does not provide tax or legal advice, or supervise tax, accounting or legal services, Cetera representatives may offer these services through their independent outside businesses. This information is not intended as tax or legal advice.

1Value approximated based on information provided to Cetera for asset holdings as of April 30, 2026.

2Summit Financial Networks is a region of Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment adviser. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

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SOURCE Cetera Financial Group

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Extra Space Storage CEO Joe Margolis Named One of Glassdoor’s Best CEOs of 2026

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August 12, 2026

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SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE: EXR) today announced that CEO Joe Margolis has been named a 2026 Glassdoor Best CEOs Award recipient. The award recognizes chief executives whose leadership has earned high marks directly from employees.

Unlike many workplace honors, the Glassdoor award does not include a self-nomination process. Winners are determined solely through voluntary, anonymous reviews submitted by current and former employees. Margolis ranked No. 25 among the chief executives recognized, based on reviews submitted between May 16, 2025, and May 16, 2026. Additional details about the award methodology are available on Glassdoor’s awards website.

“This recognition belongs to our entire team and reflects the extraordinary culture we have built together at Extra Space,” Margolis said. “Every team member plays an important role in strengthening our culture and living our core values of Excellence, Teamwork, Innovation, Integrity and Passion. I am grateful to work alongside such talented people who make Extra Space an exceptional place to work and position us for a bright future.”

To learn more about working at Extra Space and explore current career opportunities, visit careers.extraspace.com. Extra Space has received multiple honors recognizing its workplace and company culture, see the full list here.

About Extra Space Storage Inc.

Extra Space Storage Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of June 30, 2026, the Company owned and/or operated 4,410 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C. The Company’s stores comprise approximately 3.0 million units and approximately 341.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space brand. The Company offers customers a wide selection of conveniently located and secure storage units across the country, including boat storage, RV storage and business storage. It is the largest operator of self-storage properties in the United States.

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor is transforming how people find jobs and companies they love by providing greater workplace transparency. Professionals use Glassdoor to research company ratings, reviews, salaries and more across millions of employers, and to participate in candid workplace conversations. Companies use Glassdoor to post jobs and attract talent through employer-branding and employee-insights products. Glassdoor is part of Indeed, a subsidiary of Recruit Holdings and a global leader in human resources technology and business solutions.

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SOURCE Extra Space Storage, Inc.

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FinThrive’s AI-Powered Fusion® Platform Earns Gold Stevie® Award for Healthcare Technology Innovation

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August 12, 2026

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PLANO, Texas, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FinThrive, Inc., a leading healthcare revenue management software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, today announced it has won a Gold Stevie® Award in the Technical Innovation of the Year – Hospitals & Health Systems category in the 2026 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across all industry sectors.

For more than 20 years, the Stevie Awards have been touted as the world’s premier business awards – the newest program sets a global benchmark for technology achievement.

The award recognizes FinThrive Fusion®, the company’s first‑of‑its‑kind AI‑powered data intelligence platform designed to unify and optimize the entire healthcare revenue cycle, enabling predictive insights, intelligent automation and autonomous workflows. By transforming disconnected healthcare data into intelligence, Fusion helps organizations prevent denials, billing errors and revenue leakage.

“Innovation matters only when it delivers meaningful outcomes for healthcare providers,” said Hemant Goel, President and CEO, FinThrive. “We’re honored that the Stevie Awards recognized FinThrive Fusion and our commitment to helping hospitals and health systems harness AI and connected data to strengthen financial performance, improve operational efficiency and better serve patients.”

Today, FinThrive supports healthcare organizations in all 50 states, processes more than 200 million claims annually and helps manage more than $1.4 trillion in healthcare revenue. Three out of five U.S. hospitals and health systems rely on FinThrive solutions to navigate today’s complex reimbursement environment.

More than 180 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s honorees.

About FinThrive 

FinThrive is a healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) technology company that helps healthcare organizations maximize revenue, reduce costs and accelerate cash flow through a unified, intelligent platform. At the core is FinThrive Fusion, the industry’s first data intelligence platform built specifically for healthcare revenue operations. Powered by Fusion, FinThrive’s AI transforms complex, manual revenue cycle tasks into streamlined, autonomous workflows. It unifies data across the enterprise while supporting regulatory compliance. As one of the most advanced SaaS platforms in healthcare, FinThrive delivers a connected, holistic approach to revenue optimization. FinThrive’s solutions span patient access, charge integrity, claims and contract management, insurance discovery, automation, analytics and education, enabling organizations to manage performance across the front, middle and back office with greater visibility and control. Learn more at FinThrive.com.

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SOURCE FinThrive, Inc.

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