Values-based financial planning firm strengthens $70 billion RIA's footprint in Tennessee
Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (“Mercer Advisors”), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), today announced the acquisition of Vishria Bird Financial Group, LLC (“Vishria Bird”), a Memphis-based financial planning and advisory firm. This acquisition further enhances Mercer Advisors' footprint in Tennessee, complementing its existing offices in the Nashville area.
Managing $583 million in assets, Vishria Bird is led by co-founders Harish Vishria, CFP®, APMA®, MSM and Robert (Bobby) Bird, CFP®, APMA®. The firm, which specializes in serving U.S. citizens with inheritance and asset ties to India, has established a substantial client base in Tennessee, California and Florida. Focused on long-term, multigenerational relationships, Vishria Bird brings deep expertise in cross-border wealth transfer, business succession and multi-generational planning, making it distinctly positioned to support a growing and affluent Indian-American community. Taking a values-based approach to financial planning, the firm helps clients align their financial decisions with their personal priorities, legacy goals and long-term vision. By integrating estate, tax, insurance and investment strategies, Vishria Bird delivers a comprehensive financial planning experience.
“At Vishria Bird, we help our clients tap into what’s most important to them, align their financial choices with the great life they envision and become inspired to do whatever it takes to achieve it,” said Vishria. “We don’t just manage wealth—we invest in our clients’ dreams and goals, providing them with the resources, guidance and confidence to build the life they’ve planned for. Partnering with Mercer Advisors allows us to expand the depth of our services, giving our clients access to more resources while preserving the deeply personal relationships we’ve built over the years.”
“Harish and Bobby have built a firm centered on trust, long-term relationships and a commitment to putting their clients first—values that align perfectly with Mercer Advisors’ fiduciary approach,” said Martine Lellis, Principal, M&A Partner Development at Mercer Advisors. “We empower clients to make informed financial decisions that support their vision for the future. This partnership allows us to provide their team with expanded resources while ensuring their clients continue to receive the personalized guidance and care they deserve.”
The acquisition will give Vishria Bird Financial Group access to Mercer Advisors’ broad suite of services, including family office solutions, back-office support and specialized investment resources. This strategic alignment aims to help the firm scale its offerings and support the growth of its next-generation advisors and client support staff.
“Mercer Advisors offers the depth of resources, specialized services and operational support to help our clients plan for a secure future,” said Bird. “This partnership provides our team with opportunities for growth and development in a rapidly changing industry.”
The firm’s acquisition also reflects Mercer Advisors’ commitment to expanding its presence in Tennessee, a key growth market. “We are excited to continue to build on our momentum in Tennessee, working with the talented team at Vishria Bird to serve their clients and support their next phase of growth,” said Ben Kautz, Executive Managing Director at Mercer Advisors.
Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Vishria Bird Financial Group in this transaction.
For more information about partnering with Mercer Advisors, please visit merceradvisors.com/partnerwithus.
About Mercer Advisors
Mercer Advisors, the #1 ranked RIA firm in the nation according to the Barron’s 2024 Top 100 Registered Investment Advisor Firms, was founded in 1985. For 40 years, Mercer Advisors has been trusted to help families amplify and simplify their financial lives. The company offers comprehensive, fee-based family office services, including financial planning, estate and tax planning, insurance solutions, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. Mercer Advisors Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and is majority owned by Oak Hill Capital, Genstar Capital, and Altas Partners. Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is privately held, has 1,220+ employees, and operates nationally through more than 95 locations. Mercer Advisors has $71 billion in client assets. For more information, visit merceradvisors.com and merceradvisors.com/acquisitions.
Important Information
Company statistics as of January 31, 2025. Client assets refers to client assets under management (AUM) and client assets under advisement (AUA) as well as assets gained from recent acquisitions where the advisory agreements have been properly assigned to Mercer Global Advisors, but the custodial accounts have yet to be transferred and/or the accounts have yet to be migrated to Mercer Global Advisors’ portfolio management system.
Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through select third parties unaffiliated to Mercer Advisors. Tax preparation and tax filing are a separate fee from Mercer Advisors’ investment management and planning services. Trustee services are offered through select third parties with which a client would engage directly, as such additional fees may apply. Mercer Global Advisors has a related insurance agency. Mercer Advisors Insurance Services, LLC (MAIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercer Advisors Inc. MAIS provides individual life, disability, long term care coverage, and property and casualty coverage through various insurance companies. For Mercer Global Advisors clients who wish to purchase insurance products, MAIS has entered into a non-exclusive referral agreement with Strategic Partner(s), where the Strategic Partner will provide necessary services relative to the marketing, placement, and servicing of the insurance products, including without limitation preparing and presenting illustrations, supporting the underwriting process, assisting with the completion and execution of applications, delivering policies, and servicing in-force business. MAIS and the Strategic Partner will be listed as either “agents” or “co-agents” on the policies. While Mercer Global Advisors does not receive a referral fee, Strategic Partner receives a percentage of the commission revenue. MAIS and Strategic Partner do have a revenue sharing agreement.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
2024 - Barron’s Top 100 RIA methodology
Mercer Advisors was ranked number 1 for firms with up to $70 billion in client assets. In 2024 Barron’s ranked the largest registered investment advisor firms separately from its broader RIA ranking. For Barron’s Mega RIAs list, they selected firms that manage 2% or more of the total assets of all ranking applicants. This year, that created a threshold of $70 billion in assets. Advisers who wish to be ranked fill out a 100+ question survey about their practice. Barron’s verifies that data with regulatory databases and then Barron’s applies their rankings formula to the data to generate a ranking. The formula features three major categories of calculations: (1) Assets (2) Revenue (3) Quality of practice. In each of those categories Barron’s does multiple sub calculations including asset type, growth, client retention, technology spending, succession planning, diversity of their teams, charitable and philanthropic work and compliance records. No fee was paid for participation in the ranking, however, Mercer Advisors has paid a fee to Barron’s to use the ranking in marketing.
Neither rankings and/or recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations, should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Mercer Advisors is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers (see participation criteria/methodology). Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, Mercer Advisors did not pay a fee to be included on any such ranking. No ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of Mercer Advisors by any of its clients.
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