Career
Rick Kent has been Chief Executive Officer of Merit Financial Group since March 1997. Rick Kent is a control person of the firm and directly owns under 5% of it.
Merit Financial Group, LLC is an Alpharetta, GA firm with $23.9B under management, 20,711 clients and 229 advisers across 66 offices, as of its September 2026 filing.
Merit Financial Advisors identifies Rick Kent as its CEO and founder.
- Lifestyle Planning Solutions, LLC– · under a yearAlpharetta, GA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 164456
- LPL Financial Corporation– · under a yearAlpharetta, GA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 6413
- Merit Financial AdvisorsCurrent– present · 19 yearsAlpharetta, GA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 142457
- Securities America Advisors, Inc.– · 4 yearsAlpharetta, GA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 110518
Credentials and registrations
Investment adviser representative registrations
| State | Status | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Approved | 2 February 2007 |
| Louisiana | Approved | 24 July 2015 |
| Texas | Approved, resident | 1 February 2007 |
- Status
- Approved
- Status
- Approved
- Status
- Approved, resident
Examinations
| Exam | Name | Passed |
|---|---|---|
| SIE | Securities Industry Essentials Examination | Credited |
| Series 65 | Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination | 5 November 1999 |
| Series 24 | General Securities Principal Examination | 26 May 1999 |
| Series 7 | General Securities Representative Examination | 3 March 1998 |
| Series 63 | Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination | 23 May 1997 |
| Series 6 | Investment Company Products/Variable Contracts Representative Examination | 11 April 1997 |
- Name
- Securities Industry Essentials Examination
- Name
- Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination
- Name
- General Securities Principal Examination
- Name
- General Securities Representative Examination
- Name
- Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination
- Name
- Investment Company Products/Variable Contracts Representative Examination
Individual record
- Full name
- Rick Lee Kent
- CRD
- 2871310
- Office
- 2400 LAKEVIEW PARKWAY, SUITE 550, Alpharetta, GA 30009
- Firm bio
- meritfinancialadvisors.com
Disciplinary history is not reported here, in either direction. Check the SEC record.
Common questions
Where does Rick Kent work?
Rick Kent has been Chief Executive Officer of Merit Financial Group, LLC since March 1997, and is a control person of the firm.
Is Rick Kent a financial advisor?
Yes. Rick Kent has a current investment-adviser registration in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, through Merit Financial Group since February 2007.
How many years of experience does Rick Kent have?
Rick Kent has 29 years in the financial industry, since May 1997, across 4 adviser firms.
What exams has Rick Kent passed?
Rick Kent has passed 5 licensing exams: the Series 6, Series 63, Series 7, Series 24 and Series 65. The earliest, the Series 6, was passed in April 1997. FINRA credited Rick Kent with the SIE, which began in October 2018.
Where is Rick Kent based?
Rick Kent’s registered office is in Alpharetta, GA.