The firm also adds experienced tax professionals to expand its national tax practice.

Overland Park, Kan. – February 19, 2019 – Mariner Wealth Advisors, the wealth advisory firm nationally ranked by Barron’s as a top three RIA Firm in 2018, 2017 and 2016¹,  today announced progress toward its aggressive growth agenda, which includes the following developments:

• Mariner Wealth Advisors has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Authent Advisors, Inc., effective April 1, 2019. Located in Marin County, California, Authent Advisors has approximately $285 million in assets under management as of December 31, 2018, and a team of five professionals dedicated to delivering holistic and personalized wealth advisory services to a wide range of clients. Authent Advisors also offers tax preparation and consulting as part of its services. After joining Mariner Wealth Advisors, the Authent team will continue to provide clients with the same level of service and support, from the same location. 
• Mariner Wealth Advisors has expanded its national tax footprint with the addition of Todd Block, CPA, formerly with RTB Consulting, LLC, a tax planning and consulting firm located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Todd will continue to serve his clients under the Mariner Wealth Advisors brand and will bring additional experience to help expand Mariner Wealth Advisors’ national tax practice.  
• Mariner Wealth Advisors has also recruited experienced wealth advisors to open new offices in Des Moines, Iowa, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Both of these offices opened in January, and the firm expects to open at least two more offices this quarter. 

These additions to the Mariner Wealth Advisors family further promote the firm’s goal of providing holistic wealth advice and support to clients across the country. 

In 2018, Marty Bicknell, chief executive officer and president of Mariner Wealth Advisors, announced the firm’s national expansion plans, with a goal of acquiring several leading regional wealth advisory firms each year and green-fielding new office locations in targeted markets. As a result, the firm recently acquired Martin Financial Group (New Albany, Indiana, joined Feb. 1, 2019) and Patriot Wealth Management (Houston, Texas, joined Jan. 1, 2019). 

“I believe Mariner Wealth Advisors is an appealing partner for several reasons,” said Bicknell. “Our client-first philosophy and diverse resources mean advisors are able to get back to their roots – providing quality advice and spending time with clients. We also offer a succession plan that provides advisors with the peace of mind of knowing their clients will be supported for generations to come. I am thrilled these experienced professionals have agreed to join our firm as we continue to expand our services and deliver for clients.”

Mariner Wealth Advisors supports advisory teams with dedicated investment and business development teams, as well as back-office support related to human resources, operations, finance, information technology, marketing, legal and compliance. This allows advisors to focus solely on working with clients. 

Peggie Daly, CPA, CFP^®, owner of Authent Advisors, found strategic benefit in the acquisition both for Authent’s team and its clients, “Just as we work with clients to create holistic wealth plans to help them achieve meaningful long-term financial success, we sought to create a path for our firm that we believe will allow us to achieve long-term success and security for both our clients and associates. I am confident the partnership with Mariner Wealth Advisors will help us accomplish those goals and I’m excited for what the future holds as we join Mariner Wealth Advisors.”

¹ Barron’s awarded the 2019 #4 and 2018 #3 Top RIA Firms rankings to Mariner Wealth Advisors based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings based upon data compiled for Mariner Holdings’ registered investment adviser subsidiaries. The number of firms included in the rankings were: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018) and 50 (2019).  Barron’s publishes rankings based upon a number of criteria and the firms’ filings with the SEC were used to cross-check the data provided. The listing includes numbers of clients, employees, advisors, offices and state locations. The award is not indicative of future performance and there is no guarantee of future investment success. For additional information visit www.barrons.com.