Marty Bicknell

Experience and education

As the CEO and president of Mariner, Marty drives the strategic direction for the firm. As a recognized leader in wealth management, he devises innovative solutions to help meet the needs of our clients. He has extensive personal and professional experience with closely held family businesses and their unique complexities. He often mentors other successful entrepreneurs.

Marty, along with seven others, founded Mariner in 2006 with a goal of keeping the client at the center of all we do. He wanted to build a firm that could simplify our clients’ lives by having all the resources they need under one roof. The day the doors opened, Marty made the promise to put the clients’ interests before anything else…a promise he still holds dear to this day.

Marty has a bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan.

Accolades

Under Marty’s leadership, we’ve had the privilege of being ranked by Barron’s as #6 Mega RIA in 2025 out of nine firms and in the top five 100 RIAs from 2016-2024.

Personal interests

Marty is a leader in the Kansas City community through his charitable and philanthropic efforts. He is a champion for organizations that promote and create opportunity for youth including Halo, City Year and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He is also an advocate for organizations that produce progress and advancement of the community such as GreenLight Fund and Center for Financial Planning. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Marty also appreciates the need and accessibility of quality healthcare for all individuals by supporting organizations such as the University of Kansas Health System and Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Barron’s Top RIA Firms: Barron’s awarded 2025 #6 (Mega RIA), 2024-2023 #4, 2022-2020 #5, 2019 #4, and 2018 #3 rankings to Mariner based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors, LLC registered investment adviser subsidiaries and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings (MH) based upon data compiled for MH registered investment adviser subsidiaries. Rankings for 2016-2025 were published in September of each award year and were based on June 30th data, including annual figures for the previous three years. No fee was paid for participation in the rankings; however, Mariner has paid a fee to use the ranking. The rankings are based on firm surveys, and filings with the regulatory databases were used to cross-check the data provided. The rankings are based on assets managed by the firms, technology spending, staff diversity, succession planning, and other metrics. The formula Barron’s uses to rank firms is proprietary. In 2025 Barron’s ranked the largest registered investment advisor firms separately from its broader Top 100 RIA ranking. For the list of Mega RIAs, they selected firms that manage 2% or more of the total assets of all ranking applicants. In 2025, that creates a threshold of $70 billion in assets. The number of firms included in the rankings was: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018), 50 (2019), 100 (2020-2024) and 109 (2025). The ranking does not indicate future performance, and there is no guarantee of future success. For additional information, visit www.barrons.com.