In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with Marty Bicknell, president and CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors, to discuss how the firm has grown into one of the biggest RIAs in the country.

Marty shares how Mariner approaches acquisitions with a strong focus on culture, builds in-house capabilities across tax, trust and insurance services, and structures business development to support advisor growth. He also explains how artificial intelligence and operational systems may reshape advisor capacity, scalability and the future direction of wealth management firms.

Key takeaways:

What’s driving Mariner’s current acquisition strategy
How Bicknell thinks about bringing client services like tax, trust, insurance and estate planning into the Mariner ecosystem
Why Mariner bought a small boutique M&A firm
Why niche markets like dentists, athletes and first responders are a key part of Mariner’s future growth focus
How he sees AI tools impacting advisor capacity and the firm’s operations

Resources:

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Connect With David Armstrong:

Connect With Marty Bicknell:

About Our Guest:

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