Mariner Acquires RIA Vantage Investment Advisors

January 06, 2015 at 08:49 AM
Share & Print

Mariner Wealth Advisors has acquired a majority interest in Vantage Investment Advisors LLC, the Kansas City, Missouri-based firm announced on Monday.

Vantage Investment Advisors, a State College, Pennsylvania-based registered investment advisory firm, has a team of 14 who manage more than $1 billion in assets.

"We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to partner with Mariner Wealth Advisors," said Robert R. Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Vantage Investment Advisors, in a statement. "Mariner is an industry leader that will provide Vantage and our clients with a wide range of additional resources, products and support. This partnership will allow the whole Vantage team to continue on our growth trajectory while focusing, first and foremost, on serving clients."

According to the press release, the Vantage team has a particular focus on ensuring each client's investment portfolio is tailored and specifically developed with the client's long-term goals in mind.

This new partnership with Vantage will allow Mariner Wealth Advisors, a subsidiary of Mariner Holdings, to strengthen its existing presence in the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey areas.  

"Vantage represents a great cultural fit and their growth orientation aligns perfectly with our goal to increase the number of clients we are able to serve in the Northeast. Above all else, though, I am pleased to have found another partner who shares our commitment to delivering exceptional client service," said Martin C. Bicknell, CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors, in a statement.

Vantage, as a Mariner Wealth Advisors partner, will benefit from the full range of these services, such as trust and estate planning, tax advisory services, retirement plan services, investment banking, valuation advisory and forensic accounting services, and insurance consulting.

The Vantage acquisition will help Mariner Wealth Advisors in its aggressive expansion plan.

In October, Mariner Holdings, parent company to Mariner Wealth Advisors and Montage Investments, announced that it was on track to hire nearly 60 professionals across the firm to support its recent growth and future initiatives. The firm also stated that it hoped to add more than 100 advisors and business development consultants over the next six months, in a press release.

In 2014, Mariner grew from $27 billion to more than $35 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30. And the firm has already hired more than 100 professionals.

In the past year, Mariner launched Mariner Retirement Advisors, a firm providing 401(k) advisory services to plan sponsors throughout the country; Mariner Consulting, a tax advisory affiliate that provides compliance services, tax consulting and year-round tax planning; Mariner Trust Co., which offers a wide range of trust and estate planning solutions; and FirstPoint Financial, a firm dedicated to providing personalized financial advice with no minimum asset requirements.

Other recent initiatives include several acquisitions — Flyover Capital, which focuses on investment opportunities in early stage technology companies in the Midwest that are building long-term, sustainable businesses, in early September; Allied Business Group, which specializes in investment banking, valuation advisory and forensic accounting services for business owners and their advisors, in August; RR Advisory Group, located in New York City; and Housen Financial group, located in Manasquan, New Jersey.

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Related Stories

Resource Center