Mariner adds $1.8B in double-deal to start 2026 growth push

Mariner is starting 2026 with another pair of acquisitions as it continues building scale with outside capital and an active deal calendar. The Overland Park, Kansas-based firm has agreed to acquire First National Advisors in Rockland, Massachusetts, and Strava Wealth in Pittsburgh, adding a combined $1.8 billion in assets under advisement.

The transactions expand Mariner’s footprint in two established East Coast markets, giving it a fourth office in the Greater Boston area and a third in Pittsburgh.

First National Advisors brings eight staff, including five advisors, and about $1.5 billion in assets, while Strava Wealth adds a five-person team with roughly $360 million in assets. Both firms will keep a local presence while tapping Mariner’s centralized planning, tax, estate, trust and insurance capabilities.

“Mariner is built around advisors who are deeply committed to their clients,” president and CEO Marty Bicknell said in the announcement, adding that as clients’ finances grow more complex, the firm aims to surround incoming teams with more resources while they stay focused on advice delivery.

First National Advisors gives Mariner deeper specialization in the medical and dental markets. The practice serves growth-minded healthcare professionals with a mix of personal wealth management and institutional retirement plan consulting, anchored by its True Wealth MD program for physicians and other medical clients. Partner and investment advisor Michael Hebert said the firm’s clients work in “demanding, highly regulated professions” and that aligning with Mariner is meant to keep pace with the rising complexity of their financial lives.

Strava Wealth, founded in 2002 as K.S. Wright Associates, broadens Mariner’s exposure to younger leadership and multigenerational planning. The firm, known for a disciplined investment approach and integrated planning that spans investments, tax, risk management and estate strategies, brings one of the younger leadership teams in its region. Co-owner and chief investment officer Adam Wright said the decision to join Mariner was “carefully considered” and grounded in what the team believes is best for its clients.

Like other large RIA consolidators, Mariner has been using outside capital to fund a sustained deal push. In late 2024, the firm secured a strategic minority investment from funds managed by Neuberger Berman, with the money earmarked to accelerate national expansion and support an ambitious plan to grow its advisor base into the thousands.

Shortly after that, Mariner added roughly $292 billion in assets under advisement last year with its mega-merger with Cardinal Investment Advisors, significantly expanding its institutional business while expanding its presence in Chicago and St. Louis. The First National Advisors and Strava Wealth deals extend that strategy into 2026 as the firm leans on both organic growth and selective acquisitions to build scale.

"Organic growth is top of mind for advisors right now, and we’ve always believed it has to be front and center," Bicknell said in an email to InvestmentNews. "At Mariner, we’ve built a dedicated organic growth team and invested in growth infrastructure from day one."

He credited the firm's long-term focus for its performance in 2025, which saw organic growth leap more than 30% over the previous year.

"For our advisors, the value is being able to plug into proven systems and support, so that they can stay focused on clients while the firm delivers a more consistent pipeline and deeper relationships," Bicknell said. "That’s how scale can truly accelerate organic growth."