Mariner Wealth Advisors is making a serious recruiting push to develop its senior wealth advisor ranks by about 67%, or 250 advisors.
Mariner presently has 374 senior wealth advisors.
“One among my key focuses is bringing high expertise to Mariner, particularly within the senior wealth advisor function, due to the years of expertise and experience these candidates can convey our purchasers to positively affect their lives,” CEO Marty Bicknell stated by way of e-mail. “I’m excited to convey extra advisors to Mariner and proceed to ship on our client-first tradition.”
The senior wealth advisor roles require greater than 10 years of expertise in monetary planning, accounting, authorized or different related fields, together with Collection 65, CFP or CFA credentialing.
Based on one job description presently posted by Mariner, the place “will lead a wealth administration staff to create complete wealth plans that embody a coordinated monetary technique that aligns with every shopper’s targets and values.”
Mariner presently has a complete advisor headcount of 1,500, overseeing $112.3 billion in belongings below advisement ($94.8 billion in belongings below administration).
Founder Bicknell has led an aggressive development technique in recent times. Mariner has accomplished 36 acquisitions since 2021, the yr it obtained non-public fairness backing from Leonard Inexperienced & Companions. It secured one other non-public fairness infusion final yr by way of a minority funding by Neuberger Berman.
The aim of 250 extra advisors is a “fairly aggressive” goal in a aggressive marketplace for advisors, stated Shawn Smith, founder and CEO of Ipswich, Mass.-based Monetary Advisor Placement Companies.
“It’s a aggressive house proper now,” Smith stated. “The advisory belongings are priced fairly excessive. … You want deep pockets to have the ability to compete with the bigger impartial corporations.”
Smith added that bigger corporations, akin to LPL Monetary, Osaic, Cetera Monetary Group and Dynasty Monetary Companions, usually supply robust transition compensation packages, and a few are prepared to purchase fairness in a agency if an advisor is .
The income cut up, or “price of doing enterprise,” can be an element that an advisor considers, in addition to the energy of the tech stack accessible from the brand new agency, Smith stated.
Mariner has a lawsuit pending from Edelman Monetary Engines relating to its recruiting efforts. In 2023, Edelman alleged the agency lured advisors, incentivizing them to interrupt non-solicitation agreements to steal commerce secrets and techniques. Final June, a federal decide dismissed the claims that Mariner had defamed the agency, although the extra vital accusations of misappropriation and conspiracy remained.
This January, Edelman filed an amended criticism alleging that Bicknell personally known as not less than one Edelman advisor to entice him to modify corporations.
Mariner declined to touch upon the pending litigation.
