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Mariner Wealth Advisors Acquires California Firm, Adds $730M in Assets

Newport Beach-based Ocean Heights Advisors will transition from Mariner's advisory platform fully to Mariner on April 1. Photo credit: Shutterstock (TippaPatt).

Posted March 13, 2025

Mariner Wealth Advisors will acquire Newport Beach, Calif.-based Ocean Heights Advisors, a wealth management firm with $730 million in assets.

Ocean Heights Advisors will transition from the Mariner Independent platform fully to Mariner. Mariner Independent offers businesses operational, compliance and marketing support while allowing the firm to maintain its independence. Ocean Heights first partnered with Mariner’s independent platform in 2022, according to a release.

“Transitioning Ocean Heights represents a pivotal milestone in our growth journey and clearly signals to our independent partners that exciting opportunities lie ahead,” CEO and president of Mariner, Marty Bicknell, said in the release. “This shift improves team collaboration, provides expanded benefits to associates and reinforces our commitment to delivering best-in-class financial advisory services.”

The acquisition agreement was signed in December 2024, with the transition becoming effective on April 1, 2025.

Ocean Heights founders Kevin O’Grady and Nella Webster will continue in their roles as part of a long-term, multi-generational succession plan. Current Ocean Heights partners, Kevin Barlow, Danielle Bronner and Kara Devar, will become shareholders in Mariner.

Barlow will lead Mariner’s expansion in the Newport Beach area.

“After three years of successfully working together, fully integrating with Mariner is a natural evolution and will allow our team to provide even greater value to our clients while devoting more time to the personal relationships that have always been our hallmark,” Barlow said in the release.

Mariner has been building its reach in 2025, kicking off the year with multiple acquisitions. In January, Mariner announced it had acquired the Chicago-based Cardinal Investment Advisors, adding $292 billion in assets. Later that month, Mariner completed a triple acquisition of Cassady Schiller Wealth, Jenkins Wealth and Triton Financial Group, which added a combined $1.087 billion in assets under its management.