Continuing its aggressive growth strategy, Mariner Wealth Advisors has added two New Hampshire teams with a combined $1.3 billion in assets under administration and about 470 clients across the state.

Concord-based Granite Investment Advisors managed $800 million in assets while Martha Cottrill and Ed Taylor, previously with Taylor, Cottrill, Erickson & Associates in New London, managed $500 million.

The deal closed on Dec. 28, at which time the combined firms were rebranded as Mariner Wealth Advisors, according to a press release. Terms were not disclosed.

Marty Bicknell, CEO and president of Mariner Wealth Advisors, said in an interview that the two firms had already been considering a merger before Mariner Wealth Advisors entered the picture. But the decision was made to include both firms in the same deal.

Bicknell said Granite Investment Advisors and Taylor and Cottrill are a nice cultural fit for Mariner Wealth Advisors. “They are looking for the scale and efficiency that we bring from a back-office perspective so that they can really focus on their clients,” he said, adding that those are the types of firms Mariner Wealth Advisors is looking for.

He noted that there is much more to come. “Our pipeline is as robust as ever and I think we are probably on track to do anywhere between three to five [acquisitions] a quarter for 2022,” he said.   

The new team specializes in areas such as advising healthcare professionals and divorce planning, among other traditional financial and investment planning services, which will complement Mariner Wealth Advisors’ holistic set of offerings, the company said in its announcement of the deal. It added that the team also will benefit from a full set of services, including tax planning and preparation, estate planning, insurance and trustee services.

“Mariner Wealth Advisors has a culture that strives to put client needs above all else, as we have always tried to do,” Scott Schermerhorn, managing partner and chief investment officer at Granite Investment Advisors, said in a statement. “We believe this ideology, and the breadth of experience their team possesses, will significantly enhance our work in the coming years.”

Cottrill added that she is excited to be partnering with local industry peers whom she has greatly respected. “I know we will be able to build a phenomenal New Hampshire and Massachusetts business together with Mariner Wealth Advisors,” she said.

The acquisitions marked the 13th transaction completed in 2021 for Mariner Wealth Advisors, and its first office in New Hampshire. The firm advises on more than $55 billion in client assets in 63 offices nationwide.