Maridea Wealth Management is expanding into Ohio for the first time by adding River Cities Financial Services and Dietz, Futrell & Walters Insurance, bringing two affiliated Marietta-area financial services firms to its growing national wealth management platform. The combination adds an established operation offering both investment advisory and insurance services while extending Maridea’s geographic footprint into a new state.
River Cities Financial Services and DFW Insurance have roots in southeastern Ohio dating back nearly eight decades. DFW Insurance was founded in 1948 as an independent insurance agency, while River Cities Financial Services emerged from that business in 1985 to provide a broader range of financial advisory capabilities.
The firms today provide wealth management, financial planning, retirement planning, investment planning and estate planning alongside personal, business and employee-benefits insurance. They serve individuals, families and business owners from offices in Marietta, Beverly and Chillicothe, Ohio.
The transaction gives Maridea an opportunity to enter Ohio through an existing local business with long-standing client relationships rather than building a presence from the ground up. It also adds a combination of advisory and insurance capabilities that fits with Maridea’s broader approach of providing multiple financial services to clients through one platform.
Maridea is an SEC-registered investment advisor providing financial, investment, tax and business-advisory services to individuals, families and business owners nationwide. The firm currently operates 12 offices, employs more than 60 professionals and manages approximately $2 billion in assets.
The River Cities and DFW teams will remain in their existing Ohio offices, providing continuity for clients while gaining access to additional resources available through Maridea. Those capabilities include proprietary tax services, expanded investment research and broader financial planning infrastructure.
Maintaining the existing local teams appears central to the expansion strategy. Rather than replacing the businesses’ community-focused operating model, Maridea plans to support the teams with additional infrastructure while preserving their existing client relationships and physical presence.
Michael Anthony, President of River Cities Financial Services and a partner at DFW Insurance, will join Maridea as Senior Investment Advisor and Managing Partner. Anthony has more than two decades of experience in wealth planning and investment advising. He purchased an investment division in 2009 and became a partner in the business in 2014.
Dustin Becker, Vice President of River Cities Financial Services and a partner at DFW Insurance, will become Maridea’s Director of Insurance. Becker brings more than 24 years of property and casualty insurance experience and has been a partner at both firms since January 2018.
Several additional professionals from both organizations are also joining Maridea.
From River Cities Financial Services, the incoming team includes Investment Advisors Stacey Brooks, Keith Thieman, Brayden Sallee and Rick Walters, along with Operations Manager Janelle Sprague and Client Service Associate Tammy Wells. DFW Insurance professionals joining the platform include Insurance Agents Mishelle Shaffer, Amber Johnson and Deidre Barton.
The addition broadens Maridea’s capabilities in a way that goes beyond simply increasing assets or adding advisory personnel. River Cities and DFW have developed an integrated model that connects wealth management with insurance services, potentially allowing clients to address investments, retirement planning, estate considerations and risk management through closely coordinated teams.
That structure can be particularly relevant for business owners and families whose financial needs often span multiple areas. Investment portfolios may need to be considered alongside business insurance, personal coverage, retirement plans, estate planning and tax strategies. Bringing those functions within a broader advisory platform can make coordination easier while allowing local advisors to remain the primary relationship managers.
For Maridea, the Ohio expansion also represents another step in building a national platform that retains locally established advisory teams. The company’s model combines centralized investment research, tax capabilities and planning infrastructure with professionals who already have relationships in the communities they serve.
The history of the two Ohio firms could be particularly important to that strategy. DFW Insurance has served the region since 1948, while River Cities Financial Services has operated since 1985. Maridea described the organizations as a multi-generational business built around community relationships.
Clients will continue working with the same Ohio-based professionals in the same offices, which is intended to minimize disruption while allowing the teams to offer a wider range of resources through Maridea.
The expansion also gives Maridea a leadership team in Ohio with expertise spanning both investment management and insurance. Anthony will oversee advisory responsibilities as Senior Investment Advisor and Managing Partner, while Becker’s appointment as Director of Insurance gives the firm a senior executive focused specifically on its insurance capabilities.
As Maridea continues expanding nationally, the River Cities and DFW combination provides a template for adding established regional firms that can retain their local identity while accessing the resources of a larger wealth management organization.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Michael, Dustin, and their teams to Maridea. They’ve built a trusted, multi-generational business rooted in genuine community relationships, and their integrated approach to insurance and wealth management is a natural complement to what we offer. This partnership supports our long-term goal of bringing Maridea’s platform to new communities like Marietta.”
Mier Wang, Founder and CEO of Maridea Wealth Management
“What matters most to me is our community. Our clients can still walk through the same door, sit down face to face, and talk through their investments with the same trusted team they’ve known for years. Maridea’s resources and long-term vision let us do even more for those families and business owners, right here in the community we’ve always been part of.”
Michael Anthony, President of River Cities Financial Services and Incoming Senior Investment Advisor and Managing Partner at Maridea
“Maridea is a rapidly growing firm with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and I’m excited to work alongside such a blue-chip team of professionals. Their energy, expertise, and resources will create tremendous opportunities for our team, our clients, and the community we’ve served for so long.”
Dustin Becker, Vice President of River Cities Financial Services and Incoming Director of Insurance at Maridea
