Independent, options & derivatives strategies financial advisors in Pittsburgh, PA

The right financial advisor for you depends on how you weigh location, expertise, experience, the clients they typically serve, and how they work with you.

If you trade options or derivatives, you need an advisor who understands the complex risks and strategies involved. Without this expertise, you might face unexpected losses or miss opportunities to hedge your portfolio effectively. Independent advisors here operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible strategy choices tailored to your needs.

  • Risk management focus. Ask how they identify and mitigate the unique risks of options and derivatives, not just general market risks.
  • Strategy clarity. Confirm they explain complex strategies in plain terms, so you understand potential outcomes before committing.
  • Tax implications. Options and derivatives can have tricky tax treatments; check how they help you navigate these to avoid surprises.
  • Experience with independent advice. Since these advisors are independent, ask how that influences their approach to your options and derivatives strategies.

Here are top matches to get you started. Review each profile to compare experience, credentials, and approach.

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Tea L

Series 63, Series 65

Pittsburg, PA

Merrill

Tea Lundell is a Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She focuses on helping clients develop personalized financial strategies tailored to their long-term goals. Drawing on extensive experience, Tea provides access to investment insights and a range of banking and lending solutions to support her clients' wealth management needs. Her client focus areas include legacy planning, liquidity management, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, retirement income, and values-based investing such as socially responsible and ESG investing. Tea brings a comprehensive approach to wealth management, emphasizing flexibility and alignment with clients’ priorities. Tea holds a Bachelor's Degree from Colgate University and maintains her professional designations as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys golfing, skiing, and spending time with her family. Tea is also involved in her community through her association with the Marthas Vineyard Boys and Girls Club.

Wealth management ESG / Sustainable investing Retirement income strategy
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Shobhan S

Series 63, Series 65

Pittsburgh, PA

Sheth Group

Shobhan Sheth is the principal of Sheth Group with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including GT Securities and Mid-Market Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in various business activities such as real estate brokerage, legal service sales, and small business brokerage. Sheth Group is a registered investment adviser serving individuals and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm employs a modern portfolio theory approach utilizing model portfolios, asset allocation, and disciplined rebalancing, and also recommends third-party advisers when appropriate.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Shawn Z

Series 63, Series 65

Pittsburgh, PA

PNC Wealth Management

Shawn Zelmore is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Pittsburgh, PA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Investments since 2004. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio solution that uses algorithmic risk assessment and third-party managed strategies with mutual funds and ETFs.

Passive / index investing Active portfolio management Wealth management Executive
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John H

Series 66

Pittsburgh, PA

Cetera

John Harshman is a financial advisor at Cetera with 18 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Citizens Securities Inc. and Clarfeld Financial Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the investment committee for Claysville Sportsman's Club and holds board and committee roles with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the BISA membership committee, as well as assisting as a soccer coach. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving individual, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients through a nationwide network of over 10,000 advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services across various program structures and custodial relationships.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Dominic N

Series 63, Series 65, Series 66

Pittsburgh, PA

Prosper Wisely, LLC

Dominic Necciai is a financial advisor at Prosper Wisely, LLC in Pittsburgh, PA, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses with seven years of industry experience. Prior to founding Prosper Wisely in 2021, he worked at PNC and Morgan Stanley, including roles in wealth management. He is also a licensed insurance agent in Pennsylvania. Prosper Wisely offers investment planning and consulting services to individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a fixed-fee planning model that incorporates cash flow analysis, tax and legacy planning, asset allocation, and risk management to create customized strategies without managing client assets or sponsoring wrap-fee programs.

Income planning General tax planning General retirement planning
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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Alan T

Series 63, Series 65

Los Angeles, CA

Regal Investment Advisors LLC

Alan Toman is a financial advisor with Regal Investment Advisors LLC in Los Angeles, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Regal Investment Advisors since 2018 and has prior experience with Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation and Bankers Life. Outside of his advisory role, Toman is active in the insurance sector, offering accident and health insurance, fixed and indexed annuities, and traditional life insurance products through American Senior Benefits and as an insurance agent. Regal Investment Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management services to independent advisers and other registered advisers, serving a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers proprietary and third-party model portfolios across various asset classes, with advisers selecting allocations and granting Regal authority to implement and manage strategies.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies
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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran financial advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management and operated Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to a diverse client base including individual households, institutional clients, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager search, and tax-lot accounting services.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Stephen H

Series 65

Plano, TX

Fisher Investments

Stephen Harris is a financial advisor at Fisher Investments with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Fisher Investments in 2023, he worked for Fiba Basketball and East Stroudsburg University. Fisher Investments serves institutional and private clients worldwide, offering discretionary portfolio management across equity, fixed-income, and blended mandates. The firm utilizes a centralized investment process combining quantitative and qualitative research to construct diversified portfolios and provides sub-advisory and retirement plan services.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management ESG / Sustainable investing Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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