Top 10 Financial Advisors in Wilmington, DE

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At the top of our list, Great Valley Advisor Group (GVA) is part of a national network of independent advisors that oversees $1.4 billion in assets. The GVA team includes two chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), two accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), one certified public accountant (CPA), one chartered financial analyst (CFA) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU).

The vast majority of GVA’s clients are not high net worth. investment management accounts are on a discretionary basis. The firm also serves retirement plans, corporations, LLCs, profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations and state or municipal government entities. It has no minimum investment requirement.

Great Valley Advisor Group Background

Alan Peters founded the firm in 1986 by Alan Peters. Co-managing directors Ryan Todd and James Spinelli have since acquired it. Michael Dedda who works at the firm has a minority stake.

GVA offers investment management and supervision services, financial planning and retirement plan advisory and consulting services. The investment advisory arm is fee-only, but third-party advisors may be fee-based. 

Great Valley Advisor Group Investment Strategy

The firm seeks to provide clients with “access to products and strategies that are typically available only to institutional investors.” When looking at portfolio managers, it recommends those who have experience investing “in various asset classes, including both traditional strategies—domestic equity, international equity, and fixed income—and alternatives, including absolute return, real assets, and private equity.” According to its most recent SEC filings, the capital the firm manages is allocated as:

• 75% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies 
• 17% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 5% in cash or cash equivalents
• 3% in investment grade corporate bonds

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Though founded in 2018, Blue Rock Avenue One has $471 million in assets under management. Its team includes four accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), three certified financial planners (CFPs), one chartered financial consultant (ChFC) and one registered financial (RFC). (Advisors may have multiple professional accreditations.)

Blue Rock’s individual clients are all non high net worth. The firm also serves trusts, estates, businesses and retirement plans. Investment accounts are on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis. There is no minimum investment requirement, though certain investments may require a minimum in order to be effective.

Blue Rock Avenue One Background

As mentioned earlier, Blue Rock was established in 2018. It’s owned by co-managing partners D. Christopher Benfer and Matthew MacNeal. 

The firm offers investment management, financial planning and retirement plan advisory services. It offers a wrap fee program for certain clients, which means that it includes securities transaction fees together with its investment advisory fees as a single asset-based fee. 

Blue Rock Avenue One Investment Strategy

Blue Rock generally uses a long-term investment strategy, depending on clients’ financial goals. This usually involves holding securities for more than a year, but may hold for shorter periods to rebalance or meet a client’s cash needs. The firm may also take short-term positions. As of its most recent SEC filings, Blue Rock's asset allocation breaks down as:

• 92% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies 
• 3% in cash or cash equivalents
• 2% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 1% in U.S. government/agency bonds
• 1% in state and local bonds
• 1% in investment-grade corporate bonds

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Schiavi + Dattani (S+D) was founded in 1983. According to its website, that makes it the first fee-only fiduciary firm in the state. With more than $395.4 million in assets under management, S+D has four certified financial planners (CFPs), three certified public accountants (CPAs), one personal financial specialist (PFS) and one accredited asset management specialist (AAMS). (Advisors may have multiple professional accreditations.)

With the client base mostly high-net-worth individuals, the client-to-advisor ratio is low (about 35 to 1). There is no minimum investment requirement, though most accounts hold at least  $1,000,000. Accounts can be on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis.

Schiavi + Dattani Background

The firm is owned by its president and vice president, Vincent Schiavi and Ravi Dattani. It emphasizes quality (of service) over quantity (of clients). Financial planning is its core service, which includes investment management, cash management, debt planning, education expense funding, insurance and risk management,  employee benefit reviews, income tax planning, retirement or longevity planning, and estate planning. The practice also offers investment advisory services to qualified retirement plans (under ERISA), trusts and non-profits.

Schiavi + Dattani Investment Strategy

Once the firm has identified an asset allocation it deems appropriate to a client’s goals and circumstances, it will invest in a diversified basket of stocks, bonds, alternatives and real assets. S+D primarily uses mutual funds to do this, along with passive and active strategies. By active, it means an approach “that does not strictly adhere to a market benchmark.” As of its most recent SEC filings, the firm was invested 100% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies. 

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Daniels + Tansey (D+T) has more than $359.8 million in assets under management. It counts an additional $45 million in assets under advisement. The fee-based firm includes three certified public accountants (CPAs), two chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), two chartered financial analysts (CFAs), two certified divorce financial analysts (CDFAs), two accredited estate planners (AEPs) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU). (Advisors may have multiple professional certifications).

The firm primarily works with individuals, both high-net-worth and not, along with pension and profit-sharing plans, estates, trusts, businesses and charitable organizations. The vast majority of accounts are on a discretionary basis. D+T requires a minimum $500,000 investment for new accounts, though it may waive it. 

Daniels + Tansey Background

Founded in 2004, Daniels + Tansey is a family shop. In addition to owners Christopher and Devon Daniels, two more Danielses work in the office. Susan Benson and Adele McIntosh have minority stakes in the firm. 

D+T offers five main services: wealth management, investment advisory, multi-family office, financial planning and matrimonial financial planning.

Daniels + Tansey Investment Strategy

D+T looks to avoid risk and volatility when selecting investments for client portfolios. This is done mostly through diversification that’s specifically chosen based on your inherent risk tolerance, need for liquidity, time horizon and other factors.

This firm invests in many different styles of securities in order to achieve optimal diversification. For example, this might include exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, equity and index options, fixed income securities, CDs, commercial paper, warrants and foreign/domestic equities. According to its most recent SEC filings, the assets under its management were invested as follows:

• 65% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 1% in U.S. government/agency bonds
• 9% in state and local bonds
• 16% in investment-grade corporate bonds
• 9% in cash and cash equivalents

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The fee-only firm has more than $244.7 million in assets under management. Brother duo Frederick and Robert Crowley, both of whom are certified financial planners (CFPs), run the firm.

Crowley Wealth serves 280 clients, all of whom are not high-net-worth individuals. That said, it can also advise high-net-worth individuals, estates, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, businesses and charities. All accounts are on a discretionary basis. There are no investment minimums.

Crowley Wealth Management Background

The Crowley brothers formed their firm in 1987. They are the sole owners.

The firm works in a multitude of different financial areas, such as retirement planning, wealth management, estate planning, tax management, insurance planning and cash flow management.

Crowley Wealth Management Investment Strategy

The practice does not subscribe to short-term investing ideologies because of the inherent associated risks. Instead, it centers its investment choices around the long term and very rarely makes inter-portfolio trades once it has put its original plan into place.

When it comes to actual investment types, Crowley Wealth mostly works within individual equities, bonds and mutual funds. However, its choices are not limited to these, as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, government securities, warrants, certificates of deposit (CDs) and commercial paper may make it into your portfolio. As of its last SEC filings, assets under its management were allocated as:

• 58% in investment-grade corporate bonds
• 26% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 12% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies
• 4% in cash and cash equivalents

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Westover Capital Advisors is a family shop, with Harold Murray Sawyer and his son “Skip” Sawyer working together. The senior Murray founded the fee-only practice in 1999. The boutique wealth manager oversees nearly $ 228.9 in assets.

Westover serves roughly the same number of high-net-worth individual clients as non-high-net-worth ones. It also advises estates, trusts, charitable organizations, foundations and pension and profit-sharing plans. There is no minimum investment requirement, though $1,000,000 is the recommended amount. All accounts are on a discretionary basis.

Westover Capital Advisors Background

The Sawyers own the firm. Director of Wealth Management Matthew Beardwood has a small stake. The three together make up the advisor team, holding professional designations of one chartered financial analyst (CFA) and one certified financial planner (CFP).

In addition to investment management, the firm offers wealth advisory and consulting services, including investment strategy and research; investment implementation; life planning; tax planning; charity and charitable trust planning; retirement planning; Social Security planing and estate, wealth transfer and legacy planning.

Westover Capital Advisors Investment Strategy

The firm says that it does not “subscribe to any single style, size or philosophy when it comes to building and protecting” client assets. “This gives us the freedom to construct, then modify portfolios as market cycles and conditions dictate.” 

Westover uses what it calls a “diversified all-cap portfolio approach,” with an emphasis on large-cap US companies. It should be noted that the firm does not favor mutual funds, particularly passive ones, because they just add an extra layer of fees. As of its most recent SEC filings, assets under Westover’s management were invested this way:

• 74% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 14% cash and cash equivalents
• 9% investment-grade corporate bonds
• 2% state and local bonds
• 1% U.S. government and agency bonds

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With $210 million assets under management, Blue Rock Riversedge is seventh on this list. It is affiliated with No. 2, Blue Rock Avenue One, as the two are located in the same building and have their websites linked. Its team of three advisors have multiple professional accreditations: two certified financial planners (CFPs), two accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), two chartered financial consultants (ChFCs) and one certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA).

Clients of Blue Rock Riversedge are mostly not high net worth. The firm also serves trusts, estates, businesses retirement plans and insurance companies. It doesn’t have a minimum investment size, but certain investments and strategies may require a minimum to be effective. Accounts are on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis.

Blue Rock Riversedge Background

The boutique firm was founded in 2018 by Brian Carney and Jarrett Morris. Together, they are co-managing partners and owners.

Blue Rock Riversedge offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting and other consulting services.

Blue Rock Riversedge Investment Strategy

When designing clients’ portfolios, the firm takes into account specifics such as risk planning, accumulation/distribution planning, cash flow, tax planning, and more. It primarily uses fundamental analysis methods and employs a long-term investment strategy that involves holding all or a portion of a security for more than a year. As of its most recent SEC filings, its assets under management were distributed as:

• 75% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 10% in securities Issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies
• 6% in non-exchange-traded equity securities
• 4% in cash and cash equivalents
• 2% in state and local bonds
• 1% in U.S. government and agency bonds
• 1% in investment-grade corporate bonds 
• 1% in non-investment-grade corporate bonds 

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The letters in BCM Wealth Management come from Biddle Capital Management, which is its legal name. The fee-based firm has $162.5 million in assets under management.

More than $100 million of those assets belong to pension and profit-sharing plans. (The firm has a division called BCM Retirement Solutions). BCM Wealth Management also serves high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals. Generally it requires a minimum $500,000 investment but may waive the requirement under certain circumstances. All accounts are discretionary.

BCM Wealth Management Background

President George Biddle established the practice in 1996. He is an accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and remains the sole owner.

The firm offers financial planning, investment management, asset allocation services and pension consulting.

BCM Wealth Management Investment Strategy

BCM Wealth Management primarily uses Modern Portfolio Theory, which is the basis for diversification. It also utilizes fundamental analysis and generally makes long-term purchases with the expectation that the security will rise in value over time. According to the firm’s most recent SEC filings, the assets it manages were allocated as:

• 85% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies
• 5% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 5% in cash and cash equivalents
• 4% in investment-grade corporate bonds 
• 1% in U.S. government and agency bonds

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Donald W. Nicholson & Associates is a family firm, with two Nicholsons, Sr. and Jr., serving as advisors. The younger Nicholson is a certified financial planner (CFP) and an accredited asset management specialist (AAMS), while Nicholson, Sr. has been working in the financial services industry for more than 40 years.

With more than $148.6 million in assets under management, the fee-only practice serves twice as many non-high-net-worth as high-net-worth individuals. That said, the latter’s assets outnumber the former’s three to one ($109.7 million to $36.4 million). The Nicholsons also serve non-profits, foundations and small businesses. All accounts are on a non-discretionary basis, which means the firm will not buy or sell any assets without the client’s verbal consent. The firm does not specify a required investment minimum. 

Donald W. Nicholson & Associates Background

The elder Nicholson founded the firm in 1987. He is the majority owner and president. Mary Nicholson has a small stake in the firm.

The practice offers asset management, financial planning and retirement consulting.

Donald W. Nicholson & Associates Investment Strategy

Donald W. Nicholson & Associates typically takes a long-term approach to investments, holding them for a year or longer. The firm notes that this strategy may come with the risk of missing out on short-term gains. Generally, the practice employs no-load mutual funds to implement asset allocation strategies. It may also recommend individual stocks, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Additionally, it can provide recommendations on individual bond positions, bond mutual funds, certificates of deposit, variable and fixed insurance products, limited partnership investments and options contracts.

As of its most recent SEC filings, assets under management were allocated as:

• 90% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies
• 8% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 2% in cash or cash equivalents

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Pillar Wealth Advisors manages nearly $127.6 million in assets. Its team includes three certified financial planners (CFPs), two chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), two certified public accountants (CPAs), one chartered financial analyst (CFA) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU). (Advisors may have multiple professional accreditations.)

The fee-based firm’s individual clients are high net worth and non high net worth. The practice also serves businesses, trusts and estates. The vast majority of accounts are on a discretionary basis, with a recommended minimum investment of $250,000.

Pillar Wealth Advisors Background

President Michael Bree and Senior Vice President Richard Clark co-founded the firm in 2011. They are the only owners.

Pillar offers an array of wealth management services, including financial planning, retirement plan consulting and portfolio management. It participates in a wrap fee program, which means that the firm’s advisory fee and transaction fees charged by the account custodian are bundled into one fee.

Pillar Wealth Advisors Investment Strategy

The firm primarily uses a fundamental analytical approach toward investments. It generally employs exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, unit investment trusts (UITs), closed-end funds, mutual funds, bonds and structured products which are designed to achieve clients’ stated goal. As of its most recent SEC filings, the assets under Pillar’s management were allocated as:

• 50% in securities issued by registered investment companies (such as mutual funds) or business development companies
• 37% in exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks)
• 6% in state and local bonds
• 6% in cash and cash equivalents
• 1% in non-exchange-traded equity securities