Jared Levy

About the Author

Jared Levy has spent his entire career immersed in the finance and media industries, for over 24 years now. Jared began his career as a retail stock broker, managing money for high-net-worth clients, and offered a unique approach, which included many alternative strategies such as complex derivatives and bespoke real estate investments from niche conversion/development to alternative financing (early crowdfunding) and management.

After creating his own stock and options-trading indicator and strategy, Jared assumed his next role as a pit trader. As one of the youngest-ever members of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX), Levy became an independent market maker, trading the largest volume issue on that exchange, Dell (DELL) in the ’90s.

By 1999 he became a member of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), trading Cisco Systems (CSCO) option contracts. Before the age of 25, Jared had been recruited by Equitec Proprietary Group to be one of the original market makers trading Nasdaq-100 Trust options (“Qubes”). At Equitec, he successfully traded thousands of options contracts and millions of shares daily, equating to hundreds of millions of dollars in risk. Jared was also a member of the CSX.

In 2001, Jared returned to the PHLX to launch a new on-floor operation for his firm, serving as an options specialist for companies including Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Expedia.com, Baxter Technologies, and Broadband and Semiconductor HOLDRS products, among others.

After leaving the floor, Levy traded distressed assets and consulted for Thomson Financial before relocating to Dallas to join Wizetrade and WTV as Chief Options Strategist and on-air options expert. He was known for his 3+ hours of daily, live, and unscripted market commentary and education. Jared dedicated his time with Wizetrade to educating people worldwide about the mechanics of the market, risk management, options trading, and the equity and derivative markets in general.

Since 2004, Jared has been live on air as an anchor/expert fielding questions and educating viewers from around the world, unscripted and raw on several different networks. Jared has been featured in dozens of industry publications and featured on many major networks; he won an Emmy for his daily video, “Trader Cast.”

He was one of the original cast members of CNBC’s Fast Money, starting as a contributor in March 2009. After leaving CNBC, he has appeared on Bloomberg, CNN Radio, Wall Street Journal Radio and many other financial and non-financial networks around the world. He is regularly quoted by Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance, amongst others and is now a regular contributor on Fox News and Fox Business Networks.

In 2008, Jared joined PEAK6 Investments as the Senior Derivatives Specialist, focusing on the options news network, where he hosted and was the resident expert on several shows. In addition, Jared wrote a daily column called the practical options trader, a daily piece dedicated to education and strategy. He was one of three traders who managed ONN options alerts service and IGP trades. During 2010, Jared worked as the Senior derivative strategist for OptionsHouse.com (a subsidiary of PEAK6).

For several years, Jared published a daily financial e-letter called “Smart Investing Daily”, along with Sara Nunnally. Jared was managing partner at Belpointe Capital LLC and was co-manager of the AlphaT fund. He also worked as the Senior Editor and Analyst for Options Profits Weekly, and as th senior Equities Strategist for Zacks Investment Research where he succesfully managed the “Whisper Trader” earnings service.

Jared’s first book entitled ‘Your Options Handbook’ was released in April 2011 by Wiley Publishing. His second book, ‘The Bloomberg Visual Guide to Options’ is due out in 2012, also by Wiley Publishing/Bloomberg. The book is a practical road map and detailed strategy guide to understanding and trading the equity and options markets in grainy detail, with a robust strategy guide and contributions from Denise Shull, Mark Douglas and fund manager Dean Somes.

Jared actively invests in real estate around the US and has held his real estate and insurance licenses in Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as his Series 7 and 63.His passion is teaching the public how to successfully and consistently trade and invest for a living, while keeping risk and portfolio volatility low and returns high through complex option strategies and a wide variety of diverse instruments. He practices Brazilian jujitsu, and is a private pilot, spending a great deal of flying, riding and restoring motorcycles and aircraft.