Independent
Illinois Registered Adviser
No parent broker-dealer. No proprietary product shelf. Decisions belong to the family, not to a distribution channel.
The Firm
The questions sophisticated families ask first, answered before you ask.
Who owns the firm. Who keeps your assets. How we are paid. The process we follow. Who you actually work with. Every answer below is verifiable, and most live in our public regulatory filings.
Fee-only
100% fiduciary compensation
We are paid by clients only. No commissions, no revenue sharing, no soft dollars, no third-party referral fees.
Custodied
Schwab Advisor Services & Interactive Brokers
Your assets are held by independent third-party custodians, SIPC-protected, separately reported, and never commingled with firm balance sheet.
Disclosed
Form ADV & Form CRS on file
Our regulatory filings are publicly available, current, and linked directly from this site. Read what we file before you call.
Standards
Independence isn't a tagline. It's a structure, and the structure is the process.
Fiduciary, in writing
We accept fiduciary duty in our advisory agreement, not merely in marketing. You can read the standard before you sign it.
Institutional custodians
Assets held at Charles Schwab Advisor Services and Interactive Brokers. We have no custody of client securities or cash.
Transparent fees
A published, tiered schedule on assets under advisement, plus a fixed planning-only fee for households not ready to consolidate.
Privacy by default
Annual privacy notice. Disciplined operational controls. No third-party data sales, ever, for any reason.
Origin
A firm built by traders, not commentators.
Rebellion's principals built their careers on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange in the early 1990s, the open-outcry era when options markets were being shaped by the people standing in the pits. Jon Najarian founded Mercury Trading as a specialist firm after buying himself out of Letco. Pete Najarian joined after his NFL career. Todd Raarup came in as Jon's first assistant at age 24 and became the specialist on the IBM options post within three years (in the open-outcry era, the "specialist" was the trader responsible for making markets in a specific stock's options on the exchange floor).
Co-Founders
Brand and market-commentary leadership.
Direct continuity from the floor-era operating history to today.
Jon Najarian
Co-Founder, Advisory Board
Founded Mercury Trading as a specialist firm on the floor of the CBOE in the early 1990s. Co-founder of optionMONSTER and tradeMONSTER. Regular contributor to CNBC and Fox Business. Decades of public-facing market commentary and one of the most recognized voices in U.S. options markets.
Pete Najarian
Co-Founder, Advisory Board
Former NFL player who joined the CBOE floor in the early 1990s. Co-founder of optionMONSTER and tradeMONSTER. Long-tenured market commentator on CNBC's "Fast Money" and "Halftime Report." Co-founder of Market Rebellion.
Leadership
You will know, by name, every person at the table.
No call centers. No rotating advisors. The principal you meet in the first conversation is the principal who signs your plan, sits in your annual review, and answers the phone when something material changes. Meet the full team →
Todd Raarup
Co-Founder / Co-CIO / CEO
MBACo-CIO
CBOE-floor-trained head trader and former Managing Director, Citi Global Equities. Eight years as Co-Head of Electronic Derivative Execution Services. MBA, University of Chicago Booth.
Jeff Melgard
Co-Founder / Co-CIO / President
MBACo-CIO
Former CBOE Designated Primary Market Maker and CBOE Product Development Committee member, instrumental in the development of the VIX index. Co-founded SMC Options Holdings (2003–2012). MBA, University of Chicago Booth.
Pearl Manieri
COO / Financial Advisor
COOFINRA
Began her career in 1988 on the Pacific Options floor (PCX) and rose to become a market maker for TD Securities. Held management and risk roles at E*TRADE before joining tradeMonster in its startup phase, where she served as Director of Operations. FINRA licensed: 7, 3, 4, 24, 55, 63.