Joseph A. Scarpo is a wealth management financial advisor based in Pittsburgh, PA.
CAPTRUST welcomed Joe in 2021—he provides customized, comprehensive financial solutions to high-net-worth individuals, small business owners, and institutional clients. Joe has over 30 years of financial advisory and business experience. With this in-depth industry knowledge, he can quickly spot issues and design comprehensive solutions. He assembled an exceptional team which places client needs above all else.
Joe joined our team from PWA Wealth Management—an independent wealth management firm he founded in 2003. There he served as chief executive officer, navigating the firm and its clients through difficult financial decisions in an easy to understand, straightforward manner.
Before founding PWA Wealth Management, Joe was a partner with Bill Few Associates. He managed the Personal Financial Planning group within the trust and investment department of Mellon Bank, providing Mellon’s wealthiest clients extensive tax and estate planning expertise. Joe began his career with Arthur Andersen and Company, helping to develop Andersen’s family wealth management practice in Pittsburgh. He is a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Accredited Personal Financial Specialist (PFS™). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Saint Vincent College.
Outside of work, Joe enjoys holding his three grandsons, spending time with family and friends, working in his vegetable garden, drumming, and chasing a golf ball around the course.
Education
- Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Saint Vincent College
Industry Involvement
- Guest, CNBC Power Lunch
Memberships
- Member, Advisory Council for the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government at St. Vincent College
- Member, Board of Trustees Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship Fund
- Treasurer and Investment Committee Chair, Board of Trustees Latrobe Hospital Charitable Foundation
- Former Member, Diocese of Greensburg, Catholic Foundation Investment Committee
- Former Chairman, Investment Subcommittee, Point Park University
Awards & Recognition
- Saint Vincent Alumnus of Distinction, 2001 Recipient
Disclosures
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “Barron’s 2024 Top RIAs list” was based on both qualitative and quantitative data, including assets managed, technology spending, and staff diversity, along with other metrics, as of June 30, 2024. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking
- CAPTRUST teams named on the “Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Institutional Consulting Teams” ranking were evaluated using a proprietary formula including 1) assets, 2) revenue, and 3) quality of practice for the year ending December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking. For more information on the methodology, please click here.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Financial Advisor magazine’s 2025 RIA Discretionary & Non-Discretionary ranking” was based on CAPTRUST’s total assets as of December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Financial Advisor magazine to obtain the ranking, but does pay a licensing fee for the use of the award logo.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “PLANADVISER Magazine 2026 Top Retirement Plan Advisers list” were based on advisor assets among other quantitative metrics, as of Dec. 31, 2025. To be listed, advisors had to have a minimum requirement of 50 plan clients or retirement plan assets under advisement of $400 million or more. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to PlanAdviser to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “NAPA’s 2026 Aces: Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40 list” were based on a combination of data submitted by the nominees including the following: Plan size managed, advisor revenue percentage relative to total assets under advisement, total dollar value of defined contribution/defined benefit book of business managed, and other criteria as of October 2025. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Best Investment Consultant – Service & Investment Counseling – Large Investment Consultants for Institutional Investors in the U.S.” by Crisil Coalition Greenwich for 2025 was based on interviews conducted between February and September 2024 by Crisil Coalition Greenwich. They held interviews with 699 individuals from 563 of the largest tax-exempt funds in the U.S. These U.S.-based institutional investors are corporate, public, union, and endowment and foundation funds with either pension or investment pool assets greater than $150 million. Study participants were asked to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations of their asset management and investment consulting providers, including qualitative assessments of those firms soliciting their business and detailed information on important market trends. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Crisil Coalition to obtain or use the ranking.