James Besaw has been Managing Member of GenTrust since June 2011, is a control person of the firm and directly owns between 10% and 25% of it. James Besaw holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics from Yale University.
Gentrust, LLC is a Miami, FL firm with $5.2B under management, 277 clients and 18 advisers across 2 offices, as of its March 2026 filing.
Jim Besaw is Founding Principal and Chief Investment Officer of GenTrust. He founded GenTrust in 2011 and is responsible for the oversight, selection and management of all investment-related activity across all strategies and portfolios, as well as the development of all new investment strategies and GenTrust products. Earlier, he was Head of USD Fixed Income Options Trading at J.P. Morgan Chase and then at Barclays Capital, and Head of Business Development at Element Capital.
Professional designations
Listed by GenTrust
- CFA® charterholder
Investment adviser representative registrations
James Besaw is registered as an investment adviser representative in New York, since August 2021.
- New YorkSince 3 August 2021
Examinations
| Exam | Name | Passed |
|---|---|---|
| SIE | Securities Industry Essentials Examination | Credited |
| Series 30 | NFA Branch Manager Examination | 4 June 2015 |
| Series 3 | National Commodity Futures Examination | 18 May 2015 |
| Series 63 | Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination | 7 August 2012 |
| Series 4 | Registered Options Principal Examination | 18 January 2008 |
| Series 24 | General Securities Principal Examination | 12 September 2006 |
| Series 7 | General Securities Representative Examination | 19 September 2002 |
- Name
- Securities Industry Essentials Examination
- Name
- NFA Branch Manager Examination
- Name
- National Commodity Futures Examination
- Name
- Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination
- Name
- Registered Options Principal Examination
- Name
- General Securities Principal Examination
- Name
- General Securities Representative Examination
- Full name
- James Dwight Besaw
- CRD
- 2272546
- Firm
- GenTrust · CRD 158369
- Role
- Managing Member
- Office
- 900 Third Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10022
- Registration
- Investment adviser and broker registrations
- In the industry since
- July 2007
- Disciplinary history
- Not yet shown here · SEC record · BrokerCheck
- Firm bio
- gentrustwm.com
Where does James Besaw work?
James Besaw has been Managing Member of Gentrust, LLC since June 2011, and is a control person of the firm.
Is James Besaw a financial advisor?
Yes. James Besaw has a current investment-adviser registration in New York, through GenTrust since August 2021.
How many years of experience does James Besaw have?
James Besaw has 19 years in the financial industry, since July 2007, across 1 adviser firm.
What exams has James Besaw passed?
James Besaw has passed 6 licensing exams: the Series 7, Series 24, Series 4, Series 63, Series 3 and Series 30. The earliest, the Series 7, was passed in September 2002. FINRA credited James Besaw with the SIE, which began in October 2018.
Where is James Besaw based?
James Besaw’s registered office is in New York, NY.
Is James Besaw registered with FINRA?
Yes. James Besaw has a current broker registration, under CRD 2272546.
Source: FINRA BrokerCheck
Is James Besaw a CFA charterholder?
GenTrust lists James Besaw with the CFA credential (“CFA® charterholder”) on its website. CFA Institute confirms certification status.
How can I verify James Besaw’s record?
Search CRD 2272546 on the SEC’s adviser search (adviserinfo.sec.gov) and FINRA’s broker search (brokercheck.finra.org), which publish James Besaw’s full registration record.
