James Schwarz has been President & Chief Compliance Officer of Clear Retirement Advice since October 2017, is a control person of the firm and directly owns 75% or more of it. James Schwarz holds an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University.
Clear Retirement Advice LLC is a San Mateo, CA firm with $153M under management, 56 clients and 1 adviser in one office, as of its March 2026 filing.
James Schwarz started Clear Retirement Advice LLC, which focuses on people in or interested in retirement. Before that he held leadership roles in finance departments at Fortune 500 companies and worked at Charles Schwab in advisor and manager roles. He volunteers as a Financial Educator through the Financial Planning Association.
James Schwarz’s longest registration is the current one, 8 years at Clear Retirement Advice since 2018. Before joining Clear Retirement Advice in 2018, James Schwarz was registered through Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
- Clear Retirement Advice LLCCurrent– present · 8 yearsSan Mateo, CA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 292667
- Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.– · 6 yearsMenlo Park, CA · Adviser representative · Firm CRD 5393
Professional designations
Listed by Clear Retirement Advice
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®)
- RETIREMENT INCOME CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL® (RICP®)
Investment adviser representative registrations
James Schwarz is registered as an investment adviser representative in California, since March 2018.
- CaliforniaSince 12 March 2018
Examinations
| Exam | Name | Passed |
|---|---|---|
| SIE | Securities Industry Essentials Examination | Credited |
| Series 9 | General Securities Sales Supervisor - Options Module Examination | 16 September 2013 |
| Series 10 | General Securities Sales Supervisor - General Module Examination | 5 August 2013 |
| Series 66 | Uniform Combined State Law Examination | 31 August 2011 |
| Series 7 | General Securities Representative Examination | 27 July 2011 |
- Name
- Securities Industry Essentials Examination
- Name
- General Securities Sales Supervisor - Options Module Examination
- Name
- General Securities Sales Supervisor - General Module Examination
- Name
- Uniform Combined State Law Examination
- Name
- General Securities Representative Examination
- Full name
- James Marshall Schwarz
- CRD
- 1170765
- Firm
- Clear Retirement Advice · CRD 292667
- Role
- President & Chief Compliance Officer
- Office
- 1900 S NORFOLK ST,, SUITE 350, San Mateo, CA 94403
- Registration
- Investment adviser registration
- In the industry since
- December 2011
- Disciplinary history
- Not yet shown here · SEC record
- Firm bio
- clearretirementadvice.com
Where does James Schwarz work?
James Schwarz has been President & Chief Compliance Officer of Clear Retirement Advice LLC since October 2017, and is a control person of the firm.
Is James Schwarz a financial advisor?
Yes. James Schwarz has a current investment-adviser registration in California, through Clear Retirement Advice since March 2018.
How many years of experience does James Schwarz have?
James Schwarz has 14 years in the financial industry, since December 2011, across 2 adviser firms.
What exams has James Schwarz passed?
James Schwarz has passed 4 licensing exams: the Series 7, Series 66, Series 10 and Series 9. The earliest, the Series 7, was passed in July 2011. FINRA credited James Schwarz with the SIE, which began in October 2018.
Where did James Schwarz work before Clear Retirement Advice?
Before Clear Retirement Advice, James Schwarz was registered through Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., September 2011 to October 2017.
Where is James Schwarz based?
James Schwarz’s registered office is in San Mateo, CA.
Is James Schwarz registered with FINRA?
No. James Schwarz has no current broker registration.
Is James Schwarz a CFP?
Clear Retirement Advice lists James Schwarz with the CFP credential (“CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®)”) on its website. CFP Board confirms certification status.
How can I verify James Schwarz’s record?
Search CRD 1170765 on the SEC’s adviser search (adviserinfo.sec.gov), which publishes James Schwarz’s full registration record.