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Personal Capital Hires Former Fidelity ExecutivePersonal Capital Hires Former Fidelity Executive

Amidst the digital wealth advisor adding assets, James Burton is named as the firm's first chief growth officer.

Samuel Steinberger, Senior Technology Editor

October 24, 2019

2 Min Read
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James Burton

Personal Capital is adding former Fidelity Investments’ executive James Burton to its c-suite, according to a company announcement. Burton will serve as Personal Capital’s first chief growth officer, after working as the chief marketing officer for personal investing and EVP at Fidelity.

At Fidelity, where he worked for a decade, Burton oversaw retail customer acquisition, customer strategy, advertising programs, communications and the personal retirement account business. Prior to this, he spent eight years at Charles Schwab, where he was SVP of the advised investing products division.

The move brings industry experience to the new role at Personal Capital, said Jay Shah, CEO of the firm. “As we celebrate our 10th birthday this week, it's also exactly the right time to step into our next stage of growth," he said in a statement. Earlier this year, the firm added a chief marketing officer from Virgin America, a new director to the board from Lyft and announced branding updates. 

Burton has a knack for “using client insights to create and deliver personalized, helpful solutions and experiences,” according to the announcement. His primary focus will be the firm’s wealth management solutions, but he’s been given leeway to “identify value creation opportunities for the company” outside of that mandate.

Personal Capital has already grown by roughly $1 billion in assets from July to today, according to figures provided by the firm, representing growth totaling about $3 billion in assets since the final quarter of 2018. Even with its growth in assets, however, its advisor head count of 130 remains the same as it was in July, according to Rebecca Neufeld, head of PR at the firm. Its employee head count, meanwhile, has grown to over 400 professionals, she said. 

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About the Author

Samuel Steinberger

Senior Technology Editor, WealthManagement.com

Samuel Steinberger is Senior Technology Editor for Informa Connect’s WealthManagement.com. In his role, Mr. Steinberger provides the publication’s wealth and financial technology coverage. 

Mr. Steinberger’s editorial insight and familiarity with technology accelerates Informa’s growth within the financial advisor and wealth management communities, providing in-depth news for advisors and financial professionals. 

Before joining Informa Connect, Mr. Steinberger produced documentaries with former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien at Soledad O’Brien Productions (formerly Starfish Media Group). He specialized in research, shooting and editing, as well as finding distinct voices to explain topics like mental health, poverty and racial divide. 

Prior to joining Soledad O’Brien Productions, Mr. Steinberger managed multi-departmental technology projects for global legal technology leader Transperfect Legal Solutions. After obtaining his graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University, he completed his transition from technology management to media. 

Mr. Steinberger is an award-winning journalist, author and researcher who has written, edited and reported for a number of publications, including The New York Times, Financial PlanningAmerican Banker and PBS. He is founder of beverages publication Give Me Weird Drinks

Mr. Steinberger’s technology analysis and insight has been featured in several books on virtual and augmented reality. Mr. Steinberger has received awards and recognition for his reporting and research, including the American Business Media's prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award for editorial excellence.

Follow on Twitter: @slsteinberger