James Adams
CFA®, CFP®, MBA
Lighthouse Wealth Management
Chief Investment Officer
James Adams
CFA®, CFP®, MBA
Lighthouse Wealth Management
Chief Investment Officer
I enjoy developing holistic financial, tax, & estate planning solutions to help my clients build a solid future. - James Adams, CFA®, CFP®, MBA
Lighthouse Wealth. Illuminating Your Financial Future.

James Adams specializes in holistic asset management , financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning services. He conducts all business to a fiduciary standard.
Lighthouse Wealth Management is a fee-only financial planning firm headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, with additional office locations in Hanover and Lancaster, as well as Frederick and Westminster, Maryland.
Our affiliation with Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz (BSSF) provides our clients with access to one of the largest tax departments in the region.
James Adams (“Jimmy”) is the Chief Investment Officer of Lighthouse Wealth Management. He has two decades of financial services experience, including nine years of working with individual clients at a registered investment advisor (RIA) and a trust company. In those roles, he provided expertise in asset allocation, portfolio analytics, and financial planning, and vetted investment managers.
Jimmy also has an intimate knowledge of institutional asset management. As a product manager, he serviced $20 billion in client accounts across a wide array of investment strategies. He began his career with two national life insurance companies, where he was responsible for investment selection and credit evaluation for multi-billion-dollar corporate bond portfolios.
After the market collapse in the Global Financial Crisis, Jimmy decided to go “back to basics” and wait tables at a Waffle House in 2009, immersing himself in economic history during his off hours. The resulting memoir, Waffle Street, was published the following year. The book is a unique blend of humorous restaurant anecdotes and meditations on finance.
Waffle Street was later adapted into a feature film starring James Lafferty (of One Tree Hill fame) and screen legend Danny Glover as his restaurant mentor. The film received numerous awards, including Best Feature at the 2015 Hollywood Film Festival. It became a smash hit on Netflix and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. www.wafflestreetmovie.com
Jimmy earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a BS in Finance and Accounting, cum laude, from Wake Forest University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and a Certified Financial Planner®.
James Adams is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
Few financial services firms have the breadth of expertise to provide their clients with holistic solutions—Lighthouse Wealth prides itself on being one of them. With our investment, tax, and legal backgrounds, we integrate the following services:
- Financial Planning
- Asset Management
- Tax Planning & Preparation
- Estate Planning
- Charitable Planning
We specialize in services for business owners, professionals, new retirees, and those approaching retirement. We are well-versed in the planning and tax implications of business sales, Social Security, and pension benefit decisions.
As a fee-only firm, we honor our responsibility to always act in our clients’ best interests. Lighthouse Wealth does not receive any commissions or payments from third parties.
Lighthouse Wealth Management is affiliated with Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz (BSSF), Certified Public Accountants and Business Advisors. With one of the largest tax departments in the region, this strategic partnership with BSSF provides our clients with access to top-tier tax services.
We are headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, with additional office locations in Hanover and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as well as Frederick and Westminster, Maryland.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- College Education Planning
- Tax Planning
Ideal Clients
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Growing Families
- Business Owners and Executives
- Sudden Money Situations
- Novice Investors
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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James Adams is a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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James Adams is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for Verification
CFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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James Adams is a CFA® charterholder
The CFA Program is the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world with less than 200,000 charterholders globally.
This advisor has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation (CFA® charter) by passing all three of the CFA exams and gaining relevant industry experience, demonstrating their mastery of the investment analysis and decision-making skills most needed in the global investment management profession.
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James Adams is a Member of the CFA Institute
The CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit organization comprising the world’s largest association of investment professionals. With more than 170,000 members and 150 regional societies around the world, the organization is dedicated to developing and promoting the highest educational, ethical, and professional standards in the investment industry.
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James Adams is the Author of "Waffle Street: The Confession and Rehabilitation of a Financier"
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The true story of James Adams, VP of a $30 billion hedge fund, who loses his job and winds up working as a waiter at a waffle shop, where an ex-con cook teaches him hard lessons about life, finance, and grits.
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James Adams is Quoted on CNN Money: "I went from Wall Street...to working at Waffle House"
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James Adams is Featured in Penn Live: "Pa. man's fall from Wall Street to Waffle House is now a movie"
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James Adams is Featured in Success: "From Wall Street to Waffle House: 6 Ways to Rebound From Failure"
Contact James Adams
Office Locations:
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210 Grandview Avenue
Camp Hill, PA 17011