James Waters, CFA, CPWA®

James Waters is a Private Advisor and Vice President at Variant Path Group within the Rockefeller Global Family Office. James brings extensive alternative investment and analytical experience to every client he advises.

Before moving to Rockefeller in 2024, James spent four years as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Previously, he served as Chief Investment Officer at GCG Wealth Management, where he was charged with expanding the firm’s offerings to ultra-high and high-net-worth families, and managed hedge fund portfolios at Nyes Ledge, a Boston asset management organization. James moved to Charlotte for the opportunity of becoming a Wells Fargo Global Alternative Consultant where he researched private equity and hedge funds and supported the firm’s largest clients and advisors.

A graduate of Emory University with a BA in Economics, James earned his MBA at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business. In addition, he is a CFA® Charterholder and well qualified to analyze investment opportunities on a qualitative and quantitative basis. He also holds a CPWA® certification, specializing in financial planning for high-net-worth families.

James was born and raised in Boston but moved to Charlotte for career opportunities and to be near family. He has since grown to love his adopted community, fostering dogs through Carolina Hearts Aussie Rescue, an organization that rescues Australian Shepherds and finds them new homes. He and his wife Danni also support the Isabella Santos Foundation in its mission of increasing survival rates of kids with cancer. With whatever spare time he has left over, James golfs, roots for the Boston Celtics, spoils his two daughters, roughhouses with his dogs and complains about yardwork.