2019 Katz Conversation: Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz in Conversation with Chuck Schwab, founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation

Charles (“Chuck”) R. Schwab started the San Francisco-based Charles Schwab Corporation in 1971.  Today, the company is the nation’s largest publicly traded investment services firm with around $3.45 trillion in client assets.

Despite knowing that he had extreme difficulty taking notes in class, flunking English two times, and struggling in foreign language classes, Schwab did not have a name for his disability until his son was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 1980’s (his son was in grade school, Schwab was 58).  He then saw both sides of the struggle with dyslexia—one, his own personal challenges with dyslexia; and, two, his and his wife’s challenge of getting his son the proper support he needed to achieve his dreams, learn in school, and have a healthy self-esteem.  Schwab took action by founding Schwab Learning to help the parents of children diagnosed with dyslexia.

The Adam Jeffrey Katz Memorial Conversation began in 2002 in memory of Adam Katz, a young man who long struggled with ADHD and dyslexia.  Past participants include Orlando Bloom, Whoopi Goldberg, Lindsey Stirling, Brian Grazer, Ari Emanuel, Naomi Judd, Trudie Styler, Barbara Corcoran, Chuck Close and Paul Orfalea.