Charles Schwab is the founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation, which serves 7.9 million client brokerage accounts by aiding them with their investments. According to Forbes magazine, he is the 67th richest man in the United States. He is an avid golfer, a strong political voice, and the father of five children. He also has dyslexia.
Schwab didn’t realize that he had dyslexia until he was 40 years old, when his son was diagnosed. He had always fallen behind other students in school. He excelled in math but struggled with English due to his difficulties with reading. He was never interested in learning the cause of his reading troubles until he saw his son struggling with the same problems.
Although it caused him pain in his youth, Schwab now credits his success in the business world to his learning disability. He learned how to see the solution to a problem much quicker than his colleagues, which gained him leadership and managerial skills. This "thinking from A to Z" behavior is typical of many dyslexics, because they have learned to adapt to their learning disability and are able to think outside of the box.
Currently, Schwab and his wife are trying to raise public awareness of dyslexia and provide support for dyslexics and their families through the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.
Read more about Schwab's thoughts on dyslexia over at the New York Times website.