I am the chief investment officer and a managing principal at Commonwealth Financial Network®, a Registered Investment Adviser–broker/dealer based in Waltham, Mass., and San Diego, Calif. I am the primary spokesperson for Commonwealth’s investment divisions. I earned degrees from Dartmouth College (BA), MIT (MS in real estate development), and Boston College (MS in finance), and I hold the CFA®, CAIA, and MAI professional certifications. I am a frequent commentator on the financial markets, U.S. economic policy, and the global economy for a range of media, including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CNN International, Barron’s, and Bloomberg News. I am the author of Crash-Test Investing, a must-read primer for Main Street investors seeking to help insulate their portfolios against a market crash. And I write daily on my blog, The Independent Market Observer. I have worked as a real estate developer, consultant, and lender; as an investment analyst, manager, and consultant; and as a start-up executive. I have started and run several companies and have traveled around the world. In my free time, I read extensively in history, math, and science and play very bad golf.