Al Jacobs has been a professional investor for more than four decades. His business experience ranges from real estate, mortgage, and securities investment to appraisal, civil engineering, and the operation of a private trust company. In addition to managing his investments on a day-to-day basis, he is a featured financial columnist for both online and print publications. He is the author of <rel='nofollow' target='_blank' href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0965629252/sheknowscom03-20"Nobody's Fool: A Skeptical's Guide to Prosperity.