The author has had a long career in business that dates back to the 1970s, when he was chief investment officer of the First National Bank of Chicago. He moved to New York and the Chase Manhattan Bank in the 1980s, where he served as chief investment officer in private banking international. Upon his retirement from Chase in 1991, he formed Falcon Real Estate Investment Company Ltd., which advises non-US investors on investing in US commercial real estate. He continues to serve as chairman of Falcon as of this time. Mr. Hallengren graduated from Princeton University with a major in English and received an MBA degree from the University of Chicago.