Inspired by the idea of "making your money work for you" at a young age, mostly because he was a lazy child, Jamal parlayed that inspiration into a love of the psychology of markets, competitive advantages, and thematic investing. He later shrug off that laziness, with a career that included stints as a mortgage trainer, a stockbroker, and a corporate restructuring financial analyst at a Big 4 firm. Jamal graduated from George Mason University with a bachelors of science in finance, American University with a masters in finance, and is a CFA Charterholder.