I’m a current student at the University of Texas at Austin and hold 3 years more before I graduate. I thought I wanted to do Pre-Med soon to realize that the natural sciences aren’t as appealing as I imagined. I’m not great at math either. In turn, I’ve (always) liked the adventurous aspect of going into business. In fact, I like business… I’m not in the business school yet since I’m unsure of what to major in. I would like to eventually get the BBA from the McCombs School of Business… I dream of then going to the Wharton School of Business and earning an MBA in either Finance and/or Management.
As of today, looking into the future, will business or medicine strive? Clearly medicine will always be around and it will improve, but with the upcoming Health Reform, a doctor’s salary will virtually be cut in half and well it takes much of the merit in that, given the opportunity cost of years a doctor gave up in order to study…
Now, I like the idea of Investment Banking! Its hard, suicidal, and stressful…however, the idea of (hopefully someday) landing a job at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, or another firm, as an Associate I-Banker and working up the corporate ladder seems pretty nice. Plus the fat paychecks they get are just a big WOW. Many say that I-Banking is gone mostly due to the Market Crash in 2008, but I believe that as long as money, businesses, and people who want to get richer exist, demand for I-bankers will exist. I’d give the market a few years before its up an running smoothly again…Plus, I love to travel a lot and wear a tie and suit! …hopefully someday open up my own company.
So what should I do?
Medicine or business?
If med, which area of concentration? And if business, which concentration has HIGH future potential (with amazing pay).
I would like concrete answers. I’ve had enough of the whole “its up to you to decide…whatever makes you happiest…you shouldnt focus on the money…yadda, yadda, yadda….”
Thank you.

Glass Houses … Throwing Stones?
If Obama is guilty by associating with Ayers on the Boards of two non-profits, the Annenberg Foundation and Woods Fund, isn’t it relevant to see who else serves on those boards?
Take a peek at the Annenberg Foundation members.
1. Walter & Leonore Annenberg – founder who gave Bill Ayers a $49M grant. His widow, Leonore, has endorsed McCain. In fact, just yesterday the McCain Campaign released its list of Ambassadors supporting him. It included, Mrs. Annenberg, a former “chief of protocol” at the State Dep’t under the Reagan Administration. A Republican, she also DONATED THE MAX OF $2300 TO McCAIN’S CAMPAIGN IN MAY 2008.
According to Opensecrets.com, she has donated to Republican candidates over 100 times in the past few elections cycles. Her campaign contributions have gone to George W Bush, Fred Thompson, Arlen Spector, Rick Santorum, Jon Kyle, Elizabeth Dole, Bob Dole, Richard Shelby, John Warner,David Dreier, Olympia Snowe, Jon Fox and Christine Todd Whitman.
Have each of these GOP candidates refunded her money because she’s got a “domestic terrorist” on her own Board or because she gave that “domestic terrorist” a $49 million grant before Obama was on the Board?
In addition to individual contributions, Mrs. Annenberg also donated regularly to the Republican National Committee, the Republican Senatorial Committee and Republicans for Choice.
Other notable members on the Annenberg Board include:
1. David Kearns – former Deputy Secretary of Education under Bush I; former CEO of Xerox; Chairman of NASDC, a Bush I reform initiative for Education; WORKED FOR & DONATED TO McCAIN’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN 2000 AND AGAIN IN 2008.
2. Arnold Weber – former member of Nixon Administration; former President of Northwestern University and U of Colorado. Board Member of Tribune Company. DONATED TO McCAIN’S CAMPAIGN.
Other Board Members include leaders in the Education community including professors, deans, and presidents at some of the country’s most prestigous colleges. They include: Dr. Patricia Albjerg Graham, Deborah Leff, Adele Smith Simmons, Vartan Gregorian, Ted Sizer, Warren Chapman and Anne Hallett.
Let’s take a look at The Woods Fund . . .
Do you know that Presbyterian Minister Cynthia Campbell serves on the Board on the Woods Fund?. She got her Masters in Divinity from Harvard and her doctorate from SMU. She is author of A Multitude of Blessings: A Christian Approach to Religious Diversity, as well as a monograph, Theologies Written from Feminist Perspectives. She is also the current President of the McCormick Theological Seminary. Does this sound like a woman who espouses hate and would associate with domestic terrorists?
Additionally, today’s Wood Fund’s eight-member board includes three academics, a civic leader, a former Illinois state senator and executives from the BP oil company, UBS investment bank and Sahara Enterprises. Former board members include R. Eden Martin (1996-2004), attorney for the law firm Sidley Austin and president of the Commercial Club, Chicago’s most prestigious business group. Many of these members are Republicans and supporters of McCain.
So why is it again the Obama should be chastised for serving on Boards with William Ayers? When the founder of the Annenberg Foundation gave $49 million to Ayers, then put him on her Board, and still to this day contributes thousands to GOP candidates across the country, should each of these GOP members be assailed for taking contributions from someone who associates with a “domestic terrorist” from the 60s?.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/9/8831/72947

I own a house in ca and looking to invest in a rental property in austin area. Since this will be my first investment property, i am somewhat skeptical with the buying process.
I found that duplex for 170K in loopnet, but that contact posted on the site is for listing agent. He forwarded me all the profoma sheets and everything looks good.
Now comes to the point where i want to make an offer. How do I initiate an offer? who will be representing me on my side? do I need to find a local agent in austin to represent me?
Thanks

Louis Freeh – Director of FBI, 1993-2001. Former U.S. District Court Judge for Southern District of New York, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. Former Deputy United States Attorney in New York. Former FBI agent. Former officer in United States Army.
General Albert Stubblebine, U.S. Army (ret) – Commanding General of Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), 1981 – 1984. Also commanded U.S. Army’s Intelligence Center. Former head of Imagery Interpretation for Scientific and Technical Intelligence. 32-year Army career.
Col. Robert Bowman, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Director of Advanced Space Programs Development under Presidents Ford and Carter. Air Force fighter pilot, over 100 combat missions. PhD in Aeronautics, Nuclear Engineering.
Raymond L. McGovern – Former Chairman, National Intelligence Estimates, CIA. Responsible for President’s Daily Brief (PDB) for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 27-year CIA veteran. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer.
Francesco Cossiga – President of Italy, 1985-1992. Also served as Former Prime Minister, Undersecretary for Defense, and President of the Italian Senate.
Col. George Nelson, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former U.S. Air Force aircraft accident investigator and airplane parts authority. 34-year Air Force career.
Col. Ronald D. Ray, U.S. Marine Corps (ret) – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during Reagan Administration. Highly decorated Vietnam veteran (two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart). Appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve on American Battle Monuments Commission. From 1990 to 1994, served as Military Historian and Deputy Director of Field Operations for U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center, Washington, D.C.
Rep. Curt Weldon – Ten-term Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania. House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman. Homeland Security Committee Vice Chairman.
Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, U.S. Army (ret) – Former Military Intelligence Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency. Member of Able Danger effort to target Al Qaeda’s global structure. Former Chief of the Army’s HUMINT [Human Intelligence] program. Awarded the Bronze Star for bravery for the first of his two combat tours to Afghanistan. 23-year military intelligence career.
Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former Political-Military Affairs Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Staff Member, Office of Director of the National Security Agency. 20-year Air Force veteran.
Paul Craig Roberts, PhD – Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury under Ronald Reagan. “Father of Reaganomics.” Former Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal. Currently Chairman of the Institute for Political Economy and Research Fellow at the
Morgan Reynolds, PhD – Chief Economist, Department of Labor under George W. Bush 2001-2002. Former Director of the Criminal Justice Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis. Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University.
Catherine Austin Fitts – Assistant Secretary of Housing under George H.W. Bush. Former Managing Director of Wall Street investment bank, Dillon, Read & Co.
Major Scott Ritter, U.S. Marine Corps – Former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer and Chief Weapons Inspector for the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq 1991-1998
William Christison – Former National Intelligence Officer and Director of the CIA’s Office of Regional and Political Analysis. 29-year CIA veteran.
Melvin A. Goodman – Senior Analyst, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, State Department, 1974-1976. Former Division Chief and Senior Analyst, Office of Soviet Affairs, CIA,1976 – 1986. Professor of International Security, National War College 1986-2004. Currently Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy and Adjunct Professor of International Relations, Johns Hopkins University. Author or co-author of five books on international relations.
Robert Baer – Former CIA Case Officer, Specialist in Middle East, Directorate of Operations. Awarded Career Intelligence Medal. 21-year CIA veteran. Author of two nonfiction books about CIA operations, See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil
Edward L. Peck – Deputy Director of the White House Task Force on Terrorism under Ronald Reagan. Former Deputy Coordinator, Covert Intelligence Programs at the State Department. U.S. Ambassador and Chief of Mission to Iraq (1977-80). 32-year veteran of the Foreign Service.
Morton Goulder – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Warning under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter (1973-77). Founder of Sanders Associates.
Fred Burks – Former State Department Interpreter for Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Al Gore, Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright. 18-year State Department career.
Major Douglas Rokke, PhD, U.S. Army (ret) – Former Director U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Project.
Capt. Russ Wittenberg, U.S. Air Force – Former Air Force fighter pilot, over 100 combat missions. Commercial pilot for Pan Am and United Airlines for 35 years. Had previously flown the actual two United airplanes that were hijacked on 9/11.
Barbara Honegger – Senior Military Affairs Journalist at the Naval Postgraduate School (1995 – present). White House Policy Analyst and Special Assistant to the Assistant to President Ronald Reagan (1981-83).
Capt. Gregory M. Zeigler, PhD, U.S. Army – Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer
Sibel D. Edmonds – Former Language Translation Specialist, FBI. Performed translations for counterterrorism, counterintelligence operations. 9/11 Commission Witness
Bogdan Dzakovic – 14-year Counterterrorism expert, Security Division of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Team Leader of FAA’s Red (Terrorism) Team. Former Team Leader in Federal Air Marshal program. Former Coast Guard officer. Witness for 9/11 Commission.
Senator Max Cleland – Former member of the 9/11 Commission, resigned December 2003. U.S. Senator from Georgia 1996-2002. Currently serves on the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Administrator of U.S. Veterans Administration 1977-1981. Awarded Silver Star and Bronze Star for U.S. Army bravery in Viet Nam. Triple amputee from war injuries.
John M. Cole – Former Intelligence Operations Specialist, Counterintelligence Division, FBI. In charge of FBI’s foreign intelligence investigations covering India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.18-year FBI career.
David “Mark” Conrad – Retired Agent in Charge, U.S. Customs. Responsible for internal integrity and security for areas encompassing nine states and two foreign locations. Former Federal Sky Marshall. 27-years in U.S. Customs. Currently Professor of Criminal Justice at Troy University.
Edward J. Costello, Jr. – Former Special Agent, Counterterrorism, FBI. Former Judge, Los Angeles, CA.
Rosemary N. Dew – Former Supervisory Special Agent, Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence, FBI. Former member President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and the Electronic Commerce/Cyber Crime Working Group. 13-year FBI career.
Bogdan Dzakovic – 14-year Counter-terrorism expert, Security Division of Federal Aviation Administration. Witness before the 9/11 Commission. (For more, click here)
Sibel D. Edmonds – Former Language Translation Specialist, performing translations for counterterrorism and
counterintelligence operations, FBI. Witness before the 9/11 Commission. (For more, click here)
Steve Elson – Former Special Agent with the U.S. Navy and the FAA. Specialist in Counterterrorism, Intelligence, and Security. Twenty-two years military experience, primarily in Naval Special Warfare and nine years Federal service with the FAA and DEA. Retired Navy Seal.
David Forbes – Aviation, Logistics and Govt. Security Analysts, BoydForbes, Inc.
Melvin A. Goodman – Senior Analyst at the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, State Department, 1974-1976. Professor of International Security at the National War College 1986-2004. (For more, click here)
Mark Graf – Former Security Supervisor, Planner, and Derivative Classifier, Department of Energy. Former Chairman of the Rocky Flats (DOE) Physical Security Systems Working Group from 1990 through 1995.
Gilbert M. Graham – Retired Special Agent, Counterintelligence, FBI. 24-year FBI career.
Diane Kleiman – Former Special Agent, US Customs.
Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former Political-Military Affairs Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Staff Member, Office of Director of the National Security Agency. 20-year Air Force veteran. (For more, click here)
Lynne A. Larkin – Former CIA Operations Officer. Served in several CIA foreign stations and in the CIA’s counter-intelligence center helping chair a multi-agency task force and seminars on coordinating intelligence among intelligence and crime prevention agencies.
David MacMichael – Former Senior Estimates Officer with special responsibility for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the CIA’s National Intelligence Council. Former Captain, U.S. Marine Corps. 10-year military service.
Raymond L. McGovern – Former Chairman, National Intelligence Estimates, CIA, responsible for preparing the President’ Daily Brief (PDB) for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 27-year CIA veteran. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer. (For more, click here)
Theodore J. Pahle – Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency. 37-year intelligence career. HUMINT [Human Intelligence] operations officer with DIA, Office of Naval Intelligence and U.S. Army Intelligence. Middle East and Latin American operations specialist.
Behrooz Sarshar – Retired Language Translation Specialist, performing Farsi translations for counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations dealing with Iran and Afghanistan, FBI.
Brian F. Sullivan – Retired Special Agent, Risk Management Specialist, FAA. Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Military Police.
Commander Larry J. Tortorich, U.S. Navy (ret) – Former Deputy Program Manager for Logistics – Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. 24-year Navy career in the fields of aviation and counterterrorism. Two years as a federal employee with DHS/TSA in the fields of security and counterterrorism.
Jane A. Turner – Retired Special Agent, 24-years in FBI.
John B. Vincent – Retired Special Agent, Counterterrorism, FBI. 27-year FBI career.
Dr. Fred Whitehurst – Retired Supervisory Special Agent / Laboratory Forensic Examiner, FBI. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer.
Col. Ann Wright, U.S. Army (ret) – Retired Army officer and Former U.S. Diplomat. 29 years in U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserves. Member of International law team in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. Served in Panama and Somalia. Joined Foreign Service in 1987. Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassies in Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Afghanistan. Helped reopen US Embassy in Kabul in December, 2001.
Matthew J. Zipoli – Special Response Team (SRT) Officer, DOE. Vice President, Security Police Officer’s Association, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratoryhttp://www.wanttoknow.info/officialsques…

My dad has been a blue collar construction worker for most of his life. He knows the ins and outs of the construction business but I am trying to get him away from the housing market because it’s so jacked up at the moment.
He’s a hard worker but not tech savy at all. I’d like to help him stat up a business with an investment of like $50K that he can run and make a living off of and not have to worry about being emloyed.
This is not an invitation for all of those “Make Money in the Comfort of your own Home” responses.
I’m looking for idea on something that will start making returns immediately. Not huge returns just something he can live off of. Maybe a $2K a month to start off with…. Oh, no merchandise sales or anything like that if at all possible….
All ideas are welcome though.
Thanks,
Austin

I have a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin. I am considering returning to school, while continuing to work full-time, to receieve my Masters. My problem is that I do not know whether I should receive an MBA or a MPA. Any suggestions and advice? My choices (at a local university SFA) are the following . . .
1. Masters in Public Accountancy
2. MBA – General Business
3. MBA – Management
I’ve also considered going to a university that offers more concentrations, i.e. Finance.

I should mention I’m an international student @ Missouri State University graduating in May with a three-year French degree. Also, are there any banks, financial institutions, or large corporations in the field of investment out there that have a reputation for hiring intenational students and that also offer solid training to new employees?

I don’t want a super-risky investment.
Would real estate be good? (what part of Austin)
Also, what about CD’s. Anything better?

If you are thinking about Austin, TX the properties are cheaper in compare to other parts of USA but properties taxes in TX are extremely higher than any parts in USA if you compare to AZ, its 3 times higher so before you collect any rent you can spend $400-$500 a month on taxes and there is insurance coming on top of it. Ask a realtor how much rent you can collect and compare and how much will be your taxes. Property taxes and insurance are money that is gone (wasted) it’s not a mortgage. I had looked at buying a house in TX and decided not to do that.

Which area will appreciate the most in the next 10 years? Which area has the highest rents per dollar invested? Also which area tends to attract the best types of tennants (clean, stable employment, etc.)