Becoming Donald Trump: How to Break Into Commercial Real Estate, Build an Empire, and Launch Your Own Reality TV Series

This is a guest post from Mike Moran, CFA, a portfolio manager at a long-only asset management firm. He started Life on the Buy Side to teach you what it’s like working in asset management, hedge funds, and more.

When it comes to commercial real estate, you’ve got 2 choices: do something extremely risky, or do something boring and conservative.

OK, you could also pick something middle of the spectrum – but what fun is that?

If you have your sights set on becoming the next Donald Trump and building a real estate empire, you’re going to have to take the leap and embrace the risk with open arms.

And if you want your own reality TV series on top of all that, you’ll have to become a real baller – so here’s how you do it:

Weekend Trips: The Best Way to Break Into Investment Banking?

And no, I’m not referring to weekend ski trips, a 3-day gambling spree in Monaco, or your feeble attempt to ask your MD for a vacation 2 months after you started.

These are the weekend trips where you travel to financial centers, meet dozens of bankers in a short period of time, and apply the 80/20 rule to networking.

They might not be as fun as hitting the slopes, but they’re one of the best ways to break into finance – if you play your cards right.

From Nuclear Submarines to Investment Banking: How to Make the Leap from the Military to Finance

Can you get into finance coming from a military background?

Just how many bankers each year break in from the Army, Navy, and Air Force?

I get a lot of questions on these topics, but up until now haven’t had solid answers beyond “yes” and “quite a few.”

But that changes today with an interview from a reader who broke into investment banking from a military background – keep reading to find out how he did it and how you can do the same.

Plus, advice on part-time vs. full-time MBA programs and starting in a location that isn’t New York.