The most successful people are not the ones with the 4.0 GPAs. If that were the case, George Bush, a lifelong “C” student, would’ve never become President.

Albert Einstein’s IQ was around 150. Christopher Langan’s is well past that – so high the tests cannot even give him an accurate score.

Yet you’ve probably never heard of Chris Langan. After working as a bouncer in Long Island for more than 20 years, the world’s smartest man is a farmer who spends his free time writing about his “Theory of Everything,” proving the existence of God, the soul and afterlife through mathematical algorithms.

“Coming from the inheritance business counts more than most people think it does,” Langan said from his rural Missouri horse ranch. “Credentials and connections are important to the achievements of material success.”

To protect his younger brothers from his abusive father, Langan worked out and literally punched his dad out of the house when he was 16. His life was filled with poverty and sheer bad luck. No matter how brilliant he may be, Langan is the antithesis of the rags-to-riches American Dream.

“I’m a product of my lower-class upbringing,” Langan said. “I got disgusted with immoral materialism and tendencies to let self interest run away with truth and injustice.”

Nevertheless, the man is beyond genius. His research and theories are logically idealistic, but nobody will publish them because he has no record of accomplishment or professional affiliation.

Langan wants to work at Syracuse University and now the university should take this opportunity to work with him to bring his studies and ideals to benefit the students. Let SU be the first to give Chris Langan the break he’s been waiting for his entire life.

“I would love a position incorporating philosophy and math at Syracuse University,” Langan said. “I would accept if I could teach exactly what I want and if it didn’t involve me living in Syracuse the entire year. I’d love to explain my work to the administration.”

Langan was not privileged enough to receive a proper education yet he still aced all his tests, proving the definition of success extends beyond the transcripts. His story is chronicled in Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling work OUTLIERS: The Story of Success. In the book, Gladwell stresses that opportunities and hours of practice at a specific craft (10,000 to be precise) make people flourish. Gladwell says Bill Gates would have never revolutionized the world if he didn’t have the chance to sneak out of his house every night to program computers at the University of Washington as a high school student.

By attending SU, you are much closer to Bill Gates than you are to Chris Langan on the potential success pendulum. You are part of a community that will train you for your future. Take advantage of your time here. Find your passions and get good at them. In my next post, I’ll discuss the story of two alumni who used their Syracuse education to help them rise to the top of their fields.

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PLEASE NOTE THE SUBJECT OF THIS SERIES IS NOT MY CURRENT BOSS, DAN COFALL. DAN COFALL IS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE BOSS I HAD IN “MEMOIRS OF AN INTERN.”

The real world can be dirty. It took 70 years for Bernie Madoff to teach us that those closest ones are the ones who’ll try to screw you over. No matter what those around you may be doing, you should always do the right thing.

“At some point, even the most methodical scammer will make a mistake,” president of the business intelligence firm Corporate Resolutions and former special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ken Springer said. “My favorite expression is past history is indicative of future performance.”

I looked up to my boss like a father. Several red flags should have gone up before and during my internship. He begged me to remove content on a website that “inaccurately” portrayed his past negatively. I put him in touch with a computer whiz friend of mine who helped him eliminate the information and further optimize his search results. Finally, he said he would pay me off the books, meaning no formal records would be kept. He showed shady signs from the start, but I ignored them. All I knew about were his frequent media appearances and high net-worth clientele.

“When doing business with someone, you need to conduct your own independent research,” Springer said. “It’s not about going on the Internet to get instant answers. Do not make decisions just because it looks good on paper.”

If my boss was unhappy with my work at any point during my internship, he should have fired me. By keeping me around, he was legally bound to paying me the wages we agreed to. I took screenshots of every e-mail and Facebook exchange we had in addition to pictures of text messages. I did my due diligence a month too late.

In response to my letter, my boss left me profane and vulgar voicemails that prompted me to de-friend him on Facebook. I hunted down his hotshot attorney and told him how much I was claiming. He seemed apathetic to the amount. Minutes after the conversation, I received a text from my boss saying not to call his attorney and that he’d mail me my check.

Two days ago, more than two months after my internship, I finally received a check that was off the books. It was a quarter of the amount I am owed; it was filled out in different pens, and the “for/memo” line was blank. The date on the check was also two weeks behind the date the envelope was postmarked. My boss continues to leave voicemails, threatening my future employment and saying he has made calls to Syracuse about me. He continues to stress that I have no idea the reach he has in places where nobody would want him to be and that he will file a lawsuit against me for fraud for not delivering results he was looking for.

I’m sharing this story because in the current economy, the scammers are coming out. People will do anything to save a buck. You need to watch out for yourself, especially if you plan to work or intern at a smaller firm.

“Schools should implement guidelines before a company can solicit interns and should get feedback from the student during and afterwards to assess the benefit to the school for future internships,” Springer said.

It’s pathetic for a 50-year-old top executive to attack a 20-year-old intern. I got him on the FOX Business Channel and a nationally syndicated radio show. I wrote content for his new website. Now, I’m giving him print exposure and contemplating posting his voicemails on YouTube.

“Media lead time takes months,” said Bob Newman, president of Newman Communications, a leading talent management firm. “That’s why interns should be shadowing and doing research. I tell every client not to depend on us to get famous and that we don’t guarantee anything.”

The Joker in The Dark Knight said, “You can’t rely on anyone these days. You have to do everything yourself.”

My boss once told me to stop with the Obama stuff and become more of a capitalist.

Thanks for the advice, boss. I’ll see you in court.

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PLEASE NOTE THE SUBJECT OF THIS SERIES IS NOT MY CURRENT BOSS, DAN COFALL. DAN COFALL IS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE BOSS I HAD IN “MEMOIRS OF AN INTERN.”

Note: I actually sent this letter to my boss, but it has been edited down here to protect sensitive information.

Dear Boss,

I simply do not understand why you have failed to pay my agreed upon wages for the services I rendered this summer as an intern with you and your firm. I arrived at work on time every day. I worked as diligently as I could to accomplish the tasks that were assigned to me. I had excellent working relationships with you and your team.

Your partner paid his share on a timely basis. At the end of each of the first two weeks, he left me checks. He explicitly stated he had “limited resources,” yet he understood I showed up every day.

You stated at the end of both weeks one and two that you would give me a check. I never received anything.

Prior to the start of my internship, we agreed on $b a week ($y/day). Your partner gave me $c. I am now owed $x, and you even agreed and acknowledged you owed me this amount on public Facebook postings, text messages, e-mail exchanges and in person.

On several occasions, you indicated you would mail my payment “immediately.” Coming up on two months after the fact, I have yet to receive any payment. These are not disputable facts.

After I quit work, I did my own due diligence to protect myself from situations like this. When I was home, I gathered many facts. I talked to people who know you very well or did business with you in the past. I have records of all our electronic communications. Before I left for school, I met with an attorney to prepare myself just in case things became unfavorable.

Now, we have arrived at a very uncomfortable point. You have indicated you do not want to pay the wages we agreed to. You leave me very few options.

I should have received these wages at the end of every week I worked. At the very least, I should have collected them upon the conclusion of my work. It is completely unjustifiable to continue to withhold or negotiate these wages with me.

Though this is a very small amount of money to you, I am a college student and my internship income is essential to me in order to pay for my books, living and other expenses. You have put me in a very difficult financial position.

May I ask that you send me a check for $x today? If you cannot or will not do this, I will have no choice but to seek a legal solution through the local small claims court. I will also pursue this issue with the proper agencies.

I hope you understand this is not a route I would normally choose, but you have delayed paying me. Should I not receive full payment of $x by [specified date], I will have no choice but to pursue legal action. This seems like such a small and insignificant amount of money for services that I clearly rendered.

Yours Truly,

Naresh Vissa

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PLEASE NOTE THE SUBJECT OF THIS SERIES IS NOT MY CURRENT BOSS, DAN COFALL. DAN COFALL IS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE BOSS I HAD IN “MEMOIRS OF AN INTERN.”

This past summer, I packed my stuff and moved to another city to work an internship for an investment management company. I lived in a bankrupt Extended Stay Hotel, worked long hours and tried my best to do what I was asked. My boss and I agreed on a weekly wage.

After the second week of work, I developed bags under my eyes and was losing hair on my head. My main task was to get my boss and his partner’s clients national publicity. They wanted to be on channels like Discovery, FOX, Bloomberg and Howard Stern. Clients varied, from a plastic surgeon to financial expert. They gave me a phone and asked me to make things happen.

“HR in most investment firms is simply a transactional function,” said Peter Cappelli, Director of the Center for Human Resources at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “Get people in and get them out without breaking the law. They don’t do organizational development, training or job design.”

No proper training was provided. I had no problem with that, because I am entrepreneurial, but PR IS BRUTAL! The industry is all about whom you know. Forget about press releases, email marketing campaigns, CRM software and phone pitches. You need to have an in, and I didn’t have anything. I called mentors, Syracuse alumni, anyone and everyone, and I had nothing to show.

After the second week, two of the partners came into my office and said they were disappointed with how much time they spent teaching me the business. I told them from the start I was a 20-year-old intern. PR is brand new to me. It’s going to take some time.

The pressure built up. I wasn’t getting any responses from any producers or journalists. I became desperate. I was at the point I was going to beg people for things.

So I quit. My supervisors hoped I could take their clients national. I told them not to depend on me. They should rather dole out six grand a month for a PR firm and see the results. At the end, I didn’t want to waste their time, energy and money.

If there’s one thing I can take away from this, it’s make sure you love what you do. The worst feeling in the world is to wake up every morning and dread going to work.

The PR profession is tough stuff. If you don’t know anybody and don’t have the proper training or software to aid your work, you’re going to find yourself going nowhere.

It sucks, but I did what was best for everyone. I could have finished my term there, gotten no results and collected an extra stash of cash. Nevertheless, I felt that wasn’t even worth it.

But that’s not why I’m sharing this story. My internship really started after I quit. Up until that point, I did not get a single payment from my boss. Whether I lived up to expectations or not, I was owed money for showing up every morning and trying my best to produce results. I was supposed to get a check in my mail after returning home. After weeks of reminding my boss, it never came.

Next edition, I’ll discuss how I received the money I was owed.

Believe me – it was much more brutal than losing half a head of hair.

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Want to get to know a little bit more about me? Click the link below to find out about my background, investment methods, and influences. I don’t deserve the attention, so thank Anne Meyers for giving it to me by visiting her site

http://www.giveme20.com/blog/2009/09/college-student-stock-investor-profile-naresh-vissa-age-20/

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You can read a story about my background and various experiences I’ve had during my lifetime at the following website. I guess they thought I was newsworthy. I am truly flattered by the piece.

http://www.storyofmylife.com/User/user_suzy_story_view.aspx?storyId=4463&UserId=155341&ChapterId=7732

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With so many lodgings going under the last year, this article addresses some issues within the hotel industry and also provides tips for you to protect yourself during your travel.

It also does not hurt that I’m quoted in it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32805864/ns/travel-tips/

Christopher Elliott Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

From the outside, the Puerto Rican inn that Pablo Solomon checked into looked like it belonged on the cover of a slick vacation brochure. The landscaping seemed immaculate, the lawn was freshly trimmed, and the pool an inviting shade of blue.

He paid no attention to the “for sale” sign out front. But he should have.

“It was a disaster,” remembers Solomon, an artist who lives in Lampasas, Tex. “The staff knew their days were numbered and just did not care. Nothing worked and everything was dirty. There were bugs. We found out later that the exterior looked nice only because an outside company did the maintenance.”

A record number of hotels are thought to be in foreclosure, meaning that Solomon is in good company. (No one appears to keep reliable records on a nationwide basis.) One industry-watcher estimated that as many as 10,000 properties are at risk — that’s roughly 1 in every 5 hotels.

Most resorts don’t advertise their impending shutdown. “Hotels in foreclosure are very secretive about it,” says Aliya Jiwa, a Dubai-based hotel investment analyst. “There are absolutely immaculate hotels that are in foreclosure, and no one would know.”

Which brings us to the first — and perhaps the most obvious — tip-off that a hotel is in trouble. “If you see a for sale sign on your hotel,” says Solomon, “run.”

Beyond that, how do you make the most of a visit to an almost-bankrupt hotel? Here’s how to spot a property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one:

1. Is the place falling apart? Most hotels on the brink have lost their ability to repay their loans, so they can’t cover their operating costs. As a result, rooms and public areas become neglected. “Hotels need to refurbish or renovate every three years or so to maintain a good aesthetic appearance and keep their flag,” says Jiwa, the hotel analyst. (A flag is a hotel’s brand.) “When you see public areas like the lobby in need of some updating or rooms that are dilapidated — stained carpet, chipped tables, cracked bathroom tiles — then this is a sign that a hotel is financial trouble.” It doesn’t always mean the hotel is in foreclosure. Sometimes, it just means it’s a badly-run hotel. Either way, it’s not a good sign, and you should check out as soon as you’re able.

2. Was the price you paid too good to be true? Amazing lodging bargains sometimes have a high price. You may be checking into a hotel that’s on its way out, according to Melinda Crump, a spokeswoman for Sageworks, which conducts financial analysis for private companies, including hotels.  “For some, it may be a welcome opportunity to conserve cash,” she says. “But for others who are looking for a premier hotel experience, it may be a nightmare.” If a bank is forced to operate a hotel while waiting for a buyer, the hotel will probably be understaffed. That means the rooms won’t get cleaned as often, the hotel operator won’t answer the phone after a few rings (if at all) and room service will take forever. One way to find these troubled hotels is online (just type the name of the property and “review” and you’ll pull up a lot of helpful information). If the resort’s ratings are in the toilet, then the low rate it’s offering may be no bargain. You might want to look elsewhere.

3. See a lot of new faces? If there’s a new general manager and none of the staff look familiar to you, it could be a sign that the property has problems. “There can be an abrupt shift in personnel if the lender or creditor seeks to put a property management company in charge of the property,” says Travis Miller, chief mediation officer with Wisconsin Loss Mitigation, which helps hotels and other commercial properties reorganize their debts. New staff also doesn’t immediately understand the needs of the property and its long-time guests. Learning the ropes takes some time. If you’ve been visiting a hotel year after year and suddenly the staff changes, you might want to take your business elsewhere. At least until the new people find their bearings. Unless, of course, you want to turn your vacation into a learning opportunity for the brand-new staff. Yeah, neither do I.

4. Is the hotel cutting corners? Once the owner knows the property will be lost, there’s typically a deliberate effort to not invest any resources in it — and often an attempt to squeeze all possible resources from it, according to Shari Olefson, an attorney with the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., law firm Fowler White Boggs, and who is currently foreclosing on a hotel.

“For example, it is not unusual for owners to remove any furniture or equipment that they can remove without being obvious, or to divert certain orders, like food or linens, for resale,” she says. A careful guest might have known about the hotel’s problem by looking up the property’s legal description in the county’s records. That’s hardly practical. But the extreme cost-cutting, which in Olefson’s hotel included firing most of the cleaning staff “and replacing them with illegals” would have been the tip-off. When you see that, it’s time to move on to another hotel — or go home.

5. Hey, where’d everyone go? In a few cases, the hotel can close down suddenly, and without warning. “If the financial issues are extreme or the borrower and lender are really feuding, the hotel could be closed at any time, without much notice to the guest,” warns Suzanne Amaducci-Adams, a partner and hospitality industry expert at the Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod. What’s happening behind the scenes? It would take another column to explain everything, but Amaducci-Adams says there’s so much wrangling between various parties, titles and licenses — almost all of it unseen to the guest — that a lot can get overlooked. If there’s a litmus test for an imminent closure, or foreclosure, it might be the paintings and sculptures. “Personal property like art work could disappear from the lobby,” she says. Perhaps that’s a useful litmus test: If the artwork disappears, maybe you should, too.

The good news? Once a hotel emerges from foreclosure under new ownership, the deals may last — for a while. “In some cases, we saw hotels coming out of their foreclosure position by actually adopting rock-bottom prices,” says Jean Francois Mourier of RevPar Guru, a company that develops revenue management applications for hotels. In other words, there may be some short-term benefits to you even after a foreclosure.

Not all foreclosure hotel visits are negative, though. Some hotels actually do what they’re trained to do, even during tough times: They offer outstanding service at a reasonable price.

That’s what Naresh Vissa found when he stayed at a bankrupt extended-stay hotel in Dallas recently. “I had nothing but a fine service experience there,” he remembers. “I believe they cut down on the number of times per week they cleaned my room and set my bed, but the service was there when I needed it.”

Here’s hoping all of your bankrupt hotel stays are that good.

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Personal savings is the key to financial prosperity. Had we been saving all these years, we would not be in our current economic state. People made bad decisions with their money by spending beyond their means. Banks made egregious choices with other people’s wealth by encouraging them to live past their standards.

In economics, there is an accounting identity, where savings equals investment. The money available at your disposable serves as an asset to future investment. Spendthrifts may not be able to afford that new television set or PS3. By constantly spending, you will not be able to create much wealth because you will not have the necessary capital to produce innovative ideas in your head. In other words, you will find yourself living from paycheck to paycheck.

The best way to make money is to make it work for you. Invest in yourself. Open a CD at your bank so you can start saving for the future. Spend on automation or technology that can increase your productivity or networking ability. Take classes in web design, finance or the sciences to stimulate your mind.

Use www.mint.com to track all your credit/debit card purchases. At the site, set a budget for various categories, such as food, leisure and groceries. This is a good way to track spending. Start practicing now, so you will be better prepared when living on your own in the future.

There are great ways to invest in yourself and make money at the same time. Become a note-taker. Most classes at universities ask a student to submit notes on a weekly basis for students with disabilities. Doing this would force you to pay close attention to lecture material. The only time-commitment you would have is making the walk to drop off your notes (I was actually fired from my only note-taking position because of terrible handwriting).

Seek positions around campus. Share your knowledge and wisdom by becoming a tutor. Try to find something in marketing. Regardless what you end up doing in life, sales is the backbone of any business. Life is a sales call.

Students typically receive their financial aid package prior to their first year. If you are a sophomore or junior, you should contact the Office of Financial Aid to revisit your package. Circumstances have changed for many families over the past year.

“The financial aid office is always open to reevaluating your package,” says Contributing Personal Finance Editor at Seventeen Magazine Farnoosh Torabi. “Schools have set aside emergency money in this recession anticipating that parents will be contacting them at some point during the school year.”

Even if you have a solid financial aid package with scholarship money, the most expensive cost in college is tuition. Take school seriously. Major in a subject that motivates you to get up every morning. The worst thing you can do is study an area you detest, because you will end up skipping classes and cramming for exams.

“Only 40% of students nationwide graduate in four years,” says Torabi.

You do not want to stay an extra year to finish school because of a poor academic standing. That money could be saved – and invested – elsewhere.

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Welcome, Class of 2013. You have made a good decision to attend college. The U.S. government has poured trillions of dollars into physical capital but not enough into the most important capital of a society: human capital. By investing years in a college education, you are increasing intellectual capacity and, therefore, preparing yourself to be a productive member of the country.

Reading this post is a wise idea. I will try my best to share tips on business and financial issues, so that you can take control of your freedoms and stave off stress caused by economic downturn. My goal is to help you navigate your future. Most people are scared of this so-called “real world,” but it is not as daunting as you think it may be.

It is the first month of school, and the expenses are already adding up. You are probably wondering how you are going to make it through the year.

You won’t even open half the textbooks your professors claim you need. Find out from students who previously took the course whether the textbook is necessary. Trading textbooks with friends is the best way to save some cash.

“Every course requires the professor to provide the book at the school library for free,” said Farnoosh Torabi, contributing editor at Seventeen magazine.

School bookstores sell new and used books at unfavorable prices. Check out www.campusbooks.com and www.DealOz.com for the best deals. The websites filter all the major discount sites (eBay, Amazon.com, etc.) and find you the most affordable prices. On average, I end up paying approximately a quarter of the price I would have paid at the bookstore.

You may need your books the first few weeks of school, but buy them at the bookstore with the intent of returning them on the last day, so you’ll be able to get a full refund. That way you have them while your on-line purchases are being shipped. Do not tamper with shrink-wrapped items, as the bookstore will not accept was that are opened.

Universities charge unreasonable rates for meal plans. But when you look at how many meals you actually eat every week, you will find that many go unused. Find ways to use those unused meals – maybe they can be converted into credit at the local supermarket?

Stay tuned for more tips!

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Good day Shufflers! Thanks for reading!!! I will be frequently updating my blog. I’m going to be coming from a different angle compared to my counterparts. As a third-year broadcast journalism, finance and accounting student at Syracuse University, I am not an expert on anything quite yet, but I feel I do have lots of valuable advice to share with you!

Stay tuned!!!!!

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