Ideas and Opinions from Donald Trump and TrumpU Faculty.

The following question was submitted to "Ask Donald Trump" by a Trump University member. Question: What was your mentality when you encounter difficult times? How did you manage negativity and come through successfully? My Response: I refused to give in or to give up. I knew I wasn’t finished, and in fact I came back to be more successful than I was before. I refused to become negative and saw the situation as a ‘blip’ and not a catastrophe. I focused on the solution, not the problems. Being positive can give you tremendous resiliency. I regained my focus and was very tenacious. The best mentality more...

If a baseball player hits .333 he’s had a great season--but it also means he failed to get a hit close to 70% of the time. I played baseball in college and I learned a lot about the game and about the importance of team work. I also learned that patience and timing are crucial. That translated into business skills later on. I’m a firm believer that every experience has value if we choose to notice and take the lesson away with us. Not everything we do will be a hit, a home run or a grand slam. It just doesn’t work more...

Graduating from college during an employment slump stinks. It's like the universe dumped on you just because of your birthday. I empathize. It happened to me. Now...get over it. It's October. Summer is long over. If you haven't picked-up the pieces of your shattered prospects, start now, immediately. Here are three things I want you to do: Get a Job That's right, get a job. Any job will do. It doesn't have to be in your field and it doesn't have to be full-time. It just needs to pay. People innately respect the employed. It's much easier to get hired into a desirable position when more...

I was on Neil Cavuto’s show yesterday for an update of what’s happening with the economy. On the whole I’m feeling much better than a year ago. They did the right thing with the banks or we’d be in a major depression now. One problem is that the banks won’t lend any money. Fortunately I’m using my own money. But the banks need to lend to fix unemployment. In that sense, the situation is worse now than a few months ago. The banks are probably building up their balance sheets, but it isn’t doing the economy or the people any good. Regarding the stimulus, more...

In a recent conversation with an asset manager, the topic of foreclosures came up and various stories about what you find when you first acquire that property. He told me about a recent default on a fraternity house.  Yes, you heard me correctly, the bank had to foreclose on a fraternity house.  He asked me, "Tina, what do we do with a 15 bedroom + 1 huge party room house that reeks of beer?"   Good question!  To add a bit more detail:  each bedroom had deadbolt locks, there were some creative "paintings" on the walls, the kitchen was pretty non-existent, and the more...

The following question was submitted to "Ask Donald Trump" by a Trump University member. Question: How has your family life and marriages influenced, either positively or negatively, in your way of achieving things? How is this aspect of your life tied to your success? My Response: Having a happy family life definitely provides an equilibrium that is very helpful for finding success. It is a firm foundation, just as education can be. A family unit is stronger than an individual. For example, I am the Chairman of a large organization, and I know how effective it is, and how important it is, to have a more...

The property you’re considering looks good. The price is right. It’s just what you’ve been looking for, and you’re about to make an offer. But think twice, because you need to do a little due diligence to make sure the deal doesn’t contain any hidden pitfalls. Here’s a list of easy-to-miss deal-killers. They represent very good reasons to walk out of a real estate deal and continue your search for other properties: Property Deal-killer #1: The local government makes it impossible to get work permits. The town will make you wait three months for a permit to put in a new sidewalk more...

My daughter Ivanka’s first book, The Trump Card, is a collection of personal memoirs and business advice. It will be released on October 13th by Simon and Schuster. She’s done a terrific job and I’m very proud of her. The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life Ivanka Trump. A child of privilege with one of the most familiar surnames in America, Trump has managed to avoid many of the pitfalls that routinely plague children of the rich and famous (reckless partying, drug abuse and other mindless self-indulgences) to become a focused, successful woman in her own right-a model, entrepreneur and vice more...

Have you ever gone on vacation and said, "I would really like to own a place here"?  Have you ever rented a large beach house with family members and/or friends?  Do you prefer to take a family trip within a one day drive of your home? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, the concept of fractional ownership may appeal to you. As second home buyers are looking for more affordable ways to acquire their vacation home, fractional ownership has seen an increase in exposure.  Fractional ownership is, simply put, a group of friends, relatives or investors pooling their resources to more...

Henry Ford said “Don’t find a fault. Find a remedy.” That statement can cover a lot of territory in our business lives as well as personal lives. I have often said that one way out of a problem is to focus on the solution, which is a similar take. The next step is tenacity. People who know me know that I don’t give up. I’m someone who stays the course and sometimes it can take decades. Trump Place on the Hudson River took many years to come into being, as it was in 1974 that I first secured the option to buy more...

The recent spates with Joe Wilson, Serena Williams and Kanye West left some people wondering if America lost its civility. If you enjoy pop culture or politics it may seem that way. How much effort does it take to treat other people the same way you want them to treat you? I've actually asked people about this.  Surprisingly, many think that being nice: Breaks the flow of the conversation Feels artificial Produces self-consciousness or embarrassment Some people are friendly and polite with their buddies, family, colleagues and co-workers. But when it comes to people that they do not know, like baristas, store clerks and servers, they more...

A fairly new real estate investor once explained to me why he gave up trying to buy a property on the courthouse steps.  He said it was a waste of his time because the group of investors who attended these auctions seemed to look out for each other and get all the good properties. Instead of trying to join them, he shunned them.  Who lost out there? Successful real estate investors seem to be a pretty close group.  They ride the hills and valleys together and often, tend to help each other out.  I've known quite a few investors who made good business more...

In my last post What is a Tax Lien Sale? I discussed what they were and how to earn money investing in tax liens.  Today we are going to review some of the issues real estate investors should be aware of if they are considering this type of investment. Tax liens are illiquid.  They must be held until they are repaid or the lien holder takes the action to foreclose.  While tax liens can be transferred to another party, they cannot be cashed in.   If the real estate investor does end up acquiring the deed to the property, they also acquire any problems more...

I hated to see Serena Williams apologize so much for her actions in her recent loss to Kim Clijsters. I have always liked Serena and respected her tenacity. She got angry at a line judge, as have many other great players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, because the line judge made a mistake--there was no foot fault! The line judge made a very evident mistake, and she is the one who should be apologizing. She had a smirk on her face and was being a wise guy. Serena was right to be upset, as would be any other player. The backlash against more...

With so much being said about how bad things are, I’ve decided we need to accentuate the positive. There are always positives, and one reason I’ve remained resilient is because I choose to see the bright side of situations. People who know me and work with me know that my persona of optimism isn’t a façade--it’s for real. I want to emphasize how valuable that approach is if you intend to be successful. Your attitude is also your altitude--and the higher your frequency, the greater your results will be. That doesn’t mean it will happen overnight. As you might know by now, I more...