Name: Brent Foster
Degrees Earned: BBA Accounting, BBA Finance (Double Major)
Class Year: May 2005
Current Profession: Founder, CEO, COO of Northbound Wealth
How did your experiences in the Rankin College of Business prepare you for your professional career?
Smaller class sizes with access to professors and advisors was essential for me as a Student – Athlete. The focus of constant improvement and advancement in academia within the College of Business by leadership was something I didn’t fully appreciate until later in my career.
How was your area of study especially useful to you in your career?
Every day I conduct varying degrees of financial analysis in constructing and managing investment portfolios for clients. I provide financial advice during the financial planning process for individual investors. In conducting due diligence on what I see as investment opportunities, I lean on my knowledge and experience to make the most informed decision possible. The area of accounting is said to be the foundation of business and that is why I chose to study it. The area of finance is what I was most passionate about. The marrying of studies was the ideal strategy. Combined, they established a foundation in academia that helped me develop valuable and profitable skills and knowledge in finance, accounting, economics and mathematics.
Do you have any favorite memories from your time at the Rankin College of Business?
Trading stocks in mock accounts during the semester. Challenging work in derivative mathematics.
What advice would you offer to a new student beginning their course of study at the Rankin College of Business?
- You get out what you put in.
- There is no substitute for hard work.
- It’s not what happens to you, but how you respond!
