I was honored to be selected as the finance columnist for The Cavalier Daily at University of Virginia for the 2011-2012 school year. The Cavalier Daily is a student-run, independent newspaper dating back to 1890, making it the oldest collegiate newspaper in Virginia. The newspaper distributes more than 10,000 copies on grounds and throughout the Charlottesville community.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) as CEO in 1997 the company was on the verge of collapsing. The firm had lost the edge it previously held over its competitors and was struggling to create new products. Steve Jobs laterbecame the innovator that would carrythe company to incredible success with the creations of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Today, Apple is the world’s valuable company with a current market value of $560.4 billon.

Google, Dell, and Napster are all related in that they were created while their respected founders were in college. Within the last 40 years, Harvard has produced two of the most influential technology companies of all time. Both Microsoft and Facebook have changed the way individuals connect with one another and perform tasks in their daily lives. Bill Gate’s Microsoft defined the technology of the elder generation, while Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has defined, and is still defining, our generation.

In today’s fast-paced society you don’t necessarily have to have a steady job to make money. In fact, you can make money much easier than you think, and you can do it straight from your dorm room or apartment. With the increase of Internet users around the world, all types of information is becoming more valuable and companies will actually pay you to for your knowledge as a freelance worker.

Traditionally medicine has been a one size fits all prescription. If you are sick, you are placed into a division meeting your specified ailments and are eventually funneled down to a type of treatment. This leaves much room for error. Although each individual in the subgroup may have the same conditions, every person is different from one another. Furthermore, medicine today imposes high costs, unnecessary treatments, and disjointed decision-making. This makes it very difficult, and expensive, for patients to combat their sicknesses.

Credit cards are the primary source of payment for most individuals all around the world. As our generation continues to use credit cards for most of our transactions, protecting our security needs to take a more prominent role.

Unfortunately there are perceptions that as employees climb the corporate ladder, moral values begin to diminish in pursuit of higher returns or personal profits. These corrupt business practices are most often associated with the financial service industry and illustrated in films such as Wall Street. A recent, real-life example of this behavior was the 2008 discovery of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzie scheme that cost investors 18 billion dollars, one of the largest financial frauds in US history.

The University of Virginia is one of the most outstanding institutions in the United States given its diverse curriculums, outstanding professors, and amazing facilities. However the costs of grants, renovations, scholarships, and financial aid packages can create enormous financial budgets that need to be managed carefully. UVa is able to succeed in its endeavors thanks to its large endowment funding and prudent investing decisions. The university’s endowment has consistently ranked in the Top 5 for public universities and in the Top 20 for all institutions of higher education. The University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) has led UVa to the upper echelon of college endowment funding and continues to provide valuable resources to the university.

With the conclusion of the holiday season and the start of the new semester, you may find yourself tight on cash. Some of us probably had great search costs as we spent copious amounts of time standing in line or exploring stores for that perfect gift. It’s likely that some of us could not return a terrible Christmas gift from a relative because the receipt was nowhere to be found. As birthdays and other holidays such as Valentine’s Day approach, these search costs can be minimized with smartphone apps that help maximize our limited time and save money.