Woodbury professor Neumeister offers differing perspectives in first book
While some people would focus on survival or perhaps look for the next watering hole while venturing through the Sahara Desert, Woodbury University accounting chair Jeff Neumeister had other ideas.
In April 2017, the certified public accountant, adjunct professor and ultra-marathon runner was midway through the grueling Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 156-mile marathon through southern Morocco when he had an epiphany.
The starkness of the territory, the lack of structures and the endless sea of sand was in direct contrast to the noise and crowd of downtown Los Angeles or the friendly confines of Woodbury.
Neumeister said it was that different perspective that led him to co-write his first book, “Money Matters — World’s Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips to Success.” He wrote the book along with real estate investor Adam Torres.
The book was published in late September and is available in paperback or on Amazon Kindle.
“There’s an extra sense of accomplishment with this book,” Neumeister said. “Like that marathon, it’s a challenge that you take on.”
The 151-page, 15-chapter book focuses on various aspects of the real estate market, with each section written by a different expert in a field, such as developers, attorneys and financial advisers. Topics range from real estate branding, mortgages, hiring a general contractor and legal risks, along with dealing with Airbnb short-term rentals.
Neumeister said part of his desire to write the book came “from past experiences about some of the gaps in understanding of real estate, not just from a developer’s perspective, but also first-time home-buyers, first-time investors and partnerships. It’s also best practices.”
On top of writing the book’s introduction, Neumeister wrote the sixth chapter, titled “Best Practices in Accounting for Real Estate Investment Projects.”
Neumeister’s advice is backed by 18 years of experience and several degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in business and information from Macon State College, a master’s in criminal justice from Arizona State, a master’s in business administration from Woodbury and a master’s in accounting from Kaplan University.
The forensic accounting guru also opened his first office, called Neumeister and Associates, in Burbank a year ago.
Yet, his wealth of knowledge and experience doesn’t stop Neumeister from advising readers to look upon his book as a supplemental learning aid rather than a one-size-fits-all guide.
“The reality is the industry changes too much and is too big and there’s too much going on for there to be a single book or compendium,” Neumeister said.
It’s that ever-changing world of real estate that led Neumeister to seek out expert opinions outside of accounting.
“Like the desert experience, I wanted to have a book that offered different perspectives and viewpoints that are different than mine,” Neumeister said. “It’s exactly why it makes sense to aggregate the number of chapters for a number of authors. You’ll get a better picture and view vantage points you don’t normally see.”
