Professor Emeritus Michael McGuinness ’78

Professor Emeritus Michael McGuinness ’78 | Economics and Business Department 

Professor Emeritus Michael McGuinness ’78 taught business courses and mentored students at Saint Anselm College for over two decades. 

What brought you to the Hilltop as a student?

I grew up in Lynn, Mass., my father was an alum—he went here back when it was one building. I knew I wanted a small school, where I could find my niche, and Saint Anselm had a great reputation. I was very quiet but was lucky to make a great group of friends and I still see that happening today to students. Saint Anselm is really a special place.
 


When did you return to Saint Anselm to teach, and why?

I worked for Converse Inc. for 16 years, finishing as the director of international finance and operations. I then did contract work doing international operational audits where I would travel overseas for two weeks and be home for one week—but it was tough on my family. Then in 2002, I started getting calls from friends that Saint Anselm was looking for a professor in the Economics and Business Department, and I knew it was meant to be.
 


What was your favorite class to teach?

While I loved my accounting courses, believe it or not, my favorite class was Personal Finance for Non-Business Majors. It was such a relevant class, and if a student paid attention in it, they’d hopefully make good financial decisions through their lifetime. It was practical, and I got great questions from the students. What was most rewarding for me was knowing they were going to use this information in their lifetime.

Did this give you the idea for your book?

Yes. The College was kind enough to grant me a sabbatical, and I took representative questions and answers from this class as the basis for the exchanges in the book, A Young Adult’s Guide to Personal Finance.

What did students say was their biggest takeaway from your personal finance class?

Students used to come back and tell me how useful the information was to them (and some have actually become good financial planners). I met some of their parents, and I think they liked the course even more than the students.


Did you see a change in students and their financial savviness over the years?

With all due respect to the most recent students I taught, I don’t believe they were as financially well versed initially as prior generations, and it is absolutely critical for them to be so. Many companies are eliminating pension plans and, in my opinion, local governments and states are going to have to, at some point, put their new employees on a 401k or 403b plan. Those students are going to be more responsible for their own retirement and financial future than any other generation has previously been.

If you could give one piece of financial advice to young people, what would it be?

Invest in yourself first. New graduates need to establish a budget once they leave here and make sure they’re putting money away each pay period.

In your opinion, what sets Saint Anselm’s economics and business students apart from students at other schools?

Former faculty Tom Moses and David St. Cyr really laid the foundation for the department. Professor Emeritus John Romps was just exceptional; I had him in class, and then found myself teaching alongside him. Professor Emeritus Arthur Kenison ’63 and Professor Emerita Jeanne Kenison ’62 (Mount Saint Mary) loved the school. With the efforts of prior faculty, continued by the current faculty, students across all majors succeed in many different areas. They are logical, articulate, and know how to go out and solve problems. I was very humbled by former students that came back to visit when I saw how well they had done.

Adapted from “Focus on Faculty: Michael McGuinness” by Kate Grip Denon from the Spring/Summer 2020 edition of Portraits.