Business Professor Pens Money Management Book
A Mississippi College business professor and small-business owner, Anderson provides sound money management advice to folks facing their fears as the nation's recession stretches into 2010. With the USA jobless rate recently climbing to 10.2 percent, the worst since 1983, and 15.7 million Americans out of work, their concerns are real.
Retailing for $14.95 and arriving in stores just in time for Christmas, her book is published by Quail Ridge Press of Brandon. The title sums up her message very well. Her book is titled "Tough Talk for Tough Times: Real Conversations for Real People About Money and Finance."
Her book tour features a number of events in the new year. Her stops include a Feb. 13 book signing at Barnes & Noble store in Gulfport from 1-3 p.m. Anderson is also booked for a visit to Page and Pallette in Fairhope, Ala. on Feb. 25 from 3-5 p.m.
Anderson gets around when it comes to media visits. She appears most Thursdays on Midday Mississippi on WLBT-TV 3 in Jackson. The Mississippian is also featured on a weekly radio spot on MC's own station STAR 93.5 on the Clinton campus.
The timing couldn't be better with President Barack Obama convening a jobs summit at the White House in early December. Drawing some of the nation's business titans and leading economic thinkers, the event in Washington comes just days before Anderson kicked off her book signing tour.
The MC professor began the tour at the Lemuria Book Store in Jackson Saturday, Dec. 12 and made a stop at the Pentimento Book Store Dec. 19 in her hometown of Clinton. If you can't find her book in the stores, try getting a copy on the computer on the Amazon site.
Thousands of Magnolia State residents make it a habit to hear Anderson give free advice as a regular panelist for more than a year on the weekly PBS radio show "Money Talks." When the Mississippi College graduate talks on the statewide program, people listen and learn.
And when the Laurel native puts pen to paper as she did recently with a "Perspective" column one Sunday in the Clarion-Ledger on the state of the Mississippi economy, people take notice.
Her new book should be a nice resource for folks from the Memphis area to the Gulf Coast whether they're contemplating retirement or launching a second or third career. Those wondering if they should invest during the nation's shaky economy will find valuable tips.
"The book addresses the fear created by last year's financial crisis by encouraging people to go back to the basics," Anderson says. "So many people were scared to death and asking questions about their future. Will I be able to retire? Will I have to go back to work? Will I be able to keep my house? Will I still have a job? It's a scary time."
As more and more families in Mississippi and other states face a weak economy, shrinking buying power, and the toll of heavy layoffs that some compare to the Great Depression of 1929, "I hope to see more willing to learn about sound money management," Anderson said.
"I give them simple tips and guidelines to follow. I use stories and examples to explain the complex world of Wall Street," said the chartered financial analyst. "At heart, I am a teacher and a cheerleader, and I'm passionate about this subject. I know that good financial management is the secret to a comfortable life."
Anderson, who received her bachelor's degree at MC and MBA at the Baptist-affiliated school in Clinton, earned her doctorate at Mississippi State University. She teaches the principles of finance, investments and financial statement analysis to her students at Self Hall, home of the School of Business. Anderson joined the MC School of Business faculty in 2007.
In just a few months, a number of her MC students will be hitting the job market.
Any advice for the Class of 2010?
"Don't be choosy. Take whatever job comes your way, and work like crazy to show you are valuable," the author says. "Later, you'll be able to get that dream job, but now is the time to forget your pride and develop a little humility. If no job materializes, consider graduate school."
Sometimes she deals with some pretty difficult questions from her radio show callers. What was one of the toughest?
"The most difficult was from a caller who had built up huge medical bills. His daughter had a serious illness and required several surgeries. There was no way for the family to pay off these bills." Anderson and a co-panelist on "Money Talk" "knew the answer was bankruptcy, but we had a hard time saying this on the air."
The youngest of three children, Anderson spent the first six years of her life in Ellisville in Jones County. Her dad, who is now retired, spent his working years as a telephone man and bi-vocational Baptist minister. The family moved to Gulfport, so she considers the Coast to be home. But she's also lived in metro Jackson for about 30 years now and has put down some roots here, too.
Writing has always been a passion for Nancy Anderson, who contemplated a career as a physician, back during her junior high days. "It's funny because I ended up going to school many years anyway. I still ended up being a doctor, just not one that heals people."
Her new book should help ease the pain for people in the middle of a financial headache or worse. The book should provide for many teachable moments for readers no matter what their income level.
Teaching at MC is another passion and she does it well, colleagues and students say. "She is a wonderful teacher," said Ken Qiu, a graduate business student. "Her lectures about finances and investments are very clear," added the native of China. "I've learned a lot from her class. We talk a lot about business ethics and the financial markets."
Anderson admires her MC students.
"I have great affection for each of my students. I see each as a gift waiting to be opened to the world," Anderson said." Mississippi College is full of professors who feel exactly the same way."
Whether Nancy Anderson is writing about money management, hitting tennis balls, or riding her bike, she does it with enormous energy. Those reading her new book can expect to be energized, too, as they deal with tough times.
Her first book signing begins Saturday at 1 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at Lemuria in Jackson on Dec. 12. A week later Anderson will visit the Pentimento Book Store in Clinton from 1-3 p.m. The MC professor will speak and sign books at Lorelei Books in Vicksburg on Saturday, January 23 at 2 p.m. Anderson can be reached at nanderso@mc.edu or 601.925.7094.
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