Patrick McGarrity

After riding the roller coaster of four figure income and four figure debt during college, McGarrity gathered his thoughts into a book entitled "What I Wish My Parents Had Told Me," which focuses on the pitfalls he experienced during college and his first few years in "the real world."

Upon entering college, McGarrity exhibited the financial skills of a person years his elder, saving enough money during his freshman year to open a Certificate of Deposit, so he would have more money to spend during the second semester of school.

Ultimately, McGarrity succumbed to the social pressures he faced, and began relying on credit cards to fund his social activities. In fact, there’s a good chance you may have seen Patrick on MTV during his Spring Breaks. Not content with calling home for financial assistance, McGarrity preferred to become a Resident Assistant and to take on odd jobs to raise money for his debts. Often times, as with the laundry business he created with a friend, he found himself losing money more often than making money.

Now on firm financial footing, McGarrity is still amazed at the number of people that don’t know the basics about the importance of financial stability, and hopes that through his book, and presentations like "Big Money," today’s students can avoid the pitfalls he experienced.