Bob Murphy (’89) on Faith and Finance Forum Podcast

Alumnus real estate broker Robert Murphy (’89), principal broker at Station Cities, Connecticut, recently sat down for an interview for the Catholic Finance Association’s Faith and Finance Forum podcast. Over the course of the exchange, he discussed the intersection of his faith and professional lives — and how Thomas Aquinas College has prepared him for both.

Mr. Murphy’s time at the College, he said, has enabled him to maintain that delicate balance between pursuing prosperity and solidarity. After he graduated in 1989, he and his wife Lori (Sullivan ’88) moved to Connecticut, where he began teaching at the Legionaries of Christ’s College of Humanities. But as his young family grew, he realized a career change was in order. “I needed to make more money,” he says in the interview. “So I started dabbling in real estate.”

That decision to dabble soon led Mr. Murphy to the firm of William Raveis, where within five years he had risen to the top five percent of the company’s brokers. Emboldened by his success, he opened his own brokerage in 2007, which met with similar success — until the Great Recession of 2008. Recovering with the rest of the world, he became increasingly involved with the corporate relocation market, helping companies establish headquarters in different states. Personal life, of course, did not slow down during this time: Over the years, the Murphys have welcomed ten children, including five TAC alumni and one current student: Brian (’14), Kathleen (’16), Jack (’19), Michael (’20), Margaret (’22), and Liam (’25).

As a businessmen, maintaining integrity demands respect for truth and a firm moral compass — and Mr. Murphy found both at Thomas Aquinas College. “I fell in love with the academic life,” he says, with a special regard for the College’s use of the Discussion Method. “I had an epiphany. I never thought you could actually understand this way, and this clearly … it’s just engaging in the best way.” Moreover, authentic Catholicism infused every discussion. “It’s a great place to be for four years to really deepen your love for Christ and the Catholic faith!”

In the full interview, Mr. Murphy discusses the role of faith in his real estate work, the joys of family life, and the protean dynamics of the housing market. Throughout, however, he remains openly and warmly grateful for his time at the College: “I fell in love with the Faith, I fell in love with the academic life, and I fell in love with my wife — it was all good!”