Paul Mueller’s Busy School Year and Even Busier Summers

| Photo courtesy of The King’s College

Dr. Paul Mueller, an associate professor of economics at The King’s College, spends his time in the summer at his family-owned bed and breakfast with his wife and five kids. 

After high school, Mueller attended Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich. with an interest in the world of politics. He consulted with his high school teachers, some of which graduated from Hillsdale, and he decided to attend as a political science major. 

His interest in politics comes from his fascination with how government and law work. Mueller originally planned to become a senator and “fix everything.” However, he never forgot about his passion for economics.

Mueller’s interest in economics started at a young age. He spent many hours talking with his father, who works in finance, about the economy, markets, and investments. He then decided to double major in economics and political science. 

Mueller continued his studies in economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. where he received his master’s and doctorate degrees. 

Fresh out of graduate school, Mueller applied to King’s and received a job offer shortly after. He had found the college through his connection with Brian Brenberg, Executive Vice President of King’s. 

Mueller met Brenberg during his time at Hillsdale through an internship at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. 

“I felt like going to King’s was about approaching the world head-on,” he said after finding the King's mission statement to be compelling.

While working and teaching at King’s, Mueller’s knowledge of economics continued to grow. He published a book in 2019 about the 2008 financial crisis. Mueller’s motivation to write the book stemmed from his own opinions on the market collapse and the tenth 

anniversary of the crisis. He even experienced the company Bear Stearns being bought by JPMorgan Chase while in New York City. 

The 2008 crisis “partly motivated me to go to graduate school,” Mueller said. 

Mueller does not see America experiencing another financial crisis similar to that of 2008. Nor does he believe that the nation will go into a housing market crash. However, a separate issue troubles Mueller.

“I am definitely nervous about how much money was borrowed in 2020,” Mueller said. He has no idea what could happen, but “if things play out fine over the next five years, I am going to have to rethink a lot of my understanding of economics,” he added.

Aside from his life in the big city, he always had a special place in his heart for the state of Colorado. During the summer of 2017, Mueller and his family bought The Abbey and converted the building from a convent for nuns to a fully functioning bed and breakfast hotel. 

The Abbey is located in Leadville, Colo., Mueller’s home state. Mueller and his wife’s decision to open a bed and breakfast in Colorado comes from their love of the state and nature. 

A few years ago, Mueller and his family stayed over a month in the mountains of Colorado at 10,000 feet in elevation. “It was just an awesome experience,” Mueller said. They wanted to continue their adventures by hosting guests in the Centennial State. 

“We have a desire to host people and put on events and conferences,” Mueller said. “This was a really cool option.” 

The Abbey currently has a five-star rating on its Facebook page, and one of the customers praised their stay, saying, “We had a wonderful stay at The Abbey! The host was incredibly warm and welcoming.” 

When COVID-19 took the world by storm last year, Muller and his family spent much of their free time at The Abbey. During that time, he enjoyed taking on home improvement projects and completed a full remodel of the kitchen, including the ceiling and floor.