Quando as luzes se apagam, o apito final soa e os fãs vão embora — o que vem depois? Para muitos atletas, a resposta é a incerteza financeira. Mas não precisa ser assim. Você trabalhou duro demais para deixar seu dinheiro acabar.
This isn’t another preachy piece telling you to eat Cup Noodles and save everything you can. This is about using the wealth you earn during your athletic prime as capital inicial para construir algo ainda maior. Seu legado. Seu segundo ato.
Por Que Isso Importa Agora
A carreira média na NFL dura apenas 3,3 anos. Na NBA? Cerca de 4 anos. Even if you’re earning millions, the cold, hard truth is that those income streams can dry-up fast. According to Sports Illustrated, quase 78% dos jogadores da NFL enfrentam dificuldades financeiras em apenas dois anos.
Vamos ser sinceros: o sistema não foi feito para te ensinar sobre fluxo de caixa, isenções fiscais, private equity ou como contratar o assessor financeiro certo. Para ter sucesso na sua carreira, você precisa focar no treino e no desempenho. Mas isso não significa que não deva aprender.
You don’t have to live like a monk to build wealth—but you do need to have a plan.
Entrepreneurship: A Wealth-Building Strategy for Modern Athletes
1. Pense em “Capital Inicial”, Não em Fundo de Aposentadoria
Não se trata de economizar para uma casa na praia aos 60 anos, ou pior, viver como um monge enquanto está no auge do sucesso. Trata-se de plantar agora that can grow into a business, a foundation or a brand. Your career earnings should be your launchpad.
2. You Don’t Have to Live Like a Monk to Invest. Live on the Salary, Invest the Rest on the Future.
Endorsements, performance bonuses, and licensing deals? That’s your growth fund. Your base salary should cover your lifestyle, and the rest should be invested.
3. Invest in What Excites You, and Consider Entrepreneurship
Real estate is fine. Stocks are solid. They’ll very likely play a role in your financial journey. But what really moves you? What business would you actually want to wake up and build up when your time on the field ends?
You don’t necessarily have to be LeBron James or Roger Federer to build substantial, money-making businesses. Athletes like basketball’s Dwayne Dedmon (Wingstop franchises and real estate), Falcons QB Kirk Cousins (Chick-fil-A franchises), soccer’s Juan Mata (Common Goal), and MMA legend Demetrious Johnson (Quantum Energy Square) have used their platforms to build successful entrepreneurial careers even before retirement.
Entrepreneurship has many shapes and forms nowadays. Newly-minted MBAs without the brand or name recognition of athletes are buying up small-and-medium businesses with potential and growing them organically and through acquisitions.
Entrepreneurship-Through-Acquisition (ETA) is a popular entrepreneurial path we are finding ourselves recommending to our clients more frequently these days. It benefits from financing support from the federal government at very favorable terms, generous tax incentives and helps acquirers avoid the pain of starting businesses from scratch.
Even if managing a business doesn’t really attract you, investing in ETA Funds and similar middle-market Private Equity funds offer a potential path to outsize investment returns.
4. Use Your Personal Brand to Grow Your Business
You’re more than an athlete. Social media isn’t just for clout—it can be equity building. Use your story to attract customers and potential partnerships.
Specialized Financial Advisors Can Help You Get Started. But Get The Time Certo.
Working with specialized financial advisors that deeply understand the very unique finances athletes have and can dedicate significant time and attention to your investments. Massive financial firms are typically not a good fit for athletes, as they tend to offer more generalized advice and strategies that don’t really apply to athletes’ unique careers and needs.
You earned your wealth young and by investing it you can make it last through retirement and hopefully beyond. You can and should enjoy the lifestyle, the cars, the travel. But let by investing your money you can crescer. Isso não significa se afastar da vida—significa investir na próxima fase dela.
As carreiras esportivas acabam. O resto da sua vida começa.
Handal Dunaway: Especialistas em Ajudar Atletas and Coaches Invest
Na Handal Dunaway, sabemos que as carreiras esportivas são intensas — mas muitas vezes de curta duração. É por isso que nossa equipe é dedicada a te ajudar a transformar os ganhos de hoje no império de amanhã. Oferecemos estratégias personalizadas de investimento, desenvolvimento de negócios e planejamento patrimonial de longo prazo — feitas especificamente para atletas como você. Esteja você começando sua carreira ou se preparando para o próximo capítulo, estamos aqui para garantir que seu sucesso fora de campo seja tão grande quanto o que você conquistou dentro dele.
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