An Open Letter to an Athlete About Money, Investing, and the Long Game
An open letter to a pro athlete about money, investing, and building lasting wealth — now shared to help more athletes avoid going broke.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that a professional soccer player from the U.S. had subscribed to the newsletter.
I was genuinely glad to see an athlete showing interest in investing.
Let’s be honest: most athletes never learn how to manage their money properly. Eventually, they burn through it all — and end up with nothing.
To do my small part, I reached out to congratulate him. Taking the time to learn about investing is a major step — not just for his career, but for the rest of his life.
I asked if he’d like a few book and reading recommendations to get started. He said yes.
So I decided to go further and write him a detailed letter with curated resources, examples, and reflections.
The best part? He kindly agreed to let me share the letter publicly here on WorldlyInvest.
The goal: to help more athletes access this kind of guidance — and to invite the Finstack community to add their own recommendations too.
Thank you, Jaden Jones-Riley , for generously agreeing to share this letter.
Without further ado, here’s the letter:
Dear Jaden,
First, I want to congratulate you for taking the time to learn about money and investing. It’s one of the smartest things you can do for your future.
Sadly, many professional athletes — in soccer and other sports — burn through their earnings after retiring, simply because no one teaches them how to manage or invest their money for the long term.
The fact that you’re already thinking about this now puts you way ahead of the game. You’re building a strong foundation for your life after soccer — and that’s a huge win.
Here are some examples of athletes and celebrities who have built wealth beyond their sports careers:
Michael Jordan: Earned far more from business and investments than from his NBA salary.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Made his first millions investing in California real estate before becoming a movie star. You can read more about his investmentes, here.
Clint Eastwood: Built significant wealth through acting, directing, and investments. Owns a large real estate portfolio, co-owns Pebble Beach Golf Links, and runs Malpaso Productions.
Lionel Messi: Recently listed his €223 million real estate empire through Edificio Rostower Socimi, a Spanish REIT managed by his family office.
Alex Rodriguez: Former MLB star turned entrepreneur. Built a major business empire with A-Rod Corp, investing heavily in real estate (over 15,000 units) and multiple industries.
Ashton Kutcher: Actor turned tech investor. Co-founded A-Grade Investments and Sound Ventures, with early stakes in Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, and Skype.
Ok, now let's talk about the recommendations.
Since you asked for recommendations, here’s a simple list of books, podcasts, and newsletters that will help you start your journey:
Books
The Psychology of Money — Morgan Housel
It shows you how emotions and behavior shape our financial decisions more than technical knowledge.
As an athlete, you already know that mindset is key to success. The same is true with money — this book helps you build the right mentality for long-term financial success.
How to Think About Money — Jonathan Clements
You’ll learn how to think clearly about money, happiness, and what really matters.
It helps you see money not just as a score, but as a tool to build a life that makes you happy and secure — during and after your career.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich — Ramit Sethi
A practical, step-by-step guide to setting up your finances: saving, investing, managing expenses, and automating your money.
No complex jargon — just actionable advice you can start applying right away, even with a busy soccer schedule.
You can follow Ramit on social media as well.
The Millionaire Next Door — Stanley & Danko
One of my favorites. The book shows you how real millionaires live — not flashy, but disciplined and focused on growing wealth steadily.
Helps avoid the “athlete lifestyle trap” of overspending and teaches the importance of building quiet, lasting wealth.
Now let's talk about some books on investing. As an athlete, I'm going to recommend books on passive investing and ETFs rather than active investing (stock picking).
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing — John Bogle
The clearest explanation of how to invest in index funds — simple, low-cost, and proven to work over time.
Passive investing is ideal for busy professionals like athletes — you can set it up and let it grow without having to monitor the markets daily.
Protecting Your Wealth in Good Times and Bad — Rick Ferri
How to build a portfolio that will hold up in both good markets and bad, and how to adjust your investments as needed.
As your career progresses and your earnings increase, this book will help you protect what you’ve built and avoid major mistakes.
If you’re also curious about investing in private businesses (without having to start your own company), here’s an extra resource:
Main Street Millionaire — Codie Sanchez
Codie teaches how to buy and invest in small, cash-flowing businesses — from laundromats to service companies to niche industries.
Not every athlete wants to launch a tech startup. This book shows how you can become an investor/owner in existing businesses — a powerful way to diversify your income and build long-term wealth.
You can also watch Codie Sanchez’ videos of follow he ron social media because she specializes in buying “boring” businesses that generate cash flow.
Podcasts
The Psychology of Money Podcast — Morgan Housel
Short episodes that reinforce the key lessons from his book. Easy to listen to during travel or downtime.
Bogleheads on Investing
Focused entirely on passive investing, index funds, and building long-term wealth — very aligned with the principles in Bogle’s book and Rick Ferri’s work.
Newsletters
Remember the book by Jonathan Clements?
He has one of the best personal finance sites and newsletters out there. It features short, thoughtful articles about investing, money management, and living a financially sound life.
You’ll get regular reminders to stay focused on the right principles and avoid distractions — no hype, no “get rich quick” nonsense.
Jason Zweig (Wall Street Journal columnist)
Jason Zweig writes The Intelligent Investor column at the WSJ — one of the few truly trustworthy voices in financial journalism.
He emphasizes discipline, humility, and long-term thinking in investing — all qualities that will serve you very well as you build your financial future.
If you look at all the examples above — Jordan, Schwarzenegger, Eastwood, Messi, Rodriguez, Kutcher — they come from different industries, but they all share the same key mindset:
They didn’t rely only on their career income.
They started learning about money and investing early.
They built long-term strategies: real estate, businesses, venture capital, or passive investments that compound over time.
You’re now taking the same first step — learning, thinking long term, and setting yourself up for life beyond soccer.
You don’t have to read or listen to everything at once. Start with whatever resonates most with you now. Even small steps in the right direction will make a huge difference.
If you ever want more recommendations or have questions, feel free to reach out anytime. I’d be happy to help.
Wishing you continued success — on and off the field!
Great list of books and example celebs