The New York Giants and Yieldstreet recently announced a first-of-its-kind exclusive partnership making Yieldstreet the Official Alternative Investment Platform of the New York Giants. In this bonus episode of The Yield, Peter Kerr, CFA, is joined by Shaun O’Hara, studio analyst at the NFL Network, Super Bowl 42 champion with the New York football Giants, and member of the New York Giants broadcast team for a conversation about the ins and outs of investing like an NFL professional.
Key Takeaways:
[2:10] Shaun’s professional journey to the Super Bowl Championship.
[7:33] Why is Shaun so passionate about the Giants?
[11:05] Critical steps to turn the Giants franchise back toward success.
[15:27] How do professional athletes tend to handle their wealth?
[22:48] Finding the right agents and financial advisors.
[26:08[ Examples of what not to do when investing your money.
[30:10] The role of the NFLPA in educating, supporting, and protecting athletes.
[37:14] Free agency and the team ownership process.
[43:17] Pros and cons of fully guaranteed contracts.
[46:21] Reflections on the 2007 game that led to the Giants Super Bowl victory.
Shaun didn’t enter college football with a division one scholarship, and he wasn’t drafted into the NFL, but that didn’t keep him from walking onto the field and eventually earning his place as a Super Bowl champion and three-time pro-bowler. His career is proof that even when you don’t start out at the front of the pack, there is always a backdoor entrance that just might be the ticket to your success.
But why the Giants? Shaun has a love for the New York football team that runs much deeper than their wins and losses, and his passion is obvious in the level of investment that he has put into the team, both on and off the field. There are critical steps that have been, and continue to be taken to turn the Giants franchise back toward success, and this philosophical alignment aims to focus all invested members on moving together and in the best positions that will move the team in the same direction again.
Everyone knows that NFL players tend to have relatively high salaries due to their contracts, which often include a large influx of money over a very short amount of time. But how do players tend to think about managing this wealth? With the average NFL career lasting only three years, there is very little time to educate players to consider the long game before the salary is gone. When players are going from a day-to-day financial reality to receiving a $50,000 paycheck every week, there is a steep learning curve to navigate. But as Shaun puts it, the hard part is earning the money. The easier part is making sure that these players — and you as an investor — keep as much of that money as possible.
Shuan’s advice for inexperienced and new athletes is also sound advice for inexperienced and new investors — challenge your advisors, ask questions and make them prove their decisions, and teach you what you need to know about what your money is doing. The worst thing that any investor can hear a financial advisor say is that they will handle your money without your input.
A lot of bad investments start out with good intentions, and Shaun has more than a few anecdotal tales from his own career that illustrate what can go wrong when investors don’t act carefully. Education in investments is the key, and the NFLPA plays a vital role in educating, supporting, and protecting athletes. Shaun’s role as a representative on the NFLPA has not only increased his knowledge about investing, it has helped him enable other players to make informed financial decisions as well.
For more details on free agency, the pros and cons of fully guaranteed contracts, and to listen to Shuan relieve the memorable 2007 game that led to the Giants winning the Super Bowl, tune into this bonus episode of The Yield.
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Published:
03/16/2022
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