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Patrick Mahomes will make $45 million this year leading the Kansas City Chiefs into Super Bowl LIX. That’s about 900 times what the average American earns annually. But here’s what makes football and finance interesting—success means more than the numbers on the paycheck.
When you look beyond the stadium lights of the NFL’s biggest game, you’ll find something that matters for every retirement plan: the extreme power of preparation mixed with the right strategy.
Originally published: February 6, 2025
Famed financial planner, Peter Mallouk, puts it perfectly: “Financial success rarely comes from your earning power – it comes from understanding what to do with what you earn.” The proof is in the numbers: according to recent data, many NFL players (and other professional athletes) struggle financially within a few years of retirement, despite earning millions during their careers.
Let’s explore what this means for your retirement playbook:
First, you need offensive strategies:
Then comes your defensive line:
As Sportico reports, even teams worth billions like the Eagles ($6.75B) and Chiefs ($5.43B) focus heavily on steady, sustainable income rather than just big game revenues. Your retirement plan needs the same careful attention to regular season fundamentals.
Let’s have some fun with Mahomes’ $45 million salary. After taxes and agent fees (roughly 45%), he pockets about $25 million yearly. Most financial planners recommend saving 15-20% of your income for retirement – but let’s think bigger. If Mahomes put aside half his take-home pay, that’s $12.5 million annually working toward retirement. With smart investing and compound growth (assuming a conservative 6% return), here’s what retirement could look like:
1. $300,000 Monthly Living
2. $200,000 Monthly Business Focus
3. $100,000 Monthly Legacy Plan
But let’s get real – most of us aren’t signing $450 million contracts. The lesson here isn’t about the size of the numbers; it’s about having a game plan for whatever your numbers are.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified financial professional before making retirement planning decisions.
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The information on this page is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment, legal, or tax advice. It is designed solely to illustrate how longevity-linked investment benefits may work under certain assumptions. Actual results will vary. All illustrations, examples, and case studies are hypothetical and are intended to demonstrate potential scenarios — not to predict or guarantee actual outcomes. They do not represent the performance of any individual investor, portfolio, or account.
Key Assumptions Used in the Illustrations
Life expectancy and mortality projections are based on the most recent Social Security Administration (SSA) tables available at the time of simulation.
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