ATHLETES & NIL
Your Talent Creates Opportunity.
Your Financial Strategy Builds What Comes Next.
Athletic success can create extraordinary opportunities—often before athletes have the financial experience needed to navigate them.
From NIL earnings and professional contracts to endorsements, investments, and business ventures, athletes face financial decisions that can shape their lives long after competition ends.
At Bird Financial Group, we help athletes and their families turn financial opportunities into informed decisions and long-term possibilities.
Your greatest asset isn't simply your athletic ability. It's everything you have the potential to build with it.
BEYOND ATHLETIC SUCCESS
Athletic Success Is Only the Beginning.
Opportunity Creates Responsibility. Preparation Creates Possibility.
For many athletes, financial opportunities arrive quickly. NIL agreements, professional contracts, endorsements, and business relationships can create meaningful income and significant financial decisions.
But earning money and building lasting wealth are different skills. Athletes must navigate taxes, spending, investments, contracts, and competing demands—often while maintaining the focus required to compete.
Yet earning money and building lasting wealth are two very different skills.
At Bird Financial Group, we help athletes understand these opportunities, make informed decisions, and prepare for life beyond competition.
The goal isn't simply financial success during your playing career. It's building possibilities that last beyond it.
ATHLETE FINANCIAL SERVICES
Comprehensive Financial Guidance for Athletes
Managing today's opportunities. Preparing for tomorrow's decisions.
01.
NIL Income & Financial Organization
Organize NIL earnings, expenses, financial accounts, and money management.
03.
Cash Flow & Wealth Building
Build savings, manage spending, establish reserves, and develop long-term financial habits.
05.
Risk Management & Protection
Evaluate insurance needs, income uncertainty, and financial vulnerabilities.
07.
Career Transition & Long-Term Planning
Prepare for changing athletic income, future careers, and life beyond competition.
02.
Tax Planning & Coordination
Understand the tax implications of athletic earnings, endorsements, and investments.
04.
Investment Management
Align investments with financial objectives, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance.
06.
Entrepreneurship & Business Planning
Navigate business ownership, brand opportunities, and entrepreneurial decisions.
ATHLETE SOLUTIONS
The Athlete Capital™ Framework
Developing the Whole Athlete. Building Wealth Beyond the Game.
An athlete's wealth extends beyond contracts, endorsements, and investment accounts. Talent, knowledge, relationships, reputation, and the ability to create opportunities are also valuable forms of capital.
Our Athlete Capital™ Framework brings these dimensions together through six interconnected areas of development, helping athletes prepare for opportunities during competition and beyond.
01.
NIL Readiness™
Prepare for Opportunity. Understand the Responsibility.
Financial opportunities can arrive early in an athlete's career. Preparation helps athletes and their families understand the responsibilities that accompany new income.
NIL Readiness™ focuses on the foundational knowledge and habits needed to navigate earnings, financial commitments, and early financial decisions.
Areas of Focus
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NIL income and financial literacy
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Budgeting, banking, and cash flow
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Tax awareness and recordkeeping
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Understanding financial commitments
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Responsible financial habits
03.
Athlete Enterprise™
From Personal Brand to Business Ownership.
An athlete's influence, reputation, relationships, and experiences can create opportunities beyond athletic compensation.
Athlete Enterprise™ explores how athletes can evaluate business opportunities, understand ownership, and pursue entrepreneurship with financial discipline.
Areas of Focus
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Entrepreneurship and business ownership
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Personal brand monetization
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Business financial planning
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Evaluating opportunities and partnerships
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Sustainable business practices
05.
The Complete Athlete™
Developing the Person Beyond Performance.
Athletic achievement is one dimension of an athlete's life. Long-term success also depends on personal development, relationships, health, education, and a sense of purpose.
The Complete Athlete™ recognizes that financial well-being is connected to other forms of capital that contribute to a meaningful life.
Areas of Focus
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Human and personal development
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Education and career exploration
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Relationships and social capital
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Financial and household well-being
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Purpose, identity, and long-term goals
02.
Athlete Capital™
Turn Earnings Into Long-Term Financial Resources.
Earning money creates opportunity. Building wealth requires intention, discipline, and an understanding of how financial resources can support future goals.
Athlete Capital™ focuses on strengthening an athlete's financial foundation and developing strategies for long-term wealth accumulation.
Areas of Focus
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Savings and emergency reserves
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Financial goal setting
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Investment education and planning
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Asset allocation and risk management
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Long-term wealth accumulation
04.
The Sovereign Athlete™
Ownership. Independence. Informed Decision-Making.
Financial independence begins with the ability to understand choices, ask informed questions, and make decisions aligned with personal priorities.
The Sovereign Athlete™ emphasizes financial knowledge, personal agency, and maintaining control over one's financial direction.
Areas of Focus
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Financial decision-making
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Personal financial independence
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Understanding financial advisors and professional relationships
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Financial accountability
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Long-term ownership and responsibility
06.
Beyond the Game™
Your Athletic Career Is a Chapter. Your Life Is the Story.
Every athletic career eventually changes. Whether that transition follows college, a professional career, or an unexpected change in circumstances, preparing for what comes next matters.
Beyond the Game™ focuses on helping athletes translate their experiences, relationships, financial resources, and abilities into opportunities for the next chapter of life.
Areas of Focus
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Athletic career transition planning
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Retirement and long-term financial independence
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Career development and entrepreneurship
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Family and legacy planning
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Purpose and opportunities beyond competition
A PERSONALIZED APPROACH
One Framework. Different Starting Points.
Every Athlete's Journey Is Different.
A college athlete preparing for a first NIL opportunity faces different financial decisions than a professional athlete managing substantial earnings or a former athlete building a business.
Athlete Capital™ recognizes those differences. Its six interconnected dimensions provide a flexible framework for understanding each athlete's circumstances, identifying priorities, and developing appropriate financial strategies.
The goal isn't simply financial success during your playing career. It's building possibilities that last beyond it.
WHO WE SERVE
Financial Guidance Across the Athlete's Journey.
College Athletes & NIL Earners
Student-athletes and families navigating NIL income, financial responsibilities, and early wealth-building decisions.
Professional Athletes
Athletes coordinating investments, financial planning, business opportunities, and long-term wealth.
Former & Transitioning Athletes
Individuals navigating changing income, new careers, and financial opportunities beyond competition.
Athletic Families & Support Networks
Parents and families seeking guidance on the financial decisions and responsibilities accompanying athletic success.
WHO WE SERVE
Institutional Perspective. Personal Financial Guidance.
Led by Donald J. Bird, MBA, CFP®, Bird Financial Group brings 23 years of financial services experience to helping individuals navigate important financial decisions.
We combine disciplined investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and our
Capital Planning™ philosophy to recognize the full range of resources that contribute to long-term success.
For athletes, that means looking beyond earnings and investments to consider education, relationships, personal development, ownership, and opportunities beyond competition.
Our goal isn't simply to help athletes manage money. It's to help them develop the knowledge and financial strategies to make the most of their opportunities.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Build Beyond the Game.
Your Financial Future Deserves a Strategy.
Whether you're navigating NIL earnings, managing a professional athletic career, exploring business opportunities, or preparing for life after competition, your financial decisions deserve thoughtful guidance.
Coffee & Clarity™ is a complimentary introductory conversation to discuss your goals, explore your financial priorities, and determine how Bird Financial Group may be able to help.