Super Bowl LVIII set a new record for the most-watched US television broadcast in history with 123 million total viewers.

Throughout the whole 2024 season, NFL games maintained an impressive average viewership of 17.5 million per regular season game.

All in all, 72 of the 100 most-watched broadcasts in 2024 were NFL games.

The NFL’s dominance is simply unparalleled. Hard-hitting, full-contact football is America’s game. And that’s worth more than $20 billion to the league each year.

But how much of that money really ends up with the players out on the field?

Back in 2012, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled “Broke” revealed a harsh reality about America’s hardest-working professional football players. 78% end up experiencing some form of financial stress (including bankruptcy) within two years of retirement. And they’re not alone, either. 60% of all pro basketball players in the NBA likewise end up broke within five years of retirement.

In a world of $500 million contracts for top quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, that might sound unfathomable. But the average football player’s career is only 3.3 years long. And the median salary is much lower than what the top stars make—somewhere between $860,000 and $1.2 million per year. That means even the average football player is in the highest possible tax bracket.

So while a top Super Bowl-winning quarterback might be set for life after just a few years, the average outside linebacker is on a completely different financial track.

Shaun was a brilliant young man who realized this fact early on, contacting a close friend of mine shortly after he was signed to one of the top teams in the league…

Shaun was one of the politest young men you could ever meet. He was also six-and-a-half feet tall and built like a bulldozer. The kid was a monster on defense and special teams. The type who moved much faster than big guys should be able to move. God bless those poor quarterbacks on the receiving end of his sacks.

Shaun dreamed of making it into the NFL ever since he was a kid, and he’d spent every day of his life working towards that goal. So he was beyond proud of his accomplishment … but he also wanted to be realistic about the prospects.

Interestingly enough, he’d actually seen that ESPN documentary with his family years before, and he’d resolved not to let himself go down that same path. So Shaun and his family did a substantial amount of research, and they landed on whole life insurance as an ideal vehicle for growing his long-term wealth…

I realize that seems like an interesting choice at first. Life insurance? For a kid who’s not 25 yet?

But once again, they’d done their research. They realized that a whole life insurance policy provided many of the same tax benefits of a typical retirement account like a 401(k) or a Roth IRA. Except unlike those vehicles, whole life insurance has no upside limit for contributions and paid-up additions. His family had discovered the strategy after reading about it in the Wall Street Journal, where it was nicknamed the “Rich Man’s Roth.”

For however long Shaun’s career lasted, he could contribute a substantial amount of his post-tax income to funding a fast-growing policy (that would subsequently grow tax-deferred) without going over IRS limits or triggering any additional taxes.

NFL careers can be remarkably volatile. One bad play, one injury can put you out of action for good. At the same time, one well-time defensive tackle could net you a much larger income with a new team next year. Shaun was fortunate enough to experience the latter.

Shaun’s NFL career ultimately lasted seven years, without any major injury or interruption. By that time he’d funded a sizable policy, which he borrowed against to fund a new car dealership with his brothers in their hometown. His local celebrity was worth its weight in marketing gold, and they cashed in almost immediately. Last I heard, they were up to four dealerships and earning regional awards.

There are a few huge takeaways from Shaun’s story…

First of all, his mother was a genius and a saint (like all mothers, god bless ‘em). We could all stand to pay better heed to our mothers’ insights.

Second, Shaun not only acknowledged what would likely be a short career … he embraced it. It’s a fascinating thing for any professional to do, especially for those in “feast-or-famine” industries like sales, sports and entertainment. Many of the most successful careers in these fields are defined by a feeling that you’ve finally made it—that this is just the beginning of your story. But they’re often also defined by their brevity. Just a few big hits, a brief moment in the spotlight.

By embracing the realities of his career ahead of time, Shaun was able to make even more out of it. Sure, he had to roll his eyes when teammates bragged about their new Lamborghini or showed off a new diamond wristwatch. But instead of indulging in the feeling that his success would last forever, he was constantly investing in his future and in his family.

So when his best earning years lasted longer than expected, Shaun reaped a massive windfall for starting so early on.

Even if his career had been ended by an injury or a bad trade after the first few years, he knew that he’d still have enough to cover his post-injury recovery. But as he contributed more and more to his policy, the number of post-NFL options open to him grew in return.

And once again — this kind of strategy is ideal for any “feast-or-famine” style career, where a few years of outrageous income can set you up for a lifetime of living well. That includes professional entertainers, actors, dancers, top sales professionals and various other professions.

By being proactive, and taking advantage of a whole life insurance policy’s tax-deferred growth, you’ll be setting yourself up for even bigger wins in the future.

Key Takeaways

• Whole life insurance can be a powerful vehicle for building long-term wealth with tax-deferred growth and no contribution limits, ideal for high-income, short-career professionals.
• Planning proactively for career volatility—like the brief and uncertain nature of NFL careers—helps protect and sustain wealth beyond the playing years.
• Max-funded whole life insurance offers the tax benefits of retirement accounts without the usual caps, making it a valuable complement or alternative to traditional saving vehicles.
• Using the cash value of whole life insurance as a liquidity source can fund new business ventures or post-career opportunities, providing continuity and lifestyle protection.
• Early and consistent funding of life insurance policies creates financial flexibility and risk protection even if a career is cut short by injury or other factors.
• This strategy suits other "feast-or-famine" careers like entertainment, sales, and arts, where a few high-earning years can be leveraged for lifelong financial security.
• Embracing financial reality and intentional living—rather than fleeting symbols of wealth—builds generational legacy and long-term stability for families.

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