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You crossed $2M in revenue. That's not small. That's not starting out. That's a real business. But here's the part no one tells you: the team that got you to $2M can't get you to $10M. Most owners try to scale with the same CPA they hired in year one. The same attorney who set up their LLC. And no real financial advisor at all. Then a tax bill hits. Or an opportunity comes. And they realize, they're underbuilt. In this blog, we'll walk through the 3 core roles every $2M business owner needs on their money team, what each one should actually be doing, and the gaps to look for. Check out how more on how we do financial planning for business owners. Building Your Money Team When you started your business, you wore every hat. Sales, operations, finance, HR. That worked when revenue was $200K. At $2M, it doesn't. Your business is generating wealth faster than you can manage alone. The decisions you make on taxes, structure, and risk now compound for the next 20 years. Get them right and you keep millions more. Get them wrong and the IRS, a lawsuit, or a missed opportunity quietly takes them from you. A money team protects what you've built. Here are the 3 roles every $2M business owner needs. The CPA The CPA most $2M business owners have files taxes. The CPA you need plans them. That's the gap. And it's the most expensive one we see. Tax prep is a backwards exercise. It looks at what already happened. By the time your CPA sees your numbers in February, the year is over. Every strategy that could have saved you money has expired. Tax planning is the opposite. It looks forward. It asks what we can do this year to reduce next April's bill. Here's what a planning CPA does that a prep CPA doesn't: Meets with you quarterly, not annually Optimizes your salary vs. distributions split Coordinates retirement plan contributions (SEP, Solo 401(k), Cash Balance Plan) Manages depreciation strategy on equipment and vehicles Reviews entity structure as the business grows (LLC vs. S-Corp vs. C-Corp) Case Study — Sarah Sarah owns a $2.1M HVAC company in St. Louis. She's an S-Corp. Her CPA files her return every year, charges $1,500, and she figures everything is fine. We looked at her return. She was paying herself a W2 salary of $250,000 and taking $400,000 in distributions. That sounds reasonable on the surface. But she had no retirement plan, no Section 179 strategy, and her qualified business income deduction was being limited by her salary mix. We made three changes: Set up a Solo 401(k) with a profit-sharing component → $73,500 contribution Restructured her salary to $180,000 → unlocked a larger QBI deduction Section 179'd a $90,000 service truck purchased that year The result: $47,000 in tax savings the first year. Every year after, the Solo 401(k) alone shelters another $70K+ from current taxes. Her old CPA didn't do anything wrong. He just wasn't asked to do this work. So remember at $2M, you need a CPA who plans, not just a CPA who prepares As financial advisors we ensure that team coordination goes smoothly. The Attorney The attorney who set up your LLC is rarely the attorney you need at $2M. Most owners don't realize there are two attorneys you need on your team. The Business Attorney This is your contracts, partnerships, and operational attorney. They handle: Client and vendor contracts Employee agreements and non-competes Partnership and operating agreements Buy-sell agreements (the document most $2M owners don't have) The buy-sell is the one we see missing most often. If you have a business partner and one of you dies, gets divorced, gets disabled, or wants out, the buy-sell is what tells the surviving partner what happens next. Without it, you can end up in business with your partner's spouse, kids, or estate. The Estate Attorney This is a separate role. Estate attorneys handle: Your trust Your will Healthcare directives Financial powers of attorney Business succession inside your estate plan Most $2M business owners have an old will from when their kids were born and call it good. That document was built for a different version of your life. Case Study — Mike and Tom Mike and Tom own a $2.4M commercial landscaping business 50/50. They've been partners for 12 years. They have an LLC operating agreement from their attorney friend in year one. No buy-sell. No life insurance funding. No estate plan that mentions the business. Mike has a heart attack at 51. His widow now owns 50% of a business she's never worked in. She wants to be paid out. Tom wants to keep operating. They have no agreement on valuation, no funding mechanism, and no roadmap. It ends in litigation. The business sells under duress for 60 cents on the dollar. A buy-sell agreement, funded with $1.2M of term life insurance on each partner, would have cost them roughly $4,000 a year combined. So remember, your business attorney protects your operations, your estate attorney protects your legacy. They're different people, and you need both. The Financial Advisor This is the role most $2M business owners skip entirely. The thinking usually goes: "My business is my retirement plan. I don't need a financial advisor." That's a bet, not a plan. At $2M, you have three different pools of money: the business, your personal balance sheet, and your future exit. Each one has its own tax treatment, its own risk profile, and its own decisions. Without someone coordinating across all three, you're flying blind. A financial advisor at this stage isn't picking stocks. They're the quarterback. Here's what that means in practice: Comprehensive financial planning across business and personal Investment management for your personal portfolio Risk management, life insurance, disability, liability coverage Coordinating with your CPA on tax planning Coordinating with your estate attorney on succession Pre-exit planning when the time comes Notice three of those involve coordinating with other team members. That's the part no one else does. Your CPA doesn't talk to your attorney. Your attorney doesn't talk to your insurance agent. The advisor is the connective tissue. Case Study — David David owns a $2.3M digital agency. Revenue is climbing. He has a great CPA and a good business attorney. He manages his own investments through Fidelity. He came to us because he felt scattered. He had a 401(k), a brokerage account, an HSA, a Roth IRA, a SEP from a previous year, three life insurance policies, an LLC, and a personal umbrella that hadn't been updated in 6 years. None of these were wrong. They just weren't talking to each other. We built a single plan that consolidated his investment accounts, raised his umbrella from $1M to $5M (matched to his actual net worth), eliminated $14,000 in annual insurance premiums on overlapping policies, and aligned his SEP into a more powerful Cash Balance Plan strategy. Net savings and additional retirement contribution: $61,000 in year one. The work wasn't complicated. It was coordination. Nobody on his team was looking at the whole picture. So remember, the financial advisor's job at $2M isn't to beat the market. It's to make sure your money team is actually a team. The Bottom Line At $2M, you've built something real. The mistake we see is owners protecting their business with everything they have and protecting their wealth with whoever happens to already be in their phone. Build the team intentionally. A planning CPA. A business attorney and an estate attorney. A financial advisor who can quarterback all of them. That's how you keep what you've built. As financial advisors for business owners, we have experience being the "Quarter Back" of your team. Business Owners must work with a qualified financial team that specializes in working with business owners in this same situation everyday. If you are a business owner who needs a team quarter back, schedule a call, and talk with a Moment founder. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I receive frequently about this topic. When should a business owner build a money team? As soon as your business is consistently profitable. Most owners wait until they have a problem — a tax bill, a partnership dispute, a windfall. The right time is before any of those happen. How do I find a CPA who does planning, not just prep? Ask them how often they meet with clients during the year. A prep-only CPA meets with you in tax season. A planning CPA meets quarterly and brings strategies to you proactively. What's the difference between a business attorney and an estate attorney? A business attorney handles your operating agreements, contracts, partnerships, and buy-sells. An estate attorney handles your trust, will, and how your assets pass on. Different specialties, both needed. Does a $2M business owner really need a wealth advisor? Yes — and not for stock picks. At $2M, the value of an advisor is coordination across your CPA, attorney, and insurance. Without that quarterback, the rest of the team plays separate games. How much does a money team cost? It varies, but a typical $2M business owner pays $5K–$15K to a planning CPA, $2K–$5K annually to attorneys (less in quiet years), and 0.75%–1.25% of assets to an advisor. The savings almost always exceed the fees by a multiple. Can my CPA also be my financial advisor? Some are licensed to do both, but most aren't. More importantly, even when they are, the two jobs require different specialties. We rarely see one person do both at a high level. How often should my money team meet? At minimum, quarterly check-ins with your CPA and advisor. Annual review with your attorney. A joint call with the full team once a year is the gold standard — and it almost never happens unless your advisor schedules it. What if I already have these people but they don't talk to each other? That's the most common situation. The fix is bringing in someone whose job is coordination. The advisor role exists for exactly this reason. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Most people think the hardest part of building a business is getting it off the ground. And sure, that is brutal. The early days, the uncertainty, the moments where you wonder if you made a massive mistake betting on yourself. But after years of working with entrepreneurs, I can tell you that the financial mistakes I see most often do not happen in the early days. They happen after the business starts working. When the revenue coming in is real. When the stress shifts from "will this survive" to "how do I manage what this has become." That is exactly when the gaps in financial planning show up and when they are the most expensive. I have worked with entrepreneurs who built genuinely impressive businesses and still found themselves in a difficult spot personally. So here is what I wish more entrepreneurs knew before they needed to learn it the hard way. In this blog, I am going to outline the mistakes I have watched successful entrepreneurs make and what I wish I could have told them before it was too late. These are my confessions as an entrepreneur wealth advisor. Confessions of an Entrepreneur Wealth Advisor Confession #1: You Are Not Paying Quarterly Tax Estimates For most of your adult life, taxes were something that happened to you automatically. Your employer withheld the right amount on your W2. You filed in April. Maybe you got a refund. The system worked without you thinking much about it. When you own a business, that system no longer exists. Nobody is withholding anything. That is your responsibility. The IRS does not send you reminders about your future tax bill. The money hits your account and it all feels like yours, until it is not. What I see over and over again is entrepreneurs who had a legitimately strong year financially, and then watched a massive chunk of it evaporate in March because they had no plan for what they actually owed. And it is not just painful. It is penalizable. The IRS expects quarterly estimated payments throughout the year, and if you are not making them, you are paying extra for the privilege of being unprepared. Here is the shift that changes everything: Stop thinking about taxes once a year and start thinking about them every quarter. There are four dates you need to be paying those quarterly tax estimates on: April 15th June 15th September 15th January 15th These are non-negotiable. This is why you need to bring in a wealth management team who has actually worked with business owners and understands how income flows, especially in a company like yours. To summarize, you need to do the following: Run quarterly tax projections. Know your estimated liability. Set money aside before it gets absorbed into the business or your personal spending. Make the payments on a quarterly basis. This is one of the most fixable problems in personal finance for entrepreneurs. Confession #2: You Are Pulling Money Out of Your Business With No Real Strategy Here is something I have noticed about entrepreneurs. You are incredibly disciplined about how money moves inside the business. But when it comes to your own compensation, you are making it up as you go. Money is being pulled out when you need it based entirely on what the moment requires, not what a plan would suggest. I understand why this happens. It is your business and the money is yours. And in the early days especially, taking a formal salary feels almost beside the point when everything is being reinvested anyway. But here is what the absence of a distribution strategy actually costs you. You have no clear picture of what you are personally making. Your tax situation becomes harder to manage because your income is inconsistent and unplanned. And you end up making personal financial decisions like what you can afford, what you save, and what you invest based on a moving target instead of a real number. A deliberate distribution strategy means deciding in advance what you need, what the business needs to retain, and how to structure those distributions in a way that is efficient and sustainable. It means treating yourself like the most important vendor in your business, because in a lot of ways, you are. If you want more on this topic, check out this video that gives a real life example of what you can pay yourself as a business owner. Confession #3: Your Business Is Your Greatest Investment Most advisors will not tell you this. But it is the truth. Your business is not a liability to be managed around. It is not a risk to be hedged against. It is your greatest investment and it deserves to be treated like one. What I see too often is advisors who build a financial plan that exists almost entirely independent of the business. They manage the portfolio on the personal side, they do their job, and the business sits somewhere in the background; acknowledged but never truly accounted for. That is a failure of planning, not a feature of it. The advisor's job is to build around the business. To understand what it is worth, what it generates, where it is going, and what it would mean for your personal financial life if everything went right, or if something went sideways. And then to build a plan so strong around it that no matter where the business goes, your life does not change. That is the standard. Your business at the center, your financial plan built deliberately around it, and enough structure on the personal side that the outcome of the business does not determine the quality of the rest of your life. If your wealth advisor has never framed it that way, that is worth paying attention to. We put together an entire guide to Financial Planning for Business Owners. It is definitely worth checking out. Confession #4: There Was No Financial Plan That Existed Outside the Business Ask most entrepreneurs what their retirement plan looks like and they will describe their business. "I'll sell it someday." "It generates enough income to support us indefinitely." "The equity is the plan." Maybe. But that is a significant amount of your future resting on a single outcome you do not fully control. Valuations change. Buyers are not always there when you are ready. Businesses go through difficult periods. And even the most successful exits rarely happen exactly the way you imagined. What I have learned is that the entrepreneurs who feel the most financially secure, regardless of what happens with the business, are the ones who built something real on the personal side alongside what they built professionally. That means using the retirement vehicles available to business owners, many of which are genuinely powerful and genuinely underused (yes, we have a guide for that too). Solo 401(k)s. SEP IRAs. Simple IRAs. Defined benefit plans. These tools exist specifically for people in your situation and can move serious money into a protected, tax-advantaged environment every year. It also means having investments that are not tied to the performance of your business. Because when the business has a hard year, and most businesses do at some point, you do not want your entire financial life feeling it at the same time. The business is not your enemy here. It is your greatest asset. But it should not be your only one. Confession #5: Business Money and Personal Money Were in the Same Pile This one is more common than most entrepreneurs want to admit. Business expenses on personal credit cards. Personal purchases running through the company account. A general sense that since it is all your money anyway, the details of where it lives probably do not matter that much. They matter quite a bit, actually. When business and personal finances are tangled together, a few things happen. Your bookkeeping becomes a mess that costs extra to clean up at tax time. You lose the ability to accurately read what the business actually costs to operate. You create unnecessary exposure if the business is ever audited. And you make it almost impossible to get a real, honest look at your personal financial picture separate from how the business is doing on any given month. I have worked with entrepreneurs who genuinely could not tell me what they were earning personally. Smart, successful people who had simply never drawn a clear line between their professional and personal finances. The fix is not complicated. A dedicated business account. A clean, consistent way to pay yourself. Expenses that live where they belong. It is basic infrastructure, but it is the kind of infrastructure that makes everything else in your financial life easier to manage, easier to plan around, and easier to grow from. Final Thought I share these confessions because the entrepreneurs I respect most are the ones who want the full picture, not just the good news. Building a business is hard. Sustaining personal wealth alongside it is a different skill entirely. And most people never tell you that until something goes wrong. What I have seen is that the financial gaps rarely come from bad decisions. They come from missing information, the wrong structure, or simply nobody in the room whose job it was to connect the dots between the business and the rest of your life. That is the work we do at Moment Private Wealth. If any of what you read here felt familiar, that is a good reason to have a conversation before it becomes something you are cleaning up instead of planning around. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I receive frequently from entrepreneurs. How does Moment Private Wealth help business owners with taxes? Moment Private Wealth serves clients by running quarterly tax projections. Additionally, the firm works directly with your CPA to ensure all parties are on the same page, estimates are known and communicated to be paid in advance of deadlines. Can Moment Private Wealth help business owners with succession planning? Yes, this is part of creating a roadmap for your goals. Having first-hand knowledge of selling a business will allow you confidence throughout the process. Many business owners get one chance to sell a business. Having a firm that can help is key. What does your average client look like? Our clients are nearly all athletes and business owners. Our average client has a net worth greater than $5M. The strategies, solutions, and planning that we implement have a high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth client in mind. Can Moment Private Wealth help set up retirement accounts for me as a business owner? Moment Private Wealth uses Fidelity Investments as a third-party custodian for our client investment accounts. As a result, Moment is able to open IRAs, Solo 401(k)s and Defined Benefit plans and help manage those investments on your behalf. Why should I consider hiring Moment Private Wealth? Great question! But first, let us explain why you shouldn’t hire us. If you’re looking for an advisor who will pitch shiny object investments or be a “yes man” you are in the wrong place. Why? Because we believe in being truth tellers and only giving advice that we take ourselves. The investments, strategies, and planning we do are all things our advisors do with their own money. If you are an athlete or business owner interested in things like lowering your tax bill, investing smarter, and finding a trusted partner we might be a good fit. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Professional athletes face a financial reality most people never encounter. You earn life-changing money in a compressed window, you carry real risk of injury or sudden incapacity, and you operate in the public eye where privacy is constantly at stake. Those three factors together make estate planning one of the most important financial conversations you can have early in your career, not decades down the road. The right estate planning moves can help protect your family, your privacy, and your wealth across every stage of your career and beyond. The wrong setup, or no setup at all, can leave your loved ones navigating probate court, fighting over decisions, or losing a meaningful portion of your estate to taxes. In this blog, I am going to break down leveraging trusts and wills for professional athletes, including: Wills and what they do (and do not) cover Revocable and irrevocable trusts and where each one fits The supporting documents that protect you while you are alive The 2026 estate tax landscape and what it means for your wealth transfer plan For a broader view of how all of this fits together, see The Moment Guide To Estate Planning For Professional Athletes. Why Estate Planning Often Matters More For Athletes Many people put off estate planning because they think it is something to worry about in their 60s. For an athlete, that math can be backwards. You are often young, you may have outsized income, you sometimes have dependents earlier in life, and you typically have a public profile that can make your finances a target. You also face something most professionals do not: a real and ongoing risk of catastrophic injury. A torn ACL is one thing. A spinal injury, a traumatic brain injury, a cardiac event during a workout, or a serious car accident on the way to the stadium are all real possibilities that can put you in a hospital bed without the ability to speak for yourself. The numbers back this up. The NFL alone sees thousands of documented injuries every season. NBA and NHL players deal with concussion protocols on a regular basis. MLB pitchers face career-altering arm injuries every spring. None of these are death scenarios most of the time, but many of them are incapacity scenarios, which is exactly what good estate documents are built for. We cover the broader picture of how athletes can plan around these risks in The Moment Guide To Risk Management For Professional Athletes. Estate planning is not just about death. It is largely about control. Control over who manages your money if you cannot, who raises your kids if something happens, who has access to your medical decisions, and how your wealth moves to the next generation without potentially losing a meaningful portion to estate tax. Wills: A Foundation, Not The Full Strategy A will is often the baseline document in an estate plan. It generally does three things: Names who inherits your assets Names a guardian for any minor children Names an executor to wind up your affairs Here is what a will typically does not do, and this is where many athletes get tripped up. A will generally does not avoid probate. Probate is the court-supervised process of validating your will and distributing your assets. It is public, it can be slow (often 6 to 18 months, sometimes longer), and it can be expensive. For a professional athlete, one of the bigger concerns is that probate filings are part of the public record. Assets, beneficiaries, and dollar figures can become searchable. A will also generally does not control assets that already have beneficiaries listed (retirement accounts, life insurance, certain bank accounts). Those tend to pass independently of whatever your will says. A will also does nothing while you are still alive. If you take a hit in a game and end up in a coma for six months, the will sits in a drawer. The documents that actually carry you through that scenario are the ones we will get to below. **Please note: If you die without a will (called dying "intestate"), state law decides who gets your assets. That outcome rarely matches what an athlete might actually want, especially for unmarried players, players with kids from prior relationships, or players supporting parents and siblings. Trusts: Where Much Of The Strategy Lives A trust is a legal arrangement where one party (the trustee) holds and manages assets for the benefit of another (the beneficiary). Trusts can be private, immediate, and surgical in ways that wills often cannot match. For athletes, the right combination of trusts can help address several issues at once: privacy, probate avoidance, asset protection, and estate tax exposure. Revocable Living Trust This is often the workhorse trust for many athletes. You create it during your lifetime, you can typically change it whenever you want, and you usually serve as your own trustee while you are alive and capable. The benefits can include: Helping avoid probate for assets titled in the trust's name Helping keep your estate private since trust administration often happens outside of court Providing continuity if you become incapacitated, since a successor trustee can usually step in without court involvement That last point matters a lot for athletes. If you suffer a serious in-game injury and cannot manage your own affairs for weeks or months, a properly drafted revocable trust allows your named successor trustee to step in immediately and keep things running. Mortgage payments, business obligations, investment decisions, and family expenses can all keep moving without a court appointing a conservator. A revocable trust generally does not save estate tax on its own. Its role is more focused on privacy, control, and helping you avoid the probate process. Irrevocable Trusts Once an estate grows past the federal exemption, irrevocable trusts often come into play as a tax-planning tool. They can move assets out of your taxable estate in exchange for giving up the ability to change the trust later. Common structures include: Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT): holds large life insurance policies outside your estate Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT): uses your exemption while keeping indirect access through your spouse Dynasty Trust: helps with multi-generational transfers Charitable Remainder or Lead Trusts: combine giving with potential tax efficiency Each of these has its own use case, and the right mix depends on your contract size, marital status, and long-term goals. We will dig into each of these structures in dedicated future posts. The Other Documents You May Need This is where many athletes have a gap in their plan. The trust and the will tend to get the attention, but the supporting documents are often what carries you through a crisis. If you get hurt in a game on Sunday and end up unconscious in a hospital on Monday, the trust does not help much. These documents can. For an athlete, the risk of needing these documents in your 20s or 30s is not theoretical. Every season brings examples of players carted off the field, players hospitalized after collisions, and players dealing with serious health events nobody saw coming. Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on Monday Night Football in 2023 is one example that resonated across pro sports. Many athletes benefit from having all five of these in place, with updates whenever life circumstances change. Durable Power of Attorney A Durable Power of Attorney (POA) lets someone you name (your "agent" or "attorney in fact") manage your financial and legal affairs if you cannot. The word durable is meaningful. A standard POA generally terminates when you become incapacitated, which is often the exact moment you need one. A durable POA usually stays in effect through incapacity. For an athlete, the POA can be drafted to cover real-world situations. If you are in a hospital bed after a serious injury, can your agent: Sign for your house closing? Manage your investment accounts? Handle your business interests, endorsements, and LLC filings? Negotiate with your team or insurer about disability claims? The document is often drafted broadly enough to cover these scenarios without being so broad that it creates abuse risk. Many athletes name a parent or spouse as primary agent. Naming the wrong person here is one of the more common and costly mistakes we see. This person can move money, sign contracts, and make decisions in your name. Choose carefully. Healthcare Power of Attorney The Healthcare Power of Attorney (sometimes called a healthcare proxy or medical POA) names who can make medical decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself. This is often a separate person from your financial agent, though they can be the same person if that fits your family. For athletes, this document can be especially important. Serious injury scenarios in pro sports often involve fast-moving medical decisions: Whether to airlift you to a specialty trauma center Whether to operate immediately or wait Whether to put you in a medically induced coma Whether to attempt a high-risk procedure Without a healthcare POA, those decisions may get made by default state law rules, which often default to a spouse, then parents, then siblings, in that order. If your family situation is complicated, the wrong person could end up in charge during the most important medical moments of your life. You may also want a healthcare agent who understands your wishes around things like return-to-play decisions, experimental treatments, and the kinds of injury recovery choices that come up in pro sports. A parent who has never thought about concussion protocols or orthopedic surgery options may not be the right call. Some athletes appoint a former teammate, a trainer they trust, or a family member who has specifically been educated on the kinds of decisions that can come up. Living Will (Advance Directive) A Living Will (also called an Advance Directive) spells out your wishes on end-of-life care. It addresses the questions nobody wants to think about: if you are on life support with little chance of recovery, do you want to be kept on machines? If you are in a permanent vegetative state, what level of intervention do you want? For an athlete, this document can do two important things. First, it can give your healthcare agent clear written guidance so they are not guessing in the worst moment of their life. Second, it can help remove those decisions from family conflict. The Terri Schiavo case is often cited as an example of what can happen when a young, healthy person becomes incapacitated without one of these in place. The family dispute lasted 15 years and went all the way to the Supreme Court. The reality is that catastrophic head and spinal injuries, while rare, are not unheard of. A document that clarifies your wishes ahead of time is a gift to the people who would otherwise have to guess. You can be as specific as you want. Some athletes include preferences around organ donation, religious considerations, and whether they want certain experimental interventions tried. HIPAA Authorization This one sounds bureaucratic, but it can be genuinely important. HIPAA is the federal law that protects the privacy of your medical records. The default rule is that even close family members generally cannot access your medical information without your written consent. A HIPAA Authorization is a separate document that names the specific people who can talk to your doctors, see your medical records, and receive updates on your condition. Without it, your healthcare agent may have decision-making authority but cannot easily get the information needed to make those decisions intelligently. For an athlete, this is also a privacy tool. You can authorize the people you want to be informed and deliberately leave others out. If you are dealing with a sensitive injury or condition you do not want leaking to the media, a carefully drafted HIPAA authorization can help control the flow of information. People to consider authorizing often include: Your healthcare agent and backup agent Your spouse or partner Your parents Your agent (the sports agent, in this case) Your team's medical staff, when appropriate *Please note: HIPAA authorizations can expire after a set period in some states. Building a reminder to review and refresh yours every few years is often a good idea. The 2026 Estate Tax Landscape The numbers can matter. As of January 1, 2026, the federal estate and gift tax exemption sits at $15 million per individual and $30 million per married couple. Amounts above those thresholds may generally be taxed at a flat 40% federal estate tax rate. The annual gift tax exclusion stayed at $19,000 per recipient for 2026, which means a married couple can give $38,000 per recipient per year to as many people as they want without touching their lifetime exemption. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, made the higher exemption permanent and indexed it for inflation going forward. That removed the prior sunset that was scheduled to reduce the exemption significantly. The planning urgency that existed in 2024 and 2025 has cooled somewhat, but the strategies can still matter because state estate taxes (which apply at lower thresholds in many states) have not changed. For athletes, the higher exemption is helpful but does not change the underlying reality. A career-ending injury can also be a wealth-creating event if disability insurance pays out, and large insurance payouts can push estates over the exemption faster than people expect. Planning ahead for that scenario tends to be easier than scrambling after the fact. What Next? Do you have a will? A revocable trust? A durable POA, healthcare POA, living will, and HIPAA authorization? Has your plan been updated since you got married, had a child, or signed your last contract? If any of those answers gave you pause, your plan may be exposed. The good news is that estate planning for athletes is generally fixable, and the upfront cost is often small relative to what it can help protect. Moment Private Wealth works exclusively with professional athletes and coordinates directly with estate attorneys to help build plans that fit your career timeline. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Do I really need a will if I am young and healthy? For most professional athletes with significant income, dependents, business interests, or a public profile, the answer is generally yes. Athletes also face an elevated risk of serious injury or incapacity, which is exactly what these documents are built for. Dying without a will often means state law decides who gets your assets and who raises your minor children, and the resulting probate is typically public. What happens to my estate plan if I am injured but not killed? This is where the supporting documents do the heavy lifting. A durable power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, living will, and HIPAA authorization are what allow your chosen people to step in and manage your finances and medical care while you recover. Without them, your family may need to go to court to get authority, which costs time and money during an already difficult moment. Can a trust protect my assets from lawsuits or creditors? It depends on the trust. A revocable trust generally will not. Properly structured irrevocable trusts (including domestic asset protection trusts in certain states) may help shield assets from future creditors and lawsuits, though they generally will not protect against existing or known claims. The timing of when the trust is funded can matter significantly. Do I need a trust if my estate is under the $15 million exemption? Often yes, even if estate tax is not the main driver. Trusts can help with privacy, probate avoidance, incapacity planning, and control over how minor children receive money. For athletes specifically, the incapacity benefits alone are often enough reason to put a revocable trust in place. How often should I update my estate plan? A general guideline is every three to five years, and ideally after any major life event. That can include marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, a major new contract, the purchase of a home in a new state, a significant injury, or the death of someone named in your documents. Estate documents that are out of date can sometimes be worse than no documents at all. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Most business owners I talk to think they have two options when it comes to saving for retirement. A 401(k). Or a SEP-IRA. So they max one out, feel good about it, and move on. But there's a third option. One the IRS has allowed for a long time. One that can let high-income business owners shelter far more than a 401(k) ever could, every single year, fully tax-deductible. It's called a Cash Balance Plan, and most owners have never heard of it. If you're a business owner still building the foundation of your financial plan, start here. What Is a Cash Balance Plan The name says it all. You have a cash balance. You can see it. You watch it grow every year. It looks and feels like a 401(k), there's an account with your name on it and a real number inside it. But the IRS classifies it as a defined benefit plan, and that classification is what gives it power. Each year, your account gets credited with two things: a pay credit based on your compensation, and an interest credit at a guaranteed rate. Here's what that actually means for you. You, the business owner, make the contribution. Every year, you fund the plan out of your business. In return, your business deducts every dollar contributed. And your account balance grows at a guaranteed rate regardless of what the market does. How Does This Compare to a 401(k)? The IRS caps total contributions to a 401(k), including profit sharing, at $72,000 in 2026. With a 401(k), the IRS caps what you can contribute as an employee at $24,500 in 2026. Stack employer profit sharing on top and the total ceiling is $72,000, full stop. A Cash Balance Plan has no fixed ceiling like that. Instead, an actuary, a licensed math professional, calculates exactly what you need to contribute each year to hit your target balance at retirement. That number is driven by your age, your income, and your target. The older you are, the larger the required annual contribution, because you have fewer years to reach the goal. That larger contribution means a larger deduction for your business. For high-income owners who have already hit the 401(k) ceiling, that gap is where real tax savings live. What About Self-Employed Owners With No Employees? This is the first question most people ask, and the answer is yes. If you are self-employed with no employees, you can establish a Cash Balance Plan. IRS Publication 560 explicitly covers these plans for self-employed individuals. Your contribution is calculated based on your net earnings from self-employment, not your gross revenue. That number is what the actuary works from. Being solo actually works in your favor here. When a plan covers multiple employees, the IRS requires nondiscrimination testing, essentially proving the plan doesn't unfairly favor you over your staff. With no employees, there's nobody to compare against. No testing. Less complexity. A cleaner plan. Who This Is For This plan isn't for everyone, and being honest about that matters. It works best for business owners who are earning consistent, high income year after year and are age 45 or older. It tends to make the most sense for owners who have already maxed out their 401(k) and are still writing a large check to the IRS every April. The keyword there is stable. A Defined Benefit Plan requires consistent funding. If your income swings significantly from year to year, the mandatory contribution structure can become a problem rather than a benefit. This plan rewards discipline and penalizes inconsistency. If you have employees, plan design matters too. The rules around who must be included in the plan require a closer look before moving forward. What You're Signing Up For This is the part most people gloss over. Don't. You are required to hire a licensed actuary. The IRS mandates actuarial calculations to determine your contribution each year. This is not something you estimate yourself. The actuary tells you what you owe the plan, and you fund it. That funding is not optional. Once this plan is established, you must contribute consistently. If the plan's investments earn less than the guaranteed interest credit, you make up the difference out of your business. There is no skipping a year because revenue was down. There is no underfunding and catching up later. At Retirement When you're ready to stop working, you can roll your Defined Benefit Plan balance directly into an IRA. That means full control of your money. You choose how it's invested. You decide when and how much to take out. It moves out of the plan structure and into an account you own, just like any other IRA you've ever had. If you are an entrepreneur who is looking for a better understanding of financial planning, schedule a call, and talk with a Moment founder. For more on financial planning for business owners, check out this video on how business owners can save money on taxes. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I receive frequently about this topic. Can I set up a Cash Balance Plan if I already have a 401(k)? Yes. A Cash Balance Plan and a 401(k) can run at the same time. Many high-income owners run both simultaneously to maximize their annual deduction. Your actuary and tax advisor can help structure both plans together. How much can I actually contribute each year? There is no fixed number. Your annual contribution is calculated by a licensed actuary based on your age, your net income, and your target balance at retirement. The IRS caps the maximum annual benefit at $290,000 for 2026, and the older you are, the more you can contribute each year to reach that target. Who is the actuary and what do they actually do? An actuary is a licensed math professional required by the IRS to calculate your annual contribution. They look at your age, income, target benefit, and the plan's investment performance, and tell you exactly what you need to put in each year. You cannot estimate this number yourself. How do you work with other members of my team? We believe in the power of the team. For most of our clients, their team consists of Moment Private Wealth, an accountant, an attorney, a banker, and an insurance specialist. We help our clients build out their team of individuals or work with existing partners that the clients have. Our goal is to ensure every family has a team of experts to protect their interests. Why should I consider hiring Moment Private Wealth? Great question! But first, let us explain why you shouldn’t hire us. If you’re looking for an advisor who will pitch shiny object investments or be a “yes man” you are in the wrong place. Why? Because we believe in being truth tellers and only giving advice that we take ourselves. The investments, strategies, and planning we do are all things our advisors do with their own money. If you are an athlete or entrepreneur interested in things like lowering your tax bill, investing smarter, and finding a trusted partner, we might be a good fit. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

The moment the wire hits your account is rarely the "finish line" founders imagine. Instead, it is the start of a high-stakes transition from an operator to a capital allocator. If you sold your business for $10,000,000 today, the number on the screen would look significantly different than the number on the Letter of Intent (LOI). A $10M business sale typically results in a net liquidity event of $6.8M to $7.2M after taxes and fees. Success depends on aligning your post-exit active income such as earn-outs or consulting with a bucketed investment strategy. Your "liquidity number" must be calculated based on your specific lifestyle burn rate, not a vanity headline price. Selling for more than $10MM check out my youtube video for Ultra High Net Worth. Exit Planning for Business Owners In M&A, the "headline price" is a gross figure. Between that number and your bank balance stands a series of priority claimants. This sequence is known as the "waterfall." 1. Transaction Costs: The Price of Protection Selling an eight-figure asset requires a specialized team to defend your interests and ensure the representations and warranties you sign don't come back to haunt you. Investment Banking Fees: Most mid-market bankers work on a "Lehman Formula" or a flat success fee between 3% and 5%. For a $10M deal, this is a non-negotiable $300,000 to $500,000. Legal Counsel: Unlike general corporate law, M&A legal work is intensive. For a $10M transaction, expect legal fees to range from $50,000 to $100,000. This covers the definitive purchase agreement, disclosure schedules, and closing mechanics. Quality of Earnings (QofE): Sophisticated buyers will perform their own due diligence, but you should have your own "Sell-Side QofE" ready. This costs $30,000 to $50,000 and prevents the buyer from chipping away at your valuation during the 11th hour. 2. The Escrow Holdback: Your "Wait-and-See" Capital Buyers rarely pay 100% of the price on day one. They typically hold 10% to 15% ($1M to $1.5M) in a third-party escrow account for 12 to 24 months. This capital acts as a security deposit for any post-closing claims regarding the accuracy of your financial statements or unforeseen liabilities. Until this period expires, you cannot include this capital in your "investable net." The Tax Bite: Federal vs. Local Reality For a Missouri-based founder, the tax story is cleaner than in many coastal states, but the federal government remains your largest "partner." The Federal Burden Assuming the sale is structured as a stock sale and you have held the company for more than one year, you are subject to: Long-Term Capital Gains: 20% on the gain ($2,000,000). Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT): 3.8% ($380,000). Total Federal Impact: $2,380,000. The Entity Advantage Your business structure will determine your tax rate. Many states are passing laws where there is no income tax on pass-through entities. The most common are S Corporations and Partnerships. If you live in Missouri, where I am based, this is the case. Even though the top MO tax rate is 4.7%, if you sell your business, you pay 0% to the state of MO. While Missouri does tax capital gains at the standard income tax rate, many entrepreneurs can leverage the Missouri PTET (Pass-Through Entity Tax) or specific structural credits to minimize this impact. In most scenarios, you will keep significantly more of your exit proceeds than a founder in California or New York, where state taxes can devour an additional 10% to 13% of the deal. Want a complete breakdown of taxes for entrepreneurs...check out this blog here. Post-Exit Income: Are You Still "In the Game"? One of the most overlooked factors in portfolio construction is the founder’s ongoing role in the company. Most exits include a transition period or an "earn-out." The Consultant or Retained CEO If you remain as a CEO or consultant for 24 months post-exit, you are still generating active income. This changes the math for your $7M net proceeds. Active Income Coverage: If your consulting salary covers your $30,000/month lifestyle, your $7M portfolio can remain in "Aggressive Growth" mode. You don't need to draw from the principal, allowing the capital to compound uninterrupted. The Clean Break: If you walk away on day one with zero active income, your portfolio must immediately shift to a "Total Return" or "Income" focus. You now need the portfolio to replace your paycheck, which necessitates a more conservative, liquidity-heavy allocation. The Earn-Out Risk If $2M of your $10M deal is tied to an earn-out (future performance targets), you must treat that $2M as a "bonus," not a certainty. We advise founders to build their core lifestyle plan around the guaranteed cash at closing, not the potential upside of an earn-out. Portfolio Structure: The Three-Bucket Approach Once the net proceeds are clear, we move from "Business Risk" to "Market Risk." We organize the $7M net into three distinct buckets based on your time horizon and income needs . Bucket 1: The War Chest (0–7 Years) This bucket ensures you never have to sell stocks during a market downturn. It typically contains 24 months of lifestyle expenses in high-yield cash equivalents or short-term Treasuries. If you need $300,000 a year to live, $600,000 stays here. Depending on your need to take risks, we often see this War Chest balloon to 7 years. Why so much? There has never been a down period over 7 years, which makes it the ultimate safety net. Bucket 2: Growth Strategy (2–10+ Years) This is the engine of your wealth. It consists of a globally diversified portfolio of public equities and alternatives. The goal here is to outpace inflation and the "4% Rule." Tax Efficiency: For HNW individuals, we prioritize tax-loss harvesting and investing in assets that we control the tax bill. Your capital needs and monthly spending will be the biggest factor that determines how much cash in invested in this bucket. Bucket 3: The Aspirational/Legacy Bucket Now that your lifestyle is secured, you can afford to take "concentrated" risks again. This is where you put capital back into what you know: Private Equity & VC: Investing in the next generation of founders. Direct Real Estate: Cash-flowing assets with depreciation benefits. Angel Investing: High-risk, high-reward opportunities that don't threaten your core security. We don't want to risk money if we need for our lifestyle. These are assets that if they all went to $0 it wouldn't change our financial life. Take a deeper dive into how to construct your portfolio here. The Identity Shift: From Operator to Investor The hardest part of a $10M exit isn't the tax math—it’s the psychological shift. As a founder, you were used to having a high degree of control over your returns. If you worked harder, the company grew. In the public markets, you have zero control over the Fed or global supply chains. This "loss of control" often leads founders to over-trade or take unnecessary risks with their core capital. Our role as your CIO is to provide the discipline to stay the course, ensuring that the "10M Illusion" becomes a permanent, multi-generational reality. If you are an entrepreneur who is looking to better understand financial planning for a business exit, schedule a call, and talk with a Moment founder. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions: Selling Your Business for $10M Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. Are you a fiduciary? Moment Private Wealth serves clients as a fiduciary 100% of the time. How does Moment Private Wealth make money? We are only paid in one transparent way, by our clients. We receive no kickbacks or participate in any profit-sharing arrangements. Our fees are simple, transparent, and clear for our clients. What is the "4% Rule" and how does it apply to my exit? The 4% Rule suggests you can safely withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually without exhausting the principal. On a $7M net exit, this provides $280,000 per year. If your lifestyle costs more than this, you must either lower your expenses or find a way to generate active income post-sale. Do I pay the "Jock Tax" on my business sale? No. While professional athletes pay taxes in every state they play in based on "Duty Days," a business sale is generally taxed in your state of legal residence. This is why being a Missouri resident during an exit is a significant financial advantage. What happens to my 401k or company retirement plan after the sale? Depending on the deal structure (Asset vs. Stock), the buyer may "terminate" the existing plan. You can then roll those funds into an IRA, maintaining the tax-deferred status and giving you more control over the investment options. Should I use my exit proceeds to pay off my mortgage? This is a math vs. emotion decision. If your mortgage is at 3% and your portfolio is expected to return 7%, keeping the mortgage is mathematically superior. However, many founders prefer the "psychological clean slate" of being debt-free post-exit. We model both scenarios to see how they impact your long-term liquidity. How does QSBS (Section 1202) work for a $10M sale? If your company qualifies as a Qualified Small Business (QSBS), you may be able to exclude up to 100% of the gain from federal taxes (up to $10M). This is the "Holy Grail" of exit planning, but it requires the business to meet strict asset and industry requirements since its inception. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

The 2025/2026 NBA season is in full swing. Organizations are preparing for a season they hope ends in lifting the Larry O' Brien Championship Trophy. Priority one is winning games on the court. But players can also win off the court by understanding their benefits as professional basketball players. In this blog, I am going to breakdown the NBA's Pension Plan. NBA Pension Plan The National Basketball Association offers one of the best products in all of sports. With star athletes and high-energy games, the NBA is must watch tv. But behind the scenes, there is a significant focus on ensuring players are well taken care of after their careers come to an end. The NBA and NBPA have put together a package to support their players after retirement. There has been a big push from modern-era players to enhance these benefits. One of these benefits is the NBA Pension Plan. Before I dive in, it is important to understand all your benefits. Navigating retirement as professional athlete is hard enough. Our team at Moment Private Wealth is here to help. The History of the NBA Pension Plan Back in 1965, the National Basketball Association realized it needed to provide its players with benefits found in other professional organizations. With the MLB (1947) and NFL (1962) offering its players pension plans, the NBA followed suit. It began with the creation of The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 1957. The CBA was created thanks to a threat of strike by Boston Celtics star Bob Cousy who was unhappy with player benefits. Since then, the NBPA and NBA have worked closely to agree to terms and conditions for employment in the NBA. The latest update came in April 2023 and runs through the 2029-30 NBA season. NBA Pension Eligibility Requirements Understanding your eligibility is the first step in taking advantages of the NBA Pension Plan. A signed contract does not automatically mean eligibility into pension benefits. In the NBA, you earn benefits based on "Years of Service." While not overly complex, "Years of Service" refer to the number of years you receive for your time in the NBA. In order to earn a "Year of Service" you must be listed on the NBA Active or inactive List at least one day during the Regular Season. The catch is you have to earn at least three "Years of Service" to qualify for the NBA benefits. NBA Pension Benefits Now that you understand eligibility requirements, what are your pension benefits as a NBA player? Before outlining these benefits, it is important to understand the latest NBA adjustments to its retirement dates and benefit calculations. Below are the latest NBA adjustments as of February 2nd, 2024: Normal Retirement Date: this is the first of the month following a player's 62nd birthday Early Retirement Date: players can retire on or after the month following their 45th birthday, but before the normal retirement date Benefit Adjustments: monthly benefits will be updated annually. This is based on the maximum amounts permitted under the Internal Revenue Code. These monthly benefits will also adjust based on cost-of- living increases. With these updates, the amount you receive in your pension depends on three additional factors: Years of Service Average Salary Age While these amounts vary, the NBA has made it a priority to provide fair values based on "Years of Service" in the league. As of the latest agreements, the minimum monthly pension benefit for players at normal retirement age is set at $1,001.47 for each year of credited service. This amount will increase based on your "Years of Service" and the time you begin taking the pension benefit. It is important to consult an expert in athlete wealth management to fully take advantage of your pension benefits. Pension Benefits for Two-Way Players Making it on a regular season roster in the NBA is no easy feat. With 15 players on each regular season roster, it is possible players may make the roster one year and play on the G League roster the next. Or further, they may be on both rosters the same year. Each NBA franchise can sign three players to two-way contracts. This means players can participate at both the NBA and G League levels during the same season. If this happens to you, the NBA Pension Plan will be amended. This means, for each regular season during the term, a two-way player is considered to be on a roster if he is: On Active, Inactive or Two-Way List (on February 2nd of Regular Season); or On the Active List of any team for 50% or more of total Regular Season games during the year This amendment allows Two-Way Players to be eligible for pension benefits and will receive compensation for their contributions. What Next? Your hard work on the court has awarded you benefits well into your future years. Why not take advantage of them? There is no better time than now to ensure you have reviewed your NBA benefits, particularly your pension plan. At Moment Private Wealth, we review the benefits outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement on your behalf and are happy to answer any questions you may have. If you are in the National Basketball Association and want to better understand the NBA benefits, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. How does a player qualify for the NBA Retirement Plan? A player must have earned a minimum of three "Years of Service" to be eligible. Have I earned a Year of Service? Players need to be on the NBA Active or Inactive List at least one day during the Regular Season. Am I eligible for the NBA Pension as a Two-Way Player? Yes! As long as you meet the requirements outlined above, you are awarded the same benefits as if you were on the NBA roster. What age can players take the NBA pension? Players can start receiving their full pension at the age of 45. If deferred until 62, the benefit significantly increases. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

The National Basketball Association is one of the premier professional organizations in sports. But what happens to professional basketball players once the final buzzer sounds on their career? As a NBA player, you must understand all your benefits when navigating retirement as a professional athlete. The NBA and NBPA have put together a package to support their players after retirement. There has been a big push from modern-era players to enhance these benefits. In this blog, I am going to breakdown the NBA's Retirement Plan. NBA Retirement Plan Before we dive in, it is important to understand your eligibility. Just because you sign a contract does not mean you receive these benefits. In the NBA, you earn benefits based on "Years of Service." Simply put, "Years of Service" refer to the number of years credited to you for your time in the league. To earn a "Year of Service" you need to be listed on the NBA Active or Inactive List at least one day during the Regular Season. Further, to qualify for the NBA benefits, you need to earn at least three "Years of Service." At that point, you have access to the NBA Retirement benefits. Benefits for NBA Players Now that you understand who is eligible, what is included in the NBA Retirement Plan? First, it is important to note that the benefits have changed significantly over the years. If you played before the latest CBA agreement (April 2023), your benefits might be slightly different. Additionally, benefits vary depending on the time you played and the "Years of Service" earned. Since then, the league and its players have increased efforts to enhance the NBA Retirement Plan. Here is a list of the benefits included in the latest CBA Agreement: NBA Player Pension NBA Player 401(k) NBA Player Health and Wellness Benefit NBA Post-Career Income Plan We will dive into each of these benefits below. NBA Pension Plan The NBA pension plan dates back to 1965 following in the footsteps of the MLB (1947) and NFL (1962). More now than ever, benefits afforded players is becoming the norm. This is no different in the NBA. It began with the creation of The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 1957. The CBA was created thanks to a threat of strike by Boston Celtics star Bob Cousy who was unhappy with player benefits. Since then, the NBPA and NBA have worked closely to agree to terms and conditions for employment in the NBA. The latest update came in April 2023 and runs through the 2029-30 NBA season. As a professional athlete, you need a plan. Familiarizing yourself with the NBA benefits will help you well into the future. This starts with understanding your NBA pension. NBA Pension Benefits The NBA pension plan offers financial security to players during their retirement years. In order to start receiving a pension, you must earn three "Years of Service". The NBA pension can begin as early as your 45th birthday, but typically begins after you turn 62. So how much will you receive in your NBA pension? Like most pension programs, it depends on: Years of Service Average Salary Age The NBA is gracious in the annual amount offered. If you earn at least three "Years of Service," you are guaranteed a minimum pension $56,988 annually if taken at age 62. This number increases as your "Years of Service" increase. For example, if you play 10 or more seasons, your annual pension jumps to $215,000 annually. The NBA pension has been a focal point in recent years. You need an expert in athlete wealth management to help you understand the optimal time to take to your pension benefits. NBA 401(k) Plan Next, we will look at your 401(k) options. First, find a professional who specializes in financial planning for professional athletes before investing in your 401(k). The NBA 401(k) plan has multiple components. The plan comprises: Salary Deferral Contributions Matching Contributions After-Tax Contributions 1) Salary Deferral Contributions This is exactly what it sounds like. NBA players have the option to defer a portion of their salary and put it towards their 401(k). Why would you do this? Deferring a portion of your salary allows you to build savings for the future. It is a way to contribute to retirement without actually feeling the burden of your contribution. This is because the money is automatically withheld from your salary and transferred to your 401(k). No harm, no foul. 2) Matching Contributions **Please note: Players Association must request matching contributions in writing before the season to receive this benefit. The NBA offers one of the best 401(k) matches in professional sports. In 2026, a player can contribute $24,500 in "pre-tax" money to his 401(k) plan. This means he would receive a tax deduction for his contribution. For example, let's say you are making $1,000,000. In 2026, you contribute a maximum of $24,500 to the plan. Therefore, your taxable income is $975,500 instead of $1,000,000. As a result, your potential tax savings is more than $9,000 assuming the 37% tax bracket. Here is where the true benefit comes in. The NBA offers a generous 140% employee match! Let me put this in numbers for you. You contribute the max $24,500 to your 401(k) in 2026. The NBA then contributes 140% of this amount, or $34,300. By investing the maximum amount in your 401(k), the NBA is essentially paying you an additional $34,300 a year. That is a steal! 3) After-Tax Contributions Additionally, NBA players have the option of contributing to their 401(k) accounts on an after tax-basis. This again, helps increase retirement savings for the future. Whether deferring salary contributions, contributing to your 401(k) or taking advantage of after tax contributions, the NBA 401(k) is a slam dunk when it comes to retirement savings. NBA Player Health and Wellness Benefit The NBA is a grueling sport. With 82 regular season games, the sport takes a toll on the body. The NBA has prioritized the well-being of players off the court with the Health and Wellness Benefit Package. What is included and how will this impact you? Here are the core benefits: Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA Benefit) Insurance/Retiree Medical Plan Tuition Reimbursement Plan 1.) Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) **Please note: This benefit is for players who participated in the NBA since 2000-01. It is important to note that an HRA is not a traditional health coverage plan. It is an employer-funded group health plan. Since the HRA is an employer-owned and funded account, the NBA team you play for bears the cost of eligible medical expenses. For typical HRA accounts, you receive a fixed dollar amount per year and the unused funds can carry over from year to year. As a result, eligible medical expenses could be accumulated with no payment from you. The HRA demonstrates the NBA's continued commitment to player well-being. 2.) Insurance/Retiree Medical Plan The NBA has increased its insurance coverage for players in recent years. Included in the Insurance Benefits plan are: Life Insurance Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefits Disability Insurance Medical Insurance Dental Insurance Vision Insurance Prescription Drug Insurance Additionally, retired players receive health insurance benefits after the game of basketball. This includes the ability to make provisions and plan modifications to existing plans. The NBA has made it a priority to support athletes beyond their playing careers by offering these comprehensive coverages. 3.) Tuition Reimbursement Your time as an NBA player will eventually come to an end. With that comes the possibility of a new career path. The NBA provides eligible players with tuition benefits to promote healthy career transitions and personal development. As of 2023, eligible NBA players with at least three years of service can receive up to $62,500 in tuition benefits each calendar year. Time and time again, we see athletes unaware of the benefits they have. These benefits are there to be utilized. Post-Career Income Plan Another benefit afforded to eligible NBA players is the Post-Career Income Plan. While complex, the Post-Career Income Plan gives players an additional income benefit after their playing careers. These plans include contributions from both teams and players. These contributions are then used to purchase Post-Career Annuities, a fancy term for regular payments after you are done playing. Currently, the funding of these plans comes from a percentage of Basketball Related Income. If interested, consult your current team's HR department and read the 2023 CBA. What Next? Are you currently taking advantage of the NBA Retirement Plan? As we are on the cusp of crowning a new NBA Champion, there is no better time to review your benefits than now. At Moment Private Wealth, we make sure you are up to speed on these benefits. If you are in the National Basketball Association and want to better understand the NBA benefits, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. How does a player qualify for the NBA Retirement Plan? A player must have earned a minimum of three "Years of Service" to be eligible. Have I earned a Year of Service? Players need to be on the NBA Active or Inactive List at least one day during the Regular Season. Are there benefits after I end my playing career? Absolutely! If you are in the process of changing careers, the NBA offers a generous tuition reimbursement package. What age can players take the NBA pension? Players can start receiving their full pension at the age of 45. If deferred until 62, the benefit significantly increases. Is there a 401(k) match provided by the NBA? Yes! If a player contributes to their 401(k), the NBA will contribute up to 140%. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

One of the greatest benefits afforded most employees is access to a 401(k) plan. But did you know, the NFL 401(k) plan, also called the "NFL Second Career Savings Plan" offers one of the most lucrative in all of professional sports? Yes, NFL players are employees and have the opportunity to contribute to their team's 401(k) plan. In this blog, I am going to break down all the things players in the National Football League need to understand about the NFL 401(k) Plan in 2026. Before diving in, it is important to understand, retirement planning for professional athletes doesn't have to start after you stop playing the game. In fact, the sooner you start taking advantage of this benefit, the sooner your financial future will take shape. NFL 401(k) Plan - Second Career Savings Plan The 401(k) is one of the more traditional benefits a company offers its employees. In simple terms, a 401(k) plan is a retirement savings plan, sponsored by the employer. This allows employees to save money for retirement. Said another way, it is a benefit afforded to employees, enticing them to continue working with the company. Who Can Participate in the NFL 401(k) Plan? The NFL 401(k) Plan has many benefits. One is, the number of players that can participate. Players that are eligible to participate include: Active Roster Players Inactive Roster Players Practice Squad Players Reserve/Injured (IR) Players Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) Players Basically, if you are a part of the team as a player for at least one game of the regular or post-season, you are eligible and automatically enrolled. **Please confirm with your Club that you have been automatically enrolled How the NFL 401(k) Works Before we dive into the specifics, it is important to understand how your NFL 401(k) works. The NFL 401(k), like most 401(k) plans is a three-step process: 1.) Money is Put In - this money comes from your paycheck and is put into your account. 2.) Money is Invested - as the owner of the account, you direct the investment of the money in the 401(k). 3.) You Take the Money Out - Once you reach retirement age, you can take out the money you invested along with its gains. It is important to note, there are penalties for withdrawing early. Currently, if you withdraw before you turn 59.5, you will pay a 10% penalty. The key to understanding the NFL 401(k) plan is understanding how NFL contributions work. NFL Player401(k) Contributions Each NFL player on the eligible participant list above is automatically enrolled in the 401(k) Savings Plan. That means, beginning with your first paycheck (on or after October 15th), you will automatically start contributing to your 401(k). With that, it is important to understand your contribution limits and how the contributions work. First, if you are automatically enrolled, 10% of your pre-tax salary will be contributed to your account. The current contribution limit in 2026 is $24,500 of "pre-tax" money. Outside of saving for retirement, this means you would receive a tax deduction for your contribution. For example, let's say you make a salary of $1,000,000 in 2026 and contribute the max $24,500 into your 401(k) plan. Your taxable income is now $975,500 instead of $1,000,000. This means you have a potential tax savings of more than $9,000 if in the 37% federal tax bracket. Not bad, huh? NFL Club 401(k) Contributions 2026 is a big year when it comes to the NFL Club 401(k) contributions. First, it is important to understand if you have earned a "Credited Season" or earned three "Game Credits" as a Practice Squad Player. Let's start with earning three (3) "Game Credits" as a Practice Squad Player. You earn "Game Credits" by being a Practice Squad Player only, or through a combination of being both a Practice Squad Player and an Active player. If you earn three (3) "Game Credits," you can earn up to $1,500 of matching contributions from the NFL. These numbers drastically change if you are an active player and earn a "Credited Season." A Credited Season means you were on one of the following rosters for three or more regular or post-season games: Active Roster Inactive Roster IR (Injured Reserve) PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) Similarly, if you are released injured or receive an injury settlement for 3 or more games, you earn a Credited Season. If you meet the above criteria, you are eligible for the "2-for-1 match." This means the club you play for will contribute two dollars for every dollar you contribute. In other words, for every dollar you contribute up to that $24,500 max, the club will contribute an additional two dollars into your account. That is FREE MONEY! Here is the breakdown of the matching contributions the NFL has proposed for the upcoming seasons: What do I Invest in? Contributing to your 401(k) is step 1. Step 2 is knowing what to invest in. The NFL offers a variety of Investment Fund Options. Before I outline these options, it is important to understand investing as a professional athlete. Further, consult with a wealth management professional before investing. Our team at Moment Private Wealth specializes in helping professional athletes. We can help you too! Below are your Investment Fund Options as an NFL Player: Target Date Retirement Funds - these are age-based funds that help you take more risk when you are young and get more conservative over time. Index Funds - these are funds that track a market index (a basket of stocks and bonds). Multi-Manager & Specialty Funds - these funds concentrate on specific markets or industries. These offer less diversification and come with higher potential risks. Regardless of your thoughts about investing, in order to make money, you have to put your money to work. This starts with investing correctly! What Next? Father time is undefeated. Your playing days will come to an end. When the time comes, your retirement money doesn't just disappear. You can roll over (move) your 401(k) to an IRA or keep it in your current 401(k). If invested properly, this money will grow. More importantly, when you reach 59.5, you can start using this money into retirement. _________________________________________________________ As an NFL player, establishing your 401(k) early in your career can set you up for future financial success. It is the difference between 3rd and 8 and 3rd and 2. I may not play the sport, but I know there are way more options in your playbook at 3rd and short. Approach your 401(k) the same. The sooner you start contributing, the more you gain over time. The more you gain over time, the more options available to you. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you are in the National Football League and want to better understand the NFL 401(k) Plan, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. Am I already enrolled in the 401(k) Plan as an NFL Player? Yes! Each player is automatically enrolled in the 401(k) Savings Plan. Can I participate in the 401(k) Plan as a Practice Squad Player? Yes, everyone is eligible. However, there are specific requirements for 401(k) Club contribution limits. What is the current 401(k) contribution limit? In 2026, the 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500. At what age can I start taking out my retirement money without paying a penalty? Players can start taking distributions once they reach the age of 59.5. Is there a 401(k) match provided by the NFL? Yes! If a player contributes to their 401(k), the NFL will contribute a "2-for1- match." ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Designed specifically for retired players, this program offers more than just a safety net. The NFL Annuity program is a game plan for long-term financial stability. In this blog, we will break down how the NFL Annuity Program works, why it's a game-changer for your post-football life, and how you can make the most of it. Before diving in, it is important to understand, retirement planning for professional athletes doesn't have to start after you stop playing the game. In fact, the sooner you start taking advantage of this benefit, the sooner your financial future will take shape. NFL Annuity Program The National Football League is one of the few employers that continues to include an annuity benefit as a part of its retirement plan. Before specifically diving into the NFL Annuity Program, it is important to understand the basics of an annuity and how it works. An annuity provides a series of regular payments over a set period of time. Essentially, you make an initial investment, and in return, the annuity pays you back with regular payments. The NFL Player Annuity Program helps players save for retirement, just like any annuity. However, the money in these accounts comes from the teams (called "Clubs"), not the players themselves. Said another way, it is a retirement savings plan funded solely by team contributions. Sounds great, but who can participate? Who Can Participate? The NFL Player Annuity Program does have specific requirements for those who can participate. It is open to: Active players with at least one credited season from a previous year. Former players with money in their Tax-Qualified Account. Former players with money in their Non-Qualified Account. NFL Annuity Program Process There are 4 steps to the NFL Annuity Program Process: Money Is Put In: The club contributes money into an account on your behalf. Money is Invested: The money is then invested and managed by investment professionals. You Become Vested: After three or more Credited Seasons, you become vested. This means you are the full owner of the money and the NFL cannot take it back from you. You Take the Money Out: When you are no longer an active player and age 45 or older, you can take out the money. *Note: money withdrawn prior to turning 59.5 years could result in a tax penalty. Seems simple enough. But before going any further, I want to better explain what a "Credited Season" is and how a player becomes "vested." Credited Season A Credited Season means you were on one of the following rosters for three or more regular or post-season games: Active Roster Inactive Roster IR (Injured Reserve) PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) Similarly, if you are released injured or receive an injury settlement for 3 or more games, you earn a Credited Season. Once a Credited Season is earned, you become eligible for most NFL benefits. However, to be entitled to those benefits, you need to earn three or more Credited Seasons. Simply put, three or more Credited Seasons means you are now "vested." Think of it like levels to a game. -First, you have to make the 53-man roster. -Second, you have to be on said roster for 3 or more games. -Third, you have to earn 3 or more Credited Seasons. With that in mind, we need to further discuss the types of accounts involved and what club contributions include. NFL Annuity Program Accounts and Club Contributions NFL Annuity Program Accounts NFL Players may have money in two types of accounts: Tax-Qualified Account Nonqualified Account This is all dependent on how long a player has been in the NFL and earned their Credited Seasons. A tax-qualified account is an account that holds money that has yet to be taxed. It is the responsibility of the player to pay the taxes once the money is taken out. A non-qualified account is an account that holds money that has previously been taxed, meaning a player won't need to pay taxes on this money when they take it out. The Annuity Program helps players save extra money for retirement, and the way it’s taxed depends on which account the money is in. Additionally, your Club can put money into one or both of your accounts according to your Credited Seasons. But, there are specific rules as to which account you start receiving these Club contributions in. To start, you begin receiving Club contributions to your Tax-Qualified Account once you earn your second Credited Season. Once you earn your fifth Credited Season, you start receiving Club contributions to your Nonqualified Account. Said again, for players with two, three, or four Credited Seasons, you only receive a contribution to your Tax-Qualified Account. This is known as a Qualified Addition. If you have five or more Credited Seasons, you will receive Club contributions to both your Tax-Qualified and Nonqualified Accounts. This is known as a Non-qualified Allocation. NFL Annuity Program Contributions Let's break down the contribution schedule for the 2018-2020 NFL Season. Contributions to the Annuity Program are based on the number of Credited Seasons: One Credited Season: $0 Two-Three Credited Seasons: $2,500 (Tax-Qualified Account) Four Credited Seasons: $50,000 (Tax-Qualified Account) Five or more Credited Seasons: $45,000 (Tax-Qualified Account) + $15,000 (Nonqualified Account, subject to taxes) *Note: These amounts are before taxes are taken out. Of a $15,000 Nonqualified Allocation, $7,200 is withheld to cover income and payroll taxes. It is important to note, the NFL suspended both Qualified Additions and Nonqualified Allocations from any Club for seasons 2020 through 2023. NFL Annuity Program Distributions The Annuity Program was set up so you could take advantage of the money contributed by your team (Club). With that, I want to briefly explain how you can take the money out of the Annuity Program. The four ways to do so include: Single Lump Sum - this is a one-time payment for the entire balance. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - only after age 45 Partial Lump Sum - this means you receive payment of part of the balance. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - only after age 45 Installment Payments - this means you will receive the payments in equal installments. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - annual payments until you reach 45 (or a date of your choosing after that date) Annuities - the balance is used to purchase an annuity from the insurance company. With the annuity, you have a bunch of options Annuity for Your Life Only Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity Qualified Optional Survivor Annuity Joint and Survivor Annuity To complete one of the above transactions, you must submit a Distribution Form to the NFL Player Benefits Office. Lastly, the amount you receive will depend on the value of your account, but also, how you choose to take your money out. It is important to understand how you will receive your annuity before selecting an option to take the money out. What Next? Father time is undefeated and you will be faced with the reality of your last game sooner than you ever imagined. Before you unbuckle your chinstrap for the last time, make sure you understand your benefits, including the NFL Annuity Program. The NFL Annuity Program can be a game-changer for your post-football life. It is up to you to make the most of it. Before making any decisions, be sure to consult your financial team and read through the NFL Benefits Package at NFLPlayerBenefits.com or call the NFL Player Benefits office at 800.638.3186. At Moment Private Wealth we are specialists in athlete wealth management ensuring you maximize your league benefits. I also highly suggest checking out the NFL Retirement Plan (2026 Edition). The NFL Annuity Program is just one of the many benefits afforded NFL players. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you are in the National Football League and want to better understand the NFL Pension Plan, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. Who can participate in NFL Annuity Program? Active Players with at least one Credited Season in a Prior Plan Year. When can I start receiving contributions to my NFL Annuity? You begin receiving Club contributions to your Tax-Qualified Account once you earn your second Credited Season. When can I start receiving my NFL Annuity contributions into my Non- qualified Account ? This begins if you have five or more Credited Seasons. When do I become vested in the NFL Annuity Program? You become vested after earning three Credited Seasons. Are there multiple ways to take out my NFL Annuity benefits? Yes, there are multiple options. Be sure to consult your financial team for the best option for you. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Pension plans used to be the most common retirement plan. Companies would pay its employers a salary with the promise of a pension once they retired. But the pension plan is becoming less seen today. The National Football League is one of the few employers that continues to include the pension benefit as a part of its retirement plan. In this blog, I am going to break down all the things players in the National Football League need to understand about the NFL Pension Plan in 2026. NFL Pension Plan "A pension plan...what is that?" Pension plans are becoming an afterthought. But the NFL has made it a priority to include in the NFL Retirement Plan. A pension plan is a retirement plan that provides income to employees after they retire. In simple terms, an employee receives a specific payment amount when they retire. So how does this work for NFL players? It starts with earning a "Credited Season." A Credited Season means you were on one of the following rosters for three or more regular or post-season games: Active Roster Inactive Roster IR (Injured Reserve) PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) Similarly, if you are released injured or receive an injury settlement for 3 or more games, you earn a Credited Season. From a Credited Season to Becoming Vested Earning a Credited Season is Step 1. Step 2 is becoming "vested." In order to be entitled to the NFL Pension Plan, a player must earn three or more credited seasons. Simply put, three or more Credited Seasons means you are now "vested." Think of it like levels to a game. First, you have to make the 53-man roster. Second, you have to be on said roster for 3 or more games. Third, you have to earn 3 or more Credited Seasons. These Credited Seasons open the doors to the benefits negotiated under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). NFL Pension Plan Specifics As an eligible player, it is important to understand the NFL Pension Plan specifics. Again, in order to be eligible for the NFL Pension plan, a player needs to have earned three or more credited seasons. To start, the NFL Pension Plan generally begins when a player reaches between the ages of 55 and 65. Once a player reaches retirement age, there are three factors impacting a player's pension benefits: How many benefit credits a player has earned When a player chooses to begin receiving retirement benefits The form in which a player chooses to receive his retirement benefits Benefit Credits In the NFL, each season a player plays for three or more regular or post-season games, they earn a credit towards their pension amount. Outlined below are the credits earned for each credited season a player is awarded: *Remember, you need 3 or more Credited Seasons to be eligible Credited Seasons Benefit Credit 1982-1992 255 1993-1994 265 1995-1996 315 1997 365 1998-2011 470 2012-2014 560 2015-2017 660 2018-2019 760 2020-2030 836 These credits are then used to determine how much a player may receive for their pension. The average NFL pension is ~$43,000 per year as of 2023. When Is A Player Eligible For a Pension? As mentioned above, the NFL Pension Plan typically begins when an eligible player turns 55. However, these benefits can be paid at two different times: Normal Retirement Deferred Retirement Normal Retirement begins on the first day of the month beginning after a player turns 55. Deferred Retirement can begin on the first day of the month after a player reaches the age of 55. However, in deferring this benefit, the amount of a player's monthly benefit will be increased. This is because a player will be receiving a pension for a shorter amount of time. Regardless of when an eligible player chooses to receive his pension, he must be at least 55 years of age. How The Pension Benefit Is Paid When it comes to receiving the pension, a player has multiple options. These include: Life Only Pension Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity Pension Life and Contingent Annuitant Pension Life and Ten-Year Certain Pension Life Only Pension The Life Only Pension is the most common pension plan chosen by NFL Players. This pension will provide equal monthly payments to an NFL player for their lifetime. Once a player passes away, this benefit ends regardless if a player has a family. Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity Pension If a player is married, the Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity Pension is most common. This plan gives a player a reduced monthly pension during the player's lifetime. However, when a player dies, the surviving spouse will receive 50% of the pension. Life and Contingent Annuitant Pension The Life and Contingent Annuitant Pension plan is similar to the Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity. It pays a reduced monthly pension during the lifetime of a player. There is one difference. The amount depends on the beneficiary's expected lifespan. It also depends on the percentage the beneficiary will receive. A player can choose the percentage of the pension paid to the beneficiary. That can be anywhere from 1% to 100%. It is important to keep in mind if the beneficiary is not your spouse, parent, child, or dependent, the value of the benefits payable may change. Life and Ten-Year Certain Pension Similar to the other pensions, this option provides monthly payments for life. The difference with this plan is that 10 years of payments are guaranteed. If a player passes away young, the beneficiary will continue to receive the same monthly payments during the guaranteed time. Pension Protection for Family While it is never in the plan, it is important to understand what happens to a player's pension benefit if he passes away before reaching retirement age. The NFL continues to emphasize the importance of taking care of the family. With that, the NFL has created a Widow's and Surviving Children's Death Benefit. While not a pension plan, it does provide a pre-retirement death benefit to the spouse. The typical monthly death benefit for the widow and surviving children is $9,000. The $9,000 is paid to the family for the first 48 months following a player's death. This amount decreases to 50% of the player's benefit credits after those 48 months. The minimum that would be paid is $4,000. What Next? As hard as it may be to walk away from the game, the NFL has made it a priority to help players into retirement. This includes the NFL Pension Plan. The NFL Pension plan provides players with specific payment amounts when they retire. It is important to discuss the benefits with your financial team. At Moment Private Wealth, we help you create a plan with this benefit in mind, including how to budget as a professional athlete. I highly suggest checking out the NFL Retirement Plan (2026 Edition). The NFL Pension is just one of the many benefits afforded NFL players. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you are in the National Football League and want to better understand the NFL Pension Plan, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. How many credited seasons are needed to be eligible for the Pension Plan? Each player must have earned 3 credited seasons to be eligible. At what age am I eligible for the NFL Pension Plan? Players can start receiving their pension at the age of 55. Do I have to start taking my pension at 55 years of age? No, a player has the option to defer payment. In doing so, the amount of the pension increases per year since a player will be receiving a pension for a shorter amount of time. Are there different Pension Plans I can choose from? Yes, there are multiple plans. Be sure to consult your financial team for the best option for you. Will my family be taken care of if something happens to me? Yes! The NFL has instituted a Widows and Surviving Children's Benefit. If the family is not included as beneficiaries in the Pension Plan, they will receive benefits via this plan. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Did you know the National Football League has a retirement plan? Since 1993, the league has increased its commitment to its players' financial security post-career. As an NFL player, you must understand all the frameworks to consider when navigating retirement as a professional athlete. For NFLPA benefits, it starts with understanding the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Retirement Plan. Here is what you need to know. What benefits do players get? How do players know if they are eligible? What do players need to do to access those benefits? What should players look out for? There is a lot to focus on while on the field, but understanding the benefits you receive for being a part of the 53-man roster is just as important. In this article, I am going to break down all the things players in the National Football League need to understand about the NFL Retirement Plan in 2026. NFL Retirement Plan Before we jump into the specifics of the benefits afforded NFL players, it is important to understand who is eligible. Just because you sign a contract does not mean you receive the benefits of the NFL Retirement Plan. You must earn a "Credited Season" first in order to be eligible. So what is a Credited Season? A Credited Season means you were on one of the following rosters for three or more regular or post-season games: Active Roster Inactive Roster IR (Injured Reserve) PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) Similarly, if you are released injured or receive an injury settlement for 3 or more games, you earn a Credited Season. From a Credited Season to Becoming Vested Oftentimes, you will hear the phrase "Benefits for Vested Players." Earning a Credited Season is the first step in being eligible for the NFL Retirement Plan. However, in order to be entitled to those benefits, you need to earn three or more credited seasons. Simply put, three or more Credited Seasons means you are now "vested." Think of it like levels to a game. -First, you have to make the 53-man roster. -Second, you have to be on said roster for 3 or more games. -Third, you have to earn 3 or more Credited Seasons. These Credited Seasons open the doors to the benefits negotiated under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Benefits for Vested Players Now that you have met the requirements, what is included in the NFL benefits plan? First, it is important to note that the benefits may vary depending on when you played and how many credited seasons you earned. Specifically speaking, if you played prior to 1993, these benefits will be different than for active players. For active-active players the current benefits include: Pension Health insurance for 5 years once finished playing Player Annuity Program Capital Accumulation Plan Tuition Reimbursement Disability Benefits Life Insurance Health Reimbursement Account Plan (HRA) 401(K) Severance Former Player Life Improvement Plan 88 Plan - Health Reimbursement Plan for Vested Players with Certain Illnesses There is a lot involved in each of the benefits above. Athletes need to work with a specialist in athlete wealth management. In the rest of this blog, I am going to outline the four biggest benefits players receive in the NFL Retirement Plan: NFL Player Annuity Program NFL Second Career Savings Plan (401k) NFL Player Severance Plan NFL Pension Plan NFL Player Annuity Program One benefit afforded to players is the NFL Player Annuity Program. Also known as the PAP, this is a deferred compensation plan. In other words, it provides eligible players with additional retirement savings. Here is how it works... Money Is Put In: The club contributes money into an account on your behalf. Money is Invested: The money is then invested and managed by investment professionals. You Become Vested: After three or more Credited Seasons, you become vested. This means you are the full owner of the money and the NFL cannot take it back from you. You Take the Money Out: When you are no longer an active player and age 45 or older, you can take out the money. *Note: money withdrawn prior to turning 59.5 years could result in a tax penalty. There are a few additional questions that need to be addressed. How do I become vested in this program? How much is the team contributing? How do you become vested? Essentially, you begin to receive contributions to the PAP after three credited seasons. Once you are vested, no longer an active player, and at least 45 years of age, you are eligible to receive these payments. It is important to keep in mind that if you defer payments, these payments must begin by age 65. What is the team contribution? The contribution varies by the years played in the NFL. For instance, players will receive the following amounts if they played from 2011-2020 and earned four or more Credited Seasons: 2011-2013 = $65,000 per year 2014-2017 = $80,000 per year 2018-2020 = $95,000 per year Here are a few additional things to keep in mind. Depending on the number of Credited Seasons you earn, you can have balances in two different accounts: "Tax-Qualified (TQ) Account": Money is contributed "before tax," which means you pay taxes when you take the money out. This starts accruing after your second Credited Season. *This is earned after 3 Credited Seasons or you are employed as a player at age 55 "Nonqualified (NQ) Account": Money is taxed in the year it is contributed and comes out tax-free. This starts accruing after you earn your fifth Credited Season *You are always vested in the balance of a Nonqualified Account. It can never be forfeited Additionally, it is important to understand how to take the money out. Here are the four ways to do so: Single Lump Sum - this is a one time payment for the entire balance. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - only after age 45 Partial Lump Sum - this means you receive payment of part of the balance. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - only after age 45 Installment Payments - this means you will receive the payments in equal installments. TQ - available as soon as you are eligible NQ - annual payments until you reach 45 (or a date of your choosing after that date) Annuities - the balance is used to purchase an annuity from the insurance company. If you have questions or want to take advantage of this benefit, you can call the NFL Player Benefits Office at 800.638.3186 or visit their website at NFLPlayerBenefits.com NFL Second Career Savings Plan (401k) One of the greatest benefits your employer can provide is a 401(k) plan. In the National Football League, this is called the Second Career Savings Plan (401k). This 401(k) is an asset that needs to be utilized. In 2026, you can contribute $24,500 in "pre-tax" money into your 401(k) plan. Outside of saving for retirement, this means you would receive a tax deduction for your contribution. For example, let's say you make a salary of $1,000,000 in 2026 and contribute the max $24,500 into your 401(k) plan. Your taxable income is now $975,500 instead of $1,000,000. This means you have a potential tax savings of more than $9,000 if in the 37% federal tax bracket. Additionally, the club will contribute to your 401(k) as an active, inactive, IR or PUP list player if you have two or more credited seasons (excludes practice squad players). *Note: this excludes 2020-2023. What does this mean? This means that the team you play for will contribute a "2-for1- match" to your account. In other words, for every dollar you contribute up to that $24,500 max, the club will contribute an additional two dollars into your account. That is FREE MONEY! Here is a breakdown of the matching contributions the NFL has proposed for the upcoming seasons: NFL Player Capital Accumulation Plan (CAP) If the 401(k) isn't incentive enough, the NFL has also created the NFL Player Capital Accumulation Plan (CAP). This provides NFL players with additional saving opportunities for retirement. Unlike the 401(k) where you can deposit your own money, your CAP account receives money only from team contributions. The amount depends on the number of Credited Seasons earned. Here is how it is broken down: 1 Year = $0 CAP Contribution 2 Years = $2,500 CAP Contributions 3 Years = $2,500 CAP Contributions 4 or More = $42,000 CAP Contributions *If you meet the requirements for 4 or more seasons, this amount will increase to $45,000 in 2027 & 2028, $48,000 in 2029 and $50,000 in 2030 NFL Player Severance Plan Time is undefeated and your time as a player will come to an end. But the time you put into the sport can pay you back at the end of your career. The NFL Severance Plan is a plan that benefits those players who are credited with a certain number of seasons in their football careers. First, severance pay is the compensation an employer provides you at the end of your employment. This is no different in the NFL. The National Football League pays you a lump sum payment at the end of your career. You might be thinking...how much? Well, it depends. The number of Credited Seasons earned and the years you played will determine how much you receive. Here is the breakdown: 1989-1992 = $5,000 per year 1993-1999 = $10,000 per year 2000-2008 = $12,500 per year 2009= $15,000 per year 2010 = $0 2011 = $15,000 per year 2012-2013 = $17,500 per year 2014-2016 = $20,000 per year 2017-2019 = $22,500 per year 2020-2023 = $0 2024-2025 = $35,000 per year 2026-2028 = $40,000 per year 2029-2030 = $50,000 per year Ok, great. So when is the severance paid and how do I apply? The severance is paid by the team you earned your last Credited Season with. It is paid to you in a lump sum and sent to you on the last day of the calendar quarter when you are no longer with the team. Notify your Plan Administrator at 800.635.4625 if interested in applying. One other important thing to remember... For income tax purposes, the severance pay is included in taxable income when distributed. NFL Pension Plan Additionally, the NFL Player Retirement Plan provides a pension. Generally, this begins between the ages of 55 and 65. So what are your benefits? Again, it depends. There are three factors considered: How many benefit credits you have earned When you choose to begin receiving retirement benefits The form in which you choose to receive your retirement benefits To start, you earn a benefit credit for each Credited Season you are awarded. *Remember, you need 3 or more Credited Seasons to be eligible I have outlined this for you below: Credited Seasons Benefit Credit 1982-1992 255 1993-1994 265 1995-1996 315 1997 365 1998-2011 470 2012-2014 560 2015-2017 660 2018-2020 760 After age 55 (or later if deferred), you receive a monthly amount. That amount depends on multiple factors including: Your Benefit Credits Years of Service Average Salary The average NFL pension is ~$43,000 per year. Next, you decide when to receive the retirement benefits. This can be done the month beginning after your 55th birthday or can be deferred. If you do defer receiving the retirement benefit, the amount of your monthly benefits can increase substantially. What Next? Making it to the NFL is a feat in and of itself. Why not take advantage of the benefits afforded you? All too often, we see athletes unaware of the benefits they have earned. At Moment Private Wealth, we make sure you are up to speed on these benefits. If you are in the National Football League and want to better understand the NFLPA benefits, schedule a call with a Moment Founder. Not sure what questions to ask, check out this video on 10 questions you should ask when interviewing a financial advisor. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. How does a player qualify for the NFL Retirement Plan? A player must have earned a minimum of three "Credited Seasons" to be eligible. Have I earned a Credited Season? Players need to be on an active roster for three or more regular or post-season games to earn a "Credited Season." How do I become vested? All players on the active, inactive, IR, or PUP list for three or more "Credited Seasons" are considered vested. What age can players take the NFL pension? Players can start receiving their full pension at the age of 55. If deferred until 65, the benefit is significantly increases. Is there a 401(k) match provided by the NFL? Yes! If a player contributes to their 401(k), the NFL will contribute a "2-for1- match." ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has created a massive financial opportunity for college athletes. But with that comes outside pressure, added complexity and the importance of getting this "financial thing" right on the up front. As a college athlete today, you are navigating: Endorsement Deals NIL Collectives Revenue-Sharing Agreements Business Income Contract Compliance Not to mention finding an agent, the right financial advisor and making sure you build a circle of people you can trust. For you and most college athletes, this is the first time in your life you are earning significant income. And without the right guidance, that could all go away as quickly as it came in. In today's blog, I am going to outline the most important things your NIL Advisor should be doing for you and how to think about wealth management as an athlete. Advisors for NIL Athletes Understanding the True Value of NIL Income Most athletes we work with focus on the headline number of their NIL deal. That is a natural instinct. Think about it...schools are offering you life changing money at the age of 18. I would be caught up in the number too. But it is important to remember the amount that is listed in your contract is not the number you take home. News flash...it is going to be a lot smaller than you think. So then how should you be thinking about it? Well, it is first important to understand that NIL income is taxable income. But unlike a typical salary, this is reported as 1099 income. That means taxes are not automatically withheld. This is the first thing any advisor you work with should explain to you. Any good NIL advisor helps you understand: Net Income After Taxes Contract Structure Payment Schedules Long-Term Financial Implications These are table stakes for any collegiate athlete. And that starts with understanding the true value of your NIL income. Build the Right Tax Strategy Understanding how NIL income is taxed is only the first step. The next step is building a strategy to manage the taxes that come with it. The challenge is that nothing is automatically withheld from this income to cover your future tax bill. One of the biggest financial mistakes we see NIL athletes make is underestimating how much they will owe in taxes. Unlike a traditional job, NIL income is treated as self-employment income, meaning athletes may owe federal taxes, state taxes, and self-employment taxes. Uncle Sam is going to get his fair share, whether you plan for it or not. Any good financial advisor should help you with the following: Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments Deductible Business Expenses (if applicable) Coordination with your CPA This alone can save you tens of thousands of dollars in taxes. When it comes to finding the right financial advisor, these should be things they are discussing with you before money even starts hitting your account. If you are questioning whether you need a financial advisor, check out this video...I think it will change your perspective pretty quickly. And this leads to one of the most important mindset shifts NIL athletes need to make. Treat Your NIL Like a Business Believe it or not, your are your own business now. Name, Image, and Likeness income is essentially entrepreneurial income. I know that may sound strange, but it's true. Any good financial advisor will help you build the proper structure around "your business." Here's how... The first and most common step is creating a LLC. But not just any LLC. Your financial advisor should help you create a LLC...taxed as a S-Corp. The “taxed as an S-Corp” part is extremely important. Let me show you why. LLC Taxed as a S-Corp Imagine you earn $1,000,000 in NIL deals this year. If that income simply flows to you personally, the IRS treats it as self-employment income. Which means the income is subject to self-employment tax. Self-employment tax is made up of two parts: 12.4% Social Security tax 2.9% Medicare tax That’s 15.3%. However, the Social Security portion only applies up to the wage limit (around $170,000 depending on the year). So before we even talk about federal or state income tax, you would owe roughly: $55,000 in self-employment tax alone. That’s the cost of running your NIL brand without the proper structure. Now let’s look at what happens when your NIL income flows through an LLC taxed as an S-Corp. Instead of all $1,000,000 being treated the same, the income gets split into two buckets. First, you pay yourself a reasonable salary. Let’s say that salary is $250,000. Payroll taxes apply to that salary just like a normal job. But the remaining $750,000 can be paid to you as a distribution from the S-Corp. And here’s the key: Those distributions avoid self-employment tax. So instead of paying about $55,000 in self-employment tax, you might only pay around $30,000. That’s a potential tax savings of around $25,000. Again, as a collegiate athlete, navigating this correctly can be a game-changer. Your Financial Quarterback Coordinate the Right Professional Team We've established the true value of your NIL income, built a tax strategy, started treating your NIL income like a business... Now what? Your professional team is more than just your internal family now. And as a business, that starts with the right financial advisor...a financial advisor that works specifically with individuals in your shoes. But beyond that, your financial advisor should serve as your financial quarterback. That means controlling everything in your life with a dollar sign in front of it. Cash Flow Planning Tax Planning Risk Management Estate Planning Investment Management One of the biggest misconceptions athletes have is thinking their agent handles everything. Agents negotiate deals. But a good NIL advisor helps coordinate the entire financial team around you. That includes: CPAs Attorneys Insurance Specialists Agents Marketing Representatives NIL income creates legal, tax, and financial complexities that require multiple professionals working together. That all starts with a strong financial advisor acting as your financial quarterback, making sure everyone is aligned and that decisions are made with your long-term financial interests in mind. Without coordination, things can fall through the cracks. It would be in your best interest to have someone you can call that understands your entire financial picture if something were to happen. Turn Short-Term NIL Money Into Long-Term Wealth History shows most athletes will never make it to the highest level of their sport. The reality is that you may only earn NIL income for a short period of time. Only the man above knows what your future holds. But the right financial advisor plans for the worst while helping you get ahead of 99.9% of people your age. And you have the greatest superpower when it comes to building financial security: Time. Starting early is one of the most powerful advantages you have. That’s why a good financial advisor helps athletes start investing while they are still in college. And in return, it can open the door to powerful tax-advantaged accounts like: • Roth IRAs • Solo 401(k)s • SEP IRAs These accounts allow athletes to reduce taxes, grow investments tax-free or tax-deferred, and start building long-term wealth early. For example, a successful NIL athlete could potentially contribute tens of thousands of dollars per year into retirement accounts depending on their income and business structure. That kind of early investing creates a massive long-term advantage. The goal is simple. Turn short-term NIL money into lifetime financial security. If you want more specific tips on how to do this, check out The Moment Guide to NIL & Revenue Sharing. Final Thought Name, Image, and Likeness has fundamentally changed collegiate sports forever. You now have the ability to earn life changing money at the age of 18. But with that comes the responsibility of taking care of it. Hiring your financial advisor may make or break your future financial security. And their job is to help you build a financial foundation that lasts long after your college days are over. Get in Touch With An Advisor Frequently Asked Questions Here are some answers to questions I received frequently about this topic. How does Moment Private Wealth help college athletes? Moment works to help athletes ensure they have the proper professional on their team first. The second step is helping educate athletes about what they should be considering. The third step is helping athlete implement the necessary strategies, planning, and investment to maximize their NIL earnings. How are the earnings taxed? All of the field income is taxed as 1099 or self-employment income. How does Moment Private Wealth make money? We are only paid in one transparent way, by our clients. We receive no kickbacks or participate in any profit-sharing arrangements. Our fees are simple, transparent, and clear for our clients. How are you different than other financial advisors? We are specialists in working with professional athletes and entrepreneurs. We limit the number of new clients we take on. This allows us to provide unparalleled value and highly personalized service to professional athletes. We work as a team to service our clients. We believe in building a team of “A” players. This ensures our clients receive world-class tax, estate, insurance, and investment strategies. We focus on educating first, then executing. How do you work with other members of my team? We believe in the power of the team. For most of our clients, their team consists of Moment Private Wealth, an accountant, an attorney, a banker, and an insurance specialist. We help our clients build out their team of individuals or work with existing partners that clients have. Our goal is to ensure every family has a team of experts to protect their interests. Why should I consider hiring Moment Private Wealth? Great question! But first, let us explain why you shouldn’t hire us. If you’re looking for an advisor who will pitch shiny object investments or be a “yes man” you are in the wrong place. Why? Because we believe in being truth tellers and only giving advice that we take ourselves. The investments, strategies, and planning we do are all things our advisors do with their own money. If you are an athlete or entrepreneur interested in things like lowering your tax bill, investing smarter, and finding a trusted partner, we might be a good fit. *Moment Private Wealth offers information on tax and estate planning that is general in nature. Tax and Legal advice are not provided by Moment Private Wealth. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.