The Finances of Athletes and NFL Players with Hillary Seiler

Oct 3, 2025

Hillary Seiler, a financial education coach for professional athletes, shares her journey from personal financial struggles to empowering others. She discusses the lack of financial education in sports and how the NFL now mandates rookie financial sessions to prevent bankruptcy. Hillary emphasizes the importance of evaluating investment deals, the role of branding in NIL deals, and the complexities around post-career transitions. Her insights highlight how athletes can protect their wealth and navigate their financial futures effectively.

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ANECDOTE

From Personal Struggle To Athlete Coach

Hillary Seiler describes how her mother's illness and her college friends (football players) supported her financially and led her into financial education work.
Those early experiences turned into advising pro athletes on basic money questions as they entered the NFL.

INSIGHT

League-Mandated Financial Education

The NFL mandates rookie financial education and ongoing professional development to reduce post-career bankruptcies and poor choices.
Those CBA rules arose after publicized high-profile money failures and aim to teach lifestyle, teams, and investment basics.

INSIGHT

Perception Versus Reality Of Athlete Pay

Most NFL rookies do not make millions; many earn near rookie minimums and have short careers (about 3.3 years).
Public perception of athlete wealth is wildly inflated, which worsens spending mistakes.

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Hillary Seiler joins us today to discuss the finances of athletes and NFL players. She shares her journey from personal financial struggles in college to building a career helping athletes, students, and employees improve their financial wellness. She shares how supporting friends who went pro in the NFL led her into creating financial literacy programs for professional teams, eventually expanding into universities and corporate America. She talks the lack of financial education for athletes, the misconceptions around their earnings, and the systems now in place to protect players from going broke.

We discuss...

Hillary is a financial education coach who began working with pro athletes and later expanded to universities and corporate America.
She was inspired by her own financial struggles during her mother’s illness, which gave her perspective on money management.
The NFL now mandates financial education sessions for rookies and younger players to prevent bankruptcy and poor financial decisions.
Many athletes face misconceptions about their earnings, with most NFL players earning far less than the public assumes.
Financial downfall is often tied to lack of education, poor money management, divorce, and being targeted for bad investments.
Hillary teaches athletes to evaluate deals by requiring full business plans and consulting financial advisors before investing.
Support systems and career planning are critical to helping athletes adjust to life after sports and avoid identity loss.
Studies show Olympic silver medalists often stay motivated while gold medalists can struggle with depression and identity loss after reaching the pinnacle.
Professional athletes and military veterans face similar challenges when retiring, often losing their sense of purpose.
There has been debate about requiring athletes to save in pensions or annuities, but concerns remain about limiting free will.
The NFL and NBA encourage saving with strong 401k matching programs, but players cannot access funds until age 45.
The Pro Athlete Community (PAC) helps retired athletes manage money and avoid financial pitfalls.
Despite education programs, some athletes still make costly mistakes or fall for scams, learning lessons the hard way.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/the-finances-of-athletes-hillary-seiler