zach Hayn

I’m set to make $6M this year. After taxes, agent fees and jock taxes, I’m estimating I’ll actually have around $3.3M to allocate. Here’s how I’m thinking about it: Venture: 15-20%. It’s aggressive, but I’m 25, have a long time horizon, access to some really interesting opportunities through my network, and want venture to be a part of my career long after basketball. Living expenses > 100K. That probably sounds surprising relative to the salary, but a lot is covered as an NBA player. Travel, meals, gear, etc. I’m also 25 and single. I have plenty of fun, and there just isn’t that much I feel the need to spend money on. The remaining $2.5M+ goes toward the boring stuff. Index funds, savings and some philanthropy. And that’s kind of the whole point. The biggest part of my financial plan is also the least exciting. When I was on a two-way contract, I told myself that if the bigger contract ever came, my lifestyle wouldn’t automatically grow with it. Now it’s here. The goal isn’t figuring out how much I can afford to spend. It’s figuring out how much freedom I can build.