Before an athlete decides what to do with NIL money, they need proof the money is real. In this conversation, Coach Carolyn Wester is joined by Drew Morgan, MBA, MACC, who trained with Carolyn from high school through the senior level and is now a certified financial planner working with current D1 wrestlers. Carolyn’s advice to every recruit is the same: get it in writing. Every promise a college coach makes on a visit or a call- scholarship, summer housing, NIL, sponsor perks- goes back to that coach in an email, and how the program responds tells you most of what you need to know. She also describes what she’s hearing from recent recruits: coursework that is almost entirely online, and athletes steered away from engineering or pre-med before they’ve enrolled. Drew takes the second half with two priorities. Know exactly how an adviser is paid, and walk away from anyone who can’t answer that plainly or isn’t a fiduciary. Then build a team: a planner, CPA, and eventually an estate attorney, whose job is the athlete’s goals, not a product. Taxes come first either way, since NIL payments arrive as 1099 income with nothing withheld, and the compounding example Drew walks through shows why a lump sum left alone at 20 matters at 60. Coaches and parents will leave with an order of operations: get it in writing, know the fee, build the team.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Drew’s checklist of questions to ask a financial adviser: https://wrestlingprep.com/advisor-questions
Financial planning inquiries: Andrew Morgan, MBA, MACC, Financial Advisor – andrew.j.morgan@nm.com
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