Becoming a professional athlete can change everything overnight.

The financial responsibilities that come with it are real, complex, and long-lasting.
 
At FishmanDavid, we help professional athletes understand their tax and financial obligations while they’re playing and long after they’ve stepped off the field.

Let’s talk

What Financial Support Looks Like for Professional Athletes

Professional athletes operate in a financial environment unlike almost any other. Income is often concentrated into a short window of time, spread across multiple states, and influenced by trades, endorsements, bonuses, and contract changes. Add in family involvement, advisors, and business ventures, and the complexity multiplies quickly.

We work with athletes across major leagues, including the NBA and NFL, as well as those earning income through endorsements, licensing deals, and NIL arrangements. Many of our clients also launch businesses, invest in real estate, or form charitable organizations during or after their playing careers.
 
Our role is not to manage money or pay bills. Our focus is on making sure taxes are handled correctly, planning is thoughtful, and athletes understand their tax obligations and decisions, so nothing comes as a surprise.

Our Approach: Experienced, Direct & Team Oriented

Athletes don’t need hype; they need advisors who are comfortable navigating complexity and speaking plainly.

We work alongside the people already advising you.

That may include family members, agents, financial advisors, attorneys, and managers. We coordinate with your existing team rather than competing with it, so the tax picture stays connected to everything else being decided on your behalf.

We secure power of attorney early.

That lets us go directly to teams, leagues, and payors to gather what we need, rather than routing every request back through you or your agent. Information moves faster and there’s less friction on your end.

We make sure you understand your own situation.

Even with a strong support system, taxes don’t go away when a season ends, a trade happens, or a career wraps up. Understanding your exposure, filing obligations, and planning opportunities early is part of how we protect you long term.

Where Athlete Tax Planning Gets Complicated

Our work with professional athletes often includes planning and support around:

  • Multistate and “jock tax” filing requirements
  • Trades, free agency, and residency changes
  • Endorsement, licensing, and appearance income
  • NIL income for collegiate and early-career athletes
  • Business ventures and pass-through entities
  • Real estate investments and rental income
  • Charitable activity and foundation planning
  • Tax notices, audits, and penalty resolution

These issues rarely appear one at a time. Decisions made during a playing career can have lasting consequences well into retirement, which is why proactive planning matters.

Many of our athlete clients remain with us long after their playing days are over. That’s something we’re proud of.

What keeps them here is consistency and honesty. 

We Don’t Rotate Out

Agents change. Managers change. We stay.

When the people around you turn over, as they often do, there’s still someone who knows your full history and keeps compliance, planning, and long-term stability on track without a handoff.

We’re Still Here After the Last Game

Taxes don’t stop at retirement, especially when retirement comes early.

We’re with clients through peak earning years, through transitions, and well into whatever comes next. Many of our athlete clients have been with us far longer than they were on a roster.

We Keep the Story on the Field

You should be known for what you do on the field, not for tax problems off it.

That’s the whole objective. We don’t chase trends or reach for aggressive positions, because the value of getting this right is that nobody ever has to talk about it.

Is This the Right Fit for Your Business?

If you’re looking for someone to manage your money or act impressed by your career, we’re not the right firm.
 
If you want experienced tax professionals who understand the realities of professional athletics, work seamlessly with your team, and will still be here when the spotlight fades, we do that work exceptionally well.

Let’s talk about how thoughtful tax planning can support both your career today and your life beyond it.

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