Brenden and Paxten Aaronson always imagined that they would pursue a career in soccer, the sport they’d played in their basement, their backyard and on local fields since the New Jersey-raised brothers took their first steps. They loved the sport and they loved playing it. So the fact that both achieved early success as professional soccer players, when they were still in their teens, may have felt like the normal course of events. But as their paychecks started growing alongside their careers, they realized they needed to give some thought to their off-the-field affairs. “I’ve always been someone that just enjoyed playing football,” explains Brenden. “The first couple of years [I was professional] I wasn’t as much into the money. I was playing the game that I loved, and the money was like a side thing.”

With success comes complexity

While Brenden now plays for a Premier League team in England and Paxten plays in the U.S. for a professional team in Colorado, it wasn’t always that way. Both started with local teams not far from the New Jersey town where they grew up, earning modest five-figure salaries. But when Brenden, the older of the two, and then Paxten, started playing with teams in Europe and getting paid well to do it, they realized they could benefit from some professional financial guidance. “I’m 22 years old, and I’ve already played for five teams in three different countries,” says Paxten. “It moves fast, and you’re earning more money and that’s why you have to be really smart, and not just about money,” he says, citing contracts, sponsorship decisions and taxes.

It’s those dynamics that encouraged them to start working closely with their financial advisor. “What we’re doing is not like other careers,” says Brenden. “Athletes likely don’t have 40 years of being a professional. You’re lucky to have 10 or 15 years, tops in pro soccer.”¹ This means the brothers have to think about their goals and plan for the future sooner and with more focus than most young people. At the same time they’re navigating a complex landscape of professional obligations and business opportunities, all while training seriously and traveling from stadium to stadium.

The power of financial advice

Luckily, both Aaronson brothers have found that the discipline and commitment required for them to succeed at the highest level in international professional sports has helped them with their approach to their finances.

They are also keenly aware that a career-derailing injury or even a career-slowing performance slump is possible. That’s partly why a goal they both share is to build a financial foundation that will give them options when they have to stop playing, for whatever reason. That means taking advantage of their youth and good health to sock away savings, and it means leaning into the financial education they’re receiving from their financial advisor about investing and planning for the future. Brenden and Paxten each individually talk and email with their advisor regularly to consult on their cash flow, the prudence and effect on their savings of large purchases, and their investments.

All this saving and preparation means that for now, they can focus on performing at their highest level and committing themselves to the sheer joy and fun of playing.