Is Christian Wilkins Your Child's New Role Model?
Does your child have a financial role model?
If your child enjoys football, a great financial role model may be Miami Dolphins’ first round draft pick and defensive lineman, Christian Wilkins. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Wilkins was dubbed the NFL draft’s most frugal player for his extreme saving habits. While many college athletes are forced to take student loans, despite scholarship awards, Wilkins has been able to avoid any debt and save $15,000. Wilkins told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s simple: My mind-set is just, save a whole lot more than you spend. And I’m not ever willing to spend much. I’m very low-maintenance when it comes to my needs.”
In order to keep track of his finances and ensure he kept saving, Wilkins divided his $1,532 monthly cost of attendance stipend into four accounts. He deposited $150 in the first account which was for everyday spending. The second account was for rent and other large expenses, the third was for savings and investments, and the fourth was for emergencies. Setting up different accounts for different expenses can be a great tool to make sure you keep your budget and don’t accidentally spend your rent money!
His penny pinching habits are not the only impressive thing about Wilkins, who has help the Tigers win two national titles. His consistent performance has earned him honors, including Freshman All-American, first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-ACC select. In 2017 he was made a permanent team captain and started in all 14 games. Off the field, Wilkins earned his degree in communications studies in an accelerated 2 ½ years and went on to earn a masters in athletic leadership. For his academic success Wilkins won the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy, which is known as the “academic Heisman.” In his downtime Wilkins worked as a substitute teacher for local elementary schools. We hope he was able to pass along his financial wisdom to his students!
With such a strong understanding of financial literacy, Wilkins’ NFL salary will be in great hands!