Fall is in the air; pumpkin spice is on the horizon and the 2025 Football season just kicked off. And if you’re like millions of others, you’re playing fantasy football this year.
Whether it’s your first season in your work league or you’re a veteran pro who lost in the championship last year (I’m not bitter…). I’m justifying all the time I’ve put into fantasy football to give you some practical applications to your personal finances.
1. You have to put time in if you want to winYou can’t draft a team and let it sit all year; players get injured, there are bye weeks, any number of factors can influence your team. In the same way YOU NEED A BUDGET. You can’t just let your paycheck come in without telling it where it needs to go to. Bills, savings goals, debt payments, and even “fun money” all should be tracked. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll be scrambling later, wondering where your money went just like scrambling on a Sunday morning to replace a player you forgot was on a bye week. Consistency beats luck both in fantasy and in finance.
2. Sometimes you have to dip in your savings (and that’s okay)
You had a plan when you drafted your team, you were well on your way to a championship then the season happens. That promising rookie? A bust. The hometown player you drafted? Injured and out for the season,. Luckily there’s this lovely thing called ‘The Waiver Wire’ where all the people who are not on someone’s roster sit until someone picks them up. Think of that as your ‘Savings Account’ or ‘Rainy Day fund’. Life happens; your check engine light comes on, your air conditioner shuts down when its 95 °, unexpected things happen all the time but if you go to the “waiver wire” these things are more of an inconvenience than ruining your whole season.
3. Don't let it affect your relationships
Look, I’m a competitive guy so I want to win and I know that I have ZERO control over what happens on the field, even if I wear my lucky underwear but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed out when my team loses. The #1 financial stressor in relationships is money. If you let your finances consume you, arguments, bitterness, and resentment will creep in. I hope that you wouldn’t stop talking to a coworker who beat you in the weekly matchup and I hope when financial stress comes up, you won’t let it affect the people you care about. Communicate, set shared goals, and remember that money is a tool not the scoreboard that defines your worth.
At the end of the day, both fantasy football and personal finance are a mix of strategy, luck, and not taking yourself too seriously. You’re going to have weeks where everything goes your way and weeks where your “sure thing” totally flops. “”That’s life” – Frank Sinatra” – Nick Balla. So set your lineup, set your budget, and remember: there’s always next week and there’s always another season.
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