By Natalie Rodgers
Brandon Copeland grew up eating, sleeping and breathing football. He played his way through high school and collegiate teams before being signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, where he eventually went on to play for numerous NFL teams. But Copeland didn’t know that his time on the field would instill another passion in his life: finances.
As he learned to navigate his finances, which increased when he started playing professional football, Copeland engaged in consistent conversations with his teammates about financial security and responsibility, things he hadn’t known anything about before his time in the NFL.
“I learned a lot about money in the league, and I realized there’s a lot of people who will never be able to walk into a Baltimore Ravens locker room or a Detroit Lions locker room and get access to these types of people and conversations,” Copeland said in an interview with Essence. “The biggest issue is that financial literacy isn’t taught early enough in our communities…so what can I do to make sure that a younger version of me doesn’t have to be elite, athletically, to get information that you deserve to have.”
To combat this, Copeland has spent the last several years ensuring everyone, especially those in underprivileged areas, has access to financial literacy tools. When he wasn’t on the field, Copeland spent his time learning about finances. He began sharing his knowledge with the public, using his smarts to found his organization, Copeland Media, in 2019. Copeland Media is a free-to-access website with resources dedicated to financial wellness. Users can access budgeting tools, living wage calculators, mortgage calculators and information on preparing for specific large-item purchases like cars and insurance. Copeland also offers an online class called Life 101, a fundamental course that covers every major financial topic, from budgeting and credit to investing and retirement planning.
From there, his influence only grew. Copeland’s work with Copeland Media eventually led him to a position as a professor at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, where he currently teaches his Life 101 class. He became even more active in 2021 when he began giving TED Talks and public speeches on financial literacy and joined the cast of “Buy My House,”—a Netflix show that teaches viewers about real estate investments. His outspokenness earned him a spot on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 20 list as an innovator and influencer.
In 2023, upon retiring from the NFL, Copeland founded another organization, athletes.org, which works with collegiate athletes to ensure they have the tools they need for their educational and future successes both in sports and in life, especially when it comes to turning a passion for athletics into a monetary opportunity.
“I try to double-click on the things that I’m already spending my time doing and put the things that I enjoy under a microscope and see how I can lean more into those,” Copeland additionally told Essence. “Because if you’re able to monetize the things you enjoy, then you can spend less time doing the things you don’t enjoy.”
As for his advice for financial wellness, Copeland’s beliefs can be summed up into a few simple tips:
- Don’t count your money until it’s in your bank account: To be more disciplined about money, it’s wise to pretend it doesn’t exist until it’s tangibly in your account. This will help you be more thoughtful about your spending and think ahead about saving money.
- Invest whatever you can: Regardless of how much money you make, everyone should consider investing a small amount. Growing your money for long-term rather than short-term goals will benefit you most.
- Achieve a balance: Saving and earning are equally important. When you’re careful with your money and create a balance between earning, spending and saving it, the stress that often comes with money will begin to dissipate.
To share his experiences with fiscal responsibility and advice on how others can do the same, Copeland recently authored the book Your Money Playbook, which outlines practical ways to manage, invest and plan your finances.
“Money can be either be a source of stress or a tool for freedom,” Copeland states in his book, “We have to be intentional about the legacy we leave behind.”
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