Why Most Pro Athletes Go Broke - Avoid This Wealth Management Mistake

Most families enter youth and travel baseball thinking the goal is exposure, scholarships, or "getting paid" someday — but the financial reality of the game starts long before a player signs a pro contract. And when money finally shows up (NIL, draft bonuses, big-league paychecks), it often hits fast, loud, and overwhelming.

In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, Matt sits down with Kyle Ourso, a wealth advisor who's spent nearly two decades inside pro baseball — first helping MLB players behind the scenes at Marucci, and now guiding athletes and sudden-net-worth clients through the financial decisions that can define (or derail) their future.

They break down what families and players actually need to know: how to choose a wealth advisor, why "fiduciary" matters, how fees quietly compound into millions, and why athletes are uniquely vulnerable to bad business pitches — not because they're irresponsible, but because they're wired to believe they can "will" anything into success.

The conversation also zooms out to the parent side: the hidden pressure created when travel baseball becomes a financial "investment," why budgeting matters more than most families realize, and how to support a son's dream without putting the family's future at risk.

If you've ever wondered who to trust, what to ask, and how to build real financial clarity in a world full of noise — this episode is for you.

Subscribe for weekly insight on player development, recruiting, and the business of baseball — with the truth families rarely hear early enough.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why athletes are prime targets for "too-good-to-be-true" business opportunities
• The difference between an idea and execution (and why most deals fail)
• What "fiduciary" really means — and how the term gets misused
• The most important questions to ask when interviewing wealth advisors
• How different fee structures work — and why some are brutally expensive long-term
• Why cash ≠ credit, and how young players get crushed on car/home financing
• How to think about money across a baseball career (bonus vs minor league salary vs big-league runway)
• Why private investments can be opportunity and liability for public athletes
• How MLB differs financially from NFL/NBA (cash flows, timelines, roster realities)
• The hidden damage when parents treat travel baseball as a "return on investment"

ABOUT KYLE

Kyle is a wealth advisor specializing in sudden net worth clients — including professional athletes and individuals whose income spikes early and fast. Before finance, Kyle spent nearly two decades in pro baseball with Marucci, working closely with MLB players and learning firsthand how elite performers think, operate, and get approached by outsiders. Today, he helps athletes build plans around cash flow, taxes, major purchases, long-term investing, and life after sports — with an emphasis on education, discipline, and trust.

ABOUT MATT HANNAFORD

Matt Hannaford is a 25-year MLB agent and founder of Aligned Sports. He has negotiated historic contracts, represented MVPs and All-Stars, and now delivers weekly insight on player development, recruiting, and the business of baseball through The Most Valuable Agent podcast.

CONNECT WITH MATT HANNAFORD

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Website: https://www.aligndsports.com/
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