Eddie George Starting Wealth Management Firm For Athletes
When Eddie George takes his final bow as Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on Broadway this Sunday, the former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star won’t be taking any breaks to get on with the next phase of his life.
George told ESPN.com this week that he will be the managing partner of a new financial management firm called Edward N. George Wealth Management, which will focus on managing the finances of athletes.
“Everything I do has a purpose and passion behind it,” George said. “When I came into the league, I didn’t understand all the financial terminology. I lost some money in personal investments that I shouldn’t have. I want kids coming out of college to be more prepared for the financial side.”
George said his partners in the venture are his financial advisor of 20 years, Greg Eastman, who counts Utah Jazz point guard Trey Burke and Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger as clients, and First Financial Equity Corporation, a wealth management company out of Scottsdale, Arizona.
George said while his company seeks to recommend and manage investments, it will have no access to the funds themselves, nor seek from players the rights to make investments for them through power of attorney.
George said he is licensed to immediately practice as a securities agent and investment advisor, having become a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) by passing two required tests last year, the Series 7 and the Series 66. He also graduated with an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 2009.
By the time George retired in 2004, he had racked up more than 10,000 career rushing yards and 76 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. George’s ventures have been diverse in the 11 years since retiring.
His landscape and architecture firm, The Edge Group, of which he is a silent partner, has operations in three cities. Restaurants and sports bars to which he has licensed his name have been more successful than most — the former Ohio State Buckeye has locations in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and at the Columbus airport. He has played roles in Shakespeare plays in Nashville and is finishing his six-week engagement on Broadway — and, yes, he has done what many former players also do and been a commentator on Fox’s college football studio show.
“My life’s mission is entrepreneurship, entertainment and education,” George said. “The wealth management firm is both entrepreneurship for me and education for the players.”
At the end of a meeting where George reveals his new venture, he pulls out a business card with all his new details. It is black with gold lettering, made out of metal and has a company logo of a crest with the letters “EGWM” with a lion separating the letters.
Asked if it’s a little bit over the top, George replied, “I don’t do anything small.” After thinking about it some more, he quoted the famous phrase from his character Billy Flynn in Chicago.
Said George: “You just have to razzle dazzle ’em.”
Source: espn.com
Posted by: The Trust Advisor
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