Watching Paige Bueckers on the basketball court, her natural talent is undeniable. But something that didn’t come as naturally to the UConn Huskies point guard? Figuring out what to do with the money she’s earned thanks to her athletic prowess.
“I wasn’t educated [about finances] a lot during the younger years of my life — high school, even the younger years of college,” Bueckers tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview. “My parents would tell me just to save, only spend on things you need, like gas, food. [The idea was,] ‘You don’t need that new pair of shoes, you don’t need that new outfit from the mall.’”
But when her college basketball career started putting serious cash into her hands, Bueckers realized she needed to do more than just save. For those unfamiliar with the world of college athletes, NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals allow college athletes to profit from opportunities like endorsements, sponsorships, and social media posts. This is still very new territory, since the NCAA only changed its rules to allow for NIL deals in 2021, making financial literacy more important than ever for student-athletes like Bueckers. And Bueckers’s NIL deals have been game-changers. “When NIL came into play, I learned how important it was to be able to manage your income, your taxes, make smart financial decisions,” she says.
So, how did Bueckers figure it out? Much like working with a coach to improve her jump shots, she got a financial advisor to teach her the ins and outs of money. “He’s been very adept at helping me learn how to invest, how to get equity, how to start building relationships … and even just how to handle my taxes and how important all of that is,” Bueckers says.
Now, Bueckers is committed to making smart financial decisions, with her eyes on long-term prizes like investing and ownership. “I want to be an owner of a team in the WNBA,” she says of her future goals. And while saving is still a big thing for her, she’s also put herself in a position where she can afford some splurges. “My first big purchase was a Louis Vuitton bag,” she says with a laugh. “It was my sophomore season, and I went to LV and spoiled myself a little bit. I’ve never spent that much money on one item before.”
Talking about money can be awkward, Bueckers admits. “I never talked about money until I was forced to,” she says. However, she hopes college students, especially young women, feel empowered to speak up. “The more you talk about it, the more comfortable you get. The more you ask questions, the more you learn, the more comfortable you’ll be.”
Right now, Bueckers is talking about money a lot, as she’s partnered with Intuit for Education to share how Intuit’s free financial literacy program has now expanded to serve college students. According to Intuit, more than 70% of students experience financial stress in college, and Intuit for Education’s newly expanded program helps to combat that stress with financial education resources tailored specifically to college students’ needs — all at no cost. Part of Intuit’s goal of bringing financial literacy to 50 million students by 2030, Intuit for Education’s college offerings will include accounting lessons, NIL tax workshops, and financial literacy forums — all crucial information Bueckers knows the value of firsthand.
“Partnering with Intuit for Education was an easy choice, just helping to continue to spread the knowledge of free financial literacy,” she says. “Having those resources to be able to ask questions, get help — because nobody starts off being born with this intense knowledge of financial literacy — is probably the best thing you could do for yourself.” Yes, even better than securing an LV bag… though that’s definitely up there too.