We adhere to strict standards of editorial integrity to help you make decisions with confidence. Some or all links contained within this article are paid links.
What do you do if you’re 29 years old, at the prime of your football career and earning tens of millions of dollars? For Jason Brown, the answer to that question would be to give it all up and become a farmer.
Brown shocked the sports world in 2012 when he walked away from a $37.5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams, as the highest-paid center in the NFL, to buy a 1,000-acre plot in Louisburg, North Carolina, now known as First Fruits Farm.
Don’t miss
- I’m 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don’t panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
- Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
- Robert Kiyosaki warns of a ‘Greater Depression’ coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 ‘easy-money’ assets will bring in ‘great wealth’. How to get in now
Brown and his wife donated the first yield of their harvest to local food banks, proving this wasn’t just a career shift for the professional athlete, but a personal mission. As the farm’s yields have increased, so too have their donations.
“We are a donation-first farm,” Brown told the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017. “My wife and I made a covenant with God that whatever we produce on his farm, that we’re going to give our local communities our first fruits of whatever is grown from our farm.”
The leap from touchdowns to tractors may sound radical, but Brown’s story can offer an inspiring blueprint to find your own philanthropic calling without going broke.
Build a financial cushion
If your goal is to give more back to your community, like the Browns, then don’t skip the foundational step of financial stability. Jason Brown’s journey from NFL star to full-time farmer-philanthropist was made possible by years of high-earning groundwork.
First and foremost, you need to have an emergency fund set aside for any surprising costs. A good place to keep your emergency cash is somewhere accessible, like in a no-fee checking and savings account with SoFi. SoFi can help you earn up to 10 times the national average rate of return for a savings account, with an APY of up to 4.00%. They also offer 0.50% APY on checking accounts, plus you can get your paycheck two days early.
Lastly, if you load up your new account with a recurring direct deposit you can get up to $300 as a first-time sign-up bonus.
After building your safety net, you might also want to bolster your savings to earn a greater return on income.
Investing is a great way to do that, and it doesn’t need to be complicated either. With Acorns, every purchase on your credit or debit card is automatically rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the excess is invested into a smart investment portfolio. This way, even your essential spending goes towards bolstering your net worth, by investing in low-cost index funds.
Sign up now and you can get a $20 bonus investment when you set up a recurring payment.
Beyond investing in the stock market, you might want to look into alternative assets such as real estate. While the $34.9 trillion U.S. home equity market has historically been the exclusive playground of large institutions, Homeshares is changing the game.
The platform allows accredited investors to gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.
Essentially, Homeshares can offer a convenient and hands-off way to invest in high-quality residential properties, with a minimum investment of $25,000. Their U.S. Home Equity Fund also offers risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%.
Read more: You don’t have to be a millionaire to gain access to this $1B private real estate fund. In fact, you can get started with as little as $10 — here’s how
Align your financial freedom with a deeper mission
Once you’ve secured your finances, the question becomes what to do with them.
While many people dedicate years to striving for financial freedom, few invest the same energy into envisioning how they’ll spend their time once they achieve it.
Financial freedom can bring unexpected challenges, like a loss of purpose or daily structure, leading some to return to work, not out of necessity, but to regain a sense of fulfillment and engagement. A 2024 survey by ResumeBuilder revealed that 13% of retired seniors plan to re-enter the workforce in 2025 — with 42% citing boredom as their primary motivation.
To combat this, you may wish to align your long-term financial goals with a deeper personal mission.
For Brown, that sense of meaning came from providing fresh, farm-grown food to his community. Dedicating your life to a personal cause can be one of the most fulfilling ways to put your money to work. And consulting with a financial advisor can help you define the best path to making that dream come true.
Advisor.com is a free service that matches you with a registered fiduciary from their database to help you meet your personalized financial goals. With Advisor.com, you get a pre-screened financial advisor you can trust.
After answering a few simple questions, you can set up a free, no-obligation consultation to see if they’re the right fit for you. Even better, Advisor.com’s experts are fiduciaries, meaning they’re obligated to act in your best interests.
Learn to make an impact
Philanthropy isn’t just about good intentions — it requires specific skills. If you’re planning to launch a non-profit or social enterprise, invest time in understanding the competencies needed to succeed in this space.
Brown, for instance, says he knew nothing about farming or agriculture before he launched First Fruits Farms.
“I went to the online University of YouTube, while playing football,” he said in an interview with TODAY’s Craig Melvin. “I watched hours and hours of film every single day.”
Your passion project or social mission might involve a similar learning curve, so getting the financial foundation part right early could boost your chances of success.
What to read next
- Financial aid only funds about 27% of US college expenses — but savvy parents are using this 3-minute move to cover 100% of those costs
- Here are the 6 levels of wealth for retirement-age Americans — are you near the top or bottom of the pyramid?
- Here are 5 ‘must have’ items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?
- How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you’ll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement
Money doesn’t have to be complicated — sign up for the free Moneywise newsletter for actionable finance tips and news you can use. Join now.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
