Claire Kittle always makes sure that George Kittle is best set up for success in football because the NFL does not last forever. She advises other couples to take a similar approach.
The future is not possible without the present!
Knowing that George’s NFL career will some day come to an end, Claire wants him to take full advantage of the opportunity while it exists. There is a reason they refer to the league as “Not For Long.” It’s hard! Fortunately, U.S. Bank is there to help them navigate the Xs and Os of wealth management.
How do Claire and George Kittle define wealth?
There is a nuanced relationship between wealth and money, like two parallel lines that hold hands. Wealth is not contingent on money and money is not contingent on wealth.
And yet, there is an intrinsic tie between them.
George Kittle met Claire Till in 2012 during their freshman year at the University of Iowa. He was a two-star (wide receiver) recruit who weighed less than 200 pounds. She was a hooper.
They started dating after about eight months. They got married seven-ish years later. He is now an NFL superstar at 6’4, 250. She was just on the cover of SI Swimsuit in February.
The Kittles are absolutely crushing life right now. They are also making a lot of money along the way, which was not the case when they first met. NIL money did not exist while George and Claire Kittle were in college. It’s been a grind to get to this point!
With that history in mind, George is grateful for his wife and the life they continue to build together. He does not define wealth by the amount of Ms in his bank account.
“Wealth to me is being in a spot in your life where you wake up happy every single day,” George told BroBible. “You’re not stressed. I wake up happy next to Claire and we get to live the life that we want to live.”
Money can strongly impact lifestyle, since cost often hinders opportunity, but Claire does not think it needs to be excessive. She is more focused on freedom.
“Financial success is being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it,” Claire added.
And at the end of the day, the future is just as important as the present. That is why the Kittles partnered with U.S. Bank, the official bank and wealth management sponsor of the NFL.
George wants to leave a legacy with their money— both in the now and for future generations. He received the NFL’s 14th annual Salute to Service Award for his work with veterans. He also supports a number of programs that promote literacy because he learned how to read through the comic book series Calvin and Hobbes. His goal is to have a similar impact on his children and their children.
“I’ve seen some people say that their kids can make their own money and that I’m going to spend it all when I want to spend it. I have a different thought process about that. I want to put our family, and our family’s families in a position where they can take care of themselves without stress.”
Claire is equally as focused on her husband’s life after football. It is not an easy transition!
“When he does want to retire and be done playing football, I want him to be able to do whatever he wants every single day. If he wants to go on a vacation, if he wants to go coach a football team at high school, he can do that. If he wants to get another job, he can do that, but he gets to make that decision and it’s not a stressed financial decision.”
In the meantime, she wants to put him in the best position to succeed on the field. Everything else does not and cannot happen if he is not catching touchdowns or finishing his blocks to the ground.
Claire Kittle advises NFL wives to support their husbands.
Claire Kittle is not naive to the fact that she is linked to George Kittle by nature of his profession and his personality. They’re a great team.
But that does not mean the Kittles aren’t independent people! Claire is Claire. George is George. They each have their own hustles. They each have their own brands.
“I mean, we love to do things together. We don’t often like to be separated and it doesn’t bother me to be tied to him. Obviously he’s amazing, but I view myself as a very confident person and I know what I’m capable of. I know what my skills are.”
It took time for Claire to reach that level of independence.
“We’ve been in this kind of spotlight and, right now, I feel like the most Claire that I’ve ever felt and I am most confident in that. And so in all of those things lining up, I feel my best to go in front of a camera, to take interviews, to take on jobs, to step aside from him a little bit more every single year. A couple of years ago, I would not have been ready to do that.”
Although Claire is fortunate to have her own career, she makes it a priority to create the best possible environment for her husband’s success as a football player. George’s wife handles everything off of the field so he can focus entirely on his craft when he steps onto the gridiron.
She advises the wives and girlfriends of rookie NFL players to take a similar approach. Do not squander the opportunity because it will not last for long. Less than 2% of college athletes make it to the next level. The average professional football career lasts less than four years.
Claire also keeps George in check because she is a great judge of character. Not everybody is exactly how they seem!
“I always call her ‘Mama Bear.’ She’s really good at keeping our circle tight. She can read people very well. I think she’s been wrong like one time in the last 10 years about people. I give everybody the benefit of the doubt but she’ll say ‘No, I don’t like that person,’ and sure enough, they aren’t who we thought they were. She’s been incredibly beneficial to me for that.”
All of this goes to say that Claire and George Kittle are thriving in their relationship, financially, socially and individually. Their personal success stems in large part from a targeted (and educated) approach to wealth management, which is not only defined by dollar signs. Other young couples would benefit from a similar blueprint, even beyond the NFL, and U.S. Bank is always there to help!