When most people think about retirement, they picture a steady career spanning decades, followed by a gradual slowdown in their 60s or 70s. For athletes and entertainers, the story is dramatically different. A professional footballer may be considered “retired” by 35. A pop star might enjoy a few years of intense chart success, followed by decades of residual income but far fewer headline paydays.

This condensed timeline creates unique challenges in property finance. Mortgage terms often stretch 20 to 30 years. Athletes and entertainers may have only five to ten years of peak earnings. Unless carefully planned, this mismatch can lead to financial stress in later life—or worse, lost opportunities to secure property during the years when it matters most.

In this blog, we’ll examine how career transitions affect mortgage borrowing, how athletes and entertainers can prepare for them, and what strategies Willow uses to ensure lending decisions support long-term stability, not short-term glamour.

The reality of early retirement

The average UK retirement age is around 65. The average Premier League footballer retires before 35. Olympic athletes often peak even earlier. Entertainers may perform longer, but even the most successful actors or musicians face career fluctuations that make long-term planning difficult.

This means a borrower could be 28, earning £1 million a year, but unable to show how they’ll maintain repayments by 40. A high street lender, trained to think in decades, may balk at the apparent risk.

Yet the reality is more nuanced. Many athletes and entertainers build wealth during their peak and then transition into coaching, commentary, brand ambassadorship, or production roles. Entertainers may continue to earn through royalties, licensing, or back catalogue sales. The challenge is convincing lenders to look beyond the immediate career window and recognise the broader financial journey.

How lenders perceive career transitions

Lenders, particularly high street banks, often struggle with the uncertainty of post-career income. Their underwriting models are designed for teachers, lawyers, and business executives—not cricketers, film directors, or recording artists.

Without evidence of long-term stability, they tend to:

• Restrict loan terms to align with the current contract.
• Apply steep income “haircuts” to future projections.
• Decline applications outright if retirement appears imminent.

Private banks, on the other hand, take a more flexible view. As we outlined in Private Bank Mortgages Explained: Benefits and Drawbacks, they are more willing to consider wealth in totality: assets under management, intellectual property, residuals, and the borrower’s brand potential. This holistic approach makes it possible to secure lending even as the career arc begins to bend downward.

The role of protection in bridging career shifts

Protection planning is vital for anyone with a short career horizon. For athletes, income protection and critical illness cover can safeguard against sudden loss of earnings through injury or illness. For entertainers, life cover and residual insurance can provide lenders with reassurance that even if career opportunities dry up, financial obligations will still be met.

In Protection for Athletes & Entertainers: Safeguarding Mortgages in 2025, we explained how bespoke cover can turn a “decline” into an approval by directly mitigating lender fears. When protection is woven into the mortgage strategy, the transition from peak earnings to later life becomes far less disruptive.

Building wealth early: the property ladder as a retirement strategy

One of the smartest strategies for athletes and entertainers is to use peak earnings to secure long-term assets early. Buying property in your 20s or early 30s means the mortgage term can extend naturally into later life, by which time the property may be largely paid down.

We explored this in Portfolio Landlord Mortgages in 2025: Smarter Strategies, where landlords build long-term income streams by leveraging borrowing power during their most liquid years. For athletes and entertainers, the same logic applies. A residential mortgage may be harder to secure after retirement, but a portfolio built earlier can generate ongoing rental income that supports financial stability for decades.

A practical example

Consider a professional rugby player in his late 20s earning £600,000 a year. He knows his career will likely peak by 32 and wants to plan for life beyond the pitch. Instead of waiting until retirement, he uses his current earnings to buy two London properties, financed with 25-year mortgages.

When he retires at 33, his rugby salary disappears. But the rental income from the properties, combined with new earnings as a coach and commentator, covers mortgage payments and generates surplus cash flow. By structuring early, he avoids the “retirement wall” where income drops but liabilities remain.

This approach is not without risks, voids, interest rate fluctuations, and career uncertainty all matter, but with careful planning and protection, it transforms a short playing career into long-term financial security.

Preparing for the “second career”

Not every athlete or entertainer stops working entirely after their first career. Many pivot into second careers that, while less lucrative, still generate steady income. Lenders are increasingly open to factoring in these career transitions, provided evidence is presented early.

For example:

• Athletes moving into commentary or punditry.
• Musicians turning to production, writing, or teaching.
• Actors transitioning into directing or behind-the-camera roles.
• Influencers leveraging their platform into business ventures.

In UK Property Finance for Entrepreneurs in 2025: Balancing Business Cashflow and Borrowing, we discussed how business ventures can underpin borrowing. The same logic applies here—career pivots, when structured properly, provide the continuity lenders crave.

Why Willow focuses on the whole financial journey

At Willow, we don’t just look at today’s contract or chart position. We build a picture of the entire financial arc: peak earnings, wealth already secured, second career opportunities, and protection strategies. By presenting this holistic story to lenders, we turn what looks like risk into evidence of stability.

For athletes and entertainers, this means approvals that reflect their true financial resilience—not the artificial limitations of a standard affordability calculator.

Conclusion

Career transitions are inevitable in sport and entertainment. But with careful planning, they don’t have to mean financial instability. By buying early, structuring wealth strategically, and integrating protection and second-career income, athletes and entertainers can turn short-term fame into long-term financial security.

At Willow, we help clients map this journey, ensuring today’s lending decisions continue to support tomorrow’s lifestyle—even after the spotlight fades.

📞 Planning for life after your peak?

Talk to Willow about structuring your borrowing today so your mortgage works tomorrow.