What do NFL legend Rob Gronkowski and billionaire Warren Buffett have in common? Apple stocks! Unlike the Oracle of Omaha, whose investing prowess has built an empire of sound decisions, the 35-year-old Gronkowski stumbled into one of his best investments thanks to an unexpected source, his contractor. In 2014, while having his 4,486-square-foot house built in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the four-time Super Bowl champion received repeated investment advice.
“Every time I saw him, when we were building the house, he kept saying, ‘Get Apple. Get Apple,’” Gronkowski told Fortune in an exclusive interview. At 25 years old and just four years into his NFL career, Gronk wasn’t initially convinced. But after hearing the advice for the 50th time, he took the plunge, investing $69,000 of his hard-earned money into Apple stock, a decision he calls the best of his life.
The investment paid off handsomely. Initially forgotten, the stock more than tripled, growing to $250,000. True to form, Gronkowski sold a portion but held onto the rest. Today, that initial leap of faith has ballooned into a $600,000 stake in Apple stock. “Now to this day, I have over $600,000 in Apple stock, all because of the investment I made in 2014 having no idea what I was doing, but just listening to the guy that built my house here in New England,” he shared.
Interestingly, Gronkowski’s 2015 autobiography, It’s Good to Be Gronk, revealed another financial tidbit, he has never spent any of his NFL contract earnings. Instead, he lives off his business ventures, endorsement deals, and appearance fees. Perhaps the son of a former college football guard turned fitness equipment entrepreneur knows more about money management than one might expect.
