Scott Rojas, CFP®, MBA

Super Bowl 53 features the Los Angeles Rams of Orange County vs. the evil NFL empire known as the New England Patriots. The Rams have strong ties to Orange County, Fullerton, and the Southern California region. The Rams once played their home games in Anaheim Stadium and held mini-camps at Cal State Fullerton throughout the 1980s.

It has been 39 years since the Rams represented Los Angeles in the Super Bowl. Given the amount of time between Super Bowls, I would not be surprised if a fan or two overspends on Super Bowl 53. Back in 2016, Denver Broncos superfan Justin Kerrigan and his friends spent $30,000 to attend Super Bowl 50 without telling his wife up-front. Here is a video that both exposes and gives us an update on Justin and his wife.

The good news is that Justin’s wife let him live to watch the Broncos continue to play some poor football since 2016.

As a financial planner, I often wonder if people think about the opportunity cost of some of their decisions. I am as guilty as anyone, but what would $30,000 look like five, 10, or 20 years from now? I took some average investment returns and ran the numbers.

In summary, Justin’s decision cost him somewhere between $33,000 and $171,000 over a five- to 20-year time period. If he were to have invested the funds for five years in an investment that matched the rate of inflation, it would have grown to $33,000. If he had invested the funds into an investment that earned 9.1% over 20 years, it would have grown to $171,000.

These are past returns and cannot predict future returns. Consult an investment advisor before you invest.

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Enjoy Super Bowl 53 with your family and friends—and GO RAMS!

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