How to Build a Freedom Fund with the 3-Bucket Method

“When your income is as unpredictable as your game-day performance, how do you build the savings that let you call your own shots—even after you retire the barbell?” 

For CrossFit athletes, income volatility is par for the course: one month you’re cashing big sponsor checks, and the next you’re hustling local coaching gigs. Without a clear plan, saving can feel like trying to hit a snatch PR with no rhythm.

Enter the bucketing approach—a simple way to divide your money into three dedicated “buckets,” each with its own purpose and timeline.

Here’s how to set up a 3-bucket savings system and why it works. 

 Bucket 1: Short-Term Cash (Your Safety Net)

Purpose: Cover 6 months of living expenses.

Why it matters: Injuries happen. Sponsorships dry up. Coaching slowdowns occur. With a fully funded short-term cash bucket, you sidestep the panic and scramble when the unexpected strikes. 

How to build it: 

1. Calculate monthly essentials: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, insurance.
2. Multiply by six to find your target.
3. Automate so that after paying expenses, the balance of every deposit (prize money, sponsor checks, coaching fees) into a high-yield savings or money-market account until you reach that goal. 

Real talk: That day you get held up by an injury or a sponsor deal falls through, you’ll be buying time to recover—physically and financially—instead of raiding credit cards or emergency funds. 

Bucket 2: Opportunity Fund (Seize the Moment)

Purpose: Finance career-defining moves without dipping into your emergency savings.

Why it matters: This lets you pounce on career-enhancing opportunities: opening a new gym, adding a sauna and cold plunge for your recovery at home? No tapping into your long-term savings needed. With a dedicated opportunity fund, you can act immediately, maximizing momentum. 

1. Once your short-term bucket is in place, redirect that monthly savings of every subsequent paycheck into this bucket.
2. Keep these funds in a liquid but interest-earning account (e.g., an online high-yield savings).  
3. When a legitimate opportunity arises—no scrambling for funds. You're prepared for this.

Pro tip: Treat this bucket like your mobility warm-up: essential prep you never skip. That way, when the doors open, you’re ready to sprint through. 

Bucket 3: Freedom Fund (Long-Term Growth)

Purpose: Build the nest egg that supports you through retirement and beyond. 

Why it matters: True independence comes from having a substantial pool of capital that generates income, so you can choose when to coach, compete, or take a break without worrying about day-to-day cash flow. 

How to build it:

1. Consistently direct a portion of each paycheck into investments geared for long-term growth—vehicles known to outpace inflation over time.
2. Automate these transfers so they happen without you lifting a finger.
3. Focus on staying invested across market cycles; downturns become opportunities to acquire more at discounted levels. 

Reality check: Market dips aren’t your enemy—they’re buying opportunities. Your automated contributions keep you disciplined and let compound returns work their magic over the years. 

Why the Bucketing Approach Works 

1. Clarity: Each dollar has a job—emergency, opportunity, or freedom—so you never raid the wrong account. 
2. Discipline: Automating contributions mimics your training regimen: you follow a schedule without relying on willpower alone. 
3. Flexibility & Focus: You can respond to short-term shocks without derailing your long-term plan. Meanwhile, you keep your eye on retirement without feeling guilty about spending on growth or gear. 

Putting It All into Practice 

1. Set Up Your Accounts: Open three separate accounts—one for each bucket.
2. Automate Your Deposits: Link your primary income source and set rules to funnel the right percentages into each bucket.  
3. Review and Assess: Check balances and adjust percentages as your income grows, sponsorships change, or new expenses arise.  
4. Stay the Course: Respect each bucket’s purpose. Use the short-term bucket only for true emergencies, the opportunity fund for bona fide career moves, and the Freedom Fund for long-term investing. 

Next Steps 

Ready to customize this approach for your unique athlete lifestyle—whether you train in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or anywhere else? Schedule a 30-minute call with Coach Beck and our team.  

We’ll craft your personal bucketing plan, so you can spend less time worrying about money and more time crushing PRs. 

With your buckets aligned, you’ll build an instant safety net, seize career-defining chances, and grow a nest egg that sets you free—on and off the competition floor.  

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Ben Beck is Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer at Beck Bode, a deliberately different wealth management firm with a unique view on investing, business and life.   

A key part of the PFAA's mission is to provide meaningful education and support to athletes. This collaboration between the PFAA and Beck Bode is designed to help athletes navigate the unique financial challenges of their careers - managing variable income, planning for taxes, saving for the future, and building long-term financial security so they are not only prepared for success in competition but also in life outside the sport.