Mark Cuban says, don't invest in rap, restaurant and liquor companies. 'Save your money'

Making millions of dollars sounds like a dream, but Mark Cuban says it can disappear much faster than people think.

In a 2024 appearance on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the billionaire entrepreneur explained that many professional athletes make the same costly mistakes after signing their first big contract.

His advice was simple: “Save your money.” Cuban said young players should resist the temptation to spend freely because an NBA career can end in an instant. “One broken ankle and it’s over,” he said. If he were entering the league today as a player fighting for a roster spot, he said he would still be “living like a student” because “you don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

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Hire Experts, Not Friends

Cuban also warned against another common mistake, that of trusting friends with financial decisions.

If he were earning $40 million, $50 million or $60 million a year, Cuban told NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe he would hire someone with a proven track record managing wealth. “It ain’t going to be one of my friends,” he said.

“My money guy needs to make me money,” Cuban added. “It’s got to be somebody who’s done it for big-time people.”

He said many athletes feel obligated to give opportunities to longtime friends, but that loyalty can become expensive if those friends lack the experience to manage large investment portfolios.

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Instead, Cuban suggested keeping friends in other roles if needed, but leaving financial planning to professionals with years of experience.

He also had a straightforward warning about the types of businesses athletes often rush to fund.

“Don’t invest in the restaurant,” Cuban said. “Don’t invest in the clothing label. Don’t invest in the liquor company,” He added music businesses to the list, saying that in the 2000s and early 2010s, many athletes wanted to own record labels because it seemed glamorous.

According to Cuban, those industries are extremely difficult because almost anyone can start one, creating fierce competition and making long-term success much harder.

See Also: There’s More Than One Way To Put Cash To Work. Some Accredited Investors Are Looking Beyond Savings Accounts.

Focus on Protecting Your Wealth First

Cuban’s overall message wasn’t that athletes should never invest. Instead, he argued that protecting wealth should come before trying to build an empire.

His advice also applies beyond professional sports. Many people begin investing or starting businesses after hearing success stories online, but chasing fashionable ideas can be risky without experience or careful planning.

Millions of Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency bill, leaving them vulnerable when unexpected expenses arise. Mode Mobile is betting it can help change that by rewarding users for things they already do every day, including scrolling, reading the news, listening to music and playing games on their smartphones. Its EarnPhone starts at $99, and investors can also buy into the company. Invest today with $1,000 for just $0.52 a share.

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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.

Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

Realberry

Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access. Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.

FarmTogether

Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

Immersed

Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

Mode Mobile

Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream. 

EquityMultiple 

For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.

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