Former pro running back Ricky Williams’ NFL career was anything but conventional, so it should come as little surprise that his financial advice is also unorthodox.
Williams has spent a chunk of his post-football life studying everything from holistic medicine to astrology and he tells CNBC Make It that the studying the cosmos actually informed his decision to invest in the recent cryptocurrency boom.
“When I look at things, I tend to look at astrology to get insight,” says Williams, who tells CNBC Make It that his readings of astrological charts have pointed him in the direction of Bitcoin.
“The insight that got me interested in Bitcoin was the planet Uranus is about to enter into Taurus,” says Williams.
Uranus, he explains, “is about revolution; it’s about a change in the way we do things; it’s about innovation.” And Taurus “is about resources and finances,” says Williams.
The revolutionary aspect of Uranus in astrology, combined with Taurus’ focus on wealth and finance, is leading Williams to predict that, in the near future, “we’re going to totally change the way we view and understand” finances, he says.
What’s more, Pluto is passing through the astrological sign Capricorn which, Williams explains, “is about our structures, like banks for instance.”
“I think as people are starting to become disillusioned with our institutions, that things like blockchain and cryptocurrency, it’s the perfect time for them to catch fire and really change the way we do things. So, you know, I had to get a little piece of that action,” Williams adds.
That little piece, says the former football player, amounts to an investment of no more than $50,000 of his own money in the volatile cryptocurrency.
“I didn’t want to go crazy,” he says.
Williams also isn’t overly concerned about the ups and downs the cryptocurrency markets have experienced in recent months. Bitcoin, in particular, has lost more than 50 percent of its value since reaching an all-time high near $20,000 in mid-December.
“Especially with the planet Uranus and change, [it’s] always going to be volatile in the beginning,” he says. “But, still, it’s more of a conscious choice to contribute to the change. If I do well, then great. If not, I’ll still feel like I did my part to contribute to things moving forward.”
Williams bills himself as a professional astrologer, and he even has a website where you can book a personal astrology reading with the former NFL star (at $300 for a 90-minute session). Williams also turned his passion for holistic medicine into a post-NFL career with the launch of Real Wellness, a line of cannabis-based products, in March.
Meanwhile, Williams’ astrology-backed faith in Bitcoin puts him at odds with the opinions of some notable investors — including billionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, who have publicly bashed the cryptocurrency.
Buffett, for instance, has called Bitcoin “rat poison” while arguing that it is an asset that is “creating nothing” of value.
“All you’re counting on is the next person is going to pay you more because they’re even more excited about another next person coming along,” Buffett told CNBC on Monday.
Investor and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank” Kevin O’Leary and CNBC’s Jim Cramer have even likened investing in Bitcoin to gambling.
But Williams also isn’t the only person who turns to astrology for financial forecasts. Kaye Shinker is a financial astrologist who has written books on the subject of using astrology as an investment guide. And, in February, CNBC called upon Joey Yap of Joey Yap Consulting Group to make stock market predictions for 2018 based on astrology and the Chinese practice of Feng shui.
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Ex-NFL star Ricky Williams studies astrology – and it’s telling him to invest in Bitcoin