May 7, 2026

Outstanding grad: Ferris State football player Levi Tuinstra looks to help college athletes manage wealth in his new career

Levi Tuinstra earned three championship rings as a member of the Ferris State University football team and knows former teammates who became millionaires playing the sport. Now he wants to help athletes manage their newfound wealth.  

Tuinstra graduates this weekend with a Finance degree while also being a kicker and punter, part of teams that won three of the Bulldogs’ four NCAA Division II national championships.

The Hudsonville native already has a job secured at Fiduciary Financial Advisors in Grand Rapids.  

Tuinstra credits his time at Ferris State – which almost did not happen. He misread a scholarship offer from Davenport University and instead called Ferris State to commit on the spot. 

"I can only describe it as a gift from God," Tuinstra said. "I would not change anything from the past four years."  

Tuinstra joined Fiduciary Financial Advisors before graduation as a support advisor, where he oversees transactions, tax implications and manages a three-person team under an adviser with a complex, high-net-worth portfolio. Once he passes his Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, he becomes an associate advisor and begins building his own book of business.  

His target niche: Helping student-athletes take advantage of Name, Image and Likeness opportunities that allow college athletes to receive compensation, endorsements, and sponsorships. 

"I know a lot of people making $1 million-plus a year in football," Tuinstra said. "That's what we call newfound wealth. The average NFL career is three years, and those people tend to blow their money very quickly. How can we get NIL clients to create some financial literacy and manage those assets correctly? That's my goal."  

Tuinstra credits Ferris State's Finance curriculum by laying out the foundation to help him find the answers, regardless of if he knew them himself.  

"I don't remember learning this, but I know how to answer the question," he explained. "It got lost in all the work we did, but it was there."  

His sharpest classroom memory is Finance 323, where he and two classmates locked themselves in the library for eight-hour sessions before every exam — debating theories, comparing interpretations, and building answers together.  

"The most fun I've ever had," Tuinstra added. "We all got straight A's."  

Off the field and outside the classroom, Tuinstra built a network of mentors he credits as essential to his development: Provost Bobby Fleischman, whom he approached as a freshman and met monthly since then; Public Safety Director Tim Jacobs; academic professionals Dr. Kathy Mullins, Vice President of Advancement and Marketing, and Dr. Karen Kiio; and Jim Kirby, an advisory board member.  

"I could name 15 people who have mentored me," Tuinstra said. "Seeking mentorship is becoming a rarity in our generation. Those who can create genuine human connections — that's going to be a superpower."  

His advice to incoming students echoes that philosophy: find people who share your priorities, study with them, and seek out faculty willing to invest in you.  

"Iron sharpens iron," he added. "I've been given more from this university than I can even express."