According to Williams, from when she first started pulling in big money playing tennis to today, she’s never even thought about the dollar signs on the court: As if to prove that sentiment, Williams shared the story of when she received her first million-dollar check. She was so used to simply depositing checks at the drive thru of her local bank, that she tried to do the same with a seven-figure check: Saving your money is always a good idea, even if like Serena Williams you’ve brought in $84 million and counting in career prize money, and in the interview she credits her father and longtime coach Richard Williams’ emphasis on financial independence with her smart saving ways: Depositing a check at your bank is generally considered to be the best way to save your money, but there are other approaches as well. Williams’ fellow pro athlete Ricky Henderson hit on such an approach almost by accident, when in 1982 he got a $1 million signing bonus from the Oakland A’s. According to legend (and Ricky himself), he was so excited to get a million-dollar check that he had it framed and put on his wall. A few months later, an A’s accountant found a startling $1 million discrepancy on the books, and called him up to let him know he would actually need to take the check to the bank in order count himself a millionaire – you can read more about this particular financial adventure right here.
