(MONEY Magazine) – Lots of top athletes like picking stocks, but most leave the real work of wealth management to a pro. Below, our All-Star Money Managers share their strategies and picks.

MARK GRIEGE ROBERTSON GRIEGE & THOELE

CLIENTS: Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys), Drew Bledsoe (New England Patriots)

Mark Griege frequently has to explain something to his rookie clients that they don't want to hear: Without discipline, it's possible for them to fritter away their money as quickly as they make it. "It's important to set structure off the field so they can concentrate on the field," he says. By structure, he means he puts his clients into roughly 65% equities and 25% bonds (the rest is in private equity). For fixed income, Griege invests mostly in municipal bonds. In stocks, it's primarily large technology and financial companies like Oracle and Merrill Lynch. But he's also keen on Old Economy companies using the Net to gain market share. "The Internet is being applied to companies with great distribution histories, and that gives them the edge," he says, pointing to Home Depot and Wal-Mart as examples.

HUNTER LUKE PROFESSIONAL PLANNERS

CLIENTS: David Wells (Toronto Blue Jays), Tom Glavine (Atlanta Braves), Doug Flutie (Buffalo Bills)

Since he manages the money of high-profile, very rich stars, it's no surprise that Hunter Luke receives up to 10 business proposals a week from entrepreneurs. But whether it's car washes or restaurants, Luke says no, insisting that these businesses hurt his clients both on and off the field. "Not only have I never seen an athlete make money on a restaurant, it pulls their focus away from their jobs," he says. Instead, Luke starts his clients out with 60% in equities and the rest in bonds. As they sign subsequent contracts, he might up equities to 80% or 90%. But for the most part he's conservative. Not only does he keep clients looking to buy homes in all cash, but he uses mutual funds and private money managers to invest. "I'm not a stock broker, I'm a manager of managers," he says. Funds he likes include Putnam Voyager and Washington Mutual Investors.

KATHY LINTZ FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PARTNERS

CLIENTS: Ryan Sandberg (ex-Chicago Cub), Elvis Grbac (Kansas City Chiefs), Jerry Rice (San Francisco Forty-Niners)

For Kathy Lintz, keeping her clients happy is all about education. Not only does she introduce her rookies to Value Line and Morningstar, but she has them watch CNBC. Once they've got a feel for investing, she lets them pick a few stocks from a list of 10 that she gives them. "It's more fun for them to follow if they've picked the stock," she says. Her only rule? Clients must save at least 25% of their income every year. That's the only way they'll reach her target of $3 million saved. "I've dropped players who didn't stick to saving," she notes. After $3 million, a stash she thinks is adequate to live on for life, she lets her athletes up their equity stake to 90% (rookies she keeps between 75% and 80%). These days she's investing in large growth stocks like General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and WorldCom.

CURTIS POLK SFX ENTERTAINMENT

CLIENTS: Michael Jordan (ex-Chicago Bull), Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks), Dikembe Mutombo (Atlanta Hawks)

Curtis Polk is by far the most conservative investor of the lot. That's because he believes the incomes of athletes are only as good as the length of their contracts. He also understands the athletes' pressures to spend. "There's a me-too syndrome where players see others on their team buying fancy cars and homes," he says. For that reason he starts his clients out with a portfolio that's 80% bonds. If a client's playing well and stands a chance of getting a lucrative contract, he'll move more toward equities. Still, he maxes stocks out at 65%. And he deals primarily with funds. Right now he's mostly in large-cap funds, particularly those that focus on telecommunications and wireless stocks. "That's where we're going to see big earnings over the next several years," he says. Funds he's invested in recently include Legg Mason Value and Alliance Premier Growth.

GARDNER JACKSON STATE STREET RESEARCH

CLIENTS: Cam Neely (ex-Boston Bruin), Keith Tkachuk (Phoenix Coyotes)

Unlike the rest of our managers, Gardner Jackson runs a retail mutual fund in addition to private portfolios, the State Street Research Athletes Fund (up 34% in 1999, 0% through the first half of 2000). Jackson typically socks 70% of his clients' money into equities, mostly in large-cap growth stocks. The reason? Since the average athlete earns the bulk of his money in just seven years, he has to make sure his investments grow. "If a company has long legs, it's perfect for athletes," Jackson says. Stocks he likes, such as Viacom and Citigroup, serve another purpose: The longer his clients can hold a stock and avoid capital-gains taxes, the better. "These guys are earning a ton of money in their twenties, so 2% or 3% avoided early on will save a lot by the time they're in their sixties," he says.

FRANK ZECCA OCTAGON

CLIENTS: Anna Kournikova (tennis), Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings), David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)

For Frank Zecca, the time to move his clients from funds to stocks happens when they hit the $1 million saved mark or when they sign a big contract. That's what he did two years ago with Sergei Fedorov after the Red Wings center signed his most recent deal. But Zecca still sticks to the same asset-allocation model: roughly 60% in equities and 40% in bonds. If his athletes show an interest in investing, Zecca sets up what he calls a "learning account" with Charles Schwab. "I'd rather they lose their money in learning accounts than just giving the money away to friends or buying expensive jewelry," he says. Zecca favors safe stocks of large companies like General Electric, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Petroleum.

--NICK PACHETTI