Blog
Financial Planning for Millennial Physicians.
Pros and Cons of 457(b) Plans
There’s not a perfect financial planning vehicle in existence. Salary deferral plans, like many retirement plans and 457 plans, carry pros and cons. Many hospital systems have a combination of 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans. The...
Read MoreA Financial Plan Prioritizing Children
I’ve had several conversations with physician families who wanted to make sure their children’s needs came first in their financial planning considerations. This is the case so much that the desire to create a savings...
Read MoreWhat House Can You Afford?
From online calculators to mortgage approval rates, there’s so much information published about how much you can spend on a house. With all this information available, I always get asked how much can someone spend on a new house....
Read MoreEvidence-Based vs. Case-Based Financial Planning
In medicine, evidence-based research is the standard by which the best care is achieved. Evidence-based information points to proof that something works in a given situation. When it comes to biological pathways, the human body often...
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Should You Max Out Your Retirement Plan?
Quite often, I get asked from physicians if they should max out their retirement programs through their respective hospital systems. With benefit elections right around the corner, it's a good question to be asking. Here's quick video...
Read MoreHow Should a Physician’s Financial Plan Adapt to the World Today?
Without question, 2020 has been tumultuous to say the least. There is still unknown fallout from the covid-19 pandemic, and there’s a great movement demanding social justice. The stock market has seen unprecedented volatility,...
Read MoreThe Importance of Vacations
For physicians specifically, a break from work, and having something to look forward to is an invaluable commodity. With covid-19 enforcing restrictions on both interstate and intrastate travel, the actual importance of physically...
Read MoreEnd of Life Discussions
In a topic that’s generally avoided at all costs by most people, my wife and I had a very deep discussion about our own end of life preferences a few weeks ago. For us, it’s never been uncomfortable to discuss this topic,...
Read MoreCovid-19. Now What?
It’s unreal how threatening germs can be; a single infection quickly escalates into a worldwide pandemic. Hospitals overflowed, economies halted, and markets cratered. We live in some crazy times. Stress continues to be a concern...
Read MoreFinancial Planning During Uncertainty
With covid-19 well underway and impacting everything from the economy to everyday life, here are a few financial planning strategies during a crisis. 1.Understand your budget. During uncertain times, spending usually reverts to a...
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It's All Just Chess Anyway
At my chess club in college (how cool is that?), we played each player for about 30 minutes or so in a blitz-style (quick game) format, so it resulted in playing about 2 games in each 30-minute round. One time I got paired up with a...
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The Most Important Aspect to Young Doctor’s Financial Plan
In a young physician’s life, financially speaking, the single most important aspect to financial well-being has nothing to do with money; it has nothing to do with investments; it has nothing to do with budgeting and saving. I...
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Think Differently of Your Emergency Fund
When it comes to doctors, having an emergency fund is nearly always a good idea. An emergency fund is a liquid – or accessible – reserve of money in the event a larger-than-normal sum of money is needed. Generally, these...
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"Too Much" is Just as Devastating as "Not Enough"
In medical school, residency, and fellowship, there’s really no such thing as too much, financially speaking. It’s all a grind to pay bills, feed your family, and make it to work on time. After training, there’s a...
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Happy Thanksgiving
With family and friends traveling to be together for the holidays, I think it’s important – at appropriate times – to understand what family members are doing with their money and estate planning. As the kids get...
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When to Hire a Financial Advisor
While nearly everyone could benefit from a financial advisor, not everyone is able or willing to use one at certain times. Additionally, not everyone who uses a financial advisor would use him or her at the same capacity as others....
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Young Doctors Don’t Need a Financial Plan
A financial plan is a formal document, stating goals & objectives, current financial status, inflation assumptions, market rate of return assumptions, time value of money costs, among other items. This document basically creates a...
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The Doctor’s Budget Remastered
About a decade ago I had my first doctor client, and part of what they wanted to discuss was budgeting in order to save more. They just got new jobs and wanted some general planning for the sake of making good decisions. Software for...
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5 Financial Mistakes Medical Residents Make and How to Avoid Them
Medical residents and fellows have always been in an interesting situation. They are embarking on the foothills of their career and obtaining the skills and knowledge they need to press forward. They are likely in the most idealistic...
Read MoreAre You Working with a Salesperson or an Advisor?
Lately I’ve been introduced to clients with wildly unsuitable products and recommendations that have been implemented. It’s as if financial advice is solely intended to sell products, even if there is no need for products....
Read MoreHave You Ever Received Good Advice on Your Student Loans?
The only people I work with are young doctors, so I guide people through their student loans quite often. I’ve spent months trying to understand the government student loan repayment logic. In short, sometimes it isn’t...
Read MoreFree Advice to Ask Your Car Insurance Agent – Try This!
One of the biggest secrets in the world of insurance is an “Umbrella Insurance” policy. It’s a secret for three main reasons: Consumers aren’t actively educated about it because the insurance marketplace is so...
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The Turtle and the Curb
I was driving home the other day and I saw a turtle on the side of the road. It had made it all the way across the street, only to be stopped by a curb. The turtle obviously couldn't jump the curb, so even though it completely crossed...
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