As a personal finance coach, I have found that the most detrimental aspect to wealth accumulation, is having bad money habits. Good habits create good results, and bad habits create bad results. You were not born with any of your habits, you learned them somewhere along the way. That means you can unlearn the bad … Read more
MGM Disney Kids watch our every move. Who hasn’t seen a young boy who imitates what his dad does. Even to the point of standing, just like dad, leaning up against a railing with his legs crossed, and a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth. They hear what we say at home and … Read more
Cruising with Paul and Becky. Vacationing tends to be a very expensive item in a doctor’s spending plan. We work very hard and our time off is precious. Last week’s blog was about doctors needing more vacation time off when comparing to the average worker. So when we go on vacation, there are two things … Read more
I recently was asked about taking a low or no interest car loan and using the money they had earmarked for a car to instead invest for a higher return. This “I can get a better return” game is very common and can be a dangerous game to play. Often it is used as a … Read more
Canal in Greece. The Doctor Freedom Podcast recently interviewed me and we covered some issues about not digging deeper into debt. A large portion of the interview went into my experience in rental real estate. If you would like to hear the 30 min interview you can get it here.
Whooping the Market When I was younger, I thought I was smart enough to beat the market. I didn’t want to invest in those boring index funds, I wanted to make a killing instead. Why should I settle for an 8% return if I could get 30%? I figured since I was a doctor, I … Read more
I am frequently asked the following question: “Should I pay off my student loans before I put money aside to invest in the stock market?” The person asking this quick and simple question is looking for a yes or no answer. The problem I am faced with is there is not enough information in the … Read more
Cover Your A$$ets Insurance is an expensive part of your life. It can be even more expensive if you don’t have the right coverage you need. I found that out the hard way in two insurance losses that hit me for a total of $30,000 and were not covered, thanks to the fine print in … Read more
This week James M. Dahle, MD, The White Coat Investor, published an article in his blog that I penned about my experience of saving for retirement during my residency. It is possible to do so and I was able to save enough before I left my five years of general surgery residency that the account … Read more
Is it better to pay off your student debt or save for retirement? The answer is variable and depends mostly on what your budget looks like. If you are drowning in debt then forget about investing and put all you effort into paying off enough debt to make some breathing room in your budget. Without … Read more
