People are surprised when they learn we have maintained a debt free household for the last twenty years. For many, they realize for the first time, that being debt free is possible. Others think they could never become debt free as their total debt seems overwhelming. When we first heard the concept of living debt … Read more
Many physicians love what they do and would never dream of retiring early. But doctors cannot sustain working at the same physical level into their 60s and 70s as they did in their 30s. As we age, we need to modify our practice in order to continue practicing. In my book, The Doctors Guide to … Read more
Many doctors are talking about retiring early from medicine. In fact, about one third of doctors in the U.S. want to either quit medicine or make a major change in their practice. But many doctors don’t want to retire early; they want to find ways to enjoy practicing into their 70s. Both of my senior … Read more
When I discuss living on half of one’s income, I’m almost always met with, “that would be impossible for me.” They say it as if it were a fact, that some outside source is preventing them from living on significantly less than they make. This outside source is somehow keeping them from saving a good … Read more
When I reached financial independence at age 50 I didn’t retire as planned. Instead, I started working less hours and eventually switched to working about half-time, as I still liked operating, just not at the pace I had been working. I stayed at half-time for about three years and then dropped to quarter time for … Read more
This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. Fathers have the ability to provide great advantages for their children, who arrive in this world totally dependent on their parents. I appreciate all the things my father did for me and wrote about six lessons I learned from my dad in a previous father’s day message. A few … Read more
Many people have asked me how I knew it was the right time to retire. They are struggling with the decision and are afraid to pull the trigger too soon. Retiring from medicine is almost a final move as it is very difficult to return after being away for a period of time. I haven’t … Read more
It’s hard to believe how many people still question whether the 4% rule will work for their retirement, as if they or anyone else can predict the future. There is very good retrospective data that shows how this rule has done over time as the market and interest rates changed over the last century and … Read more
One very lucrative way to sequence your distributions in retirement is to take money first from taxable savings and brokerage accounts; leaving the money in your retirement accounts to continue growing tax deferred or tax free (Roth). This is beneficial because taking money from taxable accounts requires you to pay taxes on the gains. The … Read more
(Don’t miss my lectures today at the WCI Physician Wellness and Financial Literacy Conference. Get your tickets today for this awesome CME event going on right now.) Retirement is often thought of when we think about financial independence. The FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) movement definitely ties the two together. But financial independence is so much … Read more
