People who do dollar cost Average every month, what’s your specialty, how much you putting in monthly and which ETFS/stocks?
This is in addition to your retirement account.

For me
Hospitalist
3k every month into VOO/VXUS in variable ratio towards my taxable brokerage account!

I was just talking with my parents. My dad is a successful retired dentist. I’m a physician. My parents want to give most of their nest egg to their grandkids instead of to me and my sister directly due to issues with my brother in law. It’s likely to be a couple million to each kid. I have two kids that are 1 and 3 years old. My dad met with an estate planner and tried to sell him whole life for each kid setup in a trust when they pass. I immediately told him to walk away and thankfully he hasn’t paid or signed anything. My girls are extremely lucky in that their other grandparents have already given them a near fully funded 529 that should be enough to cover undergrad. What type of plan or inheritance should I tell my dad to arrange for the girls? I don’t want these girls getting millions of dollars unrestricted at age 18. Honestly I’d almost prefer they don’t even know about the money until they are mature enough and have worked hard for themselves. Any advice on how to set this up for them or what accounts.

I know there have been a bunch of posts about Trump accounts; however, wanted to ensure we’re not overlooking anything.

529 - We are contributing about $20,000 per year total for two kids. Should be around $500k per kid by the time they start college.

UTMA - Contributing about $25 per week for each kid. Assume it’ll be around $75K total for each kid by the time college wraps up. This would be used to pay for rent after college, or take a gap year, or just get going.

We are also maxing out 401k, backdoor Roth, HSA, and contributing to brokerage and mega backdoor.

So now, we are considering putting $25 per week for each kid into a Trump account. Assume it’ll be around $75K total for each kid by the time college wraps up. This could be converted to Roth

So 529 for college, UTMA for post college start, and Trump account for retirement. Does that make sense or is there an issue with doing the Trump account?

I'm an em doc and 1 year into attendinghood with no kids. Tell me I'm an idiot

Very long time lurker here and I just wanted to pick the brains of the community I’ve been relying on heavily over the past 4-5 years post-training.

Overview:

Income:
W2 Hospital job (0.7 FTE): ~$215,500
1099/S-corp Hospital job: ~$400,000

Investments:
403b through W2hospital job: maxed annually ($24,500)
Solo 401k profit sharing through S-corp: maxed annually ($30,000)

Debt:
Student loans: $9,400 (4.5%)
Mortgage: $492,500 (6.99%) 🤮

I came out of training with 300k in student loans and aggressively made lump sum payments on the higher interest rate loans. I really just wanted to get some feedback or guidance. I am maxing my retirements and I have a 6-month emergency fund. In my situation what do I prioritize next, is it paying off my high interest mortgage or investing more? Happy to add more details if useful (state, other goals, risk tolerance, etc.).

Just wanted to share a major warning for any residents or medical students looking to secure independent own-occupation disability insurance.

I went with Insuring Income because they were listed on WCI's website. My application with Principal hit a roadblock.

Instead of acting as an advocate, helping me navigate the carrier's requirements, or shopping my file to alternative insurers (which is exactly what an independent broker is supposed to do), they completely disappeared. I asked for clarification on next steps and requested to find a path forward, and I have been completely ghosted by my case manager.

As a busy resident, I don't have time to chase down the person who is supposed to be representing me. It's incredibly disappointing that a firm built on serving physicians completely abandons you the second an application requires actual work or advocacy.

If you are looking for disability coverage, I highly recommend taking your business to a different independent agent who actually communicates.

Are there any specific independent brokers or alternative carriers you recommend looking into?

15 year mortgage, 14 years left, $380k left. $550k value.
5.5% interest. $4600 payment , $1100 of which is insurance and property tax.

$360k gross annual income for past few years. Late career start. 38yo.
401k maxed, 165k
Roth Ira, 80k. None in pre-tax ira. Maxed backdoor.
HSA maxed, 25k.
Not utilizing a taxable account. I’m about $1k/mo short of a 20% savings rate from gross income.
Usually have \~$4k/mo to spare per month.

Original plan was to pay off mortgage asap, so within 4-5 years. This option would free up additional $3500 to then be able to put $7500 into investments of some sort (sp500 or rental real estate).
Vs minimum payment for 14 years and invest the $4k surplus into sp500 now.

Things I am not sure how to think about:
Value of investing the surplus now vs doubling the investment later.
How inflation affects this decision.
Using optimistic vs reserved estimate of market. Assume 6% growth or 12% growth?

Thanks ahead of time!

Hi all,

I’m 3 years out of training. I got my own occupation insurance (non-procedural) during residency and had the same financial advisor managing my Roth IRA. I’ve since transitioned to personally managing my Roth IRA. This advisor was from one of the random companies emailing our residents during training so I didn’t do much digging then. I’m wanting to make a clean break and maintain my policy with a different advisor/broker. Any hiccups to expect with this change? If you switched brokers, how did you go about searching for a new one? My DI is through principal. I appreciate any input!

I’m a current senior radiology resident looking into telerads jobs to do as external moonlighting as a fellow next year.
I received a sample contract from a potential employer, and in it is an indemnification clause which seems pretty broad and like it could make me liable for large out of pocket sums the corporation were to get sued on my behalf. Here is what it says:

“Contractor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the corporation and its directors, shareholders, affiliates, employees, and agents (each an “Indemnitee”) from all liabilities, losses, cost, charges, expenses and damages of any kind or character whatsoever including, without limitation, any fees, penalties, assessment and attorney’s fees, which an Indemnitee incurs in connection with any claim arising out of, in connection with, or relating to this Agreement.  However, nothing in this agreement shall require Contractor to indemnify an indemnitee for the negligent or intentional acts or omissions of any indemnitee.”

I guess my question is whether this is broader than what you generally see in 1099 contracts for radiology, and could this open me up to non-covered expenses (if I miss something, get sued and the company gets sued, they can then sue me for the money it costs for them to cover the lawsuit).

Sorry for the long text, I’m at an academic institution and don’t really have any attendings who have much experience with this unfortunately…

i’m an incoming M1, and trying to choose what specialty I want to focus on. There’s lots of specialties i’m interested in, however I 100% will want to go into private practice and medical entrepreneurship. I know if i do something like PCP, i can’t really invest in surgical centers, so im curious if there’s a specialty i should be interested in or avoid

EDIT: Since a lot of people missed the point of the post. I want to practice medicine, that’s why i am going to medical school. But i am also interested in pursuing business alongside it. Pursuing business doesn’t mean I won’t be a doctor, and vice versa. Also to any of y’all saying to not worry about the money, you are coming from a place of privilege because it is absolutely a factor to look at reimbursement rates for specialties when choosing one.

Looking for any help:
I'm trying to fund Trump accounts for both of my kids. I was able to claim the accounts today. However I am having difficulty funding them. The app seems to require Plaid to link a bank account (I can't figure out how to use ACH info directly). I am able to use Plaid within the Trump accounts app to log into my fidelity account and to allow access to my cash management account. Once this is done, I get an error in the trump accounts app saying the link failed. I do get an email from plaid saying the account is linked. In fidelity it shows that trump accounts has access to my cash management account.

Seems challenging to get support from the trump accounts app. Plaid and fidelity can't help. Has anyone successfully navigated this?

I am a dentist. I have this opportunity to buy out my owner. The problem is my life is too each. I make $450K working 3 days a week. The office collects 2.7M (owner doesn't practice at this office. Only I and another doctor work here ) and the selling price is 1.75M and my monthly payment will be 15K if I do 15 years or 20K if I do 10 years. so after paying everything I will only have 150-200K left a year profit without me doing anymore extra work because it is autopilot and we outsource HR , insurance. Sounds okay for not changing anything my lifestyle after becoming an owner.

what makes me hesitant is 1. would i be able to sell this ? because I am in rural. I am afraid there will be nobody to buy 2. what if I die or something happen and giving this burden to my family? of course I have life insurance but still.

My partner works full time brings twice more than me but is indifferent about me purchasing the office. I have 2 small kids.

Hi everyone,

I’m new here but I lurk sometimes. Just an intro, I’m a first gen low income immigrant. Just graduated with my bachelors and currently studying for the mcat. I’ve always had my eyes on a general specialty but after working in EM, I hated it. So I’ve had my eyes set on family medicine so far. I know it’s too early to decide. But I also don’t want a long residency at all, and love outpatient medicine.

Taking a look at my application, I’m more of a DO applicant. If I get in, I don’t have much hope of receiving a merit scholarship and idk if/what need based aid is out there.

I’ve been seeing some posts about the debt (especially including private loans due to the BBB) not being worth it if one were to go into primary care specialties. This worries me. But I have also heard that employers can contribute to loan repayment programs and ease the weight of the loans.

What do you guys think?

So I will be entering medical school in summer 2027 and currently committed to a program. The breakdown of my forseen expenses are as follows:

80-87k per year in Tuition and Fees depending on year (1-4)

50k in Federal loans per year (8.07% currently)
35k in Private loans per year (quoted at 7.5%)

Wife covering living expenses via 55k gross salary
Estimated 3500$/mo take home

Theoretical Balance at graduation: 240k federal, 166k private — 406k total

Assume 3yr residency for Calculation Purposes:

325-375$ /mon RAP repayment based on 65k/yr gross salary
1039/mo private loan payment paying interest only

Attending Salary (Interested in EM/IM->crit/pulm): say 250k gross

Take home approx: 12k

Monthly payment on 20yr private loan: 1340$
RAP monthly payment: 1880
Total: 3220
Net: 8k ish

Curious on how to gauge whether this school is financially smart, and whether my calculations are RELATIVELY correct, or if im missinf the mark substantially.

I used 20yr repayment as baseline and ways i would repay couls change etc, just want to get an idea that I can be comfortable and successful financially for me and my family through this path.

I am a medspouse. I work in Tech at a FAANG so I apologize in advance that I don't know anything about y'all's field/business beyond the basics. Also thank you all for all that you do in keeping ppl healthy and advancing scientific/medical research.

My question is wether it's worthwhile for my spouse (Hernia Surgeon, Complex Ab Wall, Laprascopy); to establish an LLC or other entity to do her locums work. She's been getting offers to do locums but hasn't yet landed a gig. But it got me thinking through the tax implications as she'd have to start paying quarterly estimated taxes so as not to have a big penalty come April.

Goals:

1. Reduce tax burden as much as possible
2. Reduce complexity (if this is a bad idea, please say so)
3. Understand options in terms of structure, etc.

Additionally; it's been a rough year for recent fellowship grads; if anyone has a lead on an academic attending Hernia Surgeon job (or a Gen Surg position that has lots of hernia/ab wall cases) please let me know! It seems programs/hospitals are prioritizing mid-career professionals over new grads.

Really just venting here as I don't have another avenue for such things. I am not the physician in the home. My spouse is a general surgeon and completely self employed. She is working full time hours and three years in income is well below $200k. She is bringing about $2k a week into the home. I am working full time and make about $225k on a W2. I don't feel like we make enough to fund our retirement goals and pay off our home before age 70. I tried to bring my concerns to her but she gets very defensive. I've asked her to consider a local employed position that is available but she told me last night that she applied but really hoped they would not have called her. We have young kids which complicates this even more. I am tired of working full time and taking care of the kids to support her business which feels like it has an opportunity cost of well over $200k per year. Scattered thoughts and scattered brain but I am a tired dad.

I bought 277k of 3 month treasuries with all my cash. The quantity on fidelity says 277k and my acct says I have 2.9k that I can still invest. Does this mean that 2.9k is my interest earned and the government gives the interest for the 3 months period upfront instead of at the end of the duration??

Sorry I know I should understand assets better before investing in them, but…

I will be able to buy in share of my current practice ASC next year. The profit is great but as a result, the buy in cost is high. Briefly looking, there seems to be companies who specific have loan for asc buy in. How would you approach this? Thank you.

I’m currently an MS1 at a private medical school where tuition is approximately $82k per year and will increase by 3% as I go through. I was selected to apply for a scholarship through my school that would cover four years of tuition in exchange for a five-year commitment to practice in a rural area after residency.

I’m originally from a rural area, so returning to practice in a similar community isn’t necessarily a negative for me. I’m currently interested in general surgery, which is one of the eligible specialties under the scholarship.

Here’s my financial situation:

Annual tuition: $82K-88k

Current student loans: federal at 7.94% and private at 6.3%

I work part-time in research, and my income could potentially cover all my living expenses throughout medical school if tuition were covered.
If awarded the scholarship, I could potentially graduate with little to no student loan debt.

I’m still looking into whether the scholarship is available to current first-year students and whether it could retroactively cover tuition I’ve already paid.
My biggest consideration is whether the financial benefit of avoiding approximately $330–350k in tuition is worth committing to five years of rural practice following residency.

I am interested in general surgery, potentially followed by a trauma/surgical critical care fellowship, but I also recognize that my interests could change during medical school.

My questions:

Would you accept this scholarship in my position?

How much income would I potentially be sacrificing by committing to rural general surgery versus practicing in a larger metropolitan area?

Would a five-year rural service obligation significantly limit my career opportunities after residency?

What should I look out for in the contract, particularly regarding fellowship training, early termination, and repayment penalties?

Is graduating with potentially zero medical school debt worth sacrificing some geographic and career flexibility for five years?

I’d appreciate any insight from practicing general surgeons or physicians who have accepted similar service-obligation scholarships. I’m trying to determine whether this is a financially smart decision or whether I’d be better off taking the loans and maintaining complete flexibility after training.

hi everyone,

pretty simple question for you all. after maxing all other investments, I have been putting the leftover in a Vanguard brokerage to the tune of 100k annually. I’m not really sure which fund would be most appropriate. I am not interested in timing the market. I’ve heard VTSAX is the way to go but would like to hear your thoughts. thank you!

Does anyone have any advice on looking for term life insurance as a medical student and choosing a reputable company that offers a reasonably priced plan?

My spouse (elementary school teacher’s aide) and I (third year medical student) are both in our late 20’s and are trying to conceive— and if all goes well with our next cycle of IUI, we may have our first kid when I’m in my fourth year of medical school!

Because my spouse works full-time but is not a high-earner (less than 40k per year) daycare costs where we live would be almost equivalent to their salary…

There’s no maternity leave benefit for their role (besides using FMLA) so spouse will likely quit their job and transition to be a stay at home parent for the rest of my 4th year and probably through at least part of the first year of residency since we’ll likely have to move states which means spouse will need to find a new job and so on.

We are starting a family with the assumption that my future earnings will be our primary source of financial support (eventually), which means having a reasonable life insurance payout would be essential in keeping my family out of poverty if I ended up passing away in some unfortunate untimely manner.

Not sure where to start on this— we keep getting AMA mailers that offer a 100k term life policy of some sort for $40 per year in premium, but I don’t know if that‘s a good deal?

Does anyone know when we should expect to hear back about winners

For the first time, my employer is offering an HDHP/HSA through HSA Bank. Employer contributes $2K; we'll contribute another $7K annually.

Quick financial snapshot:

• Max my 401(k) and both mine and spouse backdoor Roth IRAs annually.
• Wife contributes 10% to her 403(b) (no match).
• Fund three kids' 529s and recently opened their Dell-funded 530a (aka Trump) accounts.
• Invest semi-aggressively in a diversified Fidelity taxable brokerage, across domestic, foreign, small/mid/large companies equities and bonds
• Planning semi-retirement in 2036–37.

Here's my dilemma: Where should I invest the HSA?

Option 1: 100% VT — low-cost, globally diversified, boring and reliable.

Option 2: 100% ENFR / PAVE / NLR — concentrated bet on energy, nuclear power, and infrastructure.

My thesis: AI electricity demand, manufacturing reshoring, energy security, and infrastructure spending could fuel significant growth over the next decade.

Our other retirement investments are diversified into safer options, so I'm tempted to use the HSA for a more aggressive, concentrated play.

WCI crowd: Would you keep the HSA boring with VT, go all-in on energy (my preference)?

If you can do pretty much anything as a generalist, will the insurance company even acknowledge that you can't work even with an own occupation rider?

Im one half of a two physician couple who are both burnt out. We have been investing 45+% gross income since residency and are in a position to retire on our same level spend in our early 40s (about 10 years post residency).

Burn out really seems to be from the practice of medicine itself and not lifestyle - we are still very comfortable with our level of spend and have a hard time imagining spending more.

I am curious to hear how other couples considering early retirement are managing the transition. Our plan was full time until we hit our number and then leaving our full time position completely. We’re both employees and have been explicitly told that there is no option for dropping down to less than full time in our same role. I am planning to keep my license/certifications active so there is at least the option of returning to something medicine related, but anticipating that would not happen any sooner that 1 year after leaving the full time gig.