Student Loan Archives - Physician on FIRE

Student Loan Planner Reviews: Honest Opinions from Three Former Clients

I see many physicians with questions about what to do with their student loans. Are we in the right repayment plan? Will we qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness? Should we use PAYE or RePAYE? Does it make sense to refinance? Is there a role for a student loan planner? When I’m asked directly, I give an honest answer, which is usually a form of “I don’t know.” With the many different types of public and private student loans, the […]

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How $500k in Student Loan Debt Prepared Us for FIRE

When I look back on my days as a student, and I spent many days as a student, I recall happy times. I didn’t have a lot of money, and not wanting to take on any more debt than I had to, I didn’t spend a lot of money. But I was content. I clearly remember as a college student thinking that pediatrics might be a good fit for me someday. I knew they were the least compensated physicians, but […]

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Refinancing for Retirement: How to Sort Out Your Student Loans

Today’s post was sent in by reader Caroline Gillard. She had read our student loan case studies, but she hadn’t seen a personal story here of how one person was actually implementing a plan to pay off student loan debt. In addition to wanting to share her story, she also wanted to let you know that she’s not a financial advisor, and she supplied the following bio: Caroline Gillard is a PR Specialist and a current board member of Women […]

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How to Negotiate an Increased Physician Signing Bonus — And What To Do With It

Fall is upon us, and that means final year resident physicians and fellows are busy on the interview trail. Hands will be shaken, dinners will be eaten, and contracts will be presented. Today’s guest post is from Rebecca Safier. She writes for Student Loan Hero about education, careers, and other personal finance topics. I was given a few topics to choose from, and I thought today’s topic of signing bonuses was timely. I once took a job with a $100,000 signing […]

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Student Loan Case Studies # 4, 5, & 6

If you’ve visited my Student Loan Resource Page in recent months, you may have noticed the invitation to fill out a questionnaire to be considered for a case study. Last month, I shared the first few case studies analyzed by our in-house student loan expert, Dr. David Michael Frederick Anderson, a.k.a. DMFA Today, I’d like to share a few more case studies. The first two are complete analyses, and the third is a more brief look, although I’ve realized that student loan […]

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Beyond PSLF: Additional Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

I recently received this timely guest post that highlights options for student loan forgiveness beyond the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that is popular among physicians. With medical students about to start their internships and graduating residents and fellows about to start their first jobs as attendings, student loan debt may play a prominent role in the financial lives of many readers. Today’s author is Miranda Marquit, a respected author in the personal finance space and senior writer for […]

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Student Loan Case Studies # 1, 2, & 3

If you’ve visited my Student Loan Resource Page in recent months, you may have noticed the invitation to fill out a questionnaire to be considered for a case study. Today, I’d like to present a few of the first case studies we received. I am the first to admit I am not an expert when it comes to the intricacies of student loan management, so I’ve hired someone who is. Dr. David Michael Frederick Anderson, or DMFA to you, is […]

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