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This website, now in its 5th year, exists to help physicians and others improve their financial picture and overall wellness. My goal has been to educate, enlighten, and entertain my readers.
I have a second and equally important goal, and that is to make the world a better place by donating a large percentage of my profits from this venture. As of late 2020, I’ve donated over $390,000 dollars as a result of this charitable mission.
Some of the money is donated directly to charities. For example, we’re funding the salary of one physician at One World Surgery in Honduras, a wonderful site where my family and I have also donated our time.
Some of the donated money resides in a donor advised fund where the money can be invested and granted to charities when a need arises.
A great need is now upon us on this Giving Tuesday Now.
COVID-19 has ravaged its way through populations across the globe, pushing healthcare systems beyond their capacity and putting tens of millions of people out of work as we isolate ourselves and our families in our best attempt to stem the tide of the rapidly propagating virus. Others place themselves in harm’s way all day every day to care for the gravely ill.
Although I retired early from my career as an anesthesiologist in August of 2019, I do possess skills that can be useful in this fight, and those skills are spoken for.
When my father graduated from dental school in the midst of the Vietnam war, he enlisted in the Army rather than wait to be drafted. While he took a greater risk and made a bolder decision and a larger sacrifice by spending a year in Vietnam, I’ve taken a similar approach and have offered up my services to my most recent employer before they might be requested.
As of now, my services have not been requested, but I chose to help out in another way.
$25,000 Donated to COVID-19 Relief
In March, I announced that I would be donating 100% of the next month’s site profits to charitable organizations participating in some form of COVID-19 relief.
I kicked off the giving on St. Patrick’s Day with $1,000 grants to each of the following:
I followed up in late March with a $1,000 donation to Get Us PPE. Our healthcare workers are in desperate need of basic gloves, masks, gowns, and other protective materials.
By the end of April, with your help, my online profits totaled $24,235. Feeling charitable, I rounded that up rather than down, donating another $19,000 for a total of $25,000 in the name of COVID-19 relief.
The $5,000 Reader Award
As promised, $5,000 would go to the charity requested by one reader who left a comment on this post. That reader was WC, and $5,000 was granted to Friends of Tenwek, a U.S. based charity that supports the Tenwek Hospital in rural Africa. WC and his family have been living and serving there since 2016.
They are preparing for an anticipated influx of patients and have purchased the last large oxygen generator available in Kenya. You can read more about their COVID-19 preparation here.
The Rest of the Money
We gave an additional $5,000 to the Red Cross. They have been collecting plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, and we’d like help further those efforts to potentially develop life-saving treatments from convalescent plasma.
When my alma mater announced that donations to their Vice President’s Emergency Support Fund would be 100% matched by TCF Bank, we sent $1,000 to the University of Minnesota. This resulted in $2,000 supporting the following efforts:
“The fund will provide for items including ventilators, external life-support equipment, and N95 masks and other personal protective equipment. Additionally, it will help advance clinical trials at the University of Minnesota that are already underway to treat COVID-19 patients.”
The remaining $8,000 went to local charities providing meals and housing to people in need. With substantial job losses, some of which may not come back, the need for such services is significant. We granted $2,000 each to the Alpena Senior Center, Sunrise Mission, St. Bernard Friendship Room, and Feed the Need Alpena.
Altogether, that’s $25,000 donated, and I could not have done it without your support. Thank you!
But Wait. There’s More! [Giving]
At the risk of sounding like a crappy infomercial, this post is being published on #GivingTuesdayNow, and I can’t think of a better time to reaffirm our commitment to One World Surgery.
In my working days, my family and I spent a week with them in Honduras in 2018, and we returned for another brigade in 2019. The days were busy, but rewarding. The patients were in dire need and eternally grateful.
In 2019, we decided to fund the annual salary of one of the four physicians I worked with at the surgical center. In honor of Giving Tuesday Now, we have sent in the funds to support another year’s salary for one of those dedicated Honduran doctors.
While we didn’t announce any particular initiative to raise these funds, your readership and support throughout the year allows us to make these meaningful gifts.
How This Site Makes Money
While the opportunity to help raise funds in April, 2020 has passed, it’s never too late to help with our charitable mission. I will continue to donate much of my profits from this website as I always have. Below you will find a number of ways you can contribute, most of which won’t cost you a dime.
A. Register to Receive Surveys for Medical Professionals
We work with a number of market research companies that regularly survey physicians and other healthcare professionals and compensate them for their time and expertise.
The number of opportunities you’ll receive will vary by profession, specialty, and company. The referral fee we receive may be small or zero depending on those same factors, so I ask that you consider registering for at least two.
I’ll add that Curizon will add a $250 cash credit to one lucky new referral from Physician on FIRE this month.
B. Track Your Spending and Investments with Empower
I’ve been using Empower’s free app and online software for longer than I’ve been a blogger, so more than five years. You can track every dollar you spend by category, and it’s quite powerful for investment data, fees breakdown, retirement projections, and more.
They will contact you and they’d like to sell you on their advisory services, which I politely declined years ago, and they no longer reach out to me.
If you sign up and track six figures of investments via their software, this site will receive a commission. If you can do that, please check out Empower.
C. Register to Explore Alternative Investment Platforms (Crowdfunding)
I have personally invested anywhere from $500 to $50,000 with most of the following companies, but I’m not asking you to invest a dime. Only to create a login to explore what they have to offer.
Some only reward a referral fee for investments; others pay out for a simple registration. Please consider registering for more than one to ensure your action(s) benefit our cause.
If you can be considered an accredited investor (income of $200,000 as an individual, $300,000 as a couple, or have a net worth of $1,000,000 exclusive of your primary home), the following platforms are available for you:
- AcreTrader (farmland)
- Alpha Investing (commercial real estate)
- Crowdstreet (commercial real estate)
- EquityMultiple (commercial real estate)
- FarmTogether farmland)
- PeerStreet (residential real estate loans)
- Roofstock (turnkey real estate)
If you do not qualify as an accredited investor (i.e. EVERYONE), the following companies have real estate investment opportunities available to you. I have invested with each of them (and own shares of Compound).
- Compound (residential condominiums)
- Diversyfund (commercial real estate / eREITs)
- Fundrise (commercial real estate / eREITs)
- RealtyMogul (commercial real estate / eREITs)
- VinoVest (wine)
D. Consider a New Credit Card
Please, please do not consider a new card if you are not certain you will be able to pay your balance in full each and every month. The rewards can be substantial, but they will be more than negated if you carry a balance from month to month.
The Chase Sapphire cards are two of the most commonly recommended cards and for good reason. They offer generous welcome bonuses, great perks with flexible points, and in the case of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, a very reasonable annual fee under $100.
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Annual fee
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intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_durationRegular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_typeRecommended credit
credit_score_neededBonus Intro Rewards
bonus_miles_full read morecard_name
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reg_apr,reg_apr_typeRecommended credit
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E. Enroll in a Course to Improve Your Financial Situation
When I refer readers to an education personal finance course, a portion of your tuition payment comes back to this site.
Continuing Financial Education 2020
On March 31, 2020, The White Coat Investor released Continuing Financial Education 2020, a course with dozens of presentations from thought leaders in the investing world. Numerous physicians gave talks, including me.
The course gives you 10 credits of CME, potentially making it eligible for reimbursement from a CME fund or as a write-off as a business deduction.
Fire Your Financial Advisor
The White Coat Investor’s Fire Your Financial Advisor Course is a comprehensive walk-through that will have you creating your own thorough financial plan. Investing, insurance, asset protection, and estate planning are all covered.
Two couples that took the course have shared their detailed plans with my audience.
Learn more about Fire Your Financial Advisor here.
F. Refinance Student Loans (IF it Makes Sense for You)
Last month was perhaps the best time in history to refinance student loans. Now is still a good time, but we have seen interest rates start to climb as uncertainty sets in.
If you are pursuing loan forgiveness via the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program you should definitely not refinance, as it will make you ineligible for future forgiveness.
If you have federal student loans that might qualify for a reprieve from interest payments (a plan has been mentioned but not finalized), you may want to consider waiting to learn the details and whether or not the plan might benefit you. There are also discussions on one side of the aisle of canceling some student loan debt. If you think that has a chance of happening, you would also want to hold off right now.
If you already have refinanced student loans or have private loans, you should definitely see if you can lower your rate and / or your monthly payment. The latest rates and cashback bonuses are listed below, and this table is updated every time a partner sends us new information. Several companies have raised their rates significantly in the last few weeks, but the interest rates remain incredibly low from a historical perspective.
Student Loan Refinancing Disclosures
G. Get Started With Your Legacy Binder
If you have time on your hands, this pandemic has shown us how important it is to fill out the ever-popular In Case of Emergency Legacy Binder.
How You Can Help spread the word?
The more people who know about this site, the bigger a difference we can make.
A. Share this post to social media or email with a quick click!
[socialpug_share]
Another way to share is copying and pasting the URL:
https://www.physicianonfire.com/covid-19-relief/
into a post on Twitter, Facebook, or wherever. Consider sharing in a Facebook group if such a post would be allowed. Thanks!
B. Subscribe to this website.
You’ll receive notices when I publish a new post, and you’re guaranteed to learn something. You’ll be given an option to receive an email from me once a week, instead, which you can request her.
C. Tell Your Friends
Before we had social media, texting, and a few dozen other ways to communicate without making a sound, word-of-mouth was a primary method of communication. It’s true!
And it still works. Tell your friends about this site. They might learn a thing or two. I’ve published hundreds of posts, and they’re all free to read.
Thank you so much for your generous participation in making our charitable mission possible. The $25,000 we generated for charity will impact the lives of tens of thousands of people worldwide.
Cheers!
Leif Dahleen, MD
Physician on FIRE
User-Generated Content Disclosure: Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
39 thoughts on “$25,000 Donated to COVID-19 Relief”
Wow, that’s an enormous amount! Thanks so much for your generosity and doing your part (both financially and professionally) in helping chip away at this COVID thing, as well as a plethora of other things that you’ve donated to!
This post is great. Thank you so much. Have you rated the different companies like Crowdstreet, Compound, Peerstreet.
Thank you for donating all the profits. That is truly amazing.
A very worthwhile charity, and one with rock-bottom administrative/overhead costs, is Children’s Hunger Fund. You can’t go wrong with it.
East Lake Pet Orphanage. http://eastlakedallas.com/elpo/
Thanks for all you do POF, Keep up the great work!
Please consider supporting Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund:
https://secure.feedingamerica.org/
You betcha!
Feeding America was one of the first recipients of a $1,000 grant made in March in anticipation of April profits to donate.
Ski U Mah!
-PoF
Signed up for Personal Capital, In Crowd, and Curizon. Thanks for the encouragement! Would love it if you could contribute to Coptic Orphans, who if focusing efforts on preventing Covid transmission.
Thank you for making a difference for those in need POF! I’ve shared your content and used several of your links (medical surveys (M3) and loan re-fi (Splash)). Just needed a little nudge to get those financial steps heading in the right direction. Thank you:)
We are an ER Nurse and PT family and are both seeing patients daily. We know that even if a surge isn’t as strong as predicted, we will see folks directly and indirectly during this crisis. We hope and pray for good health for all providers fighting the good fight!
Please consider funding to charities in need and close to our hearts. We appreciate everything you do. Brian and Ami
https://researchautism.org/
https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/
Thank you for supporting our efforts, Brian & Ami!
We’ve given to both autism and Alzheimers charities via our Giving Tuesday efforts in the past, and I plan to continue such organizations. This effort is focused solely on COVID-19 relief, however. Please visit the site in November and be ready to nominate those two organizations again. We’ve given out $10,000+ each of the last two years based on reader’s recommendations.
Cheers!
-PoF
Thank you for your charitable choices! I’ve participated in this one with you. Consider our local food pantry as needs have doubled during this pandemic. Think globally, act locally!
https://www.bpnn.org/
Hi PoF
I have been following your website and the rest of the WCI network for the last couple of years. Thanks for the service you offer to so many. The knowledge I’ve gained has given me confidence that I can have my family financially ready for our future. In addition to having previously registered to receive several of the medical surveys for physicians, I specifically responded to this post by purchasing the ICE Legacy Binder.
My family and I have been living and serving at Tenwek Hospital in rural Kenya since 2016. COVID-19 and the demands it has placed on the hospital is significantly affecting the hospital’s finances and limiting our ability to provide much-needed care for the people of Kenya.
Please consider making a donation to Friends of Tenwek, a US-based non-profit dedicated to developing relationships and resources that help the hospital fulfill its mission of providing compassionate and affordable healthcare. Below is a link where you can read a message from the president of FOT about the ways Tenwek is responding to COVID-19 and how PoF can partner with us by making a donation.
https://friendsoftenwek.org/a-special-message-about-covid-19-from-fot-president-david-hoover-m-d/
Thanks again – WC
Thank you so much for the important work that you do. And what an experience for your family. We’ve spent a couple of weeks in service in Honduras, but that’s a blip compared to the dedication you have to this mission.
We’ve made a $5,000 grant to Friends of Tenwek.
Best,
-PoF
Answer quick MicroSurveys for cash. Designed with convenience and timeliness in mind, 70% of surveys are answered on a mobile device in just a few minutes.
Physicians, Pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals are invited to join Incrowd today!
Thanks for your generosity! I have signed up for a couple of the survey sites and subscribed to have new posts delivered. I am an optometrist working for the federal government so my job is pretty secure but my private practice colleagues are struggling. Hopefully, those of us who are still employed and/or have adequate savings can help support those who aren’t as fortunate.
Thanks so much for all you do . . for the education and the generosity!!
Completed the following activities: 1. signed up for MD for Life, 2. Downloaded Personal Capital, 3. Shared this post on facebook, 4. Subscribed to Morning Brew.
You rock, Kimberly!
Thank you for your support.
Cheers!
-PoF
Good for you Milo! Happy to support your efforts! Thanks to you and your colleagues for your bravery and caring now and always!
I have been reading your content since the inception and I love it! Born in Minnesota but living in New England since I was young. I am actively in the middle of this outbreak taking care of medically fragile individuals with disabilities and short of supplies near the epicenter. As an RN, the need to support this outbreak is crucial. As we are being “creative” to slow the spread of this, I have never been asked to think so criticality in each day of my work. I have completed steps 1 and 2 and I thank you for your contribution and support.
Thank you so much, Laura. I respect your courage as you and your colleagues confront this pandemic with all hands on deck. Gloved hands, I hope, and I hope our efforts can help send some PPE your way.
Best,
-PoF
PoF Thanks for the tips, will certainly be doing my part!
I signed up for medical surveys #1 and for the Morning Brew #2! I already am a subscriber to your blog and to Personal Capital. Thanks for supporting worthy causes during this pandemic!
Thank you for doing your part, LD!
PoF,
Thank you for your efforts and for the great information in this post. I used your link to re-apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card as I had been considering doing so anyway! I also subscribed to the Morning Brew- hopefully it’ll help me make sense of everything that’s going on. Be safe now that you are back in practice.
Mary K
Awesome!
I appreciate your partnership in this effort. You be safe, as well. If I’m called up, I’ll be as cautious as I’ve ever been.
Cheers!
-PoF
I would also suggest considering your local diaper bank. Here is Texas we have: http://www.texasdiaperbank.org/
Kuddos for prioritizing charitable giving in your life.
Thank you for the recommendation, Josh.
I hope you also followed Step 1 & Step 2 above. That’s how we generate funds to support these charities.
Cheers!
-PoF
I copied and pasted the URL to a friend but the only thing that came up for her was “Oops! That page can’t be found.” Just thought you might want to know ?
Oops! I screwed up.
The correct URL is there now.
Thanks for the heads up!
-PoF
Keep up the great work Leif!
I enjoyed meeting you at WCICon.
Glad we got to connect!
Thank you for your ongoing support.
-PoF
Keep up the great work…You’ve got me hook, line and sinker on most everything that I qualify for. Will continue to share more actively on social media. As a frontline worker, I appreciate this.
I appreciate you being on the front line even more.
Be safe!
-PoF
Agree with the above poster that supporting your favorite small business is also a good way to show the love and try to ensure that they will still be around after this…
Just signed up for the brew daily; I already have some of the credit cards, the binder, and Personal Capital.
For charities, please consider supporting World Central Kitchen (started by Jose Andres in 2010) along with the ones you’ve already chosen:
https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout
Thanks!
Thank you for being a solid supporter of our charitable mission, Wendy.
I will assuredly be making a grant to World Central Kitchen as part of this effort.
Cheers!
-PoF
Good morning.
Great way to get the word out and help relief efforts. I tweeted and posted to LinkedIn.
Hopefully it helps.
Thank you for sharing! I hope to see that share counter increase day by day.
Cheers!
-PoF
POF –
I’m always impressed with your thoughtfulness and generosity. In times like these,
many people are “sheltering in place” both physically and economically. Thanks for showing an alternative way.
With markets down a shocking amount, this is the time that the need is the greatest so advocating for increased charitable giving is great…..not just from your site, but I hope that readers will also dip into their (depleted) DAFs, etc.
While I’m at it, might I enlist your readers that are continuing to earn significant paychecks to continue to support local businesses such as restaurants, etc. that may be shut down for on-site services. Saturday, my kids were thrilled with a few trays of chicken parm and pasta take-out from our local favorite place (and the restaurant was thrilled with the business.) Its not charity, but I believe it helps.
A votre sante!
Thank you, M.
It does sting a bit to dig into the depleted DAF when stocks are beaten up, but things look better today than they did a day ago, anyway. Is it market timing if I pull some money out of my stock allocation there to cover some upcoming grants? Not sure if it counts if its not my money.
My family ordered takeout tonight. I’m still on quarantine, but we’ll plan on doing so once a week as long as we’re on lockdown. Small businesses are the fabric of small towns and vital to the vibrance of large cities, too.
Best,
-PoF
I got a new credit card through your site a few weeks ago. I will look at the survey companies. A little income is better then no income if it comes to that. I still have my job but business is way down.
You are the first person I know of who reads the morning brew. I have been for a few months and I really like it. I hope some of your readers get into it because it is a nice way to absorb the financial news of the day. I find it funny and I enjoy the puzzles and quizzes. I would love to get some brew socks but your mission is more helpful to society so I hope people sign up through your link.
Thanks for doing this!
You’re the best, Lordosis!
It is sad to hear of many of my colleagues losing 50% to 90% of their income. Dentists being hit even worse than physicians. Stay strong — this can’t last forever. It’s like bleeding in surgery; it always stops eventually.
The Morning Brew is a fun read in the morning. A good way to start the day. My department chief turned me on to it a couple of years ago.
Cheers!
-PoF