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The Sunday Best is a collection of articles I’ve curated from the furthest reaches of the internet for your reading pleasure.
Every week, I scan hundreds of headlines, read dozens of posts, and bring you the best of the best to save you time and mental energy.
Financial Independence (FI) is a primary focus, but it’s an awfully broad topic. I tend to approach FI and early retirement from a fatFIRE perspective and through the lens of a physician, so expect to see those biases in the selected articles.
Related topics that have become recurrent themes include early retirement, selective frugality, tax issues, travel, physician issues, and of course, investing.
For more great articles, take a peek at The Sunday Best Archives. Now let’s get to the best… The Sunday Best!
The New Year started yesterday, and you’ve got the power to make this one better than the last couple. If you haven’t yet, Choose One! 13 Financial New Year’s Resolutions for 2022.
The Women Who Money have a few more ideas that I didn’t touch on to help you get your finances in order this year. Are You Prepared for a Prosperous 2022?
If you truly believe that you can’t beat the market, you don’t understand statistics very well. Jesse with Best Interest explains. Yes, You Can Beat the Market.
David may not be beating the market, but he’s beating the pants off his peers when it comes to building wealth. FIRE Crossroads 014: FI Goal of $1 Million by Age 30.
With $670,000 in debt, loan forgiveness could certainly sound appealing, but The Motivated MD couple wanted no part of it. Why we chose refinancing our debt over PSLF.
“Humans are flawed. We backslide. We screw up and life gets away from us. We take the easy way out. And then?” We turn to self help resources with mixed results, according to Yellow Brick Freedom. The Problem With Self Help.
Many physicians are looking for an easy way out of medicine. The White Coat Investor suggests some solutions. 4 Reasons Doctors Feel Trapped in Medicine (and How to Escape).
You know what might help when you’re feeling overwhelmed? The Physician Philosopher gives us permission to say No more often. 4 Reasons to Stop Being a People Pleaser.
Dr. Matt Poyner with Dividend Strategy was not at all pleased with what he saw and heard at the “Roadmap to Retirement” talk he attended. I went undercover: the truth about “free” financial seminars.
Should you buy that property? Ken Boyd with CPA Accounting Institute for Success gives us a metric to help with that decision. Understanding the 5% Rule Of Real Estate.
Why are apartment buildings such popular investments? EquityMultiple explains while sharing their outlook on the asset class for 2022. The benefits of Investing in Multifamily Real Estate.
My preference is for passive investments in real estate, but some investors prefer to be much more hands-on. Passive Income MD considers a question he fields often. Should Physician Investors Get A Real Estate License?
We saw some bizarre happenings in the world of investments last year, and Ben Carlson from A Wealth of Common Sense recalls a bunch of them in visual formats. My Favorite Charts of 2021.
Physician on FIRE is Hiring!
Physician on FIRE is a personal finance blog founded in January of 2016 by me, Leif Dahleen, a former anesthesiologist who retired from medicine in 2019. There is a focus on financial independence and retiring early (FIRE) but we discuss all things personal finance for high-income professionals.
Upcoming Webinars
For the first five years of the website’s existence, I’ve done the bulk of the writing and Wordpress work for the blog. I have help with monetization from an ad manager that spends 3 to 5 hours a week working with advertisers and affiliates. My wife puts in similar hours to help with two Facebook groups I started, and we have a Social Media Savant who spends roughly 20 hours a week promoting the blog on various social media channels and helps with editing and formatting blog posts.
I am now looking for someone to act as a blog manager as an independent (hourly rate) contractor.
Blog Manager
The blog manager will gradually take over a number of roles and responsibilities from Leif.
The ideal candidate will be familiar and comfortable working with Wordpress and various Wordpress plugins, perhaps as a current or former blogger. Knowledge of Convertkit, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and keyword research would be helpful.
I expect the role to evolve, but initial duties will include day-to-day operations including preparing and formatting already-written blog posts for publication, managing a content schedule, writing introductions to interview posts, guest posts, and syndicated posts, scheduling emails for new blog posts, and generally making my life easier.
A working knowledge of personal finance matters will help facilitate the writing aspect, and a familiarity with existing content on Physician FIRE would also be helpful.
The work can be done from anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. You will be working with me, Bri (our Social Media Savant), guest authors, and other current and future team members.
Communication will be largely via Slack, email, and phone or videoconference when appropriate. Fluency in English with proper grammar is a must.I anticipate this being a 20+ hour per week role, with starting pay of $30 to $36 an hour, depending on experience. If you meet the criteria, can work flexible hours, and are excited about this opportunity, please complete a short questionnaire here.
It Looks Like We’re Traveling
Over the last week or two, we’ve felt like our upcoming trip to southern Europe has been in some serious jeopardy. At the moment, it looks like it’s a go as long as we see a slew of negative test results tomorrow. To be allowed entry into Greece, we have to present either a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival (which is impossible thanks to the holiday weekend) or a negative antigen test within 24 hours of arrival.
The earliest appointments we could get for rapid testing on Monday morning start at 9:30 a.m., and our flight leaves an hour and six minutes later! Since we may not have results before boarding our first flight, we plan to take home tests of our own beforehand. If any of us test positive, we’ll have to scrap the trip. I’d hate to board a flight only to find out at our layover in Detroit that one of us tested positive and it’s too late to cancel our flights and we’re stuck 4 hours from home with no easy way to get back.
I planned this itinerary in early October when I was confident that we’d all be fully vaccinated by now. It looks like we’ll miss the opportunity to get my 12-year old a booster by maybe a few days. I’m not terribly concerned about getting seriously ill while traveling, but I realize the risk of us being stranded somewhere is real.
Nevertheless, we’re excited to explore parts of Greece, Malta, Italy, and the Vatican. It should be a memorable month for all, hopefully for reasons that are all good!
Physicians and pharmacists, Register with Incrowd for the opportunity to earn easy money with quick "microsurveys" tailored to your specialty.
A Natural Inflation Hedge
Alongside decreasing natural resources, the growing population continues to rise, with expectations of reaching 9.7 billion by 2050. This means approximately 70% more food will be required to feed our growing population, using the same finite resources.
At the same time, inflation has risen worldwide, with the U.S. experiencing a record 39-year high this past November. The need for diversification and inflation protection is top-of-mind for many investors.
Enter Farmland.
Driven by its scarcity value, a low correlation with other assets, historically strong performance, and superior inflation-hedging fundamentals, investors are increasingly looking to access farmland as an investment opportunity.
A newly accessible asset class thanks to FarmTogether, accredited investors can now explore a pipeline of agricultural real estate opportunities suited to fit a variety of portfolios: 7-13% target returns with 3-9% target cash yields.
Learn more by visiting site sponsor FarmTogether.com – a low minimum of $15k can get you started.
A Recommended Tax Strategist
Fox & Co. CPAs
Fox & Co. CPAs is a full-service CPA firm serving over 350 doctors and practice owners throughout the USA. All relationships are virtual and focus on year-round tax planning for a flat fee that includes IRS audit representation and correspondence for any year you have been a client.
We believe your tax filing should be simply the end product of a year of engaged strategizing rather than the focal point of the relationship. Laura Clifford, CPA (see her series on the Section 199A deduction) and Johanna Fox Turner, CPA, CFP® (author of How to Find a Great CPA on WCI), are in charge of client relationships.
Set up an appointment with Laura or Johanna for a review of your taxes and to discuss your goals. Our goal is your goal – to find the best fit for your needs. If that’s not our firm, we’ll help you find one that is.
Contact Information:
Mayfield, Kentucky, lclifford@fox-cpas.com, 270-247-6087
Have an outstanding week!
-Physician on FIRE
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5 thoughts on “The Sunday Best (01/02/2022)”
Incredibly grateful to be included in The Sunday Best! I have been a follower of PoF for years now, but to have my writing appear here is a dream come true. All of the above mentioned articles are great and it is an honor to be included with them. Keep the great content comin’ PoF! As always…
Stay Motivated!
The Motivated M.D.
Themotivatedmd.com
Thanks for the Sunday Best as always PoF! I quite liked the post “Yes, You Can Beat the Market” this week. I love how he rationalized the possibility of beating the market, but then concluded it ultimately wasn’t worth it.
Good stuff!! Enjoy your trip to Greece!