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!

Tawcan admits to being greedy, poorly prepared, thinking short-term, focused too heavily on dividend growth, and more. Learning From My Own Investment Mistakes.

I don’t think of this as a mistake, but in recent years, I’ve increased my play money investments from under 1% to over 10%. How and why I’ve been playing more: Play Money: Invest AND Have Fun!

Play money investments are inherently risky, but there are ways to reduce risk in any asset class. Passive Income MD addresses the one he knows best. How to Reduce the Risk of Investing in Passive Real Estate.

Risk is reduced when you invest in debt that’s backed by collateral, like houses, for example. That’s the case in the Lending Fund from site sponsor DLP, which has paid double digit returns to investors (I’m one of them) since inception by offering short-term, asset-backed loans to high quality real estate operators.

Did you know that prior to the Civil War, every bank printed its own money? I certainly didn’t. From Brandon Chase at Go Curry Cracker, A Brief History of American Money.

I like this concept from Michael Kitces. I just wish it were easier to implement with better funds designed for its purpose. The ‘Yield-Split’ Method Of Asset Location To Improve Tax Efficiency Of Index Funds.

Switching gears, let’s see what some of the long-time FIRE bloggers are up to. First up is Jim from Route to Retire, who is moving back home. The 2 Big Reasons We’re Moving Back From Panama… and What’s Next!

Coach Carson and his family are heading to one of my favorite countries. He and his wife Kari discuss the practical aspects and challenges of their upcoming year abroad. We’re moving to Spain! (and living off our rental income while abroad).

Joe Udo from Retire by 40 plans to build a second home far, far away from his primary home. We’re building a beach cabin!

This couple will be happy with one home. Should they buy or rent as they dig out of $300,000 in debt? FIRE Starter 011: An Anesthesiologist and Pediatrician in Debt.

Sanjib Saha with Humble Dollar moved to the U.S. in the year 2000 and had to basically start from scratch, financially 10 years later. Freed by Frugality, he’s in a position to retire just ten years later.

I thought I was sitting on a lot of cash, but reading between the lines, I think the Banker on FIRE might be sitting on a cool million in cash alone. A Banker’s Net Worth.

I left medicine behind in 2019, and I’m certainly not alone in ditching the career in my prime. The Darwinian Doctor explains Why It Seems Like All Doctors Are Quitting Medicine.

I quit medicine to become a blogger and occasional podcast host. I’ll be recording an episode of the WCI podcast as a guest host this coming week, and I welcome you to submit any questions you might have for me via the WCI Speakpipe.

We do need good doctors to take care of people, though, like the team taking care of our friend from Life Behind the Maze. Finishing up a third round of chemotherapy, he penned the heartfelt Fighting Cancer While Accepting Humility.

Physicians and pharmacists, Register with Incrowd for the opportunity to earn easy money with quick "microsurveys" tailored to your specialty.

Our Next “Forever Home”

Fifteen years ago, we broke ground on our dream home number one. It was 4,000 square feet, on the water, and well-equipped with custom cabinets, hardwood floors, and granite countertops galore.

All in, including the lot, landscaping, etc, we spent approximately $670,000.

Four years later, or three years and a a month or two after we moved in, I lost my job as the only anesthesiologist in the county as our hospital was in a death spiral toward bankruptcy. Needless to say, we ended up moving, and when I sold the home at a quarter-million dollar loss several years later, I chalked it up as a life lesson.

Apparently, I’m a slow learner. Or a glutton for punishment. Maybe just a spendthrift.

Last spring, we bought a house across the street from the lake we’d like to live on which just happened to have a one-acre lot on the lake as part of the package deal. Since then, we’ve been in the planning phases of building dream home number two.

That dream will soon be a reality as ground is broken on the home this spring!

If you’ve heard anecdotally that building is expensive right now, I can confirm that is true. Materials have gone up tremendously in price over the last couple of years. Factoring in what we paid for the lot, we’ll likely end up spending about double what we spent 15 years ago for a house that will be over 20% smaller.

Looking back, I regret not looking at a couple of the rare high-end homes that have come up for sale on the lake in the last few years. We might not have gotten our dream home, but we would have spent a whole lot less. On the other hand, we can afford this, and we only get one life to live. The timing with the cost of building is what it is; we want to enjoy this new home as a family, and our middle schoolers will be college students in the next 5 to 7 years.

Here’s an illustration of the plan we chose. We added a few hundred square feet and rearranged a few things, and we don’t plan on having all that brick and stone work, but this is pretty close to what the back of our home, facing the lake, will look like. Pretty cool, no?

We’re working with the same excellent builder who built dream home number one, along with many of the same subcontractors, which gives us some comfort. If you have any new-home building tips, please let us know in the comments below!

We’re leaning towards keeping the home we have now and using it as a short-term rental. I’m looking forward to the start of Semi-Retired MDs course on the subject, which launches in a few short weeks, and is open for enrollment for a few more days. More on that below.

Before I get into the details on the short-term rental course, if passive real estate is more your style, know that the no-obligation waitlist is open for Passive Income Real Estate Academy from Passive Income MD, and only waitlisters will get an opportunity to save $200 with an early enrollment period next weekend.

Peter will be joining me sometime this upcoming week for a video chat in the physician-only Physicians on FIRE Facebook group.

Accelerating Wealth: Short-Term Rental Blueprint

Our physician friends Leti & Kenji are only offering this course once in 2022, so now’s the time to get in if owning and operating a place on Airbnb and/or VRBO (or independently) is something that interests you, too.

They’re offering the best money-back guarantee that I’ve seen — you can complete the entire course and if you haven’t gained the knowledge and tools necessary to make six-figures of income via short-term and/or long-term rentals, they will fully refund you for the course”

Accelerating Wealth offers up to 5 CME, and Leti and Kenji developed this course with input from an advisory board of investors who own multiple properties in multiple, premier locations such as Gold Bar, Gulf Shores, Austin, Joshua Tree, Broken Bow, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Destin, and Dallas…with more being added on a regular basis.

You’ll have all that experience, wisdom, and knowledge guiding you through the process. The course will teach you how to:

• Analyze a deal: Sure, that beachside bungalow and/or mountain cabin looks beautiful…but will it cashflow (make money)? You’ll learn how to analyze the property based on your criteria, and if it doesn’t pass—then it’s a “Don’t Buy.”

• Maximize your cashflow: If you think about it, each STR is a business. To make your business more profitable, you need to increase its income and decrease expenses. You’ll also want to learn how to make the smart upgrades that will increase cashflow and lead to a higher sales price when you go to sell the property down the road.

• Harvest tax savings: There’s the potential to shelter your rental income and some or all of your clinical income from taxes. How? If you “materially participate” in your STR. We cover all of this in the course so you can be as tax efficient as possible.

• Automate your new STR: Renting out your STR doesn’t have to take up hours of your time to get 5-star ratings. With the right mix of apps, services, tech, and tools, you can create a high-touch experience for your guests that’s actually less work for you.

Accelerating Wealth also comes with: 5 group coaching sessions with either Leti and Kenji or their experienced coaches, lifetime access to: the video training modules, future updates and additions to the course, and Leti & Kenji’s STR agent and vendor networks. In short, you’ll have everything you need to start your STR investing journey with confidence.

Bonus: I’ll toss in copies of Optimize Your BNB & Retire Early with Real Estate to those who complete the Accelerating Wealth course. I’ll let you keep them even if you end up requesting your money back; I’m that confident that you’ll be happy with the course.

Enrollment is open until this coming Wednesday, April 6th.

A Recommended Financial Advisor

Olson Consulting

Olson Consulting Financial Advisors Vetting Application

Olson Consulting is an Advice-Only firm, built to help physicians effectively manage their relationship with money and make wise financial decisions. Tyler Olson, a Fiduciary and Enrolled Agent, has over 15 years of experience, and he always puts the needs and interests of his clients first. The advice Tyler provides is free of bias toward any product or investment strategy. You and your family will receive the best possible budgeting, investment, and tax advice for a flat fee. For physicians that run or want to run their own practice, start-up and ongoing business advice is also included. Schedule a free consult today!

Fees:

For DIY Attendings and Residents Looking for a Check-in

STAND-ALONE PLANNING SERVICES

The Comprehensive Financial Plan

This is a six-month engagement and consists of four in-person (or virtual) meetings to actively help you implement a comprehensive and customized financial plan with the goal of keeping you accountable. The financial plan includes everything in your life, and while the numbers form the foundation for the plan, it is your goals and values that drive the recommendations. The flat fee for this plan is $4,800.

The Tactical Financial Plan

Choose up to three financial areas on which to focus and receive customized advice and recommendations. This plan includes two meetings and one month of unlimited phone and email access. The flat fee for this plan is $2,700.

The Cash Flow Plan

The cash flow plan analyzes historic spending and cash flow, sets a Spending Plan and puts clients on track to living within their means and work toward what they value. This plan includes two meetings and one month of unlimited phone and email access. The flat fee for this plan is $1,500.

One-Page Financial Plan

The One Page Financial Plan addresses your most pressing financial issues in a 90 minute financial planning session. I will help you overcome your biggest obstacles and provide you with an action plan to keep you moving forward toward what you value. The One Page Financial Plan 90-minute session costs $1,200.

For Attendings Looking for a Long-term Planning Engagement

ONGOING COLLABORATIVE PLANNING SERVICES

Financial planning for attendings can be complex. I make it simple. Investment guidance on any account, tax planning, and estate planning are important considerations. In addition, attention is given to career development, contract negotiation, and private practice implementation.

Now is the time to make more significant decisions and put them into action. This plan can help you protect what you are building, in terms of savings, your education, and your career. Wherever you want to hold your investments, this service will give you access to unlimited investment advice on your assets. You will receive help with organization and preparation when it comes to estate and tax planning. If you aspire to open your own practice, I will help you implement that business plan.

If the DIY stand-alone plans appeal to you, but you would like to work hand in hand with me to implement it, and you would like that supplemented with ongoing investment and tax planning advice, this ongoing arrangement is for you.

The cost of this service is $7,000/year, paid monthly or quarterly.

Contact Info:
St. Joseph, MI
(269) 876-0824
tyler@olsonconsultingmi.com

Best Credit Card to Pay Taxes: Is It Worth It?

VTSAX vs VFIAX: Which Vanguard Index Fund Is Better?

Best Paid Medical Surveys in 2024

Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE