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!

Be disciplined today. Do as you please tomorrow. The Physician Philosopher champions The Benefits of a Disciplined Life. Worked for me!

Not everyone has that discipline, according to the Banker on FIRE. Six Reasons Why High Earners Don’t Get Rich.

The Prudent Plastic Surgeon isn’t jealous of high earners. Not even the ones you see on TV. Comparing the Financial Lives of Doctors & Professional Athletes.

The financial life of a FIRE blogger can be equally interesting. Jeremy & Winnie of Go Curry Cracker sold nearly a million dollars in assets last year. So how did they pay only $38,000 in federal income tax? I’ll let him explain. Go Curry Cracker 2021 Taxes.

I can holler “stay the course” ’til the cows come home, but my pleas may fall on deaf ears. Let’s try listening to Jim Wang at Wallet Hacks. How to Convince Yourself to Keep Investing during a “Falling” Market.

“The Market” isn’t the only market, as the Debt Free Dr. reminds us. You’ve got options. Active vs Passive Real Estate Investing – 5 Factors To Consider.

How might inflation impact your real estate investments? Our friends at AcreTrader aren’t sweating it. How to Hedge Against Inflation with Farmland.

A couple can hedge against all sorts of challenges with two incomes rather than one. FIRE Crossroads 029: Two CRNAs Seeking Work-Life Balance.

• p..s I want to feature you. Yes, you! Interviewees are sorely needed. Share your story and get crowdsourced feedback on any personal finance questions or conundrums you may have.

I swear it won’t be a waste of your time. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. A Lawyer and Her Money make a case for just laying low. Why I Love Wasting My Precious Time.

Can your kids be well-balanced without stepping foot in a traditional school? Max My Money makes a case for keeping them home. Homeschool Your Kids: 10 Reasons You Should.

We don’t keep our boys home, exactly, opting instead for a life of frequent travel. I think they learn more when we do these kinds of things. Family FIRE Travels: Malta in the Mediterranean. It’s an amazing place, and I’ve got the pictures to prove it!

Our FIREd up friends behind Millennial Revolution were also in Europe recently, visiting a place that we’ll be checking out this fall via a transatlantic cruise (contact me for details).

• Let’s Go Exploring! Please Don’t Go to the Azores.
• Let’s Go Exploring! Please Don’t Go to the Azores Part 2.

So I’m buying a space heater that mines Bitcoin. Or is it a Bitcoin mining rig that creates heat? Either way, this 1,300 watt box is going to do its thing in the garage of our new home during the cooler months, which is almost all of them in northern Michigan. Savoteur runs the numbers behind mining. Mining Cryptocurrency – Is It Profitable in 2022?

Please join me in bidding a heartfelt and respectful farewell to XRAYVSN, a radiologist who has been an integral part of the physician personal finance community for the last four years. RIP XRAYVSN: Blogoversary & Exit Stage Left.

Check Student Loan Refi Rates Right Here, Right Now

Credible has made it easier than ever to see how low of an interest rate or monthly payment you can get by refinancing your student loans. You can enter your info below and have answers in seconds.

For a limited time, Credible is offering $1,000 cash back if you refinance a six-figure loan balance when you’re referred from Physician on FIRE (the widget below counts). If you refinance a smaller amount, you can still get a $500 bonus.

Note that any private refinancing makes your loan balance ineligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, so bear that in mind if loan forgiveness is a goal of yours.

To see additional cash back offers and interest rate ranges for all of our student loan refinancing partners, click here.

Wasting Time

Other online entrepreneurs have advised me to value my time at a serious premium. “Act like your time is worth $2,000 an hour.” I’m not making that up.

Using that metric, putting  this post together costs me darn near $20,000. Just watching a movie costs like $4,000. Happy hour? $4,000 to $6,000 or more because it’s never just an hour.

I want to be able to waste time without feeling a hint of guilt. And I do, day after day, because I refuse to live as though every hour that passes is a missed opportunity. I have all that I need for my family and me, and that’s kind of the point of FIRE. Set aside what you feel is enough and do as you please.

 

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We wasted time in a most satisfactory way this week, spending four days in Galveston, Texas waiting for a cruise ship to carry us away to the south, which it did the other day.

In the meantime, we took our boys to the beach for three consecutive days and scoured the interwebs for the best happy hour bites and deals. Props to Galveston.com for putting together the “passport” that introduced us to a half-dozen places that we may not have found without the aid of the discounted, pre-paid beverages.

 

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45.57% Annual Return. After Fees.

2021 was an outstanding year for investors in site sponsor DLP’s Housing Fund.

The fund’s valuation was updated to a 22.25% positive NAV adjustment, representing a 2021 net return to investors to 45.57% for the calendar year 2021.

If you’re interested in learning more about this fund and its performance or any of DLP’s four other private real estate funds, join them online or in person for the DLP Capital Dinner at San Jose Golf & Country Club – Jacksonville, FL on May 19th. Register here.

A Recommended Financial Advisor

Clark Asset Management

Clark Asset Management Vetting Application

We are one of the only truly fixed flat fee retirement income experts in existence, serving clients across the country.

Our firm is geared toward you if:

• You’re retired or will be retiring in the next 7 years
• You have a total portfolio of $2M or more
• You’re concerned about generating (and protecting) income for life
• You don’t like complex fee structures (%, tiered, hybrid, etc.)

We charge a single fixed flat fee of $9,500 per year (regardless of your assets) for investment management & financial planning.

Our investment philosophy is simple, very low cost & extremely tax efficient. You can choose our Vanguard ETF strategy and/or our DFA (Dimensional Fund Advisors) strategy.

Here are 3 ways to learn more about our beliefs and approach:

1. Schedule a complimentary call with Bradley Clark
2. Watch our short, awesome & free video class on retirement income
3. Access our retirement income cheat sheet

Here’s a little background on Bradley Clark (Founder & CEO)

• Harvard BA, Stanford MBA
• Former Publisher, The Motley Fool
• Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP)
• Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)

Fees:

Single Fixed Flat Fee of $9,500 per year. Don’t be penalized for having a larger portfolio!

Contact Info:
Bradley@BradleyClark.com, Boston, MA & Columbus, OH, (978) 364-0605.

Are You a HENRY? (High Earner, Not Rich Yet)

10 Things Millionaires Do Not Spend Money On

VTSAX vs VFIAX: Which Vanguard Index Fund Is Better?

Happy May Day! Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE