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!

 

 

Dr. Jillian Rigert made the difficult decision to leave residency prematurely when she could only see one other way out. I Saved My Life By Risking My Career from Doctors on Social Media.

 

Some physicians who do expert witness work will throw their colleagues under the bus for a buck (or many thousands of bucks). Don’t be like that. Dr. Gretchen Green shows you How to Be a Good Expert Witness and a Good Physician.

• Related: Dr. Green’s Expert Witness Startup School, a 4-week course with a money-back guarantee, is now open for enrollment. Learn more.

 

I’m impressed by how far Dr. Pay It Back‘s financial situation has improved from what was a negative net worth in a few short years ago. Live Like a Resident: Financial Progress Three Years Out of Training.

 

Now in its fifth year in existence, site sponsor AcreTrader has started to see a few of its investments go full circle. So far, so good, they report. AcreTrader Completes 3 Investment Cycles with Higher-Than-Expected Returns.

• Related: AcreTrader Review 2022: My Investment in Cash-Flowing Farmland

 

We may have already seen the bottom in stocks, and a lot has happened since the most recent low more than two months ago. Michael Batnick, the Irrelevant Investor, reports on what’s transpired Since the Stock Market Bottom.

 

If you’re invested in the biggest index funds, you were down less than 25% in June. Many “pandemic darlings” lost 80% to 95%, though, and that’s excruciatingly difficult to recover from. As Your Money Blueprint explains, Fighting Back from Investment Losses Is an Uphill Battle.

 

How much are you setting yourself back with a sabbatical?  Physician Sabbatical, written by a doctor who just embarked on a six-month break, shares tips for Minimizing the Impact of a Sabbatical on Your FIRE Date.

 

I’ve purchased a few homes with cash, and now we’re building one sans mortgage. Marriage Kids and Money takes a look at Buying a House in Cash: Pros and Cons of Getting a Home Without a Mortgage.

 

I tend to avoid debt on my own properties, but I often invest in deals where leverage is used to produce a higher return on investment. Chris Fraley, CIO of site sponsor RealtyMogul has reason to believe we’ll continue to see solid returns. Q2 Multifamily Numbers Indicate Potentially Strong Continued Performance.

• Bonus: View RealtyMogul’s past performance on every completed deal here.

 

Author Cory S. Fawcett is a big fan of timeshares, and if you understand the rules and have some flexibility, they can be a very affordable travel option. A Look at a Four Week Timeshare Vacation on Financial Success MD. I’m looking forward to digging into his upcoming book on the topic!

 

A tree fell on his house. His pregnant wife was in an auto accident that totaled her car just steps from the E.R. where she was scheduled to work. It’s been a year for The Motivated MD who reminds us that Life Happens and shares how they’ve coped.

 

The late Gary Weiner from Super Saving Tips helped consumers save money for much of the last decade. Life happens until it doesn’t, and Gary was writing right up until the end, recently sharing Inflation Has Peaked (Maybe)? But What About Prices on Food? I had this post selected for this Sunday Best before his sudden passing. Rest in peace, Gary, and Suzanne, we are deeply sorry for your loss. 

 

 

Lessons from Dying Patients

 

There is no way to comfortably segue from a death notice of a prolific blogger, but I did have an experience this weekend that ties in. Dr. Jordan Grumet, a physician who has spent a lot of time with hospice patients, held a book launch party on Friday for his book that draws on that experience, Taking Stock.

I reviewed the book recently, and the quote that I led with was coincidentally the same line chosen by host Carl Jensen of 1500 Days for Jordan to read aloud to the sellout crowd at Mr. Money Mustache HQ in Longmont, CO.

 

What a great event. Jordan is a wonderful human and I’m so damn thankful for the community we have here. https://t.co/dOGK1zr9js pic.twitter.com/TfCnAtDXvb

— Mr. 1500 (@retirein1500) August 20, 2022

 

While there is a financial component to the book, and money was mentioned in passing during the discussion and presentation at the event, the focus was more on purpose, identity, and community.

Being good with money doesn’t bring many people peace or joy. Having purpose, truly understanding your identity, and having a supportive community are key components of a life with few regrets.

No one regrets working too few nights and weekends; many regret not attempting to make their dreams and goals a reality. Money can facilitate some of this, but you need to look past safe withdrawal rates and spreadsheets to be in a peaceful place at the end of life. That’s what I’ve learned from my friend Jordan.

 

Rocky Mountain High

 

My family and I had a swell time in Colorado, checking out real dinosaur tracks and petrified bones at Dinosaur Ridge near Golden and seeing fake animatronic and puppet dinosaurs at the rather hokey Jurassic World Experience in Denver. We also visited the outstanding Museum of Nature and Science and toured the State Capitol, walking around the golden dome and snapping a picture with the late John Denver to send to my folks.

 

 

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We got in some runs at elevation in Denver’s Central Park and Longmont’s McIntosh Lake, and my wife celebrated a milestone birthday with a sushi lunch, afternoon brewery visit, and the event at MMM HQ. We met some great people over the course of the weekend, including a physician who’s nearly my age but looks 10 years younger. And I thought I looked young.

Name drop alert! The presence of Pete Adeney, a.k.a. Mr. Money Mustache and Jordan Grumet’s visit to town (host of Earn & Invest podcast and the DiverseFI blog) brought out a bunch of people in the personal finance space that I got to hang out with or at least say hello to briefly.

In addition to the aforementioned duo, there were our gracious hosts for the long weekend Carl & Mindy, Carl’s co-host Doug from Mile High FI, our breakfast-loving friends from Waffles on Wednesday, Bigger Pockets CEO Scott Trench, cancer survivor Chris from Life Outside the Maze, Mark Trautman from Mark’s Money Mind, Rachel from Money Honey Rachel, the eponymous Zeona McIntyre, and a bunch of awesome people with no online presence that I’m aware of and most likely a handful that I inadvertently left out.

I always enjoy seeing good friends and making new ones over good beers, and we were able to do a lot of that on this trip. I look forward to more of the same at Camp FI Midwest in two week (you can still join me in Minnesota) and a few days later at FinCon22 in Orlando.

I hope to see you soon!

 

 

Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE