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 Sunday Best

He begins his third year of early retirement before his fortieth birthday. Strong work, Minafi! Adam reflects on the need to stay flexible, a lesson many of us learned in 2020. Seven Takeaways from My Second Year of FIRE.

Are FIRE are YOLO two acronyms in opposition? The Physician Philosopher explores the meaning of both in a blog post and accompanying podcast. TPP 16: YOLO vs. FIRE.

That was the exact question posed to me by Dr. Faryal Michaud on her Write Your Last Chapter podcast. We ended up talking about that and related subjects for a good long while. Retiring Early To Travel The World: Physician on FIRE.

Joe Udo from is retired and he and his wife have plans to travel the world. The Retire by 40 author also realized that the time will come to leave Oregon behind for good. The Worst States to Retire In.

The White Coat Investor spent a lot of time playing and very little time working this fall. It was almost a “mini retirement” and he realized that all play and no work makes Jim a dull boy. Yes, Finding Purpose in Retirement is important.

I know of two FIRE blogs that have donated over $400,000 in the last five years. The one you’re reading now and Mr. Money Mustache. His latest round of giving and musings on the year ahead: Poisoned Just Enough: Why I’m so Optimistic About 2021.

Should we be optimistic about the stock market in 2021, given current valuations? Barry Ritholtz looks at The Big Picture. S&P 500 CAPE Ratio: 2020 vs 1929 and what it could mean for investors.

Maybe you’ll shift some of your investment dollars to alternatives, like I have. Passive income is the real deal, right? Smart Money MD isn’t buying it. He says that Passive Income is a Lie.

Is it true that private schools offer the best education? Or is that a lie, too? Andrew from Compounding Works looks at  Public Versus Private School for Your Kids when pursuing FI.

Kids can learn from working, too. Does it make sense to hire your kids? Physician Finance Basics shows you why you might want to and how to do so properly. How To Hire Your Kids the Right Way.

• Bonus: How to Open a Roth IRA for Kids

Although it didn’t make the list, hiring your kids to work in your business can lower your taxes. More than a dozen other tips, many of which I’ve used, in the Top 10 Ways to Lower Your Taxes.

The year’s not quite over yet. I am very much looking forward to 2021, but in the meantime, the FI Tax Guy can help you do some 2020 Year-End Tax Planning.

• Bonus: One Incredible Tax Planning Tool (and So Much More)

One way I reduce my tax burden is with charitable giving to and from our donor advised fund. The White Coat Investor has started one, too. In Praise of Giving.

• Bonus: WCI shares where their donated dollars have been going. Our Favorite Charities for 2020.
• Double Bonus: WCI requested my donation on his behalf to support this amazing doctor’s work in Ethiopia.

Use Up Any FSA and CME money!

If you’ve got a Flexible Spending Account, Continuing Medical Education fund, or any other type of use-it-or-lose-it money, you’ve got precious little time to spend that money.

Unlike a Health Savings Account (HSA), the balance of which can grow for decades as your money’s invested, an FSA balance often zeroes out at the end of the year. Use it or lose it.

The CARES Act expanded the list of eligible healthcare expenses, so you’ve got more options than ever to spend that money. See LifeHacker for a list of how you can spend that money and look into any rolloever or extension options you may have.

If you’ve got unused CME money, I’ve got one recommendation for you, the 2021 virtual White Coat Investor Physician Wellness and Financial Literacy Conference.

The online conference (with a number of us including yours truly getting together in person to put this on, presumably after vaccination) will take place March 4 to 6, 2021. There will be several tracks, and if you don’t catch one of the 50+ talks live, they will all be recorded for your consumption at your leisure.

The meeting qualifies for 17 credits of CME, and registration is $899. Those who register by 1/11 will receive a “swag bag” in the mail with a pile of personal finance books, WCI shirt, and more goodies.

A Recommended Tax Strategist

There’s no time like the present to do some year-end tax planning!

If you could use some professional help optimizing your tax situation, see our Recommended Tax Strategists page for assistance with both tax planning and tax return preparation.

NGG Tax Group

NGG Tax Group has clients across the US States and various foreign Countries. Our focus is on tax planning, tax preparation, projections and cryptocurrency.  While we help US and foreign nationals alike, we take pride in assisting foreign nationals unravel the intricate US tax system.

From dealing with international tax matters that affect individuals such as owning foreign assets, owning foreign accounts, exploring income tax treaties to figuring out residency for tax purposes and living abroad.

With over 15 years of experience, our firm operates on the cutting edge; we are virtual and can communicate and exchange information regardless of where you are located. We know you are busy so our service literally comes to you. Contact us today.

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Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE