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 could have retired early, yet the E.R. keeps calling his name. Crispy Doc explains why he continues to answer the call after reaching financial independence. There Are Many Places I’d Rather Be, But This Is Where I’m Needed.
Dr. Howie Chen is an ophthalmologist whose practice had to come to nearly a complete halt, and he’s just now starting to reopen parts of his practice cautiously. How COVID19 is affecting my practice and personal finances at Solo Building Blogs.
How has a small value tilt affected my personal finances? Not so well. Time to give The Finger to Fama & French? Not so, says The White Coat Investor. Channeling David Soul, he pleads Don’t Give Up On Your Small-Cap Value Strategy, [Baby].
Is it time to give up on funding your non-governmental 457(b)? I’d certainly think twice given the dismal financial picture of hospitals and healthcare systems resulting from the pandemic. Go Curry Cracker showed us how to Retire Even Earlier with Deferred Compensation, but take note of the “black swan” mention, as a black swan has landed.
Another May, another missed opportunity to see Warren in person at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders’ meeting, which was held online this year. But thanks to Kevin at Just Start Investing, I can read like Warren! 20 Warren Buffett Recommended Books: Get His Reading List.
Start receiving paid survey opportunities in your area of expertise to your email inbox by joining the All Global Circle community of Physicians and Healthcare Professionals.
Use our link to Join and receive a bonus of up to $50 .
Many doctor’s appointments are being held online now, too. Hopefully, your insurance company has committed to paying telehealth services for 90 days with no out-of-pocket costs like many others have amid this pandemic. Max from Max Out of Pocket breaks how these visits are billed. Telehealth Billing: Exposed!
Our out of pocket costs on most everything have gone down in recent months. I’ll bet the same is true for you, too. Will some of those new thrifty habits stick with you in a post-pandemic world? Forced Frugality: Applying Lockdown Life Lessons to Reach FI Faster.
Faster FI isn’t necessarily better FI. It’s just financial independence on a different schedule. Cheesy Finance has noticed how some of us are trying out “out-FI” one another. From the hamster wheel to the racetrack, it seems. The Rat Race to FIRE and how it can be unhealthy.
It’s probably more unhealthy to “live like you were dying“when you might have half-a-century left. The Physician Philosopher discusses a false dichotomy in Live Now or Save For Later: The Now or Later Fallacy.
Joe Udo can barely remember what it was like to save for the future. That’s so far in the past for the guy who made it his mission to Retire by 40. A life update 8 Years After Early Retirement.
I felt bad for those banking on Airbnb income to jumpstart their FI prospects. Boris & Susan of Buildyourbnb showed me how it’s not so bad if you can make the right pivots. How to Thrive with Airbnb Rentals Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.
My friend Chad of Coach Carson, a blogger who also donates half his online profits like we do here, lives by certain principles in both his personal life and in business. Go small or go home? He explains what that means to him in a blog post and podcast. The Coach Carson Credo – 7 Principles to Flourish as an Entrepreneur.
Success in business is the subject of Passive Income MD‘s latest podcast episode. Listen in with Dr. Peter Kim in podcast #16: The Best Way to Learn is by Modeling Successful People.
50+ Successful People
We’re halfway through the online Leverage & Growth Summit for Physicians. The talks have been super inspiring and educational. With such a diverse group of entrepreneurs, there is something for everyone.
The summit’s Facebook group has been incredibly active, as well with nearly 3,000 members — an amazing number considering the program started last Monday. It’s free to join in to watch the talks (live for 48 hours after released) and to be a part of the group discussing entrepreneurial possibilities.
My talk has come and gone, but there’s a full lineup again this week, with the last talks being released Friday 5/22. If you want to see any or all of the talks at a later date, lifetime VIP access is available for just $99 until the summit ends, after which the price jumps a bunch!
If You’re on My Email List
Expect to see something different next week. If you’re not on the list, sign up here. It’s also free.
This is the 5th year of Physician on FIRE, and I’ve never put together any welcome emails to help new subscribers better acquainted with who I am and what this website is all about. New people are signing up every day, and there are thousands who have joined in the last year or two, long after all of my posts introducing people to these FIRE concepts.
Starting tomorrow, I’m going to send out a series of five daily emails to my subscribers to introduce myself, show people what financial independence is and what it can do for them, and to let them know what to expect from me. I won’t be publishing anything new here on the site during those five days, but I’ll be sending out plenty of reading material.
Everyone on the list will get these welcome emails this coming week, whether you’ve been a subscriber for four years or four day. I sincerely hope they are well-received and meet the goal of helping you get to know me a little and better understand how important financial independence is and how to achieve it.
Running Again
For the few of you who scroll down this far and actually read my life updates, you might be happy to hear that I have recovered from some nagging injuries and have finally returned to pain-free running. I’m happy about it, at least.
I’ve mainly been running with my boys at their pace, but a couple of times this week, I went off on my own and didn’t stop until I had finished a 10k.
My two 10k runs were on different terrain (crushed gravel vs. pavement), in two different counties, and yet I finished them one second apart from one another. I may not be the fastest runner, but I am, apparently, one of the most consistent.
I’ve also been consistent with my pushups and situps, having done 100 of each every day for over a month now. I think my wife and I have now walked at least a mile 50+ days consecutively, as well, and my Duolingo streak has surpassed 200 days.
There is some monotony in the lives we’re now living, but the consistency has been pretty darned good for me and my habits.
A Featured Financial Advisor
For those of you who would rather not DIY, I maintain a list of recommended financial advisors. Among the good guys and gals who work frequently with physicians, only the lowest cost, fee-only fiduciary advisors were invited to be on this short list. Among them is CMG Financial Consulting.
CMG Financial Consulting
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Have an outstanding week!
-Physician on FIRE
Great Sunday Best as always PoF! I always enjoy your collection of articles for the week because inevitably there’s one or two I haven’t read already.
There’s always something new to learn and new perspectives to understand!
Good luck on the running! I hope it remains pain free!
Glad to hear the stress fracture is mended, my friend! Once a competitor, always a competitor…
Grateful for the shout out, and hopeful that your neck of the woods warms up soon.
Finally, if I could have a single wish granted, after looking at your running map, it would be to see a photo of you running the perimeter of Mullett Lake while sporting a mullett. Extra credit if you can find a camaro or trans am on cinder blocks to serve as your backdrop!
Fondly,
CD
Well, I haven’t had a haircut since December, so your wish is closer to being granted than you might think!
That would mean I’d have to run all the way around that lake, though, which would be a full marathon if not more. I guess I did make that my goal this year. Seems like everything’s been disrupted, but I could run my own marathon, I suppose.
Cheers!
-PoF
What do you recommend doing with an existing nongovernmental 457b account with a health care employer if there are concerns regarding their solvency? Rollover possible to another type of account or just take the tax hit and withdraw to mitigate risk? Thanks!
If you’re still working there, you can’t do much except stop new contributions.
You cannot collect (or rollover to a new employer’s non-govt 45(b) — the only rollover possibility) until you have separated from your current employer.
Best,
-PoF
“ I’ve also been consistent with my pushups and situps, having done 100 of each every day for over a month now”
Wow. Just reading this sentence makes my muscles ache ?
Does it give you a SideAche? 😉
You are doing great on the running! Keep that up mate. Still working my way to a 10km (as part of a 1/4th triatlon I would like to do before turning 40). Pace is good, just my knee is still struggling on the distance. But it’s just a matter of time 🙂
And many thanks for featuring my post on the Rat Race to FIRE!!
Thanks!
I’ve been told I’m probably running too hard and that 80% of my runs should be at a more relaxed pace. I believe it, but I have a hard time slowing down. I always want to be a little bit better than I was before.
Cheers!
And Graag Gedaan!
-PoF