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

 

Has our love of VTSAX and similar index funds created a new and scary bubble? Let’s ask our Ph.D. economist friend Karsten from Early Retirement Now for his musings on the matter. My Thoughts on the “Passive Investing Bubble.”

 

Your investment returns depend upon not only what you invest in but also where you hold those investments. Are your stocks, bonds, and funds invested in the most appropriate accounts? An excellent overview of Tax-Efficient Investing and Asset Location from the FI Physician.

 

Do you wish you had more money to invest? Or another tax-advantaged account in which to invest? Passive Income MD can help with both. 7 Ways For Physicians to Make an Extra $1,000 a Month.

 

It didn’t net us an extra $1,000 a month, but we did get to drink several thousand dollars’ worth of free beer over the last decade. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Our experience and return on investment from investing in a local startup brewery in Free Beer Plus Profits! A Craft Brewery Investment Goes Full Circle.

 

 

Real Estate is probably a better place to look for returns of $1,000 a month or more. If you find the risk involved in individual crowdfunded deals to be unsettling, a real estate fund that pools a number of them together may be a better option. From EquityMultiple, Real Estate Funds – What, Why, and How.

 

Looking for more than a mere $1,000 a month? Then you may be intrigued by My Money Wizard‘s assessment of a rich guy’s rules of wealth. Mark Cuban shared his 9 rules to getting rich. Why I agree with six of them, disagree with two, and love one.

 

Have you noticed that people like Mark Cuban don’t retire despite having billions of dollars? They’ve got their reasons to keep working, but The White Coat Investor has 14 Reasons to Retire Early. I added a #15 in the comments: more and higher quality sleep!

 

If you are going to invest well and consider retiring early, you’d best start early, too. The Physician Philosopher hammers home The Importance of Investing Money in Residency.

 

Perhaps you can find happiness and fulfillment by switching jobs rather than focusing on an early retirement from your current one. Doing so might also get you closer to FI! Dr. Sylvie Stacy from Look for Zebras shows us How a Career Transition Can Help You Reach Financial Independence.

 

You know what else can help you reach financial independence? Insourcing. Dr. McFrugal touts Six Benefits Of Cutting Your Own Hair.

 

As the pandemic made it more difficult to spend money from both a psychological and practical perspective, our national savings rate soared. That’s good for our personal balance sheets, but bad for the economy. Medimentary get all Keynesian on us while discussing The Paradox of Thrift While Choosing Financial Independence.

 

The fragility of life presents another paradox of pursuing financial independence. Is it wise to postpone certain expenditures and experiences to an unknowable and uncertain future? The Investing Doc talks about his former roommate’s passing. How The Passing Of A Young Physician Changed My Outlook On Life.

 

 

I [Finally] Cut My Own Hair

 

I’ve been cutting and trimming my own hair for years, but I had to change up the routine while we traveled. In December, after two months in Mexico, my hair seemed a bit unruly, and I went in for a professional 100 peso haircut at a Queretaro barbershop.

That was my most recent haircut of any kind until this happened the other day.

 

 

For a few wild and crazy minutes, I was all business up front and party in the back. I shotgunned a Keystone Light, donned some jean shorts with a flannel tank top, cracked a Monster energy drink, and bought tickets for the monster truck rally on Sunday.

Then I finished buzzing my hair, changed clothes, and canceled those rally plans.

It sure was fun while it lasted, though!

I’m back to being a boring guy with a buzz cut, but for more than 6 months, I let my hair grow, and I haven’t done that since maybe junior high school, if ever.

With COVID shutting down barbers and beauty salons, I wasn’t alone with my longer-than-usual hair, and it’s not like I was going out in public much anyway, so I decided to just let it go much longer than I normally would.

As the summer heat set in, though, I was starting to look more like Leif Garrett than Leif Dahleen, and it was time to go back to the old me. My wife was oh so thankful to have my new old look back.

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

I hope you were able to celebrate our nation’s independence in a fun and safe way.

My family and I enjoyed a professional fireworks display from the end of the dock over Mullett Lake in Cheboygan County, MI on July 3rd and attended a small, outdoor gathering with a handful of family on the 4th of July.

WIth no parade or festival atmosphere, it was unlike most Independence Day celebrations of the past, but despite the pandemic, I feel I have more freedom than ever. Last year at this time, I was in the midst of a 120-hour stretch of call, living at the hospital for an extended period of time, the last holiday call of my career.

I vividly recall stepping out to watch the fireworks over the Mississippi River while my family was 500 miles away, smiling at the fact that my time was about to be my own. I’ve been celebrating freedom for nearly 11 months now since my final day on the job last August.

 

 

A Featured Financial Advisor

 

For those of you who would rather not DIY, I maintain a short 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 Switchpoint Financial.

 

SwitchPoint Financial Planning

SwitchPoint Financial Advisor Application

 

SwitchPoint Financial Planning, LLC was designed to be different than traditional advisory firms. By charging a flat fee, rather than commissions or AUM fees, founder James Sweeney CFA, CFP®, sits on the same side of the table as his clients and can focus on what really matters – like maintaining investment discipline, minimizing fees and taxes, and maximizing cash flow.

We offer comprehensive financial planning and investment management to physicians and other HNW individuals who are in or nearing retirement. We will help you gain confidence in your retirement plan, guide you through the transition and provide ongoing support through your retirement years. We are DFA approved.

Fees:

Wealth Management – $4,800/year

Contact Info:
2901 W Bluegrass Blvd Suite 200-26
Lehi, UT 84043
(801) 753-8538
james@switchpointfinancial.com

Visit SwitchPoint Financial

 

 

Have a spectacular week!

-Physician on FIRE