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

 

Dave from Accidental FIRE was asked to stop coming into the office when the pandemic hit. Having reached FI, he no longer needs the income. Will he ever step foot in that office again? I May Never Go Back To Work Again.

 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have that option? Avoid these money blunders to help make it a reality for you. The White Coat Investor details 7 Financial Mistakes Doctors Make (And How to Avoid Them).

 

When you’re done working (and the viral threat has subsided), you’ll be able to travel a lot more than you used to. Dr. Cory S. Fawcett of the Prescription for Financial Success talks about how much that might cost you. Calculating Your Retirement Travel Budget by Extrapolating from Mine.

 

How much you need depends on how much you spend. Controlling your spending is easier in some places than others. As a plastic surgeon in NYC? Not so easy, says the Prudent Plastic Surgeon. How I Found Financial Security in a Culture Obsessed with Consumerism.

 

When you can manage to save money and have maxed out all retirement accounts, where does your money go? Physician Finance Basics has an idea. Taxable Account: The Good, Bad and Ugly.

• Bonus: How a Taxable Brokerage Account Can Be as Good or Better Than a Roth IRA

 

What if you have a LOT of money left over, what do you do? The Debt Free Dr. asks, Is Real Estate The Best Way To Invest 100k For Doctors?

 

While we’re asking questions about real estate, what does AcreTrader have to say about investing in farmland? Is Farmland A Good Investment Opportunity?

 

You might say they’re biased, and you would be right. But then again, as someone who invested with them and has a referral relationship, so am I. But I’m going to share my thoughts anyway. AcreTrader Review: Invest in Non-Leveraged, Cash-Flowing Farmland.

 

Hey, why pay for acreage when you can find it for free? No, really. How to FIRE shares 18 Unknown Ways To Get Free Land.

 

If The Stock MD had $100,000 (and he does, many times over), he’d day trade individual stocks (as he does). New high score. $3.1 million gain from AMD!

 

Not everyone would do the same. Millennial Revolution would definitely not go that route. How Individual Stocks Can Destroy Your Portfolio.

 

Wish you had some extra money to invest in individual stocks, index funds, real estate, farmland, etc…? Here’s a solid side gig for physicians from Passive Income MD. Being an Expert Witness: Why Starting Today Can Save Your Tomorrow.

 

You might want a little extra income if you’re going the private school route for your kids. But it may be worth it, especially now, says The Physician Philosopher. Private School During the Pandemic: Visiting an Old Debate.

 

 

So Much Uncertainty

 

This is a difficult time for many. The novel coronavirus has wreaked all sorts of havoc on our lives, jobs, and plans. As the last full month of summer begins, we have no idea what the fall has in store.

The $600 a week boost to unemployment benefits has run out, and a replacement has not yet been decided upon. In a couple of months, the great pause in federal student loan payments is also set to expire, and it’s not yet clear whether or not that will be extended, or for how long.

Back to school? Like James Turner outlined in the post linked above, it may be time to consider alternative arrangements. Where kids will be in schools, it won’t look the same. Some will stay home for distance learning; others will try homeschooling for the first time. Many school districts, educators, and families are scrambling right now to figure out what might be best.

What about pro sports? Major League Baseball has gotten off to a rocky start. Hopefully the NBA and NHL will have better luck with their bubbles. I have a hard time seeing how professional football can be played safely.

If the billion-dollar teams with millionaire players who have one job struggle to play the games safely, it’s hard to imagine how our amateur college and high school athletes who have many other duties and potential sources of exposure will have a fall or winter season. I feel terrible for all those athletes who have trained hard for a moment that may never materialize.

Travel is obviously looking a lot different these days. A few months ago, we had plans to go to FinCon and PIMDCon in southern California, hop a cruise ship to Shanghai via Hawaii, Guam, Japan, and South Korea, and then tool around southeast Asia for a few months. We talked about hitting up Australia and New Zealand before cruising back from Japan to Canada in the spring.

That’s not happening.

Life is different now, but I know that my family has it better than most. Retiring early prepared us well for the pandemic and we already have one year of homeschooling (or worldschooling, rather) under our belt. Our problems are first world problems. Still, I do feel some stress with all this uncertainty, not knowing when it might end.

I’ve been asked if I would get a COVID vaccine if and when it becomes available. That’s a big YES. Sure, there might be some risk with a novel vaccine, but the risk is probably a couple orders of magnitude lower than the risks associated with being susceptible to this nasty virus as it circulates readily throughout our communities.

I hope you are all coping well enough given all the uncertainty that touches every facet of our lives. If it’s causing you some stress, you are not alone.

 

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 Financial Rounds from Personal Choice Financial Advisors.

 

Personal Choice Financial Advisors

Personal Choice Financial Advisors Vetting Application

As the father of a young neurologist with substantial medical school loans, I created FinancialRounds.com to help you take control of your finances and avoid the often predatory advice given by financial salesmen. The information is designed to help guide you through any important financial decisions you need to make in residency, as an attending physician, and ultimately through financial independence.

We provide on-going financial planning services with expertise in student loans, disability insurance, first-time home buying, planning for marriage and children, cash flow, investment advice, and retirement. We also we provide investment management services using low-cost, passive investments.

Fees:

On-going financial planning available $250 per month with $1,000 initial fee (includes investment recommendations).
In house investment management starting at 0.75% up to $1,000,000 for financial planning clients.

Contact Information:

555 Lake Forest Dr., STE 650
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
(513) 588-8080
[email protected]

Visit Financial Rounds

 

Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE