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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!
My pal Coach Carson and I had a great conversation about our divergent paths to financial independence, different approaches to real estate investing, family travel, and more. You can take it in as a podcast or Youtube video. A Doctor’s Recommendation For Financial Independence – Interview With the Physician on FIRE.
Another buddy of mine, David, sadly had very little time to enjoy his early retirement. We met up for beers in Boston in 2017. He retired in 2019 and started showing symptoms of an aggressive glioblastoma within months. He passed away in the spring of 2020.
His lovely bride was brave enough to reflect on the money and life lessons she’s learned throughout this difficult process she’s faced as a widow and mother of two school-age boys. From Can I Retire Yet:
- Navigating Retirement After the Death of a Spouse
- Adjusting Early Retirement Plans After the Death of a Spouse
Many of my readers have devoted much of their lives to the study and practice of medicine. It can be rewarding, but you give up so much, says Dr. Junaid Niazi with Prosperous Life MD. The Opportunity Costs of Practicing Medicine.
I recognized that opportunity cost and made a drastic change to eliminate it a couple of years ago. I reflect as I pass what is likely the point of no return. 2 Years of FIRE: Life After an Early Exit From Medicine.
In 2 short weeks, I’ll be back in my old stomping grounds of Minnesota, hanging out with Doc G and a few dozen other financial independence enthusiasts. Details on the Labor Day weekend get-together and a recap of my prior experiences can be found in this Camp FI Review: A Weekend with FI-Curious Strangers.
How much is enough? Dr. David Rhoiney, a military surgeon who blogs at Surgifi, isn’t convinced a six-figure salary is sufficient to help most families meet their goals. $100,000 a year is not Enough – Here’s 5 Reasons Why.
Save too little and your retirement might suck. Invest inappropriately and it may be non-existent. Paul Moore, co-host of the How to Lose Money podcast, shows you precisely How to Ruin Your Retirement by Investing in Real Estate.
I think the White Coat Investor got tired of being accused of being too rah rah for real estate. That’s PIMD‘s job, after all. He responds by contrasting the numerous upsides with The 18 Downsides of Private Real Estate Investing.
Real estate comes in so many flavors that knowing where to begin to invest can be overwhelming. Passive Income MD poses and answers a simple question. Is Real Estate Investing Worth the Time and Energy?
Index funds, on the other hand, are easy, and that’s one of many reasons they have become so popular. The Physician Philosopher lists 6 Reasons Index Funds Remain King.
Yes, index funds rule, but they’re not nearly as exciting as crypto. Last week, I shared details on a Bitcoin-earning credit card. The Morning Brew shares additional ways to ease into the asset class. How to Buy Bitcoin…Without Buying Bitcoin.
How do taxes work in the sparsely regulated world of crypto assets? Kevin Mercadante with Good Financial Cents explains How to Handle Taxes and Cryptocurrency.
If you’ve realized significant capital gains from your real estate, index funds or Dogecoin, there’s still time to defer and reduce those capital gains for years with an opportunity zone investment. Crowdstreet announced their second Qualified Opportunity Zone fund this week to help you defer and diversify.
No two millionaires are exactly alike. They’re like snowflakes in that regard, but their stories are far more interesting. Five more of them told their unique stories to ESI Money.
- Millionaire Interview #241
- Millionaire Interview #242
- Millionaire Interview #243
- Millionaire Interview #244
- Millionaire Interview #245
Feeling Trapped?
Dr. James Turner, a.k.a. The Physician Philosopher, will be going live this week with a pair of talks entitled How Doctors Can Stop Feeling Trapped in Medicine: 3 Tools to Help Physicians Finally Practice Medicine on Their Terms.
If this topic even remotely interests you, register ahead of time, and you’ll receive a video replay if you can’t attend the online event as it happens.
Those events will take place this coming Wednesday and Thursday, 8/25 & 8/26 at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific.
Feeling Good. Like I Should.
Feeling blessed. Never stressed. Got that sunshine on my Sunday Best!
Thankfully, I’m not feeling trapped in medicine. That sounds awful, especially when your mind perceives things as literally as mine does and you picture a person immersed up to their neck in a bottle of Kaopectate or Robitussin. I wouldn’t want that for anyone!
I think what Dr. Turner is referring to is the more abstract notion of being stuck in a career that’s either not fulfilling or downright damaging to your wellbeing. While that’s a very different image than being unable to climb out of a massive ball pit of Cialis, it’s still a tough spot to be in.
Be sure to also prioritize your own health when faced with the challenge of caring for dozens or hundreds of others in the clinic or hospital. Eat well, get some exercise or at least some fresh air, and relax when you can. I know it’s tough to find time to do it all, but if you’re not well, it’s much harder to be of service to others.
This song seems to have disappeared from the airwaves, but it’s a good little 3-minute reminder to take it easy and have a little fun when you can. It’s also the unofficial theme song of this Sunday Best series.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my top pick for your first rewards card. Welcome bonus of 80,000 points worth at least $1,000 when used to book travel (after a $4,000 spend in 3 mo) and other great perks you can learn abouthere.
A Recommended 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 Bradley Clark.
Clark Asset Management
Clark Asset Management Vetting Application
We are one of the only truly fixed flat fee retirement income experts in existence, serving clients across the country.
Our firm is geared toward you if:
- You’re retired or will be retiring in the next 7 years
- You have a total portfolio of $2M or more
- You’re concerned about generating (and protecting) income for life
- You don’t like complex fee structures (%, tiered, hybrid, etc.)
We charge a single fixed flat fee of $9,500 per year (regardless of your assets) for investment management & financial planning.
Our investment philosophy is simple, very low cost & extremely tax efficient. You can choose our Vanguard ETF strategy and/or our DFA (Dimensional Fund Advisors) strategy.
Here are 3 ways to learn more about our beliefs and approach:
- Schedule a complimentary call with Bradley Clark
- Watch our short, awesome & free video class on retirement income
- Access our retirement income cheat sheet
Here’s a little background on Bradley Clark (Founder & CEO)
- Harvard BA, Stanford MBA
- Former Publisher, The Motley Fool
- Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP)
- Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)
Fees:
Single Fixed Flat Fee of $9,500 per year. Don’t be penalized for having a larger portfolio!
Contact Info:
Bradley@BradleyClark.com, Boston, MA & Columbus, OH, (978) 364-0605.
Have an outstanding week!
-Physician on FIRE
4 thoughts on “The Sunday Best (8/22/2021)”
Damn, sorry about your buddy David. He had the right idea, pursuing FI for the right reasons. Terribly unfortunate. You just never know, which is even more of a reason to pursue FI.
On another note, I love ESI’s millionaire series. Great peak inside the curtains of all kinds of differing households. More than one way to skin a million bucks.
Great Sunday Best as always POF! I particularly liked the “How to Ruin Your Retirement by Investing in Real Estate” post.
Real estate investing is something I’ve thought long and hard about, but so far I’ve stuck to REITs for exactly the reasons mentioned in that post.
Honored to have made the cut—thanks for the inclusion, PoF!
You bet. Great post — the opportunity cost of a physician’s career is massive.
Cheers!
-PoF