Finances can be a tough subject for physicians. We are notorious for being poor money managers. Most of us don’t have the time or desire to commit to understanding personal finances in detail.
You can determine your own “living expenses” and someone will be ready and willing to give you this loan as medical students are typically good about ultimately paying it back.
We paid the maximum amount we could, not the minimum required.
We continued living in my residency townhouse for a while, even after accepting an attending job.
403(b) during residency, 401(k) with new job (which also had a pension that vested after 5 years), and started a Roth IRA.