Financial Planning For Physicians
A physician’s career is characterized by transition, challenge, and reward. Seemingly overnight one’s income leaps and the ability to begin actively pursuing personal dreams and financial goals becomes a reality. However, this point is the culmination of a tireless pursuit which includes years filled with long hours, low pay, and for many, mounting student loans. Financial freedom doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time, consistent energy, and methodical effort. This is why financial planning for physicians, and even financial planning for medical residents, is important. For a physician, losing time to a poorly devised financial plan is avoidable. Working with a financial advisor who specializes in financial planning for doctors can help save you that time.
Many physicians will find themselves in the top 10% of wage earners, paying higher tax rates, and running into challenges with fully realizing credits and claiming deductions. Should an individual own or partner in a practice, integrating personal and business taxes presents an added challenge. Physicians are at greater risk of lawsuit, necessitating the introduction of asset protection strategies within the scope of the financial plan. The financial advisor for doctors can help navigate these waters.
Financial Planning for Doctors in All Stages of Their Career
Financial planning is a systematic and deliberate process. It serves to direct all components of an individual’s financial scope, ensuring the strategy is working cohesively and aligned with the intended objectives. The overall purpose is to layer varying risk management, wealth management and asset protection strategies to achieve financial independence. Finity Group believes the discussion must begin with a thorough review of personal and professional goals. It must explore current efforts and available options, account for concerns, and should be reasonably manageable. A plan should offer guidance, direction, and confidence. It also requires proper review and upkeep.
Please follow this link for a list of common planning areas that the advisors at Finity Group can help you address.
Financial Planning for Residents & Fellows
As an attending physician, financial plans truly begin to take shape as concept and strategy are put to work. Assets grow, obligations are extinguished, and plans speed towards meeting the stated goals. In short, every prior preparation comes into fruition.
At the same time, professional and personal demands remain and the time frame for meeting goals becomes limited. Early efforts should hopefully find a plan on track, but it’s natural to see plans change too. It becomes all the more important to involve professional financial, tax, and legal advice along the way to make sure efforts stay on course.
With proper savings habits established, planning shifts to ongoing portfolio monitoring. It’s important to complete regular reviews of the asset and account mix to make sure investments remain properly diversified and aligned with overall timelines. Retirement projections should be developed which will inform ongoing investment and savings levels, and allow for reasonable adjustments based on anticipated results. This holds true for educational savings accounts should they have been introduced to the plan.
It’s also at this stage where it makes sense to meet with an attorney to ensure legal documents are in proper order. This may compel changes to the insurance portfolio. It is advisable to add coverage where necessary when exposure remains, or begin to shift the insurance portfolio to address risks as they change. For example, it may be time to move from disability coverage to a long-term care policy to better preserve assets through retirement, or fold in additional life insurance coverage to meet estate, charitable, or tax planning needs.
Financial Planning for Attending Physicians
As an attending physician, financial plans truly begin to take shape as concept and strategy are put to work. Assets grow, obligations are extinguished, and plans speed towards meeting the stated goals. In short, every prior preparation comes into fruition.
At the same time, professional and personal demands remain and the time frame for meeting goals becomes limited. Early efforts should hopefully find a plan on track, but it’s natural to see plans change too. It becomes all the more important to involve professional financial, tax, and legal advice along the way to make sure efforts stay on course.
With proper savings habits established, planning shifts to ongoing portfolio monitoring. It’s important to complete regular reviews of the asset and account mix to make sure investments remain properly diversified and aligned with overall timelines. Retirement projections should be developed which will inform ongoing investment and savings levels, and allow for reasonable adjustments based on anticipated results. This holds true for educational savings accounts should they have been introduced to the plan.
It’s also at this stage where it makes sense to meet with an attorney to ensure legal documents are in proper order. This may compel changes to the insurance portfolio. It is advisable to add coverage where necessary when exposure remains, or begin to shift the insurance portfolio to address risks as they change. For example, it may be time to move from disability coverage to a long-term care policy to better preserve assets through retirement, or fold in additional life insurance coverage to meet estate, charitable, or tax planning needs.
Financial Planning for Practice Owners
For those physicians that have the opportunity to own or partner within a practice, an already unique situation is compounded by additional levels of complexity. In addition to managing and planning for one’s household and family, a practice owner will be faced with assuming and paying the debts associated with the business, as well as determining the growth and direction for the practice. Owners will be tasked with developing a benefits package and establishing retirement plans. Planning for the tax structure of the practice, and integrating this with personal tax filings, while also taking strides to properly separate personal assets from practice and business related liability takes thoughtful planning.
Working with Finity Group, we’ll create a uniform map for the direction of your business, coordinating and complimenting the efforts of your tax and legal team. Your time is freed up to focus on what really matters as you attend to the needs of your patients, while also growing your business, another important piece of your financial portfolio.
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We welcome the opportunity to be a resource, listen to you, and provide objective financial advice catered to your unique situation.