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!

 

 

 

I hear about good people getting scammed by scumbags far too often. “Piggy” from Bitches Get Riches shares an important message. 10 Ways to Spot Financial Scams and How to Defend Yourself.

• Bonus: Physicians Scammed out of Tens of Millions of Dollars

 

The student loan space is not without scams, either, but there are people you can trust to give you honest, solid advice. The Physician Philosopher is one of them, and he points to a couple of others in Student Loan Advice: 7 Important Rules of Thumb.

 

I’ve been known to practice stealth wealth, but at the same time, I suppose my fatFIRE lifestyle has some elements of “stealth frugality.” What’s that? Big ERN of Early Retirement Now explains the meaning and benefits of Stealth Frugality.

 

After years of spending cautiously and saving prodigiously, it can be difficult to ease up on those habits, but the man behind Canadian Dream: Free at 45 has found that it’s getting easier now, a mere three years after he retired early. Letting Go of Spending Control.

 

I recently splurged on a $1,200 whole house fan, but the thing will easily pay for itself in due time. How you, too, can Slash Your A/C Bill with a Whole House Fan.

 

Do you or your partner ever have issues with each other’s splurges or spending habits? The Budget Savvy Bride details a number of Common Money Fights and how to solve or avoid them entirely.

 

If you don’t have the money talk before marriage, things may not go so smoothly for you and your bride or groom. The same is true of retirement planning. Mike Drak with Humble Dollar explains how his retirement got off to a particularly Rough Start and what he did to get on the right track.

 

If you didn’t fully understand how best to invest in the various accounts available to you, your portfolio may have gotten off to a rough start. The FI Physician helps you right the ship with Tax-Efficient Investing and Asset Location Optimization.

 

If you’re not thrilled with the interest rate on your “high-yield” savings account or the returns from bonds in recent years, you’re not alone. J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly has the cure for what ails you. Series I savings bonds: A safe investment with a high return.

 

Invest early and often, and you may just end up wealthy despite your early pitfalls. The Average Doctor looks at the likelihood of physicians becoming millionaires and beyond in Can Doctors Get Rich?

 

Passive Income MD believes that doctors can indeed become wealthy, but only with multiple streams of income. Why Creating Additional Income Streams is No Longer Optional.

 

Once you’re wealthy and beyond financially independent, some people think more about what they can do for others. The White Coat Investor is one of those people, as he details how he and his wife have endowed two full-ride scholarships to his alma mater. How to Endow a Scholarship and How Much Does It Cost?

 

 

Don’t Lose Your Balance

 

What do physicians with CME funds have in common with high-wire balancing acts?

In either case, losing one’s balance can be disastrous.

It’s not uncommon for the money in a CME fund to expire if unused. If the funds can be rolled over to the following year, there may be a limit on how much of the balance can be rolled over. The rest, if not all of the remaining funds, may be forfeited in a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.

With the end of the fiscal year just days away for many of you, I implore you to ensure you do not lose your balance! Look to our CME Resources for exclusive discounts and outstanding offers that can include up to $2,500 in Amazon gift certificates or prepaid debit cards!

 

CME Resources & Special Offers

 

Travel is Coming Back!

 

I’ve been busy booking travel recently, and I’m not alone.

We’ve got the DLP Prosperity event coming up in North Carolina (registration is free for those who choose to join me), Camp Kennedy Space Center for our kids in Florida, the baptism of a Godson in Chicago, Camp FI Midwest in Minnesota, football games in Minnesota, and a trip to Mexico for Dia de los Muertos. By then, all 4 of us will likely be vaccinated against COVID!

Speaking of which, I volunteered this week at the final mass vaccination clinic our health department had planned, this one up in Mackinaw City. The interest level is a fraction of what it was when we started in January, but I’m proud of the work done by the health department and the dozens of volunteers and thousands of patients who joined my wife and me at these clinics over the last 5 months.

 

 

 

A Recommended Insurance Agent

 

If you’re graduating from residency or fellowship, and/or are planning to move to a new state, be sure to get quotes before you cross the finish line or state line — doing so could save you thousands of dollars!

 

Pattern

Pattern provides simplified tools and training to protect doctors finances, families and futures.

We do this primarily in two ways:

With disability and life insurance – We quote and compare the own-occupation providers that work well for doctors.

Expert educational webinars and seminars –  We partner with experts in taxes, job search, legal issues, and debt… to provide valuable honest content for residents, fellows, and early career physicians. We want to help doctors eliminate confusion, defeat misinformation and guide them in the next steps to take financially.

Visit Pattern

 

 

 

Have an outstanding week!

-Physician on FIRE