Journal

Most physicians I work with have a problem you don't hear about enough. They save aggressively. They max out every account. They track every dollar. But they don't actually enjoy w…

Most physicians I talk to have no idea this exists. They max out their 401(k) or 403(b), maybe hit the backdoor Roth, and think they're done. But if you work for a hospital or acad…

You spent four years in undergrad. Four years in med school. Three to seven years in residency. You're finally earning real money as an attending.…

You spent over a decade in training. You mastered anatomy, pharmacology, pathophysiology. You can diagnose rare conditions and make life-or-death decisions. But when it comes to yo…

Most physicians take moonlighting gigs without thinking about the tax hit coming. You pick up extra shifts, do locum tenens work, or consult on the side. The money looks good until…

Direct indexing gets sold as tax magic. For tech executives it is usually a conversation about not buying more of the ticker you already cannot escape.

An executive option grant and an ESOP account can both say stock. They are different machines. Read the plan before anyone sells you a strategy.

Physician health tech founders pay $500K+ in taxes on exits. QSBS tax exclusion could change that. Learn if your startup qualifies and the 83(b) election timing that matters.

Physician financial planning often ignores crypto. Learn if Bitcoin and digital assets belong in a doctor's portfolio and how much allocation makes sense.

Physician financial planning gets complicated when real estate enters the picture. You've saved during residency, you're finally attending, and everyone's telling you to buy rental…

Most residents I work with think disability insurance can wait until they're attending. They're focused on surviving 80-hour weeks, passing boards, and keeping their heads above wa…

But you're also looking at six figures of student loans, maybe a car payment, maybe you want to buy a house eventually. So you tell yourself: I'll start investing next year. When I…

Most people start earning a real salary at 22 or 23. If they're halfway smart about it, they start putting money away pretty early. By the time they're 30, they've had seven or eig…

You're negotiating your first attending job. The recruiter throws out a number. $350,000.…

A physician client told me something last month that stuck with me. She said, "Malik, I was happier with less money."…

You spent four years in medical school. Three to seven years in residency. Maybe more in fellowship. You're finally ready to sign your first attending contract.…

Two incomes, two companies, two equity packages, and two sets of tax situations. Most dual-income tech couples are leaving money on the table without realizing it.

Everyone says 3 to 6 months of expenses. But that advice was written for someone with a completely different financial situation than yours. Here's how to figure out the right number for high earners, founders, and anyone with irregular income.

Leaving a salaried job to start a company comes with a health insurance problem most founders don't see until it's too late. Here's what to do before you make the leap.

Physician mortgage programs are marketed heavily to residents and new attendings. They can be a smart tool in the right situation. But they're not always the best option, and the terms vary more than most people realize.

Making partner at a private practice or becoming a shareholder in a physician-owned group is a big financial decision. Most doctors focus on the clinical opportunity and miss the financial structure entirely.

If your company is 12 months out from going public or being acquired, your financial decisions right now will determine how much of that liquidity event you actually keep. Most founders wait too long.

If you're a self-employed founder or running a small startup, you have three main retirement account options. Here's how to actually choose the right one without getting lost in the details.

Most people stay with a financial advisor way longer than they should. Not because the relationship is great, but because switching feels complicated. Here's how to actually evaluate whether your current advisor is serving you well.

If your spouse isn't working or earns less than you, there's a way to fund a retirement account in their name using your income. Most physician households skip this. Here's why that's a mistake.

Here's something I see constantly. A resident finally matches. Now they're making $65,000 a year. For the first time, they have actual income. But they're still making financial de…

Locum tenens income hits differently on your taxes than your W-2 salary. Most physicians don't know the rules until they owe a surprise tax bill. Here's how to handle it correctly from the start.

If you're charitably inclined and you're approaching a liquidity event, a donor advised fund might be one of the most powerful tax tools available to you. Most founders hear about it after the fact. Here's the full picture.

A resident asked me last week if they should max out their HSA. They were making $65,000, stressed about loans, and treating it like an afterthought.…

Investors sometimes require it. Partners sometimes want it. And most founders have never thought about it. Here's what key person insurance actually does and how to decide if it belongs in your startup's financial plan.

Most founders don't know they can sell shares before the company goes public or gets acquired. Secondary sales and tender offers let you take some chips off the table while the company is still growing. Here's what you need to know.

Most founders underpay themselves out of guilt or optics. That can actually cost you more in taxes and create serious problems down the road. Here's how to think about founder salary at every stage.

If you own a startup or a medical practice organized as a C corporation, the Qualified Small Business Stock exclusion just got better. The cap jumped from $10 million to $15 millio…

Most financial advisors tell you to save 15 percent of your income. That's the standard advice you'll hear everywhere. But physicians aren't most people, and 15 percent won't cut i…

If you're a physician reading this, you've probably heard you need disability insurance. Maybe someone told you it's important. Maybe you nodded and meant to call an agent. Maybe y…

If you make too much to contribute to a Roth IRA directly, there's a legal workaround that takes about 20 minutes. Here's exactly how to do it, and why you should.

If you're a resident doctor making $65,000 a year while sitting on $250,000 in student loans, buying a house probably feels like the next logical step. You're building your career,…

Most founders have 80% or more of their net worth in a single company they can't sell. That's not wealth. That's a bet. Here's how to think about concentrated stock risk.

Four co-founders means four opinions on who deserves what. Here's how to split equity fairly without creating resentment that kills the company before it even launches.

Most people hire a financial advisor based on a recommendation or a sales pitch. Here's how to actually evaluate whether an advisor is worth working with, or if they're just trying to sell you products.

If you're on an F-1 or H-1B visa and starting a company in the US, the rules around equity compensation and tax compliance are more complex than for citizens. Here's what you need to know to avoid visa violations and tax disasters.

If you're joining an AI startup, the type of stock options you get matters more than you think. Here's how ISOs and NSOs actually work, and which one makes sense for your situation.

Most physicians focus on base salary when negotiating their first attending contract. But signing bonuses, relocation packages, and tail coverage can be worth $50,000 to $150,000. Here's what to actually negotiate for.

Raising a Series A means giving up 20-25% of your company. Revenue-based financing lets you keep equity but comes with monthly payments. Here's how to decide which makes sense for your situation.

Most physicians I work with are smart, driven people who spent over a decade learning how to save lives. But nobody taught them how to build wealth. And the standard financial advi…

Your company just got acquired. The press release is out. Everyone is congratulating you. But the financial reality of an acquisition is way more complicated than most founders expect.

If you got restricted stock in your startup, you have 30 days to file an 83(b) election. Most founders don't know it exists.

I get this question at least once a week from physicians at every stage. "What retirement account should I be using?" "Is a 401k better than a 403b?" "Should I do a defined benefit…

I get asked this question at least once a week. A resident will text me, or an attending will bring it up after a meeting. Everyone seems to think real estate is the golden ticket.…

Raising a round is exciting. But most founders immediately pour everything back into the company and forget about their own financial health. Here are 5 things you should do the week the wire hits.

The SAVE plan is gone. IBR is being phased out. The new RAP plan charges more. Here's how to figure out which repayment path actually makes sense for your situation.

There's a hard deadline coming that will change how physicians repay their student loans. If you don't act before July 1, 2026, you could lose access to IBR and pay thousands more per year.

You've probably seen the headlines. A physician couple eliminated their federal tax bill for seven straight years using real estate. Business Insider ran a piece on it. People shar…

The biggest financial mistake isn't picking the wrong investment. It's waiting until you have it all figured out before you do anything.

Disability and life insurance get more expensive and harder to qualify for every year. Residency is the best time to lock them in, and almost nobody does.

Physicians earn some of the highest incomes in the country, yet many retire with less than expected. Here's why physician financial planning fails — and how to fix it.

With PSLF rules changing and rates around 4.5%, the refinance vs. forgiveness decision just got a lot more complicated. Let's break down the actual numbers.

Most residents I talk to are making a decision that feels obvious: pay down student loans first, invest later.…

I work with a lot of physicians. And the one thing I see over and over is this: doctors are great at making money, but they're not great at keeping it. It's not their fault. Nobody…

Nobody talks about the financial aftermath of a failed startup. No exit, no payout, just a pile of decisions to make. Here's where to start.

You worked hard for that money. Now it's sitting in a savings account losing value every single day. Here's why that's a bigger problem than you think.

You just finished residency. The paycheck finally looks right. Here's what actually matters in the first year as an attending — and what can set you back a decade if you get it wrong.

Most physicians max out their 401(k) and call it a day. But there's a retirement account that lets you shelter up to $290,000 per year. Most doctors have never heard of it.

RSUs feel like free money until tax season hits. Here's why so many tech workers get blindsided and what you can actually do about it.

Everyone thinks they can predict market tops and bottoms. The data says otherwise. Here's why staying invested beats timing every time.

Residents making $60K with $250K in loans ask me this all the time. The honest answer: more than you think, with less complexity than you fear.

Most founders spend years building their company and zero time planning for what happens when the money actually hits. That's a problem.

Your attending salary just hit. $250K feels like a fortune after residency. But these five mistakes can cost you millions over your career.

Starting July 1, 2026, residency years won't count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. If you're a medical student or resident, this changes everything.

If you're a physician with student loans, you need to pay attention to this.…

Most physicians face $200K+ in student debt and wonder: pay it off fast or start investing? Here's how to think through it without losing years of compound growth.

Carried interest gets favorable long-term capital gains treatment, but the rules changed in 2018. Here's what VCs need to know to avoid surprises.

Section 1202 lets you exclude up to $10 million in capital gains when you sell startup stock. But most founders don't know the rules and leave millions on the table.

AI startups are seeing massive valuation swings. The 83(b) election can mean a much smaller tax bill, but you only have 30 days to file it.

Fintech founders raised $42.8 billion in 2025, but most miss critical tax strategies post-funding. Here are the five mistakes I see most often.

Forget the noise. Here are the five principles that actually matter for building wealth over the long term.

As a physician, your ability to earn is your most valuable asset. Here's why group disability coverage falls short and what to do about it.

Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) can save you millions in taxes when you exit your startup. Here's what you need to know before your next funding round.