Financial planning for new attending physicians
What changes when resident income becomes attending income, and how to avoid lifestyle creep before your plan is built.
Read the guidePhysician Financial Planning
Financial planning for doctors should be practical, not performative.
A focused planning hub for physicians, residents, and attending doctors who need clear decisions around student loans, taxes, insurance, investing, and cash flow.
Focus Area
PSLF and student loans
Focus Area
Taxes and retirement accounts
Focus Area
Insurance and risk planning
Physician tax strategy
The tax issues that hit doctors hardest, from retirement contributions to practice ownership and high-income planning.
Read the guidePSLF for doctors and residents
How physicians should think through federal loan forgiveness rules, payment timelines, and the cost of waiting.
Read the guidePhysician disability insurance
Why your future earning power is usually your biggest asset, and why employer group coverage may not be enough.
Read the guideBackdoor Roth for physicians
A plain-English guide for high earners who are locked out of direct Roth IRA contributions.
Read the guideMoney tips for resident doctors
A realistic approach to saving, debt, and cash flow while training income is still limited.
Read the guideCommon physician planning questions
What should physicians prioritize first?
Start with cash flow, emergency reserves, student loans, disability coverage, retirement contributions, and tax planning. The order matters because physician income often jumps quickly while debt and benefit decisions are still messy.
Do resident doctors need a financial plan?
Yes, but it should be simple. Residents usually need a clean loan strategy, disability insurance review, basic savings habits, and a plan for the attending income jump before lifestyle inflation takes over.
Can a doctor use the backdoor Roth IRA?
Many high-earning physicians use the backdoor Roth IRA, but the pro-rata rule matters if you already have pre-tax IRA money. That is worth reviewing before you convert.