Financial Freedom Rx: The Physician’s Guide to Achieving Financial Independence

"The best physician-specific general financial book published in 2021." —James M. Dahle, MD, author of The White Coat Investor

A step-by-step guidebook for doctors and other medical professionals about growing and preserving wealth, Financial Freedom Rx: The Physician’s Guide to Achieving Financial Independence gives physicians all the tools necessary to manage their own finances and includes a foreword by Mel Lindauer, co-author of The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. 

Medical professionals, especially doctors, spend many years in training as they accumulate debt and delay their earnings. This book presents a time-tested formula that students and established professionals can follow at any stage during their careers to achieve fiscal peace of mind. 

Students will learn how to budget and adopt disciplined financial practices. Residents and other trainees will learn how to defend against calamity with various insurances and how to manage debt. Junior professionals will acquire the skills needed to invest and grow their portfolios, while senior professionals will better understand the essentials of estate planning and retirement. 

Drs. Chirag P. Shah and Jayanth Sridhar wrote this inspiring text to guide physicians where to put their next dollar.  This is particularly important during the financial uncertainties brought on by COVID-19 and insurance cuts. Financial Freedom Rx sets forth principles that will pilot medical professionals toward financial independence. 

Chapters include useful advice on topics such as:

• Financial planning
• Investing and asset allocation
• Jobs and contracts
• Taxes and insurance
• Student loans and debt
• Retirement savings and distributions

Financial Freedom Rx: The Physician’s Guide to Achieving Financial Independence serves as a timeless blueprint for financial planning that medical professionals will follow throughout their careers, and as a reference that readers will revisit again and again as they progress through the various stages of life. 

Contents

Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Foreword by Mel Lindauer, CFS, WMS
Introduction

Chapter 1    Why Financial Planning Matters

Chapter 2    Jobs and Contracts

Chapter 3    Initial Steps Post­Training

Chapter 4    
Defense Part 1:
Disability, Health, and 
Malpractice Insurance

Chapter 5    Student Loans and Retiring Debt

Chapter 6    Tax-Advantaged Investing

Chapter 7    Taxable Investing

Chapter 8    Diversification and Asset Allocation

Chapter 9    
Defense Part 2: 
Life, Homeowners, and 
Umbrella Insurance

Chapter 10    Financial Advisors

Chapter 11    Estate Planning

Chapter 12    Have I Won the Game?

Chapter 13    Retirement Distributions

Chapter 14    Pitfalls to Avoid

Epilogue
Appendix A   Checklist
Appendix B    Resources
Index    

Reviews

"The best physician-specific general financial book published in 2021."
—James M. Dahle, MD, author of The White Coat Investor“Doctors often have too little of one (time) and more than enough of the other (money), and that makes them prime targets for get-rich schemes, so keep your antennas up when the “sharks” come calling. The information contained in this book constitutes great shark protection. So dive right in!”    
– Mel Lindauer, Founder and President (2010-2019) of The John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy, Co-author of The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing and The Bogleheads’ Guide to Retirement Planning

About the Editors

Chirag P. Shah, MD, MPH is an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and vitreoretinal surgeon in Boston. He teaches Financial Literacy 101 at Harvard Medical School, and also to residents and fellows around the United States. He is coeditor of the Wills Eye Manual, Fifth Edition, the all-time best-selling book in ophthalmology. He was deputy editor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Online News and Education Network, a site that 110,000 ophthalmologists and other health care providers access every month. His professional awards include the Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists, awards for outstanding service to the educational missions of both societies. He also won the coveted Ron Michels Award, given annually to the most accomplished graduating retinal surgery fellows in the nation. Dr. Shah was one of 25 medical students nationwide to win the Leadership Award from the American Medical Association. He is the editor of the Clinical Trials section of Retina Times, a bimonthly publication read by nearly every retinal specialist in the United States and in 63 other countries. He is well known as a key opinion leader in his field and is an engaging speaker at national and international conferences. He has authored more than 70 scientific papers. An avid marathoner, Dr. Shah enjoys coaching his kids’ soccer teams and cycling with his family.

Jayanth Sridhar, MD is the creator and host of the most popular and most listened-to podcast in the field of ophthalmology, Straight from the Cutter’s Mouth: A Retina Podcast. He has appeared as a correspondent on CNN, and he also serves as section editor for the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Online News and Education Network. He is a highly sought-after speaker at medical meetings throughout the United States and has earned several honors, including the Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the “Best Cool Idea” educational award from the Innovations in Medical Education conference for his podcast. He is a retina surgeon and an associate professor at the top-ranked Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida, and has authored more than 125 scientific papers. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife and is an avid basketball fan.