IM-PCP – Page 30 – Physician In Numbers

A PCP Looks At FIRE

I have been thinking about early retirement for a while now. Eight years, in fact, ever since one of my partners retired early and put the idea in my head.

The closer I get to financial independence, the more I am thinking about what I would like to do. My planning is complicated by the nature of my work: being a primary care physician isn’t solely shift-work. If I am gone for 2 weeks out of the month, or for 3 months at a time, someone still needs to take care of the patients when they call in with problems.

Shift-work (hospital medicine) is a little easier if I want more days off, but comes with other challenges, like the expectation to put in long hours for many days in a row.

I decided to walk through some of the different flavors of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and see how they might work out for me, as an Internal Medicine PCP.

Fitness Log #177 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

I started the Friday Firsts sections as a way of keeping track of some of my “firsts” as I dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Things seem to be settling down, but I will keep it for now–more as a way to be aware and thankful of what is happening in my life.

Money, Meet Mouth

Last week I read a post, which I now can’t find, basically daring people who write about donor advised funds to put their money where their mouth is.

I seriously doubt that person was writing about me, but I took the sentiment to heart, anyway.

Fitness Log #176 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Monday Melange, February 2022 Doubles Version

This February we had a special day, 2-22-22, which certainly generated a lot of puns and pricing specials in my in-box. Before this month is totally over, I wanted to highlight some of the posts I have especially enjoyed recently; I think I will present them in pairs.

Fitness Log #175 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Building A Travel Bucket List

While on vacation with my husband, taking our usual daily walk, I asked him to think about something that has been on my mind for a while.

We are still young (-ish) and healthy, but we are getting reminders of our mortality regularly: his mother’s passing, his father’s decline, my mother’s surgery.

In the past few months, my parents have lost several friends and acquaintances that I had known for decades, and one of my local friends lost her mom.

Some of my patients are showing signs of decline as well. They aren’t quite family, but I still find it quite stressful.

I’m starting to feel a little pressure to make sure that I actually make it to some of the places that I always figured I would get to…someday.

Fitness Log #174 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Who’s Got Your Back?

My father in law is definitely getting older.

He was never particularly organized, but in the past few years, he has gotten much worse.

In particular, paying his bills has become more of an issue. He has the money (he made sure we knew), he just doesn’t take care of his obligations.

Fitness Log #173 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.