Finance – Page 15 – Physician In Numbers

Monday Melange

Mondays I usually write about money.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about how to explain investing to residents, should the invitation to speak to a group about financial matters actually come through. I still have to figure out how I want to present stocks and bonds, but don’t quite have the energy to do that this week. Maybe next week.

Instead, I decided to feature some posts that caught my eye over the past few months. Considering that it is Armistice Day today, an international theme seems to be in order.

Minding My P’s and Q’s

I’m in the middle of a crazy work period, with long and busy days.

In the meantime, I still have other obligations, some of which won’t wait until I go back to a lighter work schedule.

While people talk about taking care of the big things (housing, cars) and letting the little things work themselves out, I am getting pretty anxious about taking care of business. I have to tackle those little details that cause so much pain when you miss them.

Investing Step 1/2, Why You Need To Invest

Last week I wrote about steps to complete before investing, as I think about how to talk about investing and personal finance to the residents at my program. I started writing about all the things that really need to happen before a person is in a good place to invest, and it ended up taking a long time and many pixels.

Something similar happened this week. I had planned to cover proper investments in this post, but got caught up in explaining why just saving money isn’t enough. I’ll see if I can get to investing next week.

Investing Step Minus-1

Last month, someone contacted me about discussing personal finance with the residents. That’s still up in the air, but I thought it might be a good idea to start preparing.

A Financial SOAP Note

All day long, I see people with problems, and use the SOAP note (1) to document the visit and, quite frankly, help me organize my thoughts. I thought I might apply it to a financial problem and see how it goes.

CC: I have a bonus coming and I don’t know what to do with it.

Becoming a Breadwinner

One of the toughest financial transitions I have made over the years was becoming a breadwinner for a family.

What Really Happens When You Try to Pay Off Your Mortgage

A blow-by-blow account. Mostly. With optional musical accompaniment.

Fees Always Matter

For the past several years, I have been reading posts exhorting me to look at fees in my investing accounts. I have been told that investment fees will cost me millions. That I’m leaving money on the table if I don’t fix this, ASAP.

Who Pays Your Bills When You Are Sick?

Sitting with my Dad in the hospital this spring, I was reminded of the importance of sharing your account information with your spouse. My Dad was very ill, then improving, but clearly not in any condition to manage his finances. (For several days he was repeating “2019” under his breath, to be ready for his orientation questions.)

This was a bit of a problem, as he pays most of the household bills out of his accounts. Thankfully, my mom has access to her own accounts and could pay the most pressing bills; and Dad got better soon.

Wednesday Wool-gathering 3

Four random thoughts that I am not quite ready to flesh out into their own posts.