What is the most romantic gesture you can make to your spouse and family? Planning for their lives and livelihood beyond yourself, of course! That's called estate planning. Estate planning is not just a financial topic, it's a selfless action to ensure your loved one's future, even without you there.

Financial fraud is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and it is much bigger than we think because many fraudulent cases go unreported. Talking to your family about fraud and scams is an important conversation that can help you prepare for a potential attack. Fraudsters play on emotions, so think through what's going on if you get an unfamiliar call.

The 2025 data is not yet released, but here is the 2024 data from the Federal Trade Commission that's discussed:

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/csn-annual-data-book-2024.pdf

Physical fitness and finances are interwoven in deeper patterns and occurrences than we ordinarily recognize. As the new year brings positive changes to our fitness routines, here's some motivation on the connections between our health and our wealth.

Making positive changes to our lives each New Year isn't anything new. If you're looking to positively change your finances, this is the first thing: Create a Balance Sheet and track your "Net Worth." This simple task may be the key to help make your finances improve year over year.

Video referenced in the show: What is a Balance Sheet? https://youtu.be/-YxzJuyoFFU

Family financial meetings are a tool used by many high profile and high net worth families to make sure massive wealth doesn't erode family values. I think the family financial meeting translates to a much broader audience to intentionally verbalize and pass on family culture, stories, and values, as well as preserve open communication about how the family financial plan is structured.

Roth IRAs, due to their tax-free growth and tax-free distributions, can be useful accounts for any financial plan. The IRS has rules about who can fund Roth IRAs; however, there is a loophole that allows some high income earners to fund Roth IRAs indirectly. This loophole is commonly referred to a "Backdoor Roth" contribution.

The IRS has a rule that makes it difficult to fund backdoor Roth IRAs if you already have a traditional IRA. I discuss this "pro rata rule" in detail. Failure to understand this rule is one of the biggest mistakes when utilizing the backdoor Roth IRA.

Download your free Backdoor Roth IRA Checklist at https://www.m-advisor.com/backdoor-roth-ira-checklist

This is my conversation with Dr. Kevin Pho when I had the opportunity to speak on KevinMD. The conversation is based on this article: https://kevinmd.com/2025/08/physician-practice-ownership-risks-rewards-and-reality.html

Explore and review the most common benefits associated with hospital employees. I'll frame each benefit with how I help other physicians make benefit enrollment decisions. Remember to always enroll in your benefits with your current financial plan in mind!

Here is a guide to hospital benefits enrollment, based on the information in this podcast: https://www.m-advisor.com/blog/a-guide-to-hospital-benefits

What if you make a plan, and it doesn't work? There may be nothing spookier than that! The results of a plan not working can be catastrophic, leading to family division for generations. Don't let this happen to you! Learn how to avoid pitfalls in your financial plan. Here are three spooky reasons your plan won't work!

This episode explores a goal-setting exercise that's a great checkpoint for review and evaluation on the trajectory of our lives. You are currently the midpoint between the "past you" who wanted to achieve a career in medicine and a "future you" who is an ideal or refined version of this current you. Comparing these two people is a great way to explore your values, your accomplishments, and the direction you're headed.