We asked Michael Natale, a licensed veterinary technician and talent acquisition and retention manager with Veterinary Emergency Group about his interest in personal finance, advice for colleagues trying to save for retirement or buy a home, staff retention, and financial tips for support staff.

- How did Michael get started in vet med and become interested in personal finance?

- What would Michael say to a support staff member who feels like they can’t save for retirement or buy a house?

- What is Michael’s role as a talent acquisition and retention manager?

- What are some interesting ideas to retain staff?

- Which staff are the hardest to retain in vet hospitals?

- What is Michael most excited about in his current roles?

- What are Michael’s best financial tips for support staff?

Ways to connect with Michael:

Instagram: @thevetmedteacher

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Mary Buss, veterinarian and the VP of Veterinary Operations at Hometown Veterinary Partners, about her experience in mentorship, developing leadership skills, practice ownership opportunities, and non-traditional veterinary roles.

- How has Mary’s interest in leadership and mentorship evolved?

- How can veterinarians become better mentors?

- What should a new grad look for in a mentor?

- How can veterinarians improve their leadership skills?

- What are some options out there now for vets who want to be practice owners?

- What is Mary’s advice for vets who want to pursue a non-traditional role, but don’t know where to start?

Ways to connect with Mary:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mary-buss-5184433b/

Email: [email protected]

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Jason Balara, board-certified veterinary surgeon, real estate investor, and CEO of Lark Capital Group, about getting started with real estate investing, multi-family syndication investments, financial freedom, and his podcast “Know Your Why”.

• Why did Jason decide to get started with real estate investing?
• Where along the financial journey might real estate be a good fit?
• What are multi-family syndication investments?
• What is the new fund that Jason has started?
• What does “Know Your Why” mean to Jason?
• What does financial freedom mean to Jason?

Ways to connect with Jason:

https://www.larkcapital.com/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbalara/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larkcapital/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Kelly Cronin, veterinary technician, entrepreneur, speaker, travel hacker, and millionaire about how she got started with short-term rentals, her experience speaking to veterinary teams on financial fitness, and her best travel hacking tips.

- What is Kelly’s background in veterinary medicine?

- How did Kelly get started with short-term rentals?

- What short-term rentals does Kelly have and where are they located?

- How do people find out about her short-term rentals?

- What topics does Kelly speak on and what message does she share?

- What are some limiting beliefs Kelly sees with veterinary team members regarding finances?

- What is VetTechLife?

- What are Kelly’s best travel hacking tips?

Ways to connect with Kelly:

VetTechLife: https://vettechlife.com/

Cronin’s Castles: https://croninscastles.com/

VetTechLife Financial Fitness Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1565420814266226

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellylynncronin/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @kelly.lynn.cronin

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

In this BONUS episode of the Veterinary Financial Podcast, we discuss the upcoming Virtual Veterinary Financial Summit. Happening on September 30 - October 1, the Summit is a virtual event that brings veterinary professionals together to learn about personal finance and practice management. We aim to empower attendees with the knowledge to make better financial decisions.

- What is the Virtual Veterinary Financial Summit?

- What’s on the Agenda this year?

- Designing your financial plan

View the Agenda: https://vetfinancialsummit.com/summit/

Get Your Ticket: https://vetfinancialsummit.ticketspice.com/vfs2023

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

As of September 1st, interest began accruing on student loans again and payments will restart soon. In this special episode of the Veterinary Financial Podcast, we hope to clear up some of the confusion around student loans and share what everyone needs to know about payments, interest, and the new SAVE plan.

- What’s going on with student loan interest?

- What are some things to do before payments restart?

- What are the 2 main repayment strategies?

- What are the main repayment plans now?

- Why are payments lower on SAVE?

- What are the changes in interest with the SAVE play?

- How to get a student loan consultation

- Saving for the tax bomb

Mentioned in this episode:

Virtual Vet Financial Summit www.VetFinancialSummit.com/summit

Student Loan Planner VFS scheduling link ($100 discount): https://www.studentloanplanner.com/vetfinancialsummit

Meredith’s Student Loan Planner scheduling link ($100 discount): https://calendly.com/studentloanplanner-team/1-hr-consult-w-meredith-special-discount

VIN Foundation Student Loan Repayment Simulator: https://www.vinfoundation.org/loansim

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Bash Halow, a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, practice consultant, and owner of Halow Consulting about how money is discussed with veterinary teams, what it means to have an empowered team, and common mistakes when it comes to discussing money with clients.

- How is money being discussed with veterinary teams?

- What are some ways to talk about practice profitability with a team?

- How can practice leaders have more productive conversations about raises and employee benefits with team members?

- What are Bash’s thoughts on level or tier systems for techs and assistants?

- What does it mean to have an empowered team?

- How can practice leadership help team members become more comfortable discussing money with clients?

- What are some of Bash’s favorite productivity tips?

Ways to connect with Bash:

BashHalow.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bashhalow/

Communication and Workflow in the Age of Stress: https://www.bashhalow.com/communication-and-workflow-in-the-age-of-stress/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, the Veterinary Financial Podcast co-hosts discuss new and recent grads comparing job offers and prioritizing money and numbers over mentorship and the culture of a practice.

- What are some examples of doing due diligence in learning about a practice?

- What are some things to look for in a practice?

- What are some things that are overlooked when it comes to compensation?

- What details should be included in a contract?

- What are some things to watch out for in a contract?

Compensation is Not Just about the Salary: https://vetfinancialsummit.com/compensation-is-not-just-about-salary

How to Calculate Production: https://vetfinancialsummit.com/how-to-calculate-production

NerdWallet Cost of Living Calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator

Do you like these roundtable episodes? Let us know at [email protected]

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Ivan Zak, veterinarian, serial entrepreneur, the CEO of Galaxy Vets, and passionate advocate for the well-being of veterinary professionals, about his recently published third annual Burnout Study in the Veterinary Profession, salary versus production-based pay structure, and work-life balance. 

- What are some of the most significant financial-related findings of the burnout study?

- What are the pros and cons of production-based pay?

- Which groups of veterinarians experience the highest rates of burnout?

- What are the study’s findings on hybrid and remote work in the veterinary industry?

- What are Ivan’s suggestions to make schedules more sustainable?

- How can employers help their team members with work-life balance?

- What unique benefits could an employer provide to help ease the burden of student debt and financial strain?

Download the full Burnout Study Whitepaper: https://links.galaxyvets.com/burnoutstudy

Download the Research Paper on Burnout Triggers in Veterinary Medicine: https://galaxyvets.com/learning-center/eliminate-these-six-burnout-triggers-from-your-veterinary-hospital/

Ways to connect with Ivan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ivan-zak/

Galaxy Vets: https://galaxyvets.com/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Dr. Mike Bugg, veterinarian, real estate investor, and co-host of The Veterinary Project Podcast, about his recently published book, money mindset, transitioning from clinical practice to real estate investor, and goal-setting.

- Why did Mike decide to write a book?

- What beliefs might be holding veterinarians back when it comes to money?

- What are Mike’s thoughts on the state of the veterinary industry right now?

- How did Mike make the transition from full-time clinical practice to real estate investing?

- What are Mike’s favorite tips for goal-setting?

***Book Giveaway: https://vetfinancialsummit.ck.page/bookgiveaway

Ways to connect with Mike:

Michael Bugg’s website https://michaelbugg.com

The Veterinary Project https://theveterinaryproject.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theveterinaryproject

Book: https://amzn.to/3oZvlrE

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

Email: [email protected]