Are You My Avatar?

crispydocUncategorized 11 Comments

What’s an avatar? Before FinCon18, I assumed Avatar meant the James Cameron movie with a presumably thin plot padded by special effects (I’ve never seen it, so feel free to correct me). Now, I understand an avatar represents the theoretical person I’m trying to reach via this blog. This led to some natural soul-searching. I’d always thought I was writing …

Docs Who Cut Back #10: Cory Fawcett, MD

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I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Cory Fawcett, a “repurposed” general surgeon, at FinCon18. Since leaving medicine, Cory has authored several books and started a business, Prescription For Financial Success, geared toward helping physicians live sustainable lifestyles free from debt. He is credited by many, including my friend B.C. Krygowski, as having been a key figure in helping them …

Re-Solve

crispydocUncategorized 3 Comments

Resolutions get an understandably bad rap at this time of year. Many people make empty commitments to implement change that are discarded almost as quickly as they are publicly announced. Go beneath the surface to understand the origins of the word and you might find a concept directly applicable to burnout in medicine. Etymology is the study of the origin …

Docs Who Cut Back #9: GXA

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GXA is a 43-year-old emergency physician in the midwest who has been front-loading his work life by consistently working greater thanĀ  full-time since he graduated residency 15 years ago. I reached out via a comment he’d left on an article at Physician On FIRE, and he generously agreed to share his story. He is married, a father of two middle …

A Financial Literacy Fairy Tale For Our Times

crispydocUncategorized 8 Comments

As part of my journey, I’m learning about entrepreneurship with this blog and selectively establishing relationships with folks I trust. Today I’d like to help you understand why I chose to partner with Student Loan Planner by giving you some background on Travis, the company founder. His origin story is a financial literacy fairy tale for our times. (As an …

Docs Who Cut Back #8: Jordan Craig, MD

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Dr. Jordan Craig is an OB/GYN who, like many of us, built her practice based on flawed physics: she assumed that she could remain in perpetual motion indefinitely. On the surface, her career was ideal: she joined a unicorn independent group of mentors from her residency, took on significant administrative responsibilities and built a name for herself that drove patients …

How My Donor Advised Fund Made Me Less Selfish

crispydocUncategorized 9 Comments

2018 marks our first year of having a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) through Fidelity. The effect on my giving patterns over the past year has been a pleasant surprise. As I reviewed this year’s giving and compared it with prior years, I was struck by the fact that we are giving more generously than ever before – roughly a 20% …

Docs Who Cut Back #7: Loonie Doc

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Editor’s note: My wife likes to quote an old world saying that there’s a lid for every pot (usually used in the context of dating). Similarly, I want every reader of this blog to find at least one interviewee that reflects the reader’s peculiar circumstances and compulsions. This interviewee qualifies, in the best of ways, as both peculiar and compulsive. …

A Service For Doctors To Assume Control Over Their Finances

crispydocUncategorized 22 Comments

Teach Me To Fish I want you to own your financial life, because I used to be you. I always had an excuse why now was not the right time to learn about money. Maybe you accumulated debt from your education, a home, a car, or credit cards. On a doctor’s high income, you’ll always have enough. Maybe your career …

It’s Time To Rekindle Your Love For Medicine

crispydocUncategorized 17 Comments

You and Medicine have been on the outs for a while. She’s been giving you the cold shoulder when you slide into bed at night. She doesn’t laugh at your jokes the way she used to. She can sense your resentment. What started as a love affair has dwindled to ambivalent interdependence. Medicine cooks, you do the dishes. Breaking routine …