About Me
I am a physician by profession and have practiced medicine for the past 15 years. My medical practice has been rewarding for me as I have delivered babies and grown older with my patients.
In 1997 I discovered another passion, personal finance. I discovered my passion out of necessity really. While learning about the human body and how it works, I learned nothing about money and how it works. I made the mistake of believing that as long as I could earn an income, the financial aspects of life would take care of themselves. I had a personal financial crisis in 1997 that led me to understand that unless I changed my habits and gained financial education, no amount of money would be enough. I would be broke no matter the income. I have quite a financial library now. I have to say that with all of the books and articles I have read, most of the financial information that is available is junk. Most of the financial information available today will never help someone become financially independent whether they invest over a 10, 20 or even 30 year period. It is sad, but true.
The reason that this is is simple. People are looking for answers and are impatient to find them. Purveyors of information sell answers and they do it in a one-size-fits all fashion. Saving money in a 401K may not be the thing to do especially if there is no company match. When you consider the opportunity cost of paying for a car out right, the most appropriate thing to do may be to get the best interest rate you can and pay for the car in installments. Because a home is illiquid, paying your home off while neglecting other investment vehicles may not be the thing to do. Investments themselves may be eternal, but we are not. Most of us are on this planet for a defined amount of time and most of us are on a financial collision course without realizing it. Starting a plan, holding one’s breath for 30 years while the plan matures is generally not a good strategy, but it is the strategy that is preached in every mainstream financial publication around.
As a physician, I learned my profession by training under people with more experience than I. The true test of what I had learned came when I began to teach physicians more junior than I. I wish that financial education was the same. But it isn’t. Very often you gain information from people with very little education, who have not surpassed your financial level. They are simply good at parroting what they have read without any real understanding of how their advice plays out in the market place. There is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal who has a widely read financial column. I once googled him to find out what his financial qualifications are. He has a BA in economics from his college. That is it…nothing else, nada, zippo. So I e-mailed him and asked him if he practices what he preaches and if his advice has created wealth for himself and his family. I never got a response back.
There are only 2 pieces of financial wisdom that I have ever read that have stood the test of time: 1) live on less than you earn 2) acquire assets. How those two principles play out in your financial life depends on how you define the word asset and on whether or not you believe that living on less than you earn is a necessary evil until you hit the big time or a permanent lifestyle choice. My financial philosophies are simple 1) I live on less than I earn 2) I acquire assets 3) I order my finances and my accounts to accomplish 1 and 2.
I didn’t begin writing about anything financial until I had developed a solid personal practice that got results over several years.
I began writing and publishing articles on the internet in 2007. I remember writing that first article. My home had flooded, drying fans were blaring in the background. My dining room table had minimal water damage and had been moved to the area of my home I called my living room. There was really no living going on there, but my bed had been moved to my dining area. I began writing because there were so many things I wanted to share.
One of the first things I wanted to shout to the world was about the miracle of stainless steel water hoses. A ruptured rubber washing machine hose dumped 300 gallons and four inches of water throughout my home.
I also wanted to talk about gaining empowering financial knowledge, business sense and personal development.
It is my sincere hope that each post brings you information that you can put into practice to enrich your life.