Financial Planning for ER Doctors
ER Doctors Are in A Unique Financial Position.
Your training taught you to handle anything that walks in the door. It probably didn’t teach you how to handle the money you make.
THE ER DOC FINANCIAL REALITY
Your financial life is different. Your advisor should know that.
ER doctors face a unique combination of financial challenges that most advisors don’t understand. We do.
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Late Start, Big Debt
You start earning an attending salary in your early 30s with $200K - $600K in student loans. The decisions you make in your first few years have an outsized impact on your financial future.
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Burnout Risk
ER medicine has a high burnout rate. Sound financial planning gives you the option to cut back, take time off, or retire early — on your terms.
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No Time for This
Between shifts, recovery, and family, you have maybe a few hours a month to think about money. You need an advisor who handles everything and keeps you informed without wasting your time.
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Locums Complexity
Locums work creates a tax and retirement planning puzzle that most doctors (and advisors) can't solve. We are experts in taxes, retirement, and health insurance for locums docs.
WHAT WE DO FOR ER DOCTORS
We handle the financial complexity so you don’t have to.
These are just a few of the common things we help our ER doctor clients with.
Financial Independence Planning
When can you go part-time? What does early retirement look like? We model the numbers so you always know where you stand.
Tax Planning
Income projections, tax withholding and estimates, locums deductions. We plan proactively so you pay the least tax possible and avoid surprises.
Locums Guidance
Pay rate evaluation, tax impact, benefits analysis. We break down the true economics so you can make the right call.
Evidence-Based Investing
Low-cost, tax-efficient portfolios grounded in research, built with funds from DFA, Vanguard, and others. We help you ignore market timing and stay focused on long-term results.
Retirement Accounts
Retirement accounts for W-2 and 1099 income, backdoor and mega backdoor Roth strategies, Health Savings Accounts, and more. We maximize every tax-advantaged dollar available to you.
Student Loan Strategy
PSLF eligibility analysis, refinancing evaluation, repayment optimization. We model every scenario so you make the right call.
HOW IT WORKS
Here’s what working with us actually looks like.
We start with a free introductory call — no pressure, no sales pitch. If we're a good fit, we'll build a comprehensive financial plan tailored to your situation and manage your investments on an ongoing basis.
Our typical ER physician client is mid-career (5–20 years out of residency), earning $300K–$600K+, and juggling some combination of employed and locums work. They want a clear plan, minimal hassle, and an advisor who doesn't need ER medicine explained to them.
We charge a transparent, fee-only advisory fee. No commissions, no product sales, no hidden costs.
Key issues we help ER doctors with include:
✅ Minimizing taxes and avoiding surprises
✅ Managing cash flow, debt, and student loans
✅ Investing with a disciplined, evidence-based approach
✅ Navigating employed vs. locums decisions
✅ Creating the option to cut back, take time off, or retire early
The ER Doc Finance Blog
Concise Money Advice for Busy ER Docs
The Best Accounts To Leave To Charity (Not To Heirs)
Pre-tax accounts like a Traditional IRA can lose up to half their value to taxes when left to heirs. Here's why charities should inherit them instead — and your kids should get the Roth.
The Best Accounts To Leave To Heirs (Not To Charity)
Which accounts should you leave to your kids vs. the IRS? The answer could save your heirs a massive tax bill. Here's how to think about it.
Open A Roth IRA For Your Child
Your child's first paycheck could be worth $2.4 million at retirement — tax-free. Here's how to open a custodial Roth IRA, what to invest in, and how the logistics actually work.
Roth IRA For Your Child With Cash Income
Your kid mows lawns and earns cash. Can they still fund a Roth IRA? Yes — but they need to file a tax return first. Here's exactly what that costs and whether it's worth it.
Three Ways To Prevent Identity Theft (Without Much Work)
Three simple moves — a password manager, a credit freeze, and an IRS IP PIN — can stop most identity theft before it starts. Takes less than an hour total.
Top Five Reasons To Use A Password Manager
A password manager is one of the simplest tools you can use to protect your finances and save time. Here's why every ER doc should be using one.
How To Freeze Your Kids' Credit
Your kid's credit is an easy target for identity thieves — and no one will catch it for years. Here's exactly how to freeze all three bureaus in an afternoon.
How to Run Your LLC Properly
Running an LLC for locums work only protects you if you run it like a real business. Here's exactly what that means — and what happens if you don't.
How To Freeze Your Credit
A credit freeze is the simplest thing you can do to stop identity thieves from opening loans in your name — and it's free. Here's how to do it in 10 minutes.
How a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) Can Slash Your Tax Bill in Retirement
If you're over 70½ and charitably inclined, a Qualified Charitable Distribution lets you give your RMD directly to charity — tax-free. Here's exactly how it works and how to do it right.
Investing Your HSA For Retirement
Your HSA is the most tax-efficient account you have — but only if you actually invest it. Here's how to stop leaving money in cash and start investing your HSA for retirement.
Use A Password Manager To Avoid Getting Hacked
Using one password across multiple sites is like giving a thief a master key. Here's the simple tool that fixes it — in minutes.