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
5 Benefits of a Donor-Advised Fund
A donor-advised fund lets you give more to charity, pay less in taxes, and invest for tax-free growth — here's how to use one strategically.
How Much Will Your Disability Insurance Pay?
Most ER docs are underinsured and don't know it. Here's exactly how group and individual disability policies stack up — and how to find out if your coverage has a gap.
Fixed vs Adjustable Rate Mortgage
Fixed or adjustable rate mortgage — which should you choose? Here's the straightforward answer, with a real numbers comparison between the 30-year and 15-year fixed.
Can Money Buy Happiness?
Science-backed research shows ER docs can maximize happiness — not just income — by spending smarter. Here are five principles worth knowing.
Active vs. Passive Investing: Why the Math Favors Passive Every Time
The math is simple: active fund managers charge more and, on average, deliver the same returns as passive investors before costs — and worse returns after. Here's why passive investing wins.