Financial Clarity for Doctors

The stock market is a wild and unpredictable place sometimes!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff chat through stock market “bubbles” and whether or not we might be in one right now.  

This episode covers: 

• The basics of a “bubble”. 

• An overview of the dot.com bubble from the late 90s/early 2000s. 

• Stock market performance and recovery times during and following this period. 

• The value of diversification. 

• Similarities and differences between the current stock market and the stock market during that period. 

• How to approach long-term investing in the wake of uncertainty. 

We don’t have a crystal ball!  Realistically, we can assign valuations to any given company, but the stock is worth whatever price a buyer and seller can agree upon.  That’s part of the reason the stock market is unpredictable, and timing the market generally does not work well.  Instead, focus on your long-term goals and come up with an allocation that makes sense for you. 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice. 

Let’s do a quick review of disability insurance!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff dive into the details of long-term disability insurance.  This coverage is very important for anyone who is still reliant on their income.

Discussion topics include:

• When and why you need this insurance.
• Different kinds of disability insurance.
• Details of long-term disability including a breakdown of many common riders.
• A comparison of employer/group coverage vs. individual coverage.
• How to apply for coverage.
• When you may need to increase your coverage and when it’s okay to cancel it.

No one likes paying for insurance, but insurance allows you to share some larger financial risks with a third party.  Disability insurance is a great example of that.  Most of us feel invincible until we’re not.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss some potential complications of declining property values.  Don’t panic!  This may not even apply to you, but it’s good information to understand. 

If your home is worth less than you expect: 

• If you purchased in the last couple of years and want to refinance, you may not be able to do so. 

• Many banks require a certain percentage of equity to refinance your loan. 

• Try to get the details of refinancing before you buy! 

• You won’t be able to borrow against the value of your home unless you have enough equity. 

• If you need to sell, you may end up actually paying money to get out of the house. 

• For example, if you purchased a home for $900,000 and paid 10% down but your home is now worth $800,000, the proceeds from the sale may not be enough to pay off your mortgage and pay the closing costs on the loan. 

• If you’re staying put, it may not be a big deal at all! 

 Generally, the longer you plan to stay in a home, the less likely you will be hit with some of these problems.  You probably will have much more equity in a home you’ve lived in for ten years than one you lived in for three years. 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. 
 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice. 

Let’s go back to macroeconomics class!   In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss the basics of inflation.  Why do prices continue increasing?  We’d rather pay 25 cents for milk too!  Unfortunately, capitalism and supply and demand make price stability pretty much impossible.  And that’s not always a bad thing. 

Some Basics on Inflation: 

• Generally measured in the United States by something called the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which tracks the costs of goods and services. 

• Sky-rocketed coming out of covid times with supply chain issues, cheap money (low interest rates), a tight labor market which generally means higher pay, and stimulus funds. 

• Lots of demand because people had money, but supply was low, so prices went up. 

• Now hovering around 3%, but still dealing with the effects of large increases over the past few years. 

• Wages generally increase over time, which is another upward pressure on price through supply and demand. 

• The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to keep inflation in check and keep unemployment low. 

• That does NOT mean zero inflation.  They have a target inflation rate of 2%. 

• One of the biggest ways they do this is by increasing interest rates, therefore making it harder for people to purchase things they would need to finance. 

• To protect against inflation: 

• Keep short-term savings in something like a high-interest savings account where you can earn interest. 

• Negotiate pay increases based on your cost of living. 

• Retirement money should be invested so that it has a chance to grow and outpace inflation – although we know this is not a guarantee, inflation is the bigger risk to long-term money. 

Inflation is a part of the global economy!  We can’t get rid of it, so the best we can do is protect our personal finances as best we can from its effects.  Listen to the full episode to hear more. 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. 
 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice. 

Financial Clarity for Doctors spends a lot of time talking about how to balance your financial priorities and achieve your goals with the resources you have.  In this episode, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden take some time to delve into those life goals.  We often ask clients, “What’s the fairy tale for you?”  Spending some time thinking about the things you’re working toward can be a lot of fun – and motivating! 

Your goals can be anything! 

• Maybe for you it’s working less now and taking more time for family, friends, and hobbies now. 

• It could be longer-term traveling plans.  Someday maybe you’ll have the luxury of a trip that lasts a month or two instead of a week or two. 

• For some folks, it’s having that very special place to land with friends and family.  Beach house anyone?  A place in the mountains? 

• Others want to have the ability to make dreams come true for their children or even people they’ve never met. 

 Take some time to think about your own motivation.  It may help you find the balance between living for today and saving for the future. 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. 
 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice. 

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden dive into the world of financial advice driven by Artificial Intelligence.  Computers are becoming more and more sophisticated and nuanced in their ability to answer questions and provide advice and information on a wide range of topics.  Can we rely on AI for good financial advice?

In this episode we walk through:

• Current uses of AI in financial advising including sophisticated note taking and answers to questions based in facts. For example, what is the 401k contribution limit in 2025?
• We also talk about some of the limits of AI in this world.
  • One of the biggest factors is not knowing what information to provide in order to get a good output. For example, if you forget to prompt for inflation, would that be included in an answer regarding retirement readiness?
  • Financial advice can also be very nuanced and influenced by individual goals, how much risk a person can tolerate, compromises between partners, and personal experiences. It’s hard for a computer to know you well enough to take those things into consideration.

In short, artificial intelligence may be helpful to solve some of the factual and math questions in finance, but it doesn’t seem like we are there yet with the personal side of things.  Which is a very big part of planning!  Listen to the full episode to hear more about ways that AI may be able to help in plan, and areas where it may struggle a bit.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden unpack many of the assumptions that are built into financial planning.  This is necessary when you can’t predict the future, but how conservative or aggressive your assumptions are can greatly impact your chances of success.

Some of these assumptions include:

• Your projected age of retirement
• How much money you will need to be comfortable in retirement
  • What inflation rates will be between now and then
• Investment returns
• Estimated taxes at different points during your career and retirement
• How much you will be able to save
• How much income you will receive from social security

 

No two projections will look the same.  They all rely on assumptions, because we don’t have all the data we need for the next 30, 40, or 50 years.  When you are working through financial projections, it is a great idea to adjust the inputs to see how your assumptions are impacting your plans.  For example, if you adjust your inflation estimate from 2.5% to 3.25%, you will need to save MUCH more or modify your standard of living to reach your goals.  We recommend focusing on the things you can control (mostly your spending and your savings) but also understand how different future outcomes outside your control can affect your plans.

 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through some details of selling different types of medical practices to private equity.  This trend is growing and could potentially affect you whether you are employed by a large hospital system or the sole owner of your own practice.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Discussion of the movement away from physician-owned private practices to larger groups and hospitals.
• The growth of private equity in medicine.
• The objectives of private equity firms and the doctors who are looking for investors.
• A few examples of how a buyout can be structured.
• Considerations when you are trying to decide if it is worth it. Or even possible.

If you’re curious about these sorts of transactions, give this one a listen!  Even if you aren’t currently employed in a situation where this is possible, it could come up in the future.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

This episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors delves into some updates to charitable giving under the new One Big Beautiful Bill as well as some other items in the bill that may affect listeners.  Hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through some highlights.  Keep in mind that federal policy evolves as the executive branch and Congress evolve.  This is the tax structure for now, but not forever.

Changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act include:

• Non-itemizers may deduct charitable gifts of up to $1,000 per person, $2,000 per couple.
• Itemized deductions will be limited to gifts exceeding 0.5% of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).
  • Grouping gifts into a single tax year may still be beneficial for many people.
• Tax brackets, higher standard deductions, and high estate tax exemptions have been made “permanent”.
• Student loans from the federal government will be limited for new borrowers.
• Student loan payment plans will be limited to two options for new borrowers: a standard repayment plan and the income-driven RAP plan.
  • The new RAP plan will be 10% of AGI (not discretionary income).
• Existing borrowers may need to switch payment plans if they are on SAVE or PAYE before July 2028, but still have more options than new borrowers.
• Most tax credits geared toward energy efficiency are being phased out.
• Introduction of “Trump” accounts with a $1,000 federal government deposit for kids born from 2025 to 2028.
• Increased requirements for Medicaid reimbursements may affect many providers.

 

This bill was huge!  You can listen to the full episode to hear more, but if there is a specific item you think may affect you, do some additional research.  Pay special attention to the energy tax credit phase out if you were planning to do some of this in your home/life, student loans for your kids and your loans if you still have them, and how Medicaid reimbursements may affect you as a provider.  Listen to the full episode to learn more!

 

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

For those of you that are interested in giving, let’s try to do so as tax efficiently as possible!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff walk through a few ways you can give money to the causes that are near and dear to your heart and pay a little less in taxes at the same time.  Often, the larger the gift, the more tax benefits, but even small gifts can potentially have tax benefits.

A few ways to get tax deductions for charitable contributions include:

• Smaller gifts to qualifying non-profits if you already itemize on your taxes.
• Gifting appreciated stock from non-qualified accounts.
• Gifting money to donor-advised funds.
• Setting up private foundations.
• Bequeathing money from a potentially taxable estate.
• Setting up a trust specifically for charitable giving.

Some of your tax money may go to causes you support, but choosing your own causes can be much more rewarding and potentially lessen that tax burden.  Listen to the full episode to learn more!

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.