U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents
Thursday this week the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an advisory on a topic that will now be a current priority of the office of the Surgeon General. That topic is one near and dear to many people’s current experiences, the mental health and well-being of parents. Prevalence…
Staffing as a challenge to getting long term care
From the office of the President, an Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers was published in 2023. It cites the many challenges that have faced individuals when attempting to access long term care, including the following quotes: Planning for long term care is one of…
One of my favorite card types to write
This week I’m sending out one of my favorite card types – a card to congratulate someone on paying off their mortgage! For many people, paying off their mortgage is a key component in being ready to retire, because with that step down in expenses their nest egg becomes enough…
9 of the 10 most impactful common stressors involve money
From the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory, the top 10 most impactful life events are: You’ll notice, many of those are pretty common, if not year over year, we can expect to encounter multiple of them in a lifetime. And of those, only 1 isn’t something that financial planners would commonly discuss…
The value of an educator in your financial court
I was in a financial community meeting with ~60 others yesterday, and we were comparing some of our commonly occurring experiences (as well as observing the NBA finals games in progress). One of the most common things mentioned was that people were coming to them because: -they were clients of…
Income and satisfaction as a research scientist
Research scientists are the workhorses that move scientific progress along. But do you know what to expect for compensation and job satisfaction as a research scientist? More than half of 3,600 respondents say that they have sacrificed a good salary by going into science, and nearly 20% would not recommend…
Female physicians – Bring data to the battle for gender-equal income
Just like in many other professions, there is a distinct inequality in male and female physician income, and that disparity begins straight out of school even with the same degree and the same GPA. Plus, your starting income often impacts your future years incomes, whether raises at the same medical…
Medical school loans – new rates go into effect July 1st
Inflation continues to impact all aspects of our financial lives, and that includes loan interest rates. All of the 2024-2025 school year federal student loan rates have been announced. This includes undergraduate direct loans, graduate loans, and GradPLUS and ParentPLUS loans. Interest rate Interest rate Origination fee 2023-2024 2024-2025 Undergraduate…
Getting a raise – to the minimum
Current State Beware employers that regularly tout themselves as best-in-class, and don’t provide the data to back it up. Say you’ve got an employer who claims they hire the best. But they only target to pay 60% of the national average. Also, targeting and achieving are two different beasts. If…
Fidelity: “___, is your 401(k) on life support?”
I’m so frustrated with scare tactics. I logged into my NetBenefits portal at Fidelity yesterday, and got the above headline, about “___, is your 401(k) on life support?”. First of all, I don’t even have a 401(k). Courtesy of working for a non-profit employer, the accounts I have through Fidelity’s…