The Doctor’s Life Podcast Episode 004- About That Fine Print

The fine print. Ok, so nobody really reads this stuff, right? That is until it comes back to bite you! In this episode of The Doctor’s Life Podcast, Justin Nabity jumps in to give us the rundown of what’s actually in the fine print and where it will get you.

All episodes of The Doctor’s Life Podcast are available on iTunes, and on SoundCloud. If you have an Android device, you can download a podcast player (I recommend Podcast Addict), and it will pull from iTunes.

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How Gen Xers Can Get Their Retirement Saving Back on Track

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Steps that may help to address a savings shortfall.  

Were you born within the years 1965-1980? That makes you a member of Generation X, and it means you are between ages 42-57. Gen Xers now constitute “the sandwich generation” – how time flies.1

Broadly speaking, GenX is the first generation that has had to save for retirement without traditional pension plans. In addition, most Gen Xers will probably retire after 2033 – the year in which Social Security predicts its trust funds will run dry, barring federal government intervention.1

With eldercare responsibilities, kids, and student loans, this demographic is challenged to save for retirement. In fact, 34% of Gen Xers participating in a recent Northwestern Mutual survey stated they had no idea how much retirement income would be sufficient for them. In April, Bankrate found that just 12% of Gen Xers direct more than 15% of their incomes into savings; about 40% were saving 5% or less of their incomes. More disturbingly, 46% of Gen Xers who responded to a May Allianz Life retirement preparedness survey indicated that they would “just figure it out when I get there.”1,2

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Brief Guide to Malpractice Tail Coverage

Malpractice tail coverage is one of those things physicians do not want to think about, but it is a must. There are also a lot of factors to look at when it comes to tail coverage. Michael Taskila from Diederich Healthcare has put together a great guide on what to look for in your tail coverage and what to look for when purchasing tail coverage.

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Physicians Thrive Earns Another 2015 NAIFA Quality Award

The Physicians Thrive team is happy to announce Justin Nabity has earned another 2015 NAIFA Quality Award. An announcement came yesterday that Physicians Thrive had won a Quality Award in Health and Employee Benefits. This second Quality Award comes in Life Insurance and Annuities. NAIFA Quality Award is presented to advisors who demonstrate commitment to NAIFA. … Read more

What’s in Your Disability Insurance Policy?

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What’s in your disability insurance policy? That question might remind you of a certain credit card commercial in which the announcer asks, “What’s in your wallet?” We won’t subject you to a Viking assault in this blog, as one version of the commercial did onscreen, but we will share our opinion that ignorance of what’s in your disability policy could be as painful as an arrow in your back when it comes time to make a claim.

Disability insurance plans can be complex, and each plan is different. Employer-based disability plans are often free or very inexpensive, but the benefits are likely to be inadequate to cover all contingencies. Are you sure your disability insurance policy contains what’s best for your long-term financial plan? Maybe it’s time to look into it.

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Estate Planning: You’re Never Too Young

 

Why physicians should begin with the end in mind and secure their estate plan early

It’s understandable why many physicians in their 40’s and 50’s are inordinately focused on their careers and on trying to accumulate assets; they’ve been playing catch up since they left training, and they have a shorter time horizon in which to achieve their most important goals. However, a common mistake most physicians make is to put off planning their estate until they’ve accumulated some wealth, not realizing that there is so much that can happen along the way which can have devastating consequences for their families. While there are a number of reasons why younger physicians tend to avoid facing these critical issues, the minimal time and expense it takes to address them, thus preventing unnecessary hardship and heartache, makes it almost inexcusable not to. 

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5 Things Financially Successful Physicians Do Differently

While all physicians face the same financial challenges early on in their careers, each one begins to make decisions about their financial future that will set them on an individual course largely determined by the consequences of their actions – or inaction.

Challenges not met early on with deliberate steps to overcome them can eventually become obstacles to financial success which can grow increasingly insurmountable in a shrinking time horizon.

Perhaps the biggest difference between financially successful physicians and those who struggle is the realization that there is not a minute to waste in setting the right course.

For younger physicians, the best course is the one followed by physicians who have achieved financial success.

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Knowing How Hard to Negotiate in Physician Employment Contracts

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The Benefits of Professional Contract Review

During their medical training, physicians are taught about medicine. They are not taught how to analyze an employment contract, nor how to evaluate the reasonableness of a given compensation and benefits package. That is why we encourage physicians to consult with a lawyer and compensation advisor on these matters – they have the required expertise to review these issues.

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How Is the Affordable Care Act Impacting Physician Employment Contracts?

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Many of our clients are asking how the Affordable Care Act will affect physicians and their employment contracts. At this point, we are noticing the following trends:

1. Many private practices are unsure about the effects of Obamacare and are postponing new hires.

Initial surveys of private practices reveal that they have a lot of anxiety about Obamacare. According to the Medical Group Management Association (“MGMA”), two in five physician practices are unsure about whether they will participate on the government-sponsored marketplaces known as exchanges. Also, while physicians said they saw new opportunities to provide care to the uninsured and a medically underserved population, more than 80 percent of doctors worried about what they will be paid from the plans participating on the exchanges.

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The Myth that Contracts aren’t Negotiable

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One of the biggest myths told to physicians in the early stages of a contract negotiation goes something like this: “The contract is just a routine form. We really don’t negotiate it.”

If we had a dollar for every time our team heard this repeated, we would be retired on a tropical beach far away by now! In truth, it’s a standard line used in every industry (and a pretty lame one at that).

Please don’t take it at face value.

If you are ever told something similar about your contract being non-negotiable, alarm bells should be going off because it’s a ruse and it’s not true. In reality, your employer hopes you’ll just take the contract as-is.

That would be the easiest thing for everyone involved, right?

Wrong.

It’s the path of least resistance.

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