With all the years involved with medical school to become physicians, residencies, and time invested in fellowships, it is easy to put financial investments on the shelf. That’s because medical professionals get too preoccupied with qualifying to practice medicine instead of having an investment portfolio.
While doctors tend to start late, it is also worth noting that they earn more money than the average worker, and with the right strategies, you can make up for the lost time. Get started right away, and save time.
If you’re eager to invest but need to know the best way, where and when to start, our experts at Pearl Lemon Invest can help you.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help
The majority of investment opportunities are open to everyone. Some investment options, however, are only available to doctors. Doctors typically begin their careers late and with significant student loan debt.
Because of this, doctors are more compelled to seek out profitable investment opportunities. After thorough research, we came up with a list of the best investment ideas for doctors.
Contributing to an employer retirement plan is a simple way for doctors to begin investing. This option automatically invests a portion of your paycheck in helping you save for retirement. Non-profit hospital doctors may have a 403(b) plan similar to the 401(k) plan offered by private hospitals or doctors’ practices.
Both plans are similar in that contributions are limited. However, investment options vary depending on the type of plan provided by your employer.
Regardless of your plan type, take advantage of any matching opportunities your employer offers. Your employer may match one or more of your investments up to a certain amount to reach your financial goal.
Index funds are excellent investment options for doctors. Today, good index funds necessitate professional management. These have market-matching returns, broad diversification, and daily liquidity.
When heavy analysis of publicly traded stocks is taken into account, data shows that index fund investment is far superior. Investment experts recommend that doctors invest up to 20% of their gross income in a practical mix of index funds.
This way, by the time you retire, you could be a multimillionaire.
Investing in health start-ups is a hot topic right now, and it can be especially appealing to doctors because we care about human health and understand the issues. Digital health products and services appear to stabilise and are expected to remain popular even after the full impact of COVID-19 has passed.
Last year, the industry raised the second-highest amount of global venture funding after financial services, attracting attention. With nearly 30 billion dollars brought in 2021, nearly double the previous year, it is an appealing investment opportunity in a field we are familiar with.
According to market observers, exciting investment growth sectors include digital therapeutics, personalised medicine, provider-focused infrastructure, mental health, and chronic condition management.
ETFs are for investors willing to accept some risk (and, in return, higher rewards). ETFs are a type of security that tracks the performance of assets. There are several types, each of which can hold multiple underlying assets such as bonds, commodities, or currencies.
If you’re looking for a relatively safer ETF option, you can also invest in gold, a well-known safe-haven investment. Gold ETFs allow you to invest in gold without acquiring it physically.
The SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD) and the iShares Gold Trust are two of the best gold ETFs (IAU). Both firms that manage these ETFs deal in physical gold rather than mining shares or futures. GLD is the largest gold-investment fund, while IAU is the least expensive. They are most useful during economic downturns because the value of gold rises when the economy struggles.
Doctors make real estate investments by purchasing office buildings or commercial real estate investment trusts (REITs). It can be a profitable investment for doctors to find a few good deals on office buildings to own, lease, or manage.
Because of its low-risk profile, real estate may be an appealing investment option for doctors. It’s an excellent way to make money from otherwise stale money while keeping it accessible. Furthermore, it is tax-free if certain conditions are met.
Other reasons why doctors might want to invest in real estate include the following:
You must have an emergency fund. This fund will cover your expenses in an emergency, like a pandemic that causes job loss, a significant home repair, or a new car when the old one breaks down.
This emergency fund must be invested prudently. It must also be easily accessible. You don’t want to chase performance because you might end up with a real problem if you need money, but it’s not there because your investment isn’t performing well at the time.
Invest your emergency fund finances in a high-yield savings account (even if they are not currently yielding much!).
You must have an emergency fund. This fund will cover your expenses in an emergency, like a pandemic that causes job loss, a significant home repair, or a new car when the old one breaks down.
This emergency fund must be invested prudently. It must also be easily accessible. You don’t want to chase performance because you might end up with a real problem if you need money, but it’s not there because your investment isn’t performing well at the time.
Invest your emergency fund finances in a high-yield savings account (even if they are not currently yielding much!).
When it comes to stocks, the following sectors are specifically assigned to the healthcare sector:
Doctors should consider purchasing stock in these companies.
However, it is also true that any stock should be thoroughly researched before being committed.
So, how can doctors who are completely unfamiliar with the world of finance and investing research stocks? There are no simple solutions. Doctors can, however, learn this skill. For example, a person who has passed all MBBS/MS/FRCS exams has such a high IQ that learning this new skill becomes more feasible.
Another solution is to seek help from a professional like Pearl Lemon Invest.
Whatever doctor investment opportunities you pursue, here is some advice to help you increase your net worth.
Physicians value their time, and only some have the opportunity to learn enough to become experts in multiple asset classes and geographic markets. Spend your valuable time vetting opportunities across multiple asset classes and geographic locations to achieve diversification that you cannot achieve on your own.
As a medical practitioner, you have more investment options than traditional retirement accounts. Doctors frequently save and invest in after-tax funded brokerage accounts over what they are permitted to do under their tax-deferred retirement plan programs.
Investments in both types of accounts create an opportunity to use an asset location strategy. Asset location is a tax-minimisation strategy that takes advantage of different types of investments, each of which receives a different tax treatment, maximising after-tax returns.
The strategy is to invest in income-producing assets such as bonds and REITs (real-estate investment trusts) in retirement accounts so that their income is not immediately taxed at traditionally higher income tax rates while investing in growth assets such as stocks in brokerage accounts. The growth is eventually taxed at a traditionally lower capital gains tax rate when sold in the future.
Physician investors should expect a 10% annual return on noncash investments over the long term. A 15% annual return on annual investments is possible with some effort, common sense, and knowledge of where mistakes may occur.
The best savers are also the best investors. The most valuable investment tool is compound interest. Even seemingly insignificant sums of money have enormous potential. Money can never be recovered. The goal should not be to be wealthy but to be financially secure.
“I have so much student debt. With my situation, how and when should I begin investing?” is a common question we hear from doctors who wants to invest.
Today’s medical students graduate with debts ranging from $194,280 to $300,000. It is important to note that deciding which loans to consolidate has both advantages and disadvantages; thus, careful consideration must be given before consolidating. Paying off loans increases your savings rate and the amount of money you have available to invest.
With an average medical resident salary of $64,000, it may appear difficult to invest during residency, but if you can start investing, you will have more time for compounding interest.
Even a doctor’s salary is not enough when inflation is above the roof. You need to invest as your second source of income. Consider investing advice from Pearl Lemon Invest experts if you want to improve your financial outlook this year.
Investing, when done correctly, will surely help you achieve financial success. Book us a call today to start your financial plan.
Experts generally recommend investing 10% to 20% of your after-tax income in stocks, bonds, and other assets. However, your current financial situation and goals may necessitate a different strategy.
A survey revealed doctors’ high relative income also revealed that roughly half of them reported making poor investments in stocks or real estate. When you seek advice from our professionals, you can be an expert investor too! Consult with us today.
If you have accumulated significant debt during your studies, you may feel compelled to repay it as soon as possible. On the other hand, you are aware that it is critical to begin investing early. This is one of the most important and difficult questions for residents.
You’re starting to earn a salary for the first time and need to devise a budgeting strategy. While the answer to this question differs for each resident, the key factor is finding the right balance for your current financial situation and investment strategy. Your income, personal goals, lifestyle, and financial approach must be considered.