Guides
The money questions doctors ask, in the order they come up.
From the first loan in medical school to a practice sale. Each guide answers one question in plain words, with the sources beside it and the questions worth asking next.
Medical school and residency
Training is when the first loan and retirement decisions arrive, often on the same form and with little time to read it.
- Grad PLUS is gone. How do medical students borrow now?What changed on July 1, 2026, who keeps the old rules, and what to ask your financial aid office.
- Private medical school loans: what do you give up?What a private loan doesn't carry that a federal one does, and the questions to ask before you sign.
- Should I use my hospital's 457(b)?Why it matters whether your hospital is a government employer or a nonprofit, and what to ask HR.
- 403(b), 457(b) or Roth IRA: which comes first in residency?What each account asks of you, and why the order depends on your plan more than on a rule of thumb.
- What happens to my retirement accounts when I leave residency?Your options for an old 403(b) or 457(b) when you move to fellowship or a first job, and what to collect first.
Your first attending years
A first contract changes your income in one step. These are the questions that come with it.
- What should I do with my money in my first year as an attending?The decisions in your first twelve months, in the order they usually arrive.
- Am I paid fairly? How to compare physician payWhy the average for all doctors tells you little, and how to compare with doctors in your specialty, stage and state.
- Physician net worth by age: what's normal?Why late starts and loans make doctors' numbers look different, and what to compare yourself with instead.
When your practice changes
A new employer, a buy-in or a sale brings several money decisions at once. Take them one at a time.
- Joining a hospital or group: what should I ask before I sign?Pay, benefits, restrictive covenants and buy-ins: the questions to take to your attorney, accountant and advisor.
- My practice is being sold. What happens to my money?The sale proceeds, the old practice 401(k) and your new benefits, and who handles which part.
- What happens to my 401(k) when my practice is sold?Whether the plan ends or carries on, your rollover options, and the paperwork that avoids tax surprises.
Choosing an advisor
At any stage: what to ask, how advisors are paid, and how to compare the firms built for doctors.
- How do I choose a financial advisor as a doctor?What to ask about the relationship, the work, the full cost and any conflicts, and the documents to read.
- Flat fee or percentage of assets: which costs a doctor less?How the two ways of paying an advisor work, and how to work out which costs less for you.
- Looking at Earned? What to compare before you chooseHow Earned, WealthKeel and alooola describe their fees, minimums and who advises you, from each firm's own pages.
Tools
Work out a number, with our tool or the government's own.
- Compare your pay with doctors like youWhere your income sits among doctors in your specialty, at your stage, in your state. It takes a couple of minutes. (opens in a new tab)
- Student loan repayment calculator (Federal Student Aid)The government's own tool, run with your actual loan information. (opens in a new tab)
- Tax withholding estimator (IRS)Check federal withholding when your pay changes, for example at a first attending job. (opens in a new tab)
- Compound interest calculator (Investor.gov)See how time and regular saving add up. The rate you enter is an assumption, not a forecast. (opens in a new tab)
Money Weekly
One email a week on the money side of medicine. New guides go out here first.