Before you buy disability insurance - be sure to ask these eight questions: 1. How does the policy determine if I’m disabled? The best plans define disability as a sickness or injury that prevents you from performing the duties of your own occupation or medical/dental specialty. This definition
Will Medical School Loans Eat All Your Disability Check
You knew those medical school loans were going to be a drain on your lifestyle when you took them out, but what happens if you become disabled and can’t work as a doctor after graduating or you become disabled before graduating?If you’ve been a good planner, you already have purchased some form
Do I Need Disability Insurance as a Medical Student?
That’s a question we are often called to address, and the answer is often “yes.” You may not need the same level of protection as people well into their medical careers, and unless you’re independently wealthy, we understand you can’t afford to pay unlimited disability insurance premiums. But we
I have a pre-existing condition. Can I still get disability insurance?
Disability insurance isn’t like major medical insurance post-Obamacare. While major medical carriers have to take all comers, regardless of their medical history (provided they apply during an open enrollment or special enrollment period), disability insurance is still medically underwritten. That
Funding a Self-Directed Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA
Most mid-career physicians have a pleasant problem: They make too much money to make tax deductible contributions to IRAs, and may be ineligible to contribute to Roth IRAs altogether. That leaves your employers’ 401(k) or 403(b), if you’re a W-2 employee, and maybe a non-qualified retirement plan
The Straight Dope on Annuities for Physicians
A lot of ink has been spilled on the pros and cons of annuities. Advisers tend to have strong opinions about annuities. Insurance professionals often recommend them. But then, annuities pay relatively high commissions. Stockbrokers and Wall Street advisers often don’t like them. But they are trying
Alternative Money-Making Ideas for Doctors
Alternative Money-Making Ideas for DoctorsDoctors almost always make good money once they leave residency and enter practice as an attending physician – and can reasonably expect to make $200,000 per year and much more in short order, once they get into the swing of things.But not everyone wants the
Definitions Matter – Especially the Definition of Own Occ Disability Insurance
Nearly every insurance expert will advise doctors it’s important to own a disability insurance policy with an “own occ” (own occupation) definition of disability written into the contract. That’s in contrast to the less desirable “any occupation” definition included in many contracts.For physicians,