I am awake with the possums and raccoons this week for my periodic week of night shift. Removed from the chaos of a house with young children, and from the daylight, my hospital office is quiet, dark, and deep. These weeks are disruptive, not only to my circadian rhythm, but also to my whole family’s schedule. […]
retirement
Level Up Your Retirement
I played a lot of video games as a kid. My loyalties were to Nintendo—and almost exclusively the early, original Nintendo games. I’m talking Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, and Contra, to name a few of my former faves. When I started college and especially medical school, my free time evaporated quickly along with […]
Why I Hired a Nanny
Let’s start with some word association. Nanny. What is the first thought that pops into your mind? Do you picture Mary Poppins or Maria from The Sound of Music (I guess Julie Andrews plays a good nanny)? If you were raised in a lower or middle class family (like I was), do you dismiss nannies as […]
Financial Independence Is Boring
I am a few years away from financial independence. When that moment comes, it will arrive not with a bang but a whimper. One spring, or summer, or winter day, I will log into my accounts and see that I have hit my “number.” Then I will close my laptop, have another sip of coffee, […]
The Anatomy (and Pathology) of Financial Health
I had a nasty summer cold last week. Like most upper respiratory infections, the virus likely gained access via the mucosal membranes of my mouth or nose, evaded my immune system, and started a house party in my body. My nose ran, my head ached, and I coughed uncontrollably for a few days. I had […]
Did We Wait Too Long to Have Children?
Our first child was born when my wife and I were 35-years-old, an age at which—in some parts of the world or in past centuries—we might have reasonably been expecting our first grandchild. We were even late to the childbirth party by contemporary standards: the mean age of first-time mothers in the United States in […]
Show Me the Money: My Retirement Drawdown Plan
High five! You have saved diligently and accumulated a nest egg that would be the envy of Scrooge McDuck. You, my friend, are ready to retire to a life without rushing and with naps. But wait! Your money is stashed in a combination of retirement accounts and taxable mutual funds; how, exactly, do you access […]