You Mastered Medicine. Now Master Your Finances.

The Challenge

James had been practicing cardiology for 8 years with a combined household income of $620,000. Despite earning well, they had $380,000 in student loans, were contributing only to their employer 401(k)s, and had no asset protection structure. A malpractice suit had recently settled just within their insurance limits — a wake-up call. Their estate plan was a basic will from 2014.

What They Learned

The couple attended MSFE's 'Asset Protection Bootcamp for Medical Professionals' and enrolled in the 8-week Physician's Financial Mastery Program. They learned about domestic asset protection trusts, backdoor Roth IRA strategies, and how to use a defined benefit plan to shelter an additional $180,000 per year from taxes. They also learned a student loan payoff strategy that balanced debt reduction with retirement savings.

The Outcome

James established a defined benefit plan, reducing taxable income by $180,000 annually. Both spouses now execute backdoor Roth IRA contributions each year. A domestic asset protection trust shields their investment portfolio from future malpractice exposure. Their estate plan was updated with a revocable living trust, pour-over will, and healthcare directives. Student loan payoff is on an optimized 7-year schedule.

The Challenge

Michelle was 7 years from her target retirement date with $1.8M in retirement accounts, a $2.1M practice, and no succession plan. Her financial advisor had never discussed IRMAA with her — projections showed her RMDs at age 73 would push her into the highest IRMAA bracket, adding $12,000/year in Medicare surcharges. Her estate plan had not been updated since her divorce 9 years prior.

What They Learned

Michelle attended MSFE's 'IRMAA: What Every Doctor Needs to Know Before Retirement' webinar and then enrolled in the Retirement Income Planning for Physicians course. She learned about Roth conversion laddering to reduce future RMDs, qualified charitable distributions, and how to structure her practice sale to minimize capital gains. She also attended the Pre-Retirement Planning Workshop.

The Outcome

Michelle began a 5-year Roth conversion strategy, converting $150,000 per year to reduce future RMDs below the IRMAA threshold. Her post-divorce estate plan was completely rebuilt with a revocable trust, updated beneficiary designations, and a charitable remainder trust to handle the practice sale. Projected IRMAA savings over retirement: $180,000.

The Challenge

Kevin was a high-earning EM physician with $290,000 in income but had never explored a backdoor Roth IRA, was contributing only $22,500 to his 403(b), and had $210,000 in student loans at 6.8% interest. His wife had no retirement savings of her own. They had no estate plan and no disability insurance beyond his employer's basic group policy.

What They Learned

Kevin attended MSFE's 'Financial Foundations for New Attendings' workshop and enrolled in the Tax Strategy for High-Income Professionals course. He learned about spousal IRA contributions, backdoor Roth strategies, disability insurance coordination, and how to structure a student loan payoff plan that still maximized retirement savings.

The Outcome

Kevin now contributes $23,000 to his 403(b), executes backdoor Roth contributions for both himself and his wife ($14,000 combined), and has an own-occupation disability policy that replaces 70% of income. Student loans are on an accelerated payoff plan. A simple revocable trust and term life insurance policy protect his family. Projected additional retirement wealth at age 65: $1.4M from the Roth contributions alone.