Financial Clarity for Doctors

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss some benefits of tax minimization for high income earners, but also the need to look beyond and keep things simple sometimes. When you are constantly chasing tax savings, you can end up using strategies that are time consuming, potentially expensive, and sometimes overly complicated. More complicated tax minimization strategies can include: Real estate ventures Commercial solar investments Strategic use of permanent life insurance Simpler tax planning can include: Maxing out your tax-advantaged retirement plans Using tax loss harvesting, when possible, in taxable investment accounts Potentially holding municipal bonds in taxable accounts Direct indexing in taxable accounts Being strategic about the timing of taxable distributions in retirement – potentially converting some pre-tax dollars to Roth before required minimum distributions kick in, etc. There are some people who really enjoy exploring and executing complicated new strategies. For many people, the best idea is to keep things relatively simple. Financial professionals can help you with many of these strategies, but it’s important to have a good understanding of what’s happening with your money. You get to decide how much time and energy you want to put into that. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, find them on social media!LinkedIn: @CoreyJanoff; Instagram: @CoreyJanoff and @VanderzandenRachelle; and Twitter: @CoreyJanoffCFP Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. Finity Group, LLC is a separate entity from LPL Financial. Finity Group and LPL Financial do not provide legal advice or tax services. Please consult your legal advisor or tax advisor regarding your specific situation. Traditional IRA account owners have considerations to make before performing a Roth IRA conversion. These primarily include income tax consequences on the converted amount in the year of conversion, withdrawal limitations from a Roth IRA, and income limitations for future contributions to a Roth IRA. In addition, if you are required to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) in the year you convert, you must do so before converting to a Roth IRA Citations: Amir Ali, Kamran. Bonus Depreciation for Short-Term Rentals: The Complete Guide (2026). Guest Manual. April 17, 2026. https://www.guestmanual.com/articles/bonus-depreciation-short-term-rental Watson, Jason. Selling Your Rental Property – Cost Basis and Recapture. WCG. March 31, 2026. https://wcginc.com/kb-rental-property/selling-your-rental-property-cost-basis-and-recapture/

Financial Clarity for Doctors tackles some student loan updates with hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff. On December 10th, the Department of Education proposed a settlement in the case challenging the SAVE plan and agreeing to dismantle the payment plan (pending court approval, so maybe not officially dead). What does that mean for the seven million borrowers still enrolled in the plan? Next steps for SAVE plan participants: Most folks will likely need to apply to move into a new income-driven payment plan or move into a Standard repayment plan. This means recertifying income and enrolling in one of the remaining plans. Currently, those options are IBR, ICR, or PAYE with the new RAP plan being rolled out this coming summer. If the goal is to work toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you will likely want to enroll in the plan that equals the lowest payment. When you reach 120 months of qualifying employment, you can look into the “Buyback” program to see if you can make payments from your time in forbearance. If the goal is not PSLF, you can explore lots of options, payment plans, and even refinancing. Although move slowly with refinancing! Moving to a private bank has some downsides. As with everything, your student loan approach should be determined based on your goals and needs. Any strategy (including loan repayment) depends on the specifics of your situation. If needed, consult with a professional to try to find the best strategy for your loans. They were an investment in your future! But we don’t want them hanging over your head forever. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, find them on social media! LinkedIn: @CoreyJanoff and @RachelleVanderzanden; Instagram: @CoreyJanoff and @VanderzandenRachelle; and Twitter: @CoreyJanoffCFP and @RachelleFinance Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

As we approach another new year, we take a moment to reflect on our financial plans and make adjustments as needed. In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff walk through all of the things you should be revisiting. Even if you’ve made a plan, don’t let it get stagnant and out of step with your current life and goals. Parts of a financial plan to revisit include: Goals and priorities: we change over time, so this will likely change as well! Progress toward those goals: you may need to adjust if you are off track! Beneficiary designations on accounts, retirement plans, etc as well as estate planning documents. Insurances: the coverage you need at Age 40 is likely not the same coverage you will need at Age 55. Investment allocations: as your risk tolerance changes, so should your investment strategy! College savings: as your kid(s) get older, you may have a better idea of what they will need. It’s a great idea to do at least an annual review. You may not need to adjust each of these things every year, but that will give you an opportunity to recognize anything in your plan that is out of step in a timely manner. I think we’d all rather know if we are off track sooner than later so we can make the necessary changes. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

Let’s do a quick review of disability insurance! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff dive into the details of long-term disability insurance. This coverage is very important for anyone who is still reliant on their income. Discussion topics include: When and why you need this insurance. Different kinds of disability insurance. Details of long-term disability including a breakdown of many common riders. A comparison of employer/group coverage vs. individual coverage. How to apply for coverage. When you may need to increase your coverage and when it’s okay to cancel it. No one likes paying for insurance, but insurance allows you to share some larger financial risks with a third party. Disability insurance is a great example of that. Most of us feel invincible until we’re not. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

Let’s go back to macroeconomics class! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss the basics of inflation. Why do prices continue increasing? We’d rather pay 25 cents for milk too! Unfortunately, capitalism and supply and demand make price stability pretty much impossible. And that’s not always a bad thing. Some Basics on Inflation: Generally measured in the United States by something called the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which tracks the costs of goods and services. Sky-rocketed coming out of covid times with supply chain issues, cheap money (low interest rates), a tight labor market which generally means higher pay, and stimulus funds. Lots of demand because people had money, but supply was low, so prices went up. Now hovering around 3%, but still dealing with the effects of large increases over the past few years. Wages generally increase over time, which is another upward pressure on price through supply and demand. The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to keep inflation in check and keep unemployment low. That does NOT mean zero inflation. They have a target inflation rate of 2%. One of the biggest ways they do this is by increasing interest rates, therefore making it harder for people to purchase things they would need to finance. To protect against inflation: Keep short-term savings in something like a high-interest savings account where you can earn interest. Negotiate pay increases based on your cost of living. Retirement money should be invested so that it has a chance to grow and outpace inflation – although we know this is not a guarantee, inflation is the bigger risk to long-term money. Inflation is a part of the global economy! We can’t get rid of it, so the best we can do is protect our personal finances as best we can from its effects. Listen to the full episode to hear more. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden dive into the world of financial advice driven by Artificial Intelligence. Computers are becoming more and more sophisticated and nuanced in their ability to answer questions and provide advice and information on a wide range of topics. Can we rely on AI for good financial advice? In this episode we walk through: Current uses of AI in financial advising including sophisticated note taking and answers to questions based in facts. For example, what is the 401k contribution limit in 2025? We also talk about some of the limits of AI in this world. One of the biggest factors is not knowing what information to provide in order to get a good output. For example, if you forget to prompt for inflation, would that be included in an answer regarding retirement readiness? Financial advice can also be very nuanced and influenced by individual goals, how much risk a person can tolerate, compromises between partners, and personal experiences. It’s hard for a computer to know you well enough to take those things into consideration. In short, artificial intelligence may be helpful to solve some of the factual and math questions in finance, but it doesn’t seem like we are there yet with the personal side of things. Which is a very big part of planning! Listen to the full episode to hear more about ways that AI may be able to help in plan, and areas where it may struggle a bit. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through some details of selling different types of medical practices to private equity. This trend is growing and could potentially affect you whether you are employed by a large hospital system or the sole owner of your own practice. In this episode, you will hear: Discussion of the movement away from physician-owned private practices to larger groups and hospitals. The growth of private equity in medicine. The objectives of private equity firms and the doctors who are looking for investors. A few examples of how a buyout can be structured. Considerations when you are trying to decide if it is worth it. Or even possible. If you’re curious about these sorts of transactions, give this one a listen! Even if you aren’t currently employed in a situation where this is possible, it could come up in the future. For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

For those of you that are interested in giving, let’s try to do so as tax efficiently as possible! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff walk through a few ways you can give money to the causes that are near and dear to your heart and pay a little less in taxes at the same time. Often, the larger the gift, the more tax benefits, but even small gifts can potentially have tax benefits. A few ways to get tax deductions for charitable contributions include: Smaller gifts to qualifying non-profits if you already itemize on your taxes. Gifting appreciated stock from non-qualified accounts. Gifting money to donor-advised funds. Setting up private foundations. Bequeathing money from a potentially taxable estate. Setting up a trust specifically for charitable giving. Some of your tax money may go to causes you support, but choosing your own causes can be much more rewarding and potentially lessen that tax burden. Listen to the full episode to learn more! For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes. Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.