Financial Clarity for Doctors

Annuities may have a bad reputation but have a place in some financial plans.  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden dive into the intricacies of annuities and how they can potentially be used to reach different goals. This episode discusses: The history of annuities – one of the oldest financial instruments! Different kinds of annuities. Pr...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden try to do the impossible – make bonds exciting! Just kidding. That’s impossible. Instead, they try to at least explain the basics of how bonds work and their place in portfolios built for different situations. Exciting? Maybe not. But still important! Listen to the full episode to learn: What a bond is a...

As we try to prepare ourselves for retirement, we have to use many assumptions about expenses, inflation, and investment returns.  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff explore one of the least predictable planning variables – end of life care.  For some people, there will be almost no costs for end-of-life care.  Others may require years of...

When it comes to finances, we all frequently focus on what we need to do and how best to improve our financial circumstances (and our families’).  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss financial milestones where you can sit back and bask in the glow of your successes, big and small! Financial successes vary widely depending on your s...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden discuss the pros and cons of buying versus leasing a car.  You make think the answer is clear, but just like with everything in financial planning, it depends! Considerations discussed in this episode include: Total out of pocket expenses and monthly costs of owning and leasing. Changing technology in di...

In this episode, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through the hidden expenses that can derail your financial plan. While meticulous budgeting is not necessary for most high-income individuals, it can be helpful to “expect the unexpected”. Hidden or Unexpected Expenses Can Include: Large inflation-related adjustments to things like property taxes and insurance. Deferred home mainte...

With the rollout of additional long-term savings vehicles for kids, the hosts of Financial Clarity for Doctors wanted to unpack a few of the different options out there!  In this episode, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden unpack the purpose and pros and cons of different vehicles designed to save funds for kids.  When you are building a savings plan for your kids:  Consider your goals f...

It’s summer!  Time for fun in the sun and extra time with friends and family, which can have an impact on the finances!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through a few things that can be helpful during a mid-year financial planning check. Ideas for Summer Planning: Take a moment to review your spending and reflect on whether it mat...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden talk through some scenarios where it is helpful to have thick skin! With finances (and especially investing), it won’t always be fun. Investing Challenges and Suggestions: · Investment accounts will very likely go down in value at some point and may stay down for a while. BUT to date, have grown substant...

Sometimes it’s fun to daydream a bit!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff unpack the potential uses of those unexpected windfalls.  The lottery is a great example, although a long shot – especially if you don’t play!  Selling a business or receiving a large inheritance is much more likely for some of you.  Below are some practical (and not so p...

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...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden talk through some stock market noise.  It’s hard to know when to listen to headlines and what information to heed.  What we listen to as investors and what the movers and shakers listen to may be very different. Discussion in this episode include: The focus of retail investors, including local news, conf...

In so many ways, television and movies can be unrealistic. Some things fly under the radar most of the time!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff walk through some examples of shows with characters living inflated lives.  Does it make sense given their profession and age?  Probably not.  They often have nicer homes and nicer things and a l...

Human behavior and feeling is not always driven by numbers and data.  This is especially true when we think about consumer sentiment compared to the economy we review in numbers and charts.  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden discuss current economic sentiment, current economic conditions, and why those two things seem to be harder and ha...

For a lot of people, the answer to when they would like to retire is “as soon as possible!”  For those folks, a lot of resources often need to go toward that goal, because it is challenging!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden discuss some challenges of early retirement and how to best work toward that goal.  Early Retirement Basics:  Wha...

April is Financial Literacy month, and in this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden talk about some basics of teaching kids to save and manage money responsibly.  Getting kids to the point where they are financially independent is a huge milestone, and sometimes it feels like that is harder to achieve than it has ever been.  Strategies and ideas fo...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden are joined by Zach Kill, CFA® to walk through some of the basics of mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). They are very similar!  But there are a few differences and pros/cons to both. Similarities: Both are collections of investments purchased with pooled money, usually from many different inve...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through some realistic expectations for investment returns.  The biggest thing is to expect a bumpy ride!  Then it is harder to be caught off guard. In this episode we discuss: Historical returns of different categories of investments over time. The best and worst decades. The range is huge! Cumulat...

It’s tax season!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden dive into the horror and torture of filing your annual tax returns.  We may not be accountants, but we can certainly commiserate. In this episode we discuss: Some basics of taxation, including where your tax money goes and why it feels so challenging to tackle the filing process. A few...

Sometimes the world feels scarier than average.  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden, walk through some questions and discussions that have come up with clients who seem to be bracing for something scary to happen that will affect their portfolios. In this episode we discuss: Current fears, including the growth of AI companies, geopolitica...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden, discuss one of the strategies used by many investors, dollar cost averaging.  What is it?  How does it work?  Is it really better than investing lump sums of money?  They may not be able to answer that last one for you, but learn more about it and decide for yourself!   Dollar Cost Averaging Basics: Inv...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden, discuss some of our impulses to measure our financial success by comparing it to others.  How do we avoid this trap?  Or do we really need to avoid it?  Humans are competitive by nature (or is it nurture?):  If you come across a bear in the woods, you don’t need to be faster than the bear, just faster t...

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...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff do their annual crystal ball check and venture some guesses for 2026.    Tune in to hear more Corey and Rachelle’s 2026 predictions on:  Student loans and schooling  The housing market  The economy  Interest rates  Basically, everything that you can’t really predict!  For 2025, the hosts did okay!  But R...

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...