Financial Clarity for Doctors

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...

The stock market is a wild and unpredictable place sometimes!  In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff chat through stock market “bubbles” and whether or not we might be in one right now.   This episode covers:  The basics of a “bubble”.  An overview of the dot.com bubble from the late 90s/early 2000s.  Stock market performance and recovery ti...

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...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss some potential complications of declining property values.  Don’t panic!  This may not even apply to you, but it’s good information to understand.  If your home is worth less than you expect:  If you purchased in the last couple of years and want to refinance, you may not be able to do so.  Many...

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...

Financial Clarity for Doctors spends a lot of time talking about how to balance your financial priorities and achieve your goals with the resources you have.  In this episode, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden take some time to delve into those life goals.  We often ask clients, “What’s the fairy tale for you?”  Spending some time thinking about the things you’re working toward can be a...

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 wa...

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden unpack many of the assumptions that are built into financial planning.  This is necessary when you can’t predict the future, but how conservative or aggressive your assumptions are can greatly impact your chances of success. Some of these assumptions include: Your projected age of retirement How much mon...

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...

This episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors delves into some updates to charitable giving under the new One Big Beautiful Bill as well as some other items in the bill that may affect listeners.  Hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden walk through some highlights.  Keep in mind that federal policy evolves as the executive branch and Congress evolve.  This is the tax structure for now, but n...