H. William Wolfson, DC, FICC, MS, MPAS

How can an investor allocate their portfolio for the greatest return and minimize the related risk? The answer is it depends.

Saving for the long term is proactive and smart. However, certain questions need to be answered before you start.

You likely recommend your patients get an annual physical to assess their health. If you want to achieve your long-term financial goals, make sure you also get an annual financial check-up.

Success is a journey. Having the proper accounting methods established early on in your career will make the journey more enjoyable, although never without challenges.

Physicians and Certified Financial Planners take a similar approach to their client's well-being, be it physically or financially. Just as a doctor follows the oath to do no harm, so too must a financial planner.

The "4% Rule" allowed financial professionals to make financial planning easier for individuals to understand and have a plan to follow during their retirement. However, in the financial scheme of things, 1994 was a very different time and place compared to the current financial realities of 2014.

There are cycles to markets and no one really knows when a small hiccup or a seismic shift may occur. Although the market over the past weeks has rattled some investors, the advice from advisors seems to be hold your course and do not do anything rash.

Individuals may view the concept of debt differently. The ability to eliminate debt may prove to be daunting due to the lack of understanding the true and final costs of borrowing and not setting goals on how best to approach the task of its elimination.

While Wall Street is often viewed as the center of the investment universe, a far less exciting – but potentially more powerful – environment exists in the halls of academia. In this environment, professors at schools like Wharton, Yale, MIT, Stanford and the University of Chicago examine decades of financial data in search of patterns and explanatory variables.

The decision to purchase individual disability insurance should be examined carefully with cost being only one determining factor.

Preparation for the possibility of not being able to perform your duties as a healthcare provider may appear morbid, but it's a smart, proactive step.

Just as patients who attempt to treat themselves before seeking professional assistance, physicians often try to direct their own financial planning despite not having the proper knowledge.