Six biggest mistakes physicians make when planning for retirement

Because medical school and residency prevent many physicians from entering their earning years until their mid-thirties, they have less time to accumulate savings, and their savings have less time in the market to compound. But, for many physicians just out of residency, socking away for retirement tends to take a back seat to purchasing a home, starting a family, or simply not having to live so frugally. In order to counteract getting a late start, physicians will need to increase their savings rate and begin funding their retirement savings as soon as possible.

Because physicians are high earners, they usually enjoy a higher standard of living they’d like to maintain in retirement. This reality, coupled with a late start, translate into one very big problem: physicians have less time to accumulate more money. In order to live a comparable lifestyle over an extended retirement period, they will have to find ways to accelerate their savings. While it is commonly recommended that the average person saves 10 percent of their income, physicians will need to save closer to (if not higher than) the 20 percent mark.

The purpose of retirement planning is to accumulate adequate resources to fund your post-working life without running out of money, not to fund short-term goals such as buying a house or sending a child to college. But sometimes tunnel vision conquers will-power and physicians will regrettably borrow from their 401 (k). Not only does borrowing against your retirement account postpone savings goals (which are already more difficult for physicians as discussed above) but brings a potential tax-burden and possible penalty fees to the table. 

This point may surprise you, but even physicians are susceptible to underestimating the escalating cost of healthcare. Healthcare is one of the nation’s largest industries, dominating 17.9% of the nation’s gross domestic product, and the rate of increase has long surpassed the average annual increase in Americans’ income. According to a March 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), healthcare spending in the U.S. during 2017 was at $3.5 trillion, or about $11,000 per person. By 2027, these costs are expected to reach $6 trillion, or $17,000 per person.

While many physicians deserve kudos for keeping and maintaining important documents around their practices, they aren’t always known for being as vigilant with their personal estate planning documents. Pertinent documents include your financial powers of attorney and medical directives while you are alive and your wishes for your estate after you pass. In the absence of these documents, your family could be exposed to making tough medical decisions on your behalf, a lengthy probate process, and costly attorney fees-all of which could be significantly injurious to their financial well-being.