Three and a half years ago, we decided to incentivize aggressive saving and demonstrate the power of compound interest to our kids by offering them exclusive access to the Bank of Mom and Dad. That experiment, we are pleased to say, has thus far been a success. We gave them a sweetheart deal for maximal impact: 5% interest compounded monthly. …
There are certain quirky discoveries that delight you to the core, the mere thought of which continue to bring a giddy smile to your face because of how endearing they feel. This morning, listening to a podcast on the short drive home from a dawn patrol session at my local break, I sank my teeth into a delicious new morsel …
I am human, and my frailties are many. This is not a religious confession, but rather, a preface to explain one facet of my motivation for a recent financial move. But first, let’s obtain some context. I was speaking by phone to my sister today. Being the product of the same upbringing, we share a similar pathology when it comes …
There’s an interesting subtext I’ve found in some of my fellow physician finance blogger’s material that exhorts us to be more efficient, to not waste a single minute spent on our toilet seats, to regard exercise breaks as opportunities for self-improvement via podcasts played at 1.5 speed to cram our minds full of yet more knowledge. If that type of …
A short while ago, I enjoyed a rare treat: a socially distanced, masked get-together with a friend (and physician colleague) on the deck of my home. He has been a friend for years, someone I relish geeking out over personal finance with, yet I realized with awkwardness that this was the first time he was coming over to my house. …
It is a paradoxical time of stasis and upheaval. At the macro level, the world is burning, figuratively and literally (at least in the West where I live). The upcoming election has both political parties highly polarized and in full propaganda mode. International interference in the upcoming election from unsavory outside actors seems more real and potentially more consequential now …
Might meritocracy undermine one’s sense of humility? It’s an unusual line of argument, but one that caught my eye in a recent alumni magazine article reviewing the political theorist Michael Sandel’s newest work, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? A year ago this month, I wrote about another interesting piece by Daniel Markovits debating the success …
In medicine, the suffix -algia indicates pain. Neuralgia is nerve pain. Myalgias are muscle aches of the type that we commonly feel during an acute viral illness (it is one of the common symptoms of COVID 19). Nostalgia combines the Greek nostos, to return home, with -algia, pain. We regard others who dwell in nostalgia as prone to melancholy, pining …
As an emergency physician, it’s a gift being of service to patients on the worst (or last) day of their lives. It’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone, but it lets me contribute in a meaningful way. Acknowledging that being an emergency physician provides me a real sense of fulfillment is not enough to persuade me to want to …
It was during one of my return visits home from college, and I was in the vulnerable seat that is the barber’s chair. I sometimes imagine a barber offering an old-fashioned lather and shave with a sharp blade – a man submits his neck to a stranger with a knife, trusting that no harm will follow. It’s an interesting exercise, …