Greetings from what feels like the arctic! With temperatures as low as -18°F/-28°C this past week, South Dakota, like much of the country, has been a bit chilly. Next week we should maintain above 0°F at least. We didn’t get nearly as much snow as other places though. The roads have been decent for the most part (thank goodness for the SUV with 4W drive). Getting into the car in the morning feels like sitting down in a freezer. The condensation from my breath was freezing on the inside of my wind shield!
Svikki MD
Maintenance was nice enough to install a heating element in my office space this week. The existing heating structures weren’t functional anymore. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the new heating element ever actually started working. Luckily, I wear multiple layers of clothing to work to keep me warm.
Patient numbers were down, across the region, this week. I did have a few new swing bed admissions but for the most part, it was rather quiet. I helped out in the clinic a bit as well.
There is a skiing/snowboarding area just 8 miles from work. Something really strange must happen around 4 PM up there. We will start seeing walk-ins to the clinic for ski/snowboarding accidents around 4:30 PM. We had 3 of them Friday evening. Of course they aren’t all tipping over and hurting themselves at 4 PM… the ski lifts close at 4 PM. So, they will fully maximize their ski pass and then head to the clinic. By the time we see them, have X-rays done, wait for the X-ray reads, consult with ortho for broken bones and splint them… it’s 7 PM.
As a locum provider with nobody waiting on me at home, I don’t mind the extra hours. I do feel bad for the rest of the crew though. They have kids to pick up, family waiting at home and have to work overtime. All because people don’t want to leave the lift at the time of injury.
Weekend To-Do List
I make myself a weekend to-do list just about every weekend. It gives me a structure of what I want to accomplish over the next 48 hours. This weekend, it included items such as Hawaii Medical License research (since I reaaaaally want to work there some day), looking over my finances, doing laundry, working on a presentation for a conference in a few weeks, and getting my taxes done.
As a locum physician, I am an independent contractor. That has led to me needing to learn some things about taxes I didn’t need to know as an employee. I’ve learned how to pay estimated quarterly income taxes on the federal, state and local level. That is because as an independent contractor, my paychecks have no taxes deducted from them. Which means, I need to pay the government income taxes quarterly. There are certain deductions I can make that an employee can’t. But I also have to pay taxes an employee doesn’t, like the self-employment tax. Having been both an employee (as a resident and part time faculty at Youngstown State University) and an independent contractor last year, I had to learn to cover both bases.
Working on my financial education
I actually really enjoy working with numbers. Every Friday, I go over my finances after receiving my paycheck. The money is allocated to savings accounts for various purposes. The largest portion is put aside for those quarterly tax payments. I only allow myself to use 12% of my paycheck. Almost everything I purchase is bought with a credit card to earn points/cash back. I pay off the standing balance every week. Whatever is left of those 12% after paying off the credit cards is mine to use. I continue to live almost as frugally as I did as a resident, so a portion of that money still ends up in savings.
I’ve been reading books lately about investing as that is something I definitely want to get into soon. Unfortunately, financial education is not something that is well integrated into our public education system,… although it totally should be! (As should more home ec classes… I mean “Family and Consumer Science” classes as they are now called apparently.) So, I am continuously trying to further my own financial education.
Lit List
Some of the books I’ve read and really enjoyed so far include:
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley & William D Danko
- Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki
- The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy
I’m currently working through Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing and Ken McElroy’s The ABCs of Buying Rental Property. The goal of all of this is to be informed and someday achieve financial freedom. That financial freedom will then give me the freedom to spend time with family and friends, work when I want to and free up enough time so that I can work as a doctor in various parts of the world in underserved communities while not getting paid for that work.
Have you read any great personal finance books? Please do share! Leave a comment below with the title so I can check it out!
One thing I love: FaceTime. It just really makes long distance not feel so long at all <3
One thing I ate: vegan chocolate mug cake,… throw a few ingredients in a microwavable mug, stir it up and microwave for a minute to enjoy. Far less mess than making a whole cake and fewer tempting calories lying around.
One thing I’m grateful for: having a warm place to live. The temperatures are crazy low across the country. I hope people who don’t have a warm place to live are finding enough safe places to stay warm. Unfortunately, I know that’s not the reality for everyone.
mfg
