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A Most Cruel – but Needed – Endeavor

[By Staff Reporters]

A zero-based budget means you start with the absolute essential expenses and then add-back expenses from there until you run out of money. This is an extremely effective, yet rigorous, exercise for most doctors and medical professionals; and can be used personally or at the office.

Triage and Prioritize

Your first personal financial item should be retirement plan contributions, then your mortgage and other debt payments, and then other required fixed expenses. From the office perspective, the first budget item should be salary expenses for both you and your staff. Operating assets and other big ticket items come next, followed by the more significant items on your net income statement. Some doctors even review their P&L statements quarterly, line by line, in an effort to reduce expenses. Then, you add discretionary personal or business expenses that you have some control over.

More Month than Money

Now, do you run out of money before you reach the end of the month, quarter, or year? Then you better cut back on entertainment at home or that fancy new, but unproven piece of office or medical equipment. This sounds Draconian until you remind yourself that your choice is either (1) entertainment now but no money later or; (2) living a simpler lifestyle now as you invest so you’re able to enjoy yourself at retirement.

Assessment

When you were a young doctor, budgeting may have seemed a task needed far into the future; but at midlife, you are staring retirement right in the face.

Conclusion

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Filed under: Financial Planning, Funding Basics, iMBA, Inc., Retirement and Benefits | Tagged: budget, CFP, david marcinko, Financial Planning, zero based budget |