PHYSICIANS BEWARE: Traditional Financial Planning “Rules of Thumb”

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

DOCTORS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS BEWARE?

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  • While financial planning rules of thumbs are useful to people as general guidelines, they may be too oversimplified in many situations, leading to underestimating or overestimating an individual’s needs. This may be especially true for physicians and many medical professionals. Rules of thumb do not account for specific circumstances or factors occurring at a particular time, or that could change over time, which should be considered for making sound financial decisions.
  • Great Health Industry Resignation: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2021/12/12/healthcare-industry-hit-with-the-great-resignation-retirement/

For example, in a tight job market, an emergency fund amounting to six months of household expenses does not consider the possibility of extended unemployment. I’ve always suggested 2-3 years for doctors. Venture capitalist lay-offs of physicians during the pandemic confirm this often criticized benchmark opinion of mine.

As another example, buying life insurance based on a multiple of income does not account for the specific needs of the surviving family, which include a mortgage, the need for college funding and an extended survivor income for a non-working spouse. Again a huge home mortgage, or several children or dependents, may be the financial bane of physician colleagues and life insurance.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

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EXAMPLES: Old/New Rules

  • A home purchase should cost less than an amount equal to two and a half years of your annual income. I think physicians in practice for 3-5 years might go up to 3.5X annual income; ceteras paribus.
  • Save at least 10-15% of your take-home income for retirement. Seek to save 20% or more.
  • Have at least five times your gross salary in life insurance death benefit. Consider 10X this amount in term insurance if young, and/or with several children or other special circumstances.
  • Pay off your highest-interest credit cards first. Agreed.
  • The stock market has a long-term average return of 10%. Agreed, but appreciated risk adjusted rates of return..
  • You should have an emergency fund equal to six months’ worth of household expenses. Doctors should seek 2-3 years.
  • Your age represents the percentage of bonds you should have in your portfolio. Risk tolerance and assets may be more vital.
  • Your age subtracted from 100 represents the percentage of stocks you should have in your portfolio. Risk tolerance and assets may still be more vital.
  • A balanced portfolio is 60% stocks, 40% bonds. With historic low interest rates, cash may be a more flexible alternative than bonds; also avoid most bond mutual funds as they usually never mature.

There are also rules of thumb for determining how much net worth you will need to retire comfortably at a normal retirement age. Here is the calculation that Investopedia uses to determine your net worth:

Compensation in the Physician Specialties: Mostly Stable - NEJM CareerCenter Resources

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MORTGAGE RATES: Elevated on Black Friday!

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Elevated mortgage rates are set to keep sellers of previously owned homes out of the market heading into next year, but sales will “bottom out” in early 2024, Fannie Mae said this week, before a rebound the following year.

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Mortgage rates hovered near 8 percent as recently as October, the highest level it has hit since the turn of the millennium, which has scared used homeowners from selling their homes as many prefer to stay in lower rates secured in years past. This “lock in effect,” as Fannie Mae analysts describe it, has added to a depleted supply of homes available for buyers and helped push up prices.

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DAILY UPDATE: Profiting From Black Friday “Reverse Logistics”

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, is a half day for the stock market. Both stock exchanges close at 1:00 p.m. ET, with eligible options trading until 1:15 p.m. Normal trading hours resume on the Monday after Thanksgiving, also known as Cyber Monday, when many online retailers host major sales.

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DEFINITION: Reverse logistics—or the supply-chain processes of returns—is a little-known but rapidly growing sector of the economy that’s booming alongside the rise in online shopping that started during the pandemic.

Now, as retailers crack down on returns to avoid hearing another “it was broken when I got it” excuse, some companies are counting on you to send your holiday gifts back. A “reverse logistics” industry has sprung up in recent years to take advantage of the more than $300 billion in returns Americans make every holiday season.

  • Venture capital firms pumped nearly $200 million into reverse logistics startups last year—over 2.5x as much as in 2021, according to Bloomberg.
  • Loop Returns, which sells software to companies looking to streamline the return process on the customer side, raised $115 million at the end of 2022.

Established companies see potential in reverse logistics as well. Last month, Uber launched a feature enabling drivers to pick up your packages and bring them to a returns center. Meanwhile, UPS, whose returns business has grown 25% since 2020, recently acquired the startup Happy Returns.

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DAILY UPDATE: Sovereign Wealth Funds, Mortgages and the Dimming U.S. Markets

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Sovereign wealth funds could be selling roughly $29 billion in equities by the end of December. Meanwhile, U.S. defined benefit pension plans would need to shift up to $70 billion from equities to bonds to hit their targets, reports Bloomberg quoting the JPMorgan estimates. “The recent equity market correction and bond rally are consistent with the rebalancing hypothesis,” Bloomberg quoted Vincent Deluard, a macro strategist at StoneX. 

DEFINITION: A sovereign wealth fund, sovereign investment fund, or social wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally.

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And, in a recent interview with CNN, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said he’s concerned the housing market will continue to challenge buyers in the coming years. Moynihan pointed to sky-high mortgage rates as a big reason buyers might continue to struggle — especially first-time buyers with more limited financial resources. Moynihan also said there could be two more years of pain in the housing market before things cool off and homes become more available and affordable. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Finally, U.S. stocks were lower, adding to last week’s declines, as the global markets continued to grapple with the ultimate impact of aggressive monetary policy tightening around the world. Last week, the Fed, European Central Bank, Bank of England, and Swiss National Bank all increased their benchmark interest rates by 50 basis points, fostering recession concerns.

Treasury yields traded higher, and the U.S. dollar was unchanged, while crude oil gained ground, and gold was lower.

Other equity news was light, as L3Harris Technologies announced an agreement to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne with an enterprise value of $4.7 billion, while shares of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals surged after positive trial results for its NASH and liver fibrosis treatment.

A busy week of housing data commenced, as the NAHB’s December Housing Market Index unexpectedly deteriorated.

Asia finished mostly lower as China’s COVID concerns weighed on sentiment, though European stocks were mostly higher, rebounding from last week’s decline as the global markets digest the recent rate hikes on both sides of the pond.

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HOUSING MARKET: Worse Than You Think?

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Vitaliy N. Katsenelson CFA

REALLY!

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READ: https://contrarianedge.com/the-housing-market-is-worse-than-you-think/

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UPDATE: The Housing and Single Family Rental Markets

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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HOMES: Last year was a really good time to own a home—like, historically good. For the first time on record, homeowners earned more from the increase in home values than income from their jobs, according to Zillow. The numbers: The typical US home increased $52,667 in value, while the median full-time worker earned about $50,000 before taxes.

Rentals: Single-family rental prices jumped 12.6% from a year earlier, according to the latest CoreLogic Single-Family Rent Index. All major metropolitan areas saw increases, but the Sun Belt experienced by far the biggest gains, with Miami’s asking rents up almost 39%.

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Selling into a House Poor Market

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

When the Local Real-Estate Market is Challenging

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By Rick Kahler MS CFP® ChFC CCIM www.KahlerFinancial.com

An exciting new medical practice opportunity in another state …. Health problems that make one-level living an urgent necessity …. The need to downsize quickly because of a hospitalist job loss ….

These are just a few of the reasons medical professionals might need to sell a home sooner rather than later. The real problem arises when the local real estate market is a challenging one. Here are a few suggestions for anyone looking to sell a house under difficult conditions.

1. Evaluate the urgency of your situation. If you can wait a few months without harming your career, your finances, or your health, that may be the wiser choice. If you can’t make payments, or you need to relocate right away and can’t buy a new house until you sell the current one, waiting to sell is usually a losing proposition.

2. Take a hard look at the costs of waiting. You often can cut your overall housing costs significantly by biting the bullet and selling, rather than paying for two homes until you get the price you want. In addition to mortgage payments, add up expenses like property taxes, maintenance, utilities, and commuting costs.

Example:

For example, suppose you paid $400,000 for a house that’s worth $300,000 in the current market. Selling it now would mean a loss of $100,000, but holding onto it costs $3000 a month. Suppose the market improves by 33% in three years, which of course is not something you can count on. You sell the house then for $400,000. In the meantime, keeping it has cost you $108,000. If you keep the house on the market for a year, then give up and sell at $300,000, you’ve added $10,800 to the original $100,000 loss. You’re often better off to cut your losses and sell.

3. Grit your teeth, hold your nose, and be realistic about the market value of the home you are selling. Your original purchase price has NOTHING to do with current reality. The market is the market, and buyers couldn’t care less about what you paid for the home. They only care about the competition and getting the most home for their money, just as you did when you bought the property.

You need to research the housing market in your area or hire competent help (like an appraiser) to help you determine the market value of your property. Real estate agents can help with pricing, but you must proceed carefully. Some agents practice a technique of “tell them what they want to hear, get the house listed, and then work on getting them to reduce the price.”

4. Think like a buyer as well as a seller. Many sellers forget that the pain of selling at a loss is eased if the replacement home they buy is also valued less than it was several years ago. The loss in the home being sold can often be offset by the bargain price of the home being purchased.

5. Do your best to negotiate with your lender. If your mortgage is more than the sale price of the house, you’ll owe money to the lender at closing. Depending on the circumstances, it may be possible to get the lender to accept a lower payoff. Before the closing date, find out exactly how much you’ll need to pay and know where you’re going to get it.

Assessment

Our reluctance to sell a property for less than the amount we’ve put into it is described as “sunk cost fallacy.” Holding on until we get our money back sometimes works. More often, though, all it does is sink us deeper into a financial hole.

Conclusion

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Is 2012 a Good Year to Buy a House?

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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Doctors Appreciating the Reasons of Home Ownership

[By staff reporters]

There may be several reasons for a medical professional to buy a home. For example, you’re ready to practice and commit to a certain area and call it home. You’re ready to make a financial investment, or housing prices have dropped to an affordable level and the market is highly favorable for home buyers.

Rule of Thumb

But, how do you tell if it’s a buyer’s market? In a buyer’s market, the price of a home will be under 20 times a year’s worth of rent for an equivalent home. If the price of a home is more than 20 times the annual rent, it’s generally better to rent.

Current Climate

Today’s housing climate is better for home buyers. The average price of homes for sale in the US is currently around 19 times the average annual rent. The general housing climate is much friendlier than a few years ago, but still fluctuates greatly depending on your specific location. Some of the buyer’s markets in 2011 were Charlotte, Inland Empire, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose.

Source: www.SeaHomes.com

Assessment

The decision to buy or rent also depends on your lifestyle and long-term goals. 2011 saw a resurgence in buyer’s markets across the country and that trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It’s true that housing markets will fluctuate from year-to-year, but owning property usually remains a wise investment over time.

Conclusion

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Property Taxes in America

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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A Seldom Discussed Topic Among Medical Professionals

The housing market across the country has tanked. That should mean lower property taxes, right?

It’s true that property taxes do fall when housing values drop. But, this fall doesn’t happen in perfect time with the market. There’s usually a delay. And even when property taxes do fall, it’s often not enough to satisfy cash-strapped doctors and other homeowners.

Plummeting Home Values

This isn’t surprising. Homeowners today are struggling with plummeting home values. Those who bought their homes in 2004, 2005 or early 2006, especially, have most likely seen their homes lose tens of thousands of dollars in value.

It is little wonder, then, that physicians and others homeowners today are taking a closer look at their property taxes. Here is a look at what type of property taxes you pay depending on the state that you call home.

For example, if you live in New Jersey, you might not want to open that property tax bill. The state featured the highest median property taxes on owner-occupied housing, according to 2008 data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Homeowners here paid a median of $6,320 in property taxes each year. Connecticut came in second with a median property tax of $4,603 on its households. Right behind was New Hampshire, $4,501; and New York, $3,622.

Other states with high median property taxes include Rhode Island, $3,534; Massachusetts, $3,404; and Vermont, $3,281. Looks like you shouldn’t buy a home in the East if you want to pay lower property taxes.

On other end of the scale, Louisiana homeowners paid a median of $188 on their property taxes. In Arkansas, that number rose a bit to $383, while it stood at a still low $457 in West Virginia. In Mississippi, this median value stood at $468. Other states with low median property tax figures were South Carolina, $678; Oklahoma, $762; and New Mexico, $843.

Median Values

In general, these median property tax numbers do make sense. The states that have the highest median property taxes tend to have the highest median housing values, too. The opposite holds true, too.

For instance, the states with the lowest median housing values include West Virginia, $95,900; Mississippi, $99,700; Arkansas, $105,700; Oklahoma, $105,500; North Dakota, $112,500; and Alabama, $121,500. These states also tend to have some of the lowest property taxes.

Highest Median Home Values

Some of the states with the highest median home values include Hawaii, with a median value of $560,000; California, $467,000; New Jersey, $364,100; Massachusetts, $353,600; and Maryland, $341,200. Again, the property taxes tend to align well with these prices. Homeowners in these states pay some of the higher median property taxes in the country.

Relation to Home Values

The most important number, though, when analyzing property taxes isn’t what homeowners pay in each state. It’s how high this figure is in relation to home values.

For instance, Texans don’t pay the highest median property taxes in the country. They do, though, pay the highest percentage of their home values in property taxes, 1.76 percent.

Other states fare poorly in this measure, too: New Jersey, 1.74 percent; Nebraska, 1.72 percent; Wisconsin, 1.71 percent; and New Hampshire, 1.70 percent.

If you want to live somewhere where property taxes take up the lowest percentages of your home’s value, you might want to consider moving to the South.

For instance, homeowners in Louisiana pay 0.14 percent of their home values in property taxes, lowest in the nation. Hawaii comes in second with a figure of 0.24 percent. In Arkansas, that number is a still low 0.32 percent, while it’s at 0.47 percent in Mississippi. In West Virginia, the percentage rises to a still low 0.47 percent.

Assessment

Analyzing the impact of property taxes is far from an exact science. But by looking at how large of a percentage these taxes take up when compared to housing values, homeowners will get a better idea of what kind of financial burden property taxes are placing on them.

Source: www.CreditLoan.com

Conclusion

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Understanding Collateralized Mortgage Obligations

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Defining Terms and Concepts for Medical Professionals

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www.HealthcareFinancials.comho-journal9

A CMO is a debt security backed by mortgages. These mortgage pools are usually separated into different maturity classes called tranches (from the French word for “slice”). The securities were issued by private issuers, as well as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). As the mortgages were usually government-guaranteed, CMOs usually carried AAA ratings until their current financial meltdown. The early versions of CMOs were known as “plain vanilla,” but recent developments gave us PACs (planned amortization certificates) and TACs (targeted amortization certificates); among too many others. They were all variations on how principal repayments in advance of maturity date were treated.

Assessmentdhimc-book19

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Conclusion

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Physician’s Acquiring Real-Estate

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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Innovative Funding in Difficult Times

[Staff Reporters]mortgaged-house

Real estate can be acquired by physician-investors, even in these difficult times, in many different ways. For example, through direct purchase, participation in a real estate partnership vehicle with other investors [such as general partnerships, limited partnerships, various corporate entities, and, in most states, limited liability companies (LLCs), and investments in real estate securities such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Section 1031

Real estate also can be acquired through tax-deferred exchanges under Section 1031 of the IRS Code, in which a client “trades” one investment property for another, deferring the taxes due on the sale of the exchanged property. This allows the doctor to reinvest “pre-tax” dollars in another real estate investment, potentially benefiting from appreciation on the larger investment. The physician may also exchange one larger property into two or several smaller properties and pay tax consequences on each one as those properties are sold as cash is needed.

Tax and Risk Management

The way a physician takes ownership of real estate will affect the tax treatment of income and profit. For example, having an LLC-owned investment property will provide him/her with the same protection from individual liability as a corporation, while allowing him/her to have much more favorable tax treatment. Real estate can be bought directly by purchasing it in the following manners:

1. Paying cash,

2. Paying a cash down payment and acquiring a loan,

3. Paying cash to the seller who is financing, or

4. Financing the purchase by using either new real estate financing, seller financing, or credit borrowing when a lender is willing to loan solely on the strength of, and the financial statement of, the borrower, or a combination of these.

Trading and Secured Loans

Real estate also can be acquired by trading other valuable assets, sometimes in combination with financing. A client can obtain interests in real estate by making loans on real estate assets that are secured by a deed of trust or a mortgage. Another method is to invest as a participating lender. In such an instance the borrower needs to agree to provide equity kickers or participation in cash flow whereby the lender (doctor) can benefit directly from the real estate performance.fp-book21

Equity Participation Plans

With an equity participation, the physician-investor can profit or gain from the sale of the property, sometimes in a preferential manner (i.e., the money the doctor loaned is returned, with interest, and a predetermined percentage or portion of the gain is given to the owner/borrower before distribution of the sales proceeds). Similarly, the doctor can participate in annual cash flow, giving a fixed or a fluctuating amount depending on the performance of the investment. As a lender, many of the benefits of ownership of real estate are not available to the MD, but the doctor should have a security interest in the property and no direct responsibility for operation of the real estate investment. Also, if possible, the borrower should provide additional guarantees of performance. The borrower could do this by providing additional security, such as the deeds of trust on the borrower’s house, other real-estate, and the acquired property; bank letters of credit; or guarantees of performance from people other than the party to whom the money is originally loaned.archway

Assessment

If a physician-investor is considering acquiring or lending on real estate, s/he should check with his professional advisors, including accountants and attorneys, before proceeding. The doctor’s attorney should review any contracts or agreements before the client signs anything. The physician also will need a due diligence review to ascertain both the relative values of the real estate on which money is being loaned and the borrower’s track record and background.

Conclusion

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