White Coat Investor Podcast

How does a third-year orthopedic surgery resident, a stage where most physicians carry significant debt, end up with a net worth north of $250,000?
In this Milestones to Millionaire episode, Aaron shares how a combination of early habits and a few candid, less conventional decisions got him here. He started his first IRA at 18 with money saved from a summer job, married a spouse who had been financially aligned with him from the start, and took advantage of in-state tuition rules that cut his medical school costs nearly in half. He is also honest about the role a $100,000 inheritance from his grandfather played in paying down his highest-interest loans, and about a concentrated bet on a gold mining stock early in the pandemic that worked out well, while acknowledging it is not advice he would give to everyone.
He also discusses their decision to continue renting through residency rather than buying a home, weighing the flexibility and reduced risk against the potential upside of homeownership.
Getting off to a disciplined financial start early, even with some good fortune mixed in, can put a resident years ahead of where most physicians find themselves at the same stage.
Since April 2021, more than 650 physicians in the White Coat community have invested over $300 million with DLP Capital, a 12-time Inc. 5000 honoree that offers four private real estate investment funds—one of my favorite ways to invest in real estate.
If you're eager to achieve success as a private real estate investor, DLP's impact-focused sponsored funds offer the potential to earn double-digit returns while making an impact on America's affordable housing crisis.
Interested in learning more? Head to https://whitecoatinvestor.com/dlp today.
Celebrating your stories of success along the journey to financial freedom! Tune in every Monday to the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast, where we celebrate the financial achievements of our listeners and share practical tips for reaching your own milestones. We want to celebrate your milestones—no matter how big or small—and help inspire others to follow your lead. Every week, these episodes feature one listener who has recently achieved a milestone they are proud of and want to celebrate, and they give any advice they have for those who want to follow their example. Make sure to listen every Monday to be inspired by your fellow white coat investors.
Celebrate YOUR Milestone on the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast: https://whitecoatinvestor.com/milestones 
Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com 
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube 
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com 
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor 
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Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor 
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com 
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter

In this episode, Dr. Jim Dahle is joined by financial planner Dr. Tyler Scott to work through a wide range of advanced financial planning questions. They cover whether to open a single 529 account for multiple nieces and nephews or keep them separate, and why gifting appreciated shares to an adult child in a lower tax bracket can run afoul of decades-old IRS doctrines if the money comes back to the giver. Tyler walks through the legal reasoning behind assignment of income, substance over form, and step transaction doctrine, explaining exactly where these strategies cross the line.
The conversation also covers upstream gifting to parents in hopes of a future step-up in basis, including the one-year survival requirement and the real risks involved, from asset protection concerns to unintended Medicaid eligibility issues. Later, they tackle listener questions on managing sequence of returns risk in retirement, choosing bond funds for a bucket strategy, and a caller with 33 times their annual spending saved who still feels anxious about rising grocery costs.
The conversation closes with a personal reflection on a visit to the New York Stock Exchange and the 9/11 Memorial, and a reminder that even the country's most reliable wealth-building systems deserve gratitude rather than being taken for granted.
This podcast is sponsored by Bob Bhayani at Protuity. He is an independent provider of disability insurance planning solutions to the medical community in every state and a long-time white coat investor sponsor. He specializes in working with residents and fellows early in their careers to set up sound financial and insurance strategies. If you need to review your disability insurance coverage or to get this critical insurance in place, contact Bob at https://whitecoatinvestor.com/protuity today by email info@protuity.com or by calling (973) 771-9100.
The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles.
Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com 
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube 
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor 
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com 
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter

How does a practicing OB-GYN go from $8 million to over $20 million in net worth in just four years?
In this Milestones to Millionaire episode, Allen returns four years after his first appearance on the podcast to share how a combination of disciplined investing and a major practice buyout transformed his financial picture. He walks through his full portfolio breakdown, which is nearly all invested in equities. The biggest driver of growth, though, was a hospital system's buyout of his group's stake in a jointly owned single specialty hospital, which resulted in a payout north of $4 million pretax per partner.
Allen also discusses why he continues working full time despite having far more than enough money, citing both income and a genuine sense of identity and purpose tied to his career. He and his wife are now navigating more complex estate planning decisions, working with an attorney to structure trusts for their six children and future grandchildren, while trying to strike a balance between generosity and enabling dependency.
His advice for younger physicians pursuing a similar path: pay yourself first, live within your means, and marry well, since a long, stable career combined with consistent saving can produce outcomes far beyond what most people expect.
This podcast is sponsored by Bob Bhayani at Protuity. He is an independent provider of disability insurance planning solutions to the medical community in every state and a long-time white coat investor sponsor. He specializes in working with residents and fellows early in their careers to set up sound financial and insurance strategies. If you need to review your disability insurance coverage or to get this critical insurance in place, contact Bob at https://whitecoatinvestor.com/protuity today by email info@protuity.com or by calling (973) 771-9100.
Celebrating your stories of success along the journey to financial freedom! Tune in every Monday to the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast, where we celebrate the financial achievements of our listeners and share practical tips for reaching your own milestones. We want to celebrate your milestones—no matter how big or small—and help inspire others to follow your lead. Every week, these episodes feature one listener who has recently achieved a milestone they are proud of and want to celebrate, and they give any advice they have for those who want to follow their example. Make sure to listen every Monday to be inspired by your fellow white coat investors.
Celebrate YOUR Milestone on the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast: https://whitecoatinvestor.com/milestones 
Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com 
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube 
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor 
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com 
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter

Is whole life insurance ever actually the right choice for you?
In this episode, Dr. Jim Dahle breaks down how whole life insurance works, why it costs significantly more than term life insurance, and why survey data shows the large majority of people who buy it end up regretting the decision. He walks through the legitimate use cases such as buy-sell agreements between business partners, certain irrevocable trust strategies for estate tax planning, and people who genuinely value a lifelong guaranteed death benefit, while explaining why most young physicians have better uses for their money.
Jim also answers listener questions covering what to do with a whole life policy a parent bought decades ago, how to evaluate riders and employer-sponsored executive bonus plans, and how to recover stuck cash value when an insurance company fails to properly process a cancellation. He closes with a detailed breakdown of a listener's employer-offered split-dollar variable universal life policy tied to a salary reduction, explaining how to evaluate whether that kind of benefit is actually worth taking.
Whole life insurance is not inherently a bad product, but it is frequently sold to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Understanding the difference can save you decades of paying for something you never actually wanted.
This episode is brought to you by KeyBank! For six years, White Coat member benefit partner, Laurel Road, has been part of KeyBank. As of March 16th, that partnership becomes even stronger as Laurel Road is now officially under the KeyBank brand. With the transition to KeyBank, the same tools and services you rely on now come with enhanced resources and support and the same great experience you trust. WCI members can continue to enjoy the benefits and financial resources as they always have, with even more support from KeyBank. To learn more and for terms and conditions, please visit https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/keybank
The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles.
Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com 
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube 
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor 
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com 
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter

How do two orthopedic surgeons with no formal business training raise over $1 million to build a healthcare technology startup?
In this Milestones to Millionaire episode, Todd and Justin, orthopedic surgeons who trained together and are just three and a half years out of residency, share how they went from starting a small coffee company during COVID to raising $1.6 million for an AI-driven medical technology startup aimed at reducing physician overhead and administrative burden. Justin explains his decision to step back from a seven-figure hospital salary to build the company full time, while Todd continues working in full-time private practice, illustrating two very different risk tolerances within the same founding team.
They walk through how they structured the company, set up a Delaware C-Corp, used SAFE investments, and raised initial capital from friends, family, and fellowship alumni, all without an MBA or formal business background, leaning instead on AI tools, mentorship, and each other's strengths. They also discuss why physician-led startups statistically tend to outperform those built by outside innovators, since doctors understand the real pain points of practicing medicine firsthand.
Building something new in medicine takes more than a good idea. It takes physicians willing to step outside the clinical world entirely and learn an entirely different set of skills. One of the most underrated financial moves in medicine is working locum tenens. It pays significantly more on average, and you can work locums full time or on the side of your full time. When you work with CompHealth, the #1 staffing agency, they cover your housing and travel costs —which on top of higher pay, really adds up.
Locums also gives you more control of your career, allowing you to go where you want, when you want, with a schedule that works for you. It's the perfect way to get ahead financially while getting focused on what you love.  Whether it's locum tenens or a regular permanent position, visit https://whitecoatinvestor.com/CompHealth and build your career your way with the power of CompHealth.
Celebrating your stories of success along the journey to financial freedom! Tune in every Monday to the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast, where we celebrate the financial achievements of our listeners and share practical tips for reaching your own milestones. We want to celebrate your milestones—no matter how big or small—and help inspire others to follow your lead. Every week, these episodes feature one listener who has recently achieved a milestone they are proud of and want to celebrate, and they give any advice they have for those who want to follow their example. Make sure to listen every Monday to be inspired by your fellow white coat investors.
Celebrate YOUR Milestone on the Milestones to Millionaire Podcast: https://whitecoatinvestor.com/milestones 
Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com 
YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube 
Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor 
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor 
Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com 
Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter