The Frugal Physician

03/24/2026

Hey Frugal Physicians! I miss you! I hope you all are staying frugal and thriving! I just wanted to let you know where I am now. I have launched my practice and if you're curious, come follow me . Here's a video me and my family had a ton of fun recording while painting the new office :).

01/02/2026

As 2025 comes to a close and we launch into 2026, I just want to say thank you.

This has been an incredible year at Finding Financial Freedom with The Frugal Physician—filled with phenomenal guests, honest conversations, and powerful stories about money, medicine, and building lives (and careers) on our own terms.

And now… it’s time for my next chapter. 🚀

The podcast will be taking a short break as I pour my energy into launching my newest venture:

💙 Thrive Direct Primary Care 💙

This practice represents everything we’ve talked about on the show—autonomy, sustainability, values-driven work, and building something better for both physicians and patients.

👉 Learn more here: www.thriveconciergecare.com

🎧 It feels fitting that our final episode of the year is all about building successful practices—because that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.

Ep. 114 – How Doctors Can Access Fair Loans and Build Successful Practices
https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/ep114-how-doctors-can-access-fair-loans-and-build-successful-practices-financial-freedom-with-doc2

Thank you for listening, learning, and dreaming alongside me. I’ll be back soon—with new insights, fresh perspective, and stories from the other side of practice ownership. ✨💪

12/03/2025

💳 Big student loans.
🩺 Tiny resident paycheck.
📉 Meh credit score.

Traditional banks look at that and say: “High risk.”
But… they’re completely ignoring your future as a physician.

In this episode of Finding Financial Freedom with The Frugal Physician, I sit down with Dr. Zwade Marshall — Emory & Harvard-trained anesthesiologist, interventional pain specialist, and co-founder/CEO of Doc2Doc Lending — to talk about:

Why traditional underwriting FAILS early-career doctors

How Doc2Doc built a physician-specific lending algorithm

When it does make sense to use a personal loan

Why leverage should never be used for consumption spending

Practical tips to repair & optimize your credit score

If you’ve ever felt ashamed of your credit, overwhelmed by debt, or stuck because banks don’t “get” physician finances — this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen now (Part 1):
👉 https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/how-doctors-can-access-fair-loans-and-build-successful-practices-financial-freedom-doc2doc-ceo

Hashtags:

12/02/2025

🚀 What if DPC docs could stay independent… but stop doing everything alone?

In this episode of Finding Financial Freedom with The Frugal Physician, I sit down with Dr. Natalie Gentile with special co-interviewer, Dr. Dan Sooriabalan, to unpack how she built a physician-owned MSO that supports multiple DPC practices in her home town.

We talk about:
• What a management services organization (MSO) actually is for doctors
• How to structure a physician-owned MSO that respects the corporate practice of medicine
• Smart ways to handle employer contracts so doctors keep their independence
• Real-life MSO financial structure — how they charge admin fees (not skimming from docs)
• The emotional + practical side of collaboration vs staying solo in DPC

If you’ve ever thought: “We need shared infrastructure for DPC… but I don’t want a boss,” this one is for you. 💥

🎧 Listen here:
👉 https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/start-physician-owned-mso-direct-primary-care

12/01/2025

🎓 Med school debt in 2025 just got… complicated.

OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill) reshaped federal student loans — and doctors are right in the crosshairs. In this episode of Finding Financial Freedom with The Frugal Physician, I sit down with student loan policy expert Aaron Smith, JD, co-founder of Savvy, to break down:

🧩 How OBBB reshaped federal loans for doctors
💸 What the new RAP (Repayment Assistance Plan) might mean for residents & attendings
🚫 What happens now that SAVE is eliminated
🏛️ PSLF rules for physicians in 2025 (and employer certification tips)
📉 How the end of Grad PLUS changes med school funding
🔁 When refinancing actually makes sense for physicians in 2025—and when it really doesn’t

If you’re a med student, resident, fellow, or attending with six-figure loans, you cannot afford to wing it in this new system. The rules changed. Your strategy needs to change too.

🎧 Listen to:
Medical Student Debt after OBBB: RAP Rules, PSLF Updates, and Refi Strategy
👉 https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/student-debt-2025-doctors-OBBB-RAP-PSLF

11/30/2025

10/26/2025

Dream job or disaster? 🤯

Controversial topic: Should DPC come with boundaries?

Monica’s #1 move: turn notifications OFF after hours 📵 and route after-hours calls to an urgent voicemail for triage ☎️🔊.

No personal cell. Clear expectations.

Result? Less burnout, better access during the day. 🛡️

https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/directprimarycaredreamjobordisaster

10/25/2025

I'm catching up on posting some of our amazing recent guests- this one is perfect to listen to as open enrollment begins and you consider your benefit options.

In this episode, I sit down with Carl Hall, CFA from CapTrust to break down how your health plan can actually become a wealth plan. 💡

💊 We talk:

✅ Turning HSAs into stealth retirement accounts

💸 Avoiding costly health plan mistakes during open enrollment

🏥 Why DPC + price transparency = real savings power

🎧 Finding Financial Freedom with The Frugal Physician
https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/maximizeyourhsa

Sponsor (for accredited investors):
🖤 Black Swan’s Secure Freedom Fund offers 10% fixed annual returns, monthly cash flow or compounding, and $25K minimums. Learn more at https://www.securefreedomfund.com

Not financial advice; see sponsor site for details.

10/23/2025

Physicians: if fear has been keeping you on the sidelines, this one’s for you.

Dr. Elaine Stageberg joins me to share her incredible journey from humble beginnings to multiple millions in real estate. Listen as she unpacks how she turned one rental into a scalable, mission-driven real estate business—and how you can take practical first steps toward real estate investing.

🎙️ Turning Fear into Financial Freedom — https://www.thefrugalphysician.com/post/ep112-turning-fear-into-financial-freedom-dr-elaine-stageberg-on-building-passive

Sponsor update (accredited investors):
Black Swan Real Estate just opened its Secure Freedom Fund: a 10% fixed annual return fund with monthly distributions or compounding and a $25k minimum. Learn more and schedule a call: https://www.securefreedomfund.com

Not financial advice. See sponsor for full terms and risks.