Tired of trading your time for money? Join me every Sunday and 650+ healthcare professionals, share tips and insights on how I am quitting the rat race by 40 years old. I cover the basics of personal finance distilled into simple and basic steps, that you can use to improve your financial situation and live a more fulfilling life.
🛑 Stop! Read This Before You Click "Buy" on Black Friday.
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Reader, if your inbox is anything like mine right now, it’s currently being held hostage by a relentless barrage of “EARLY ACCESS!”, “DOORBUSTERS!”, and “ONCE IN A LIFETIME DEALS!” emails. It seems Black Friday has morphed from a single day into an entire month-long endurance sport. As we sat down for breakfast this morning (after a chilly walk with Fernie, winter is definitely coming!), Katie asked if there was anything we actually needed this year (aside from a new couch, glass tupperware, and endless treats for Fernie). My knee jerk reaction was to look at the sales. But then I stopped myself. We just talked about the Happiness Budget and the concept of Return on Time (ROT). If I’m going to practice what I preach, I can’t just mindlessly consume because something is 30% off. So, this year, I’m applying a strict filter to Black Friday. I’m not looking for the biggest discount; I’m looking for the biggest Return on Time. Most people look at a Black Friday deal and ask: "Is this a good price?" The question you should be asking is: "Will this buy me time, or steal it?" As busy healthcare professionals, time is our most scarce resource. We trade hours for dollars all week. The last thing we should do is spend those hard-earned dollars on things that require more of our time to manage, clean, organize, or use. Here is the Green Light / Red Light system I’m using this week. Feel free to steal it.
If you do decide to pull the trigger on a Green Light purchase, don't just pay the sticker price. Here is how you play the game to win. 1. The "Is It Actually a Deal?" Test: CamelCamelCamel Before you buy anything on Amazon, copy the URL and paste it into CamelCamelCamel.com. This free tool shows you the product's price history. You'll often find that the "massive Black Friday discount" is actually the same price it was in July. Don't be fooled by fake urgency! 2. The Points Power Play: The "Free Flight" Strategy If you are going to spend money on a Need, you must maximize the return. This is where Credit Card Points Multipliers come in. For example, the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card often has huge multipliers when you shop through the Aeroplan eStore We're talking 10x, 15x, or even higher points per dollar spent during Black Friday. Imagine your work laptop is on its last legs (like mine was last year- 9 years old). It's slow, it crashes, and it's costing you time. You need a new MacBook Pro for your business.
That single purchase of a tool you needed just earned you enough points for a One-Way Business Class Ticket from Toronto to Lisbon, Portugal (often found for ~60k points). This is the exact way Katie and I will be taking our Honeymoon next spring. Not to Portugal, somewhere spicy and littered with glaciers and desserts. You essentially bought a laptop for work and got a lie-flat seat to Europe for "free" (minus taxes/fees). That is how you win the game. Of course, it would be irresponsible of me not to mention the caveats:
Before you swipe your card this week, pause and run the purchase through the ROT Filter: If it doesn't buy you freedom, it’s not a deal. It’s a distraction. Stay disciplined, protect your time, and keep your wallet focused on what matters.
Webinar Spotlight: Entrepreneur Investing Hacks Revealed (With TD Direct Investing!)Speaking of optimizing your finances, I'm beyond excited to announce an upcoming live session I'm doing with TD Direct Investing! As healthcare entrepreneurs and small business owners, we pour our lives into our work. But too often, we forget to build the financial safety net that will support us after our working life is done. This session is all about bridging that gap. Join me as I break down:
Mark Your Calendar:
This is a fantastic opportunity to get high-level financial strategy tailored specifically for business owners. Register for FREE right here! Community Shoutouts 📣 Before I sign off, I want to send a massive thank you to two incredible organizations I had the privilege of speaking with recently. To the CMMOTA, thank you for letting me dive deep into financial sustainability for massage and manual osteopathic therapists. And to the Saskatchewan Physiotherapy Association and University of Saskatchewan (supported by our friends at Jane), it was a blast discussing practice management and financial mastery with your members. And finally, a big thanks to Ildi and the Jane team for having me as a guest on Office Hours alongside Adele Smener. It was such a great conversation on building a resilient practice. I’m always inspired by associations that prioritize the whole clinician, bank account included! If you’re part of an organization looking to bring this kind of education to your members, simply hit reply. Yours Truly, @financiallyfulfilledpro and Certified Financial Counselor CFC™ Do you get value from these weekly emails? |
Navigating Finances as Healthcare Professional
Tired of trading your time for money? Join me every Sunday and 650+ healthcare professionals, share tips and insights on how I am quitting the rat race by 40 years old. I cover the basics of personal finance distilled into simple and basic steps, that you can use to improve your financial situation and live a more fulfilling life.
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Reader, did you survive the Black Friday madness? If your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s still recovering from the absolute barrage of "LAST CHANCE" emails. I hope you managed to navigate the noise, maybe used that Return on Time (ROT) filter we talked about, and didn't buy a toaster just because it has Wi-Fi. 😉 I ended up purchasing a doorbell camera and a floodlight/camera (for a rental property), more on that below. TD's Inside Investing Studio It’s been a whirlwind week on my end....