In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Corey Janoff and Rachelle Vanderzanden, discuss some of our impulses to measure our financial success by comparing it to others. How do we avoid this trap? Or do we really need to avoid it?

Humans are competitive by nature (or is it nurture?):

• If you come across a bear in the woods, you don’t need to be faster than the bear, just faster than the person running with you.

• In sports, it’s usually the same! You don’t need to achieve a specific internal goal to “win” you just need to beat your competitors.

• This is not always helpful in finances!

• Trying to win with finances often focuses on outward signs of wealth and success which do not always line up with your own goals and interests.

• This has become worse in the age of social media, where everyone advertises their homes, vacations, and perfect children.

This is one of those things that is easier said than done but try to focus on your personal goals and benchmarks as a measure of success instead of comparing yourself to others. And understand that many folks with external signs of wealth may be struggling financially. Listen to the full episode for more tips!

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, find them on social media! LinkedIn: @CoreyJanoff and @RachelleVanderzanden; Instagram: @CoreyJanoff and @VanderzandenRachelle; and Twitter: @CoreyJanoffCFP and @RachelleFinance 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

Financial Clarity for Doctors tackles some student loan updates with hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff. On December 10th, the Department of Education proposed a settlement in the case challenging the SAVE plan and agreeing to dismantle the payment plan (pending court approval, so maybe not officially dead). What does that mean for the seven million borrowers still enrolled in the plan?

Next steps for SAVE plan participants:

• Most folks will likely need to apply to move into a new income-driven payment plan or move into a Standard repayment plan.

• This means recertifying income and enrolling in one of the remaining plans. Currently, those options are IBR, ICR, or PAYE with the new RAP plan being rolled out this coming summer.

• If the goal is to work toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you will likely want to enroll in the plan that equals the lowest payment.

• When you reach 120 months of qualifying employment, you can look into the “Buyback” program to see if you can make payments from your time in forbearance.

• If the goal is not PSLF, you can explore lots of options, payment plans, and even refinancing. Although move slowly with refinancing! Moving to a private bank has some downsides.

As with everything, your student loan approach should be determined based on your goals and needs. Any strategy (including loan repayment) depends on the specifics of your situation. If needed, consult with a professional to try to find the best strategy for your loans. They were an investment in your future! But we don’t want them hanging over your head forever.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, find them on social media! LinkedIn: @CoreyJanoff and @RachelleVanderzanden; Instagram: @CoreyJanoff and @VanderzandenRachelle; and Twitter: @CoreyJanoffCFP and @RachelleFinance 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff do their annual crystal ball check and venture some guesses for 2026.

Tune in to hear more Corey and Rachelle’s 2026 predictions on:

• Student loans and schooling

• The housing market

• The economy

• Interest rates

• Basically, everything that you can’t really predict!

For 2025, the hosts did okay! But Rachelle was pretty wrong about the stock market....

• Corey predicted positive stock market performance correctly, but Rachelle thought growth would be much more muted.

• Interest rates remained fairly high.

• Quite a few correct guesses for the year! But maybe that’s because the guesses were pretty safe!

It’s a lot of fun to make predictions, partially because we already know how incorrect they might be! As always, have a little fun, but build your financial plan by focusing on the things you can control, not on random guesses about what may happen next. To hear more, listen to the full episode.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, find them on social media! LinkedIn: @CoreyJanoff and @RachelleVanderzanden; Instagram: @CoreyJanoff and @VanderzandenRachelle; and Twitter: @CoreyJanoffCFP and @RachelleFinance 

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

As we approach another new year, we take a moment to reflect on our financial plans and make adjustments as needed. In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff walk through all of the things you should be revisiting. Even if you’ve made a plan, don’t let it get stagnant and out of step with your current life and goals.

Parts of a financial plan to revisit include:

• Goals and priorities: we change over time, so this will likely change as well!
• Progress toward those goals: you may need to adjust if you are off track!
• Beneficiary designations on accounts, retirement plans, etc as well as estate planning documents.
• Insurances: the coverage you need at Age 40 is likely not the same coverage you will need at Age 55.
• Investment allocations: as your risk tolerance changes, so should your investment strategy!
• College savings: as your kid(s) get older, you may have a better idea of what they will need.

It’s a great idea to do at least an annual review. You may not need to adjust each of these things every year, but that will give you an opportunity to recognize anything in your plan that is out of step in a timely manner. I think we’d all rather know if we are off track sooner than later so we can make the necessary changes.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

The stock market is a wild and unpredictable place sometimes! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff chat through stock market “bubbles” and whether or not we might be in one right now.

This episode covers:

• The basics of a “bubble”.

• An overview of the dot.com bubble from the late 90s/early 2000s.

• Stock market performance and recovery times during and following this period.

• The value of diversification.

• Similarities and differences between the current stock market and the stock market during that period.

• How to approach long-term investing in the wake of uncertainty.

We don’t have a crystal ball! Realistically, we can assign valuations to any given company, but the stock is worth whatever price a buyer and seller can agree upon. That’s part of the reason the stock market is unpredictable, and timing the market generally does not work well. Instead, focus on your long-term goals and come up with an allocation that makes sense for you.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

Let’s do a quick review of disability insurance! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff dive into the details of long-term disability insurance. This coverage is very important for anyone who is still reliant on their income.

Discussion topics include:

• When and why you need this insurance.
• Different kinds of disability insurance.
• Details of long-term disability including a breakdown of many common riders.
• A comparison of employer/group coverage vs. individual coverage.
• How to apply for coverage.
• When you may need to increase your coverage and when it’s okay to cancel it.

No one likes paying for insurance, but insurance allows you to share some larger financial risks with a third party. Disability insurance is a great example of that. Most of us feel invincible until we’re not.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss some potential complications of declining property values. Don’t panic! This may not even apply to you, but it’s good information to understand.

If your home is worth less than you expect:

• If you purchased in the last couple of years and want to refinance, you may not be able to do so.

• Many banks require a certain percentage of equity to refinance your loan.

• Try to get the details of refinancing before you buy!

• You won’t be able to borrow against the value of your home unless you have enough equity.

• If you need to sell, you may end up actually paying money to get out of the house.

• For example, if you purchased a home for $900,000 and paid 10% down but your home is now worth $800,000, the proceeds from the sale may not be enough to pay off your mortgage and pay the closing costs on the loan.

• If you’re staying put, it may not be a big deal at all!

Generally, the longer you plan to stay in a home, the less likely you will be hit with some of these problems. You probably will have much more equity in a home you’ve lived in for ten years than one you lived in for three years.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.

Let’s go back to macroeconomics class! In this episode of Financial Clarity for Doctors, hosts Rachelle Vanderzanden and Corey Janoff discuss the basics of inflation. Why do prices continue increasing? We’d rather pay 25 cents for milk too! Unfortunately, capitalism and supply and demand make price stability pretty much impossible. And that’s not always a bad thing.

Some Basics on Inflation:

• Generally measured in the United States by something called the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which tracks the costs of goods and services.

• Sky-rocketed coming out of covid times with supply chain issues, cheap money (low interest rates), a tight labor market which generally means higher pay, and stimulus funds.

• Lots of demand because people had money, but supply was low, so prices went up.

• Now hovering around 3%, but still dealing with the effects of large increases over the past few years.

• Wages generally increase over time, which is another upward pressure on price through supply and demand.

• The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to keep inflation in check and keep unemployment low.

• That does NOT mean zero inflation. They have a target inflation rate of 2%.

• One of the biggest ways they do this is by increasing interest rates, therefore making it harder for people to purchase things they would need to finance.

• To protect against inflation:

• Keep short-term savings in something like a high-interest savings account where you can earn interest.

• Negotiate pay increases based on your cost of living.

• Retirement money should be invested so that it has a chance to grow and outpace inflation – although we know this is not a guarantee, inflation is the bigger risk to long-term money.

Inflation is a part of the global economy! We can’t get rid of it, so the best we can do is protect our personal finances as best we can from its effects. Listen to the full episode to hear more.

For more financial planning tips from Corey and Rachelle, you can reach out to them at podcast@thefinitygroup.com. They would love to hear your questions and ideas for upcoming episodes.

Discussions in this show should not be construed as specific recommendations or investment advice. Always consult with your investment professional before making important investment decisions. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Finity Group, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax or legal advice.