I am very passionate about… personal finance. Personal finance? Why would I write about that?

As explained at other places on this website, I also hope that we can use personal experiences in addition to clinical experiences to educate the readers of this site. I would like to state right here that I do not have any degree, certification, or other formal training in the financial or business world. I have had some success in aggressively paying down my loans and saving enough money to take advantage of unique opportunities, like volunteering in other countries. Does this make me a certified financial planner? Of course not, but I do hope the ideas and concepts I talk about could be a starting point for people to improve their finances.

The physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health of an individual are immediately considered when we think of wellness. Another aspect of wellness is our financial health. A person that suffered from a traumatic injury may also suffer the mental and social consequences. Similarly, a person mired in debt, unable to afford insurance, may endure health issues. There are so many reports about how we save too little and spend too much, we all could probably use some ideas on improving finances.

For the healthcare professionals reading this, this probably applies even more so to you. The cost of education for physical therapy and other healthcare fields can be extremely high. One of my classmates graduated with well over $200,000 in debt before interest. Since I have been in a similar boat to many of you in this regard, I hope I can share my successes (and failures) to help you out.

Hope that helps,

Steve