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In this installment of the X-ray Beam, I would like to go behind the scenes and get an in-depth look into a fellow physician blogger, Dog G, who runs the website, DiverseFi

 

 

If you can please give a brief introduction of yourself (age, medical specialty, years of medical practice))

I am a 44 year old husband and father of two.

I practice Internal Medicine including general medical care to nursing home patients, hospice, and palliative care.

 

1) Please tell us how you ended up choosing DiverseFi as the name for your website.   What were some of the other names you considered before going with this one?

I originally wanted to use AccidentalFire because I came onto this pathway circuitously, but some bozo already got that name.

I chose DiverseFI because my path is atypical.

Unlike many, I didn’t struggle with low income, outrageous loans, or really any economic hardship.

I grew up second generation FI in a middle to upper class family.

Our community is diverse, and thus the name appealed to me.

I am not your average FI.

2) When did you know you wanted to become a doctor?   Were there any influential people or events that made you embark on this career path?

My father was a beloved hemotology/oncology doctor at a local university.

 

 

I idolized him.

When he died suddenly when I was eight years old, it made concrete in me this idea of being a physician.

There has never been a time that I can remember when I didn’t think I would be a doctor.

Not even while growing up with a learning disability that significantly slowed my reading and writing abilities.

3) What were some of the deciding factors that led into choosing the medical specialty of internal medicine?   Were there any other specialties that you considered?

I always liked the idea of being a detective, so internal medicine really appealed to me.

 

 

I played around with the idea of going into critical care medicine but settled with being a general internist.

4) If you had to do it all over again, would you choose the same medical profession/specialty?

I would.

But I would have gotten an MD/MBA.

When I was in medical school, I could have applied and spent only one extra year in schooling .

I still wish I had.

5) If you were not a physician, what alternative career would you have gone into? 

I love to create businesses.

I would certainly be a businessman of some type or another.

I also enjoy real estate.

 

 

6) You and I have very similar origin stories, losing fathers, who were physicians, at a very young age (age 14 for me, 8 for you).  

In your way too brief time with your father, can you give details of his influence on you back then and how it impacts you today? 

My father loved medicine.

In fact, I have poured over his old notebooks and slides and it is very clear that he was the ultimate student of the practice of medicine.

I am definitely his son in profession but not in passion.

I am much more big picture and less details.

7) What inspired you to start a blog?   Were there any surprises along the way?  Any advice to individuals who may be contemplating starting one of their own?

So I started blogging in 2005 when I was selling art work online.

 

 

My brother, the internet guru, told me that in order to improve SEO [Search Engine Optimization] I needed ever changing content.

He suggested a companion blog.

I blogged about art work for a few months and hated it.

But, one day, I searched out medical blogs and found my passion.

I have been writing a medical blog since 2005.

I started Diversefi in December 2017 because of a growing and profound interest in personal finance.

My advice to new bloggers:  Write about whatever comes to mind, and try not to pay too much attention to stats [This is so much easier said than done and is similar in addictive quality to me as Fantasy Football ].

8)  You mentioned that you originally started with another blog.   How has DiverseFi evolved from that original blog and is that original blog also something that you currently maintain?

I still currently post on my medical blog but not as frequently.

I can go months without a new post.

I have been a much better blogger with DiverseFI.

 

In my other blog I rarely use any graphics.  There is no SEO optimization.  And I never respond to comments.

I picture my old blog as more of a soliloquy.

Diversefi is more of a conversation.

9) You are quite the prolific writer, essentially putting out a well thought out and lengthy post 7 days a week.  

Care to share any secrets on how you keep coming up with innovative topics/discussion on a daily basis (I’m asking for a friend 🙂 )? 

Have there been times when you were worried the well might run dry (this is my biggest fear and I only do a 2 post/ week schedule)?

[since this post was created I am trying to dip my toes into the 3x/wk posting schedule, adding Sunday to the mix]

The trick to writing everyday is to pay attention to the world around you.

Question everything.

 

And not be afraid to write on whatever catches your fancy.

I am constantly cataloging thoughts for future posts.

But mostly, I am always trying to draw connections between the diverse feelings, facts, and ideas that I am bombarded with everyday.

I think the well can run dry at times.

 

 

I think the key is to write through them.  Even if the posts don’t come out as well.

10)  Have you personally fallen trap to any of the typical mistakes physicians make, and if so can you name some of your biggest ones? 

My brother sold me a whole life insurance plan.

He was trying to get into the business.

He quit a few months later and I was stuck with this crappy plan.

 

 

I cashed it in quickly.

11) You have written and self –published two books which is quite a feat in itself.   Can you some details on the motivation for writing these books and some of the challenges you faced with self-publishing?

I self published two books that were mostly compilations of my previous blog posts.

It was easy to put them together because all the material was already there.

12) Do you have any pearls of wisdom/advice to aspiring authors who may want to publish a work on their own?

Writing the book is easy.

 

 

If you want to be successful, marketing is the tough part.  It’s like marketing a blog.

13) Asset allocation is considered an important step any beginning investor must determine but it can be highly individualized based on the investor’s personal risk profile.   Can you share with us your asset allocation and what influenced you in making this particular choice?

I wanted my asset allocation to be as simple as possible.

I have pretty much a lazy three fund portfolio when it comes to the market.

I hold another third to half of my wealth in real estate investments.

14) For a reader unfamiliar to your website, what are three posts you are most proud of that they can gain an insight about you and your philosophies?

1)Three Roads for Three Brothers

2) Safe Withdrawal Rate: Why We Are Kidding Ourselves

3) Is The Financial Independence Community Close Minded?

15) Is there a book or books that has made a major impact in your financial well-being? 

Yes.  The White Coat Investor by Jim Dahle.

Every physician should read it.

It was the impetus to start my blog.

16) How old were you when your net worth crossed into the 7 figure level?   Did you do anything special to mark this momentous occasion?   Did this achievement occur earlier or later than you anticipated?  

I think this must have happened somewhere in my early to mid thirties.

I don’t think I even noticed. I was too busy.

17) Can you name 5 things that have had the greatest financial impact on you?

-Marry the right person who you can be with long term, and see eye to eye about money

 

 

-Manage your own money, no one will care as much as you

-Front load the sacrifice.  Work hard when you’re are young and let momentum carry you after that,  Compounding is your friend.

-Financial independence is not a goal, it’s a goal post.  Figure what life you want to lead before reaching FI.  Live it now.

-Get past you can’t.  Everyone is going to tell you how you can’t do things.  Remember, that generally means that they can’t.  Maybe you can.

18) What is your advice to the medical student/resident/early physician who may be facing a monumental amount of debt early on in their career?

Jim Dahle said it all:  Live like a resident.  Pay off the debt quickly.

19) Do you have an annual retirement spending goal that you are aiming for?    A target net worth?    What would be your exit strategy after achieving these goals.

I think I would like to be able to spend $200K a year in retirement.

But I would be very comfortable on $150K a year.

I would like to hit eight figures in net worth.

I’m  not that far.

But it really is not that important to me.

20) What is your greatest fear, if any, you have in retirement, and are there any ways you are addressing that now?

My greatest fear is that I will struggle to find meaning.

Working gives you an artificial sense of meaning in life.

It gives you goals and things to spend your time on.

Retirement means closing a chapter that started with your first job.

 

 

I am trying to make sure I develop enough relationships, hobbies, and pursuits now to keep myself fulfilled.

 

Again thank you so much for your time answering these questions and being placed under the “X-ray beam.”   I look forward to your continued posts and wish you much success.

 

ATTENTION:

One of my dear blogging friends, Chelsea from Mama Fish Saves has just launched a wonderful product that I actually purchased two days ago.

She has created a very valuable resource called In Case of Emergency Binder.

It is 92 page PDF file that allows you to organize important documentation so that in case something happened to you, your family will not be left in the dark.

Included in this package are important topics such as:

• Household information
• Key Personal Documents
• Medical Information (including advanced directives)
• Childcare
• Insurance Policies
• Basic Financial Information (Properties, bills, cash accounts, credit cards, debt)
• Employer Information
• Social Media/Website Logins
• Investment Information (Accounts, strategy, what to do with life insurance, real estate, etc)
• Military Veteran benefit and obituary information
• Burial/Memorial Preferences
• Personal notes
• & more

 

I downloaded my copy and have began perusing it myself but did not want to waste any time in order to share it with you as Chelsea has graciously offered a special promotion price of $19 which ends this Sunday (then goes up to the regular price of $29).

Chelsea has done all the hard work and time consuming details so that you don’t have to.

Already I have encountered several sections I would have never thought of on my own but would be extremely beneficial for a surviving love one to have when I am gone.

For more information and the option to purchase this, please visit In Case Of Emergency – Mama Fish Saves.   [I do receive affiliate compensation if a purchase is made but at no cost to you]

 

 

 

And please don’t forget to subscribe to this blog so you will never miss another post like this again (also it makes me happy)