Services for Physicians Over 50
You've built it a career. Now it has to last.
Somewhere in your fifties the question changes. It stops being “am I saving enough” and becomes “does this actually work” — and the two require completely different kinds of planning.
These are your highest-earning years and your last real window to shelter income, restructure accounts, and fix anything that’s drifted. They’re also when small mistakes get expensive, because there’s less time to recover from them. We help you use the window deliberately.
Making the Most of Your Peak Earning Years
This is the last stretch where you can meaningfully change the size of the outcome. Catch-up contributions open up at 50, and for physicians with 1099 or practice income, plan structures like defined benefit plans can shelter far more than a standard 401(k).
Two strategies most physicians never hear about from their plan provider: the mega backdoor Roth, and in-service 401(k) withdrawals, which can unlock flexibility while you’re still employed.
Turning Savings Into Income
Accumulating and withdrawing are different problems, and the second one has a trap in it. Sequence of returns risk means two identical portfolios can end up dramatically far apart based only on when the bad years land — and the years right around your retirement date matter most.
We build a withdrawal plan that accounts for it: which accounts you draw from and in what order, how much is reasonable, and where your income comes from before Social Security starts.
Taxes in the Drawdown Years
The window between retiring and starting required distributions is the most valuable tax planning opportunity most physicians will ever have, and it’s easy to miss entirely. Income is temporarily low, which makes Roth conversions unusually effective.
Get it wrong and a large pre-tax balance becomes a tax problem later. Our posts on avoiding required minimum distributions and QLACs cover the strategies we use most.
Winding Down Your Practice
Very few physicians stop all at once. Cutting back to part-time, picking up locums, moving to 1099 work, or selling into a group all change your income, your benefits, and your retirement plan options at the same time.
If you’re weighing employment structures, W-2 vs. 1099 compares the math, and our Independent Contractor Physicians page covers that path. If a pension is on the table, lump sum or pension walks through the decision.
Legacy & Wealth Transfer
Inherited retirement accounts are taxed hard, and heirs generally have to empty them within ten years — often landing in their own peak earning years. Without planning, a meaningful share goes to the IRS instead of your family.
There are better structures. Life insurance can do more than replace income when the goal is transferring wealth efficiently. We coordinate with your attorney and CPA so the documents, beneficiary designations, and plan agree with each other.
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