Business is The Best Medicine
Personal Finance Blog for Medical Professionals
Welcome to Business is the Best Medicine
Latest Posts
Article 2: Cash Flow
Cash flow used to feel like a bonus. Now, it has a job. In this article, I break down how my thinking around cash flow has changed, why net positive isn’t enough, and the four jobs cash flow must do for me in this season: stability, optionality, margin, and scale. I walk through how I evaluate cash-flowing businesses, what questions matter beyond the numbers, and why cash flow can buy time now, even while long-term investing still protects the future.
My Favorite Blog Posts January 2026
In this first edition of 2026’s monthly favorites, I highlight standout posts from physician FI bloggers covering investing lessons, burnout prevention, private practice struggles, inheritance planning, scaling a medical business, and AI’s growing role in healthcare.
Financial Lessons from the NFL’s Odell Beckham, Jr.
When Odell Beckham Jr. claimed a $100 million NFL contract isn’t generational wealth, he accidentally highlighted a powerful lesson for physicians: income doesn’t build wealth—behavior does. This Super Bowl–timed article breaks down taxes, lifestyle inflation, savings rates, and simple investing to show how both athletes and doctors can either fumble or secure their financial legacy.
Article 1: I’m Growing Up, Financially
Over the past year, my relationship with money has started to change. This article is the first in a four-part series where I work through the tension between cash flow and net worth, and how that shift is shaping my decisions in this season of life.
Goal Setting, 2026 Style
In this annual goal review, Dr. Slater holds himself accountable by grading my 2025 business, financial, and personal goals, celebrating wins like reducing debt and opening a donor-advised fund while owning missed opportunities in growth, health, and execution. Looking ahead to 2026, my goals are intentionally more measured and grounded, prioritizing family, health, profitability over expansion, finishing a long-overdue personal finance book, continued debt reduction, and meaningful time with my son, proving that progress doesn’t always require ferocity, just clarity and consistency.
Goals 2026
A look back at what worked (and what didn’t) in 2025, followed by clear, intentional goals for 2026. This year’s focus is on building scalable businesses, protecting time and health, and positioning for future acquisitions, without hurry.
Favorite Podcasts of December 2025
A reflective look at December podcast favorites focused on financial independence, redefining “enough,” choosing time over money, and raising money-conscious kids during a quieter season.
My Obligatory End-of-the-Year Article
In this year-end reflection, Dr. Slater looks back on 2025 through the lens of family, health, work, and financial simplicity, sharing wins, challenges, and lessons learned while prioritizing what matters most.
My Favorite Blog Posts December 2025
In this December 2025 edition, I highlight a handful of standout physician FI blog posts on inheritance planning, resilience after a hard year, testosterone replacement therapy, and AI’s impact on medicine—all with a holiday-season dose of perspective, skepticism, and humor.
2025 End of Year Highlights
This end-of-year reflection looks back on a season of growth, challenge, and intentional change. From running a first 10K and rediscovering joy in medicine, to buying and growing a laundromat business while stepping away from full-time work, 2025 was a year of trusting the plan, trusting family, and redefining what success looks like. As the year closes, the focus shifts toward peace, purpose, and entering 2026 with clarity, gratitude, and big goals ahead.
Featured On
New Content Published Every Monday.
Archives
Article 3: Net Worth Will Always Matter
In this third article of my cash flow vs. net worth series, I make the case for why boring wealth still matters. While cash flow feels urgent and productive in this season of life, net worth quietly builds long-term security through consistent investing and disciplined budgeting. You don’t have to choose one over the other, they solve different problems at different times.
Even Medical Professionals Should Work In Their Side Hustles
High-income physicians are often told to “stay in their lane” and simply work more clinical hours instead of hustling in a side business. But that advice overlooks the long-term value of hands-on experience. In this article, I argue that working “in” your non-medical business, at least early on, builds skills, confidence, and opportunities that can ultimately surpass the returns of extra shifts. The short-term ROI may favor medicine, but the long game belongs to those willing to hustle.
Favorite Podcasts of January 2026
Life has certainly been “life-ing” lately. I started training for a half marathon, which added a couple of hours to my week, and while that usually means more podcast time, many of my runs lately have turned into dance parties and mystery books with the kids (the joys). Still, I squeezed in a few January favorites during solo miles and commutes. From reflections on starting early with investing and building non-clinical income streams, to designing a life you actually want instead of living by default, to being intentional about teaching our kids financial literacy, these episodes all centered around one theme: using money as a tool to create margin, freedom, and purpose in everyday life.
Article 2: Cash Flow
Cash flow used to feel like a bonus. Now, it has a job. In this article, I break down how my thinking around cash flow has changed, why net positive isn’t enough, and the four jobs cash flow must do for me in this season: stability, optionality, margin, and scale. I walk through how I evaluate cash-flowing businesses, what questions matter beyond the numbers, and why cash flow can buy time now, even while long-term investing still protects the future.
My Favorite Blog Posts January 2026
In this first edition of 2026’s monthly favorites, I highlight standout posts from physician FI bloggers covering investing lessons, burnout prevention, private practice struggles, inheritance planning, scaling a medical business, and AI’s growing role in healthcare.
Financial Lessons from the NFL’s Odell Beckham, Jr.
When Odell Beckham Jr. claimed a $100 million NFL contract isn’t generational wealth, he accidentally highlighted a powerful lesson for physicians: income doesn’t build wealth—behavior does. This Super Bowl–timed article breaks down taxes, lifestyle inflation, savings rates, and simple investing to show how both athletes and doctors can either fumble or secure their financial legacy.
Article 1: I’m Growing Up, Financially
Over the past year, my relationship with money has started to change. This article is the first in a four-part series where I work through the tension between cash flow and net worth, and how that shift is shaping my decisions in this season of life.
Goal Setting, 2026 Style
In this annual goal review, Dr. Slater holds himself accountable by grading my 2025 business, financial, and personal goals, celebrating wins like reducing debt and opening a donor-advised fund while owning missed opportunities in growth, health, and execution. Looking ahead to 2026, my goals are intentionally more measured and grounded, prioritizing family, health, profitability over expansion, finishing a long-overdue personal finance book, continued debt reduction, and meaningful time with my son, proving that progress doesn’t always require ferocity, just clarity and consistency.
Goals 2026
A look back at what worked (and what didn’t) in 2025, followed by clear, intentional goals for 2026. This year’s focus is on building scalable businesses, protecting time and health, and positioning for future acquisitions, without hurry.
Neill Slater MD, MBA
Author
Heather Zamarron PA-C
Author
Featured On
