Hollis, NH - Sherrill St. Germain, MBA, CFP®, Principal of Hollis-based New Means Financial Planning, was quoted on the topic of financial planning for career changers in the May/June issue of Doctor's Digest magazine.

The Doctor's Digest article, Using Values to Set Priorities, urges doctors to evaluate their personal values and priorities before trying to build a financial plan. A single-minded focus on accumulating enough assets to retire early might not be right for everyone, if it means living an "all work, no play" existence or toiling away at a demanding but no longer meaningful job. "Contrary to popular opinion," St. Germain said, "the goal of financial planning is not to earn as much as you can as quickly as you can, while living like a pauper and saving everything for retirement."

Retirement is just one of many possible financial goals. "Equally important is living a life that is meaningful to you in the time between now and then." Financial planning is "all about determining the needs, wants, and goals that you anticipate over the long haul, then making spending and saving choices that strike the right balance between them," observed St. Germain. This might well include leaving that high income job to accommodate a more satisfying, but more modest lifestyle, and a physician's financial plan needs to take that into account.

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