Finding the Right Financial Advisor for Physicians

Three fee-only firms that work with doctors — plus the four things I teach every physician to look for before hiring anyone.

Disclosure. Each advisory firm listed on this page pays Money Meets Medicine the same flat monthly fee to be listed here. The fee is not tied to how many people book a call, whether you become a client, or how much you invest. It is still a conflict of interest, and you should weigh it. Neither Jimmy Turner nor Physician Philosopher LLC is a client of any firm listed on this page, and you are under no obligation to work with any of them. Every visitor sees the same firms, in an order that changes randomly with each visit, and each firm’s own required disclosure appears directly beneath its name.

The Four F’s of a Good Financial Advisor for Doctors

These are the four things I teach physicians to check before hiring anyone. Use them on the firms below, and on any advisor you talk to.

Fee-only

Paid only by you. No commissions, no products to sell, and nothing extra for steering you into a particular policy or fund. If an advisor earns more by recommending one thing over another, you never fully know whose interest the advice is serving.

Fiduciary

Legally required to put your interests ahead of their own — all of the time, not just when they’re managing your investments. Ask any advisor directly, and get the answer in writing.

Fees that are reasonable

What you get back should be worth more than what you pay. If all your fee buys is investment management, you’re probably overpaying. The return should come from the whole plan — student loans, taxes, insurance, contracts and savings — not just the portfolio.

Familiar with physicians

Our finances don’t look like anyone else’s: a decade or more of training, six-figure student loans, a sudden jump in income, disability insurance that actually matters, and contracts most people never see. An advisor who works with doctors every day already knows the playbook.

Every firm on this page is fee-only, a fiduciary, and works with physicians. Whether the fee is worth it for you is your call — each listing shows exactly what you’d pay and what’s included.

For residents and fellows

All three firms, in random order. Each listing shows who they take during training and what it costs.

Oldfather Financial Services

Tristan Crook, CFP®, CSLP® — Kearney, NE, working nationwide by video

Disclosure

In return for endorsing the investment advisory services of OFS Enterprise LLC (“OFS”), OFS has agreed to compensate Physician Philosopher LLC with a flat monthly fee for recommending OFS. The receipt of this compensation creates a conflict of interest because Physician Philosopher LLC has an incentive to recommend OFS. You are under no obligation to use the services of OFS. Physician Philosopher LLC is not an employee of OFS and does not render investment advice on behalf of OFS. Physician Philosopher LLC’s services consist solely of providing an endorsement. No person or organization that subsequently becomes a client of OFS will be charged more than any other new client who was not referred by Physician Philosopher LLC.

I help physicians and other medical professionals navigate all things finance: student loan strategy, tax planning, investment management, and more, through any stage from residency and fellowship through attending life. I work best with people who want a long-term relationship with someone who’s always in their corner, helping them get wherever they want to be.

Yes. No commissions, and no insurance or investment products sold by anyone at the firm.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
Ongoing planning and investment management
  • 1.25% of assets under $500,000 — lower rates apply above that
  • No account minimum
One-time plans
  • $2,500 to $10,000, depending on the complexity of your situation
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2  ·  Form CRS before engaging them.
Works with residents and fellows at every stage of training, through attending life. Tristan has worked with physicians for nearly four years, backed by senior advisors at the firm who have done so for decades, and holds the CSLP® student loan credential.
How they work
Ongoing planning with investment management, or a one-time plan if you’d rather not commit to an ongoing relationship. They’ll also work with you if you manage your own investments.
Book an intro call with Tristan

Aptus Financial

Little Rock, AR — working nationwide by video since 2011

Disclosure

Aptus Financial has an advertising agreement with Money Meets Medicine (MMM). This agreement includes listing Aptus Financial as a recommended advisor on the MMM website (moneymeetsmedicine.com). It also includes the promotion of Aptus’s services on the MMM social media platforms when deemed appropriate by MMM. As part of this agreement, Aptus pays MMM a flat fee. The fee is not based on the volume of business generated or the number of leads generated for Aptus. As a result of this agreement MMM has an incentive to recommend Aptus, resulting in a material conflict of interest. MMM is not an Aptus client.

We work with early-career physicians to help them make sense of and prioritize financial issues that arise as their incomes and lives change. We help them manage cash flows, save for rainy days and retirement, slay student loans, assess workplace benefits, consider home buying decisions, evaluate insurance, and invest simply and effectively. We listen to our clients with curiosity, educate them so they are in control, and help them step back, get the big picture, and simplify their finances.

Yes. Flat fees only — they don’t manage assets and don’t sell anything.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
No trainee-specific pricing at the moment.Package 1 — most common
  • Comprehensive Plan — $3,700, one time. Two 2-hour Zoom meetings plus 8 hours of planning.
  • AptusCare — $205/month ($2,460/year). Ongoing guidance through the year.
  • Annual Review — $1,250. A yearly update to the plan.
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2 and Form CRS before engaging them.
Takes residents and fellows in their final year of training — not earlier. 15 years working with physicians, with student loan experts on staff, including PSLF.
How they work
Advice only. They build the plan and teach you to run it, and you keep managing your own accounts. Ongoing relationships only, with a one-year commitment.
Book an intro call with Aptus

Wrenne Financial Planning

Lexington, KY — seven CFP® advisors working nationwide by video

Disclosure

Wrenne Financial Planning, LLC (“WFP”) pays Physician Philosopher LLC, which operates Money Meets Medicine, a flat monthly fee to participate in this advisor referral program. Neither Jimmy Turner or Money Meets Medicine are current clients of WFP. This cash compensation creates a material conflict of interest because Money Meets Medicine has a financial incentive to include and recommend WFP. All participating advisory firms pay the same flat monthly fee.

Neither Jimmy Turner or Physician Philosopher LLC are employees of WFP and do not provide investment advice on WFP’s behalf. Clients referred through Money Meets Medicine are not charged a higher fee solely because of the referral.

Wrenne Financial Planning LLC (“WFP”) is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

We work best with physicians who are navigating important financial decisions as their careers and lives become more complex. We help with the decisions in front of them now, including student loans, buying a home, and investment strategy, while also making sure those choices support their longer-term goals. Our role is to help bring everything together into a plan that reflects what matters most to them.

Yes. A flat fee, with no commissions and no insurance products.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
Before you sign an attending contract
  • $375 one-time setup fee
  • $135/month if single
  • $162/month if married
After you sign an attending contract
  • You move to comprehensive planning, and may qualify for 50% off the applicable fee while still in training, depending on household income
Investment management is included in the flat fee — no separate percentage-of-assets charge.
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2  ·  Form CRS before engaging them.
12 years working with physicians, with a dedicated planning track and pricing for residents and fellows. One of their advisors holds the CSLP® student loan credential.
How they work
Ongoing planning with investment management included, or keep managing your own accounts if you prefer. Ongoing relationships only.
Worth knowing
If you’re married, both spouses take part in the planning, even if you keep separate finances.
Book an intro call with Wrenne
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For attending physicians

All three firms, in random order. Each listing shows how they work with attendings and what you’d typically pay.

Oldfather Financial Services

Tristan Crook, CFP®, CSLP® — Kearney, NE, working nationwide by video

Disclosure

In return for endorsing the investment advisory services of OFS Enterprise LLC (“OFS”), OFS has agreed to compensate Physician Philosopher LLC with a flat monthly fee for recommending OFS. The receipt of this compensation creates a conflict of interest because Physician Philosopher LLC has an incentive to recommend OFS. You are under no obligation to use the services of OFS. Physician Philosopher LLC is not an employee of OFS and does not render investment advice on behalf of OFS. Physician Philosopher LLC’s services consist solely of providing an endorsement. No person or organization that subsequently becomes a client of OFS will be charged more than any other new client who was not referred by Physician Philosopher LLC.

I help physicians and other medical professionals navigate all things finance: student loan strategy, tax planning, investment management, and more, through any stage from residency and fellowship through attending life. I work best with people who want a long-term relationship with someone who’s always in their corner, helping them get wherever they want to be.

Yes. No commissions, and no insurance or investment products sold by anyone at the firm.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
Ongoing planning and investment management
  • Under $500,000 — 1.25%
  • $500,000 to $1 million — 1%
  • Above $1 million — 0.75% or lower
The rate is not tiered. Whichever band your total balance falls into applies to the entire balance — at $1.2 million, the full amount is billed at 0.75%. No account minimum.One-time plans
  • $2,500 to $10,000, depending on the complexity of your situation
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2  ·  Form CRS before engaging them.
Works with attendings at every stage, including practice owners, as well as dentists, PAs, NPs, CRNAs, pharmacists and other clinicians. Tristan holds the CSLP® student loan credential, backed by senior advisors who have worked with physicians for decades.
How they work
Ongoing planning with investment management. One-time plans are also available, and they’ll work with you if you manage your own investments.
Book an intro call with Tristan

Aptus Financial

Little Rock, AR — working nationwide by video since 2011

Disclosure

Aptus Financial has an advertising agreement with Money Meets Medicine (MMM). This agreement includes listing Aptus Financial as a recommended advisor on the MMM website (www.http://moneymeetsmedicine.com/). It also includes the promotion of Aptus’s services on the MMM social media platforms when deemed appropriate by MMM. As part of this agreement, Aptus pays MMM a flat fee. The fee is not based on the volume of business generated or the number of leads generated for Aptus. As a result of this agreement MMM has an incentive to recommend Aptus, resulting in a material conflict of interest. MMM is not an Aptus client.

We work with early-career physicians to help them make sense of and prioritize financial issues that arise as their incomes and lives change. We help them manage cash flows, save for rainy days and retirement, slay student loans, assess workplace benefits, consider home buying decisions, evaluate insurance, and invest simply and effectively. We listen to our clients with curiosity, educate them so they are in control, and help them step back, get the big picture, and simplify their finances.

Yes. Flat fees only — they don’t manage assets and don’t sell anything.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
Packaged rather than à la carte, and fixed — the price varies only by package.Package 1 — most common
  • Comprehensive Plan — $3,700, one time. Two 2-hour Zoom meetings plus 8 hours of planning.
  • AptusCare — $205/month ($2,460/year). Ongoing guidance through the year.
  • Annual Review — $1,250. A yearly update to the plan.
Package 2 — business and practice owners, or anyone needing more planning time
  • Enhanced Plan — $5,000, one time. Two 2-hour Zoom meetings plus 12 hours of planning.
  • AptusCare Enhanced — $335/month ($4,020/year). More extensive ongoing support.
  • Enhanced Annual Review — $1,850. A detailed yearly update.
Typically around $7,400 the first year and around $3,700 a year after that on Package 1. No asset or income minimum.
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2 and Form CRS before engaging them.
15 years working with physicians, from new attendings to established practice owners. Student loan experts on staff, including PSLF. Also works with non-physician clinicians.
How they work
Advice only. They build the plan and teach you to run it, and you keep managing your own accounts. Ongoing relationships only, with a one-year commitment.
Book an intro call with Aptus

Wrenne Financial Planning

Lexington, KY — seven CFP® advisors working nationwide by video

Disclosure

Wrenne Financial Planning, LLC (“WFP”) pays Physician Philosopher LLC, which operates Money Meets Medicine, a flat monthly fee to participate in this advisor referral program. Neither Jimmy Turner or Money Meets Medicine are current clients of WFP. This cash compensation creates a material conflict of interest because Money Meets Medicine has a financial incentive to include and recommend WFP. All participating advisory firms pay the same flat monthly fee.

Neither Jimmy Turner or Physician Philosopher LLC are employees of WFP and do not provide investment advice on WFP’s behalf. Clients referred through Money Meets Medicine are not charged a higher fee solely because of the referral.

Wrenne Financial Planning LLC (“WFP”) is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

We work best with physicians who are navigating important financial decisions as their careers and lives become more complex. We help with the decisions in front of them now, including student loans, buying a home, and investment strategy, while also making sure those choices support their longer-term goals. Our role is to help bring everything together into a plan that reflects what matters most to them.

Yes. A flat fee, with no commissions and no insurance products.
Yes. An SEC-registered investment adviser, legally required to act in your best interest.
Fees
Comprehensive financial planning
  • $1,500 one-time setup fee
  • Single individual — from $541/month
  • Married household — from $649/month
These starting rates apply to many early-career physicians; fees may be higher for more complex situations. A new attending typically pays about $7,992 single or $9,288 married in the first year, then from about $6,492 or $7,788 a year. Investment management is included, with no investment minimum. Use the fee calculator on Wrenne’s website to estimate your fee.
Review this firm’s Form ADV Part 2  ·  Form CRS before engaging them.
12 years working with physicians at every stage, including practice owners. Seven CFP® advisors, one of whom holds the CSLP® student loan credential. Also works with non-physician clinicians.
How they work
Ongoing planning with investment management included, or keep managing your own accounts if you prefer. Ongoing relationships only.
Worth knowing
If you’re married, both spouses take part in the planning, even if you keep separate finances. If consumer debt is high relative to your overall situation, they may suggest stabilizing cash flow and paying it down first.
Book an intro call with Wrenne
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Important disclosures

Money Meets Medicine and Physician Philosopher LLC are not investment advisers and do not provide investment advice. The firms on this page are endorsed to everyone who visits it: every visitor sees the same firms and the same information, and this page does not evaluate your personal situation. Nothing here is a recommendation that any particular firm is right for you. Neither Jimmy Turner nor Physician Philosopher LLC is a client of any advisory firm listed here.

The advisory firms on this page each pay Money Meets Medicine the same flat monthly fee to be listed. This page is educational, is not investment advice, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Its contents are not intended to serve as the basis for any financial decision. Nothing here should be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Using this page does not create an advisory, fiduciary, or other professional relationship between you and Money Meets Medicine or Physician Philosopher LLC, and it does not create a client relationship with any firm listed.

Links to third-party websites are provided for your convenience only. We do not control the content of any linked site, including the page you land on after clicking through, and that content may change at any time without notice to us. We are not responsible for the accuracy, legality, completeness, or content of any third-party site. Any decision to engage an advisory firm is solely yours, and should be made only after reviewing that firm’s Form ADV and Form CRS and discussing your own circumstances with them directly.