About the creator

Zac Otwell, CFP®

Financial planner for physicians and creator of The Attending Playbook.

I built this site around a problem I see over and over: physicians finish years of training and are suddenly expected to make a pile of high-stakes financial decisions at the exact same time their income and life are changing fast.

Zac Otwell, CFP®, financial planner for physicians

Why this exists

Financial education for the attending transition.

I’m a Certified Financial Planner™ professional who works with physicians. My work centers on the decisions that tend to pile up around the transition from residency or fellowship into attending practice.

That includes student loan strategy, retirement plans and benefits, disability and life insurance, taxes, investing, home buying, and figuring out what to do with the first meaningful jump in income.

The Attending Playbook is the educational side of that work. It is designed to give residents, fellows, and new attendings a clear place to learn the basics, understand the tradeoffs, and know which questions to ask before making a decision.

Residents & fellowsPreparing for contracts, student loan decisions, insurance, and the transition out of training.

New attendingsBuilding a plan for cash flow, benefits, investing, taxes, housing, and competing financial goals.

Residency programsPractical transition-to-practice education built around the financial decisions trainees actually face.

Start with the decision in front of you.

Browse the guides, videos, and tools built specifically for the transition into attending life.

Explore the guides