Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/743505
BY STEVE BARRETT AFTER YEARS OF SELFœSACRIFICIAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION, NEW PHYSICIANS CAN FIND THE SUDDEN EMERGENCE OF SIGNIFICANT INCOME A REFRESHING CHANGE OF PACE. BUT IF THAT UNFAMILIAR JOIE DE VIVRE ISN'T TETHERED TO OTHER FINANCIAL REALITIES § SUCH AS THE TRUCKLOAD OF EDUCATIONœREL ATED IOUs IDLING IN THE DRIVEWAY § IT CAN FOSTER BUDGETœSMASHING PURCHASES. (Affordable) ONE OF M A N Y early decisions it's important to get right is how much house to buy, according to Michael D. Paulus, CFP, CLU, ChFC, a fi nancial adviser with Minneapolis-based North Star Resource Group. Blogging for MD Magazine, Paulus urges new physicians to set aside a minimum 20 percent of their gross income for purposes such as paying down any debt with an interest rate greater than 8 percent. Achieving that benchmark is virtually impossible for a physician saddled with an outsize mortgage. A sensible mortgage is one-and-a-half to two times one's total household income, Paulus writes, though physicians with high student loan debt should exercise greater caution. In addition, physicians who are new to a community might want to delay buying a home until they are sure they are a good fi t in their new positions. Having to sell a home soon after purchasing it is costly, Paulus points out. "There is a lot of value in renting for six to 12 months while joining a new practice," he writes. "You want to be sure that you can see yourself in the position long-term, and that your spouse/children are happy in the area." ■ Home Sweet Home GLASSES TARGET BLUE LIGHT'S EFFECT ON CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS BLUE LIGHT WAVELENGTHS contain more energy than other colors of light and, according to Harvard Medical School researchers, interfere with circadian rhythm regulation by significantly sup- pressing melatonin production. Recognizing the problem this presents for a society deeply attached to screen- based technology — smartphones and high-definition computer and television screens emit high levels of blue light — Japanese eyewear company JINS has developed lenses that partially block the blues. The JINS SCREEN for daytime use and JINS SCREEN NIGHT for after dark filter out 25 percent and 60 percent of blue light, respectively. Reviewing the JINS SCREEN NIGHT, medgadget.com states that the glasses "do a good job preventing harsh light coming in while not impacting image quality significantly." ■ PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 2 2