With declining reimbursements from payors and rising overhead, some physicians are experiencing decreasing satisfaction when relying on their clinical practice as their sole form of income. Today, it seems most physicians need to work harder to achieve the lifestyle they expected prior to entering medicine. Many physicians are turning to "alternative" forms of practice in order to supplement their dwindling incomes. Aesthetic procedures are currently en vouge with many practitioners. Although more lucrative, performing these types of procedures was probably not the reason most of us went into medicine.

Financial freedom is becoming harder and harder to obtain. The "entitlement programs" of Medicare and Medicaid are forecasting lower and lower future physician reimbursements. No one expects this trend to reverse in the foreseeable future. For most physicians, running a business was never taught in medical school. We were taught science and clinical skills. Many experienced a rude awakening when realizing they could not afford many of the staples of life through their income as a physician.

Robery Kiyosaki, author of the best selling book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", will dispell the way you think about money, education, and investing. Did you know that debt is actually good? Did you know your house is NOT an asset? Did you know your 401K is probably one of the worst strategies for accumulating wealth? After reading his book or listening to his audiobooks (I recommend this) you will understand why the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the shrinking middle class bears the brunt of it all. He also shows you what you can do about it.

An Excerpt From "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"

I had two dads - a rich one and a poor one.

One dad was highly educated and intelligent; he had a Ph.D. and had completed four years of under-graduate work in less than two years. He then went to Stanford University , the University of Chicago , and Northwestern University to do his advanced studies. All on full, financial scholarships.

My other dad never finished the eighth grade.

Both men were successful in their careers, working hard all their lives. Both earned substantial incomes.

Yet one dad struggled financially all his life and the other dad would become one of the richest men in Hawaii .

One died leaving tens of millions of dollars to his family, charities, and his church. The other left a legacy of unpaid bills.

Both men were strong, charismatic, and influential. Both men offered me advice, but they did not advise the same things.

Having two dads as advisors offered me the perspective of contrasting points of view: one of a rich man and one of a poor man. The problem was that my rich dad was not yet rich, and my poor dad not yet poor. Both were just starting out in their careers; both were struggling with money and families.

But, regardless of those facts, both had very different points of view on the subject of money.

One dad would say, "The love of money is the root of all evil." The other, "The lack of money is the root of all evil." Having two dads - and loving them both - forced me to think about, and ultimately choose, a way of thinking for myself.

I had to think about each dad's advice and, in doing so, gained valuable insights into the power and effect of one's thoughts on one's life. For example: My poor dad had a habit of saying, "I can't afford it." My rich dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted that I say, "How can I afford it?" One is a statement, the other a question. One lets you off the hook; the other forces you to think. My rich dad would explain that by automatically saying the words "I can't afford it" your brain stops working. By asking the question "How can I afford it?" your brain is put to work.

My rich dad did not mean 'buy everything you wanted.' He was, though, fanatical about exercising your mind – the most powerful computer in the world. My rich dad said: "My brain gets stronger every day because I exercise it. The stronger it gets, the more money I can make." He believed that automatically saying "I can't afford it" was a sign of mental laziness.

Although both dads worked hard, I noticed that my Poor Dad had a habit of putting his brain to sleep when it came to money matters. My Rich Dad, on the other hand, made a habit of exercising his brain. The long-term result was that one dad grew stronger financially and the other grew weaker.

Being a product of two strong dads allowed me the luxury of observing the effects that different thoughts have on one's life. I noticed that people really do shape their lives through their thoughts.

The power of our thoughts may never be measured or appreciated, but it became obvious to me as a young boy that there was value and power in being aware of my thoughts and how I expressed myself. I noticed that my poor dad was poor not because of the amount of money he earned – which was significant – but because of his thoughts and actions. As a young boy having two fathers I became acutely aware of being careful in deciding which thoughts I chose to adopt as my own and to whom should I listen – my rich dad or my poor dad?

At the age of nine I decided to listen to and learn from my rich dad about money. In doing so, I chose not to listen to my poor dad – my real dad – even though he was the one with all the college degrees.

One of my dads is a multi-millionaire. The other is a poor man. Why? Very simply, it comes down to their respective attitudes toward money and life. Take a look at the differences... and think about where you fit...

Understanding the difference in attitudes between rich dad and poor dad – is essential to taking the first steps to financial freedom