Elements® Comprehensive Financial Planning for Dentists
Elements® is a proactive treatment plan for your financial health. It’s the difference between control and damage control. It provides assurance that all your hard work is paying off.
Explore the Elements®
To learn how the Elements® function, click on one of the four main questions answered by the table or select an individual block for further explanation.
How our advisors use Elements®
Organize
Elements® analysis is performed on a recurring, calendar-based schedule.
Each evaluation is based on current information, which we gather through live connections with your Dentist Advisors dashboard and by requesting updated documents from your other service professionals.
Analyze
In-depth analysis for each Element includes:
- Detailed audit
- Performance calculation (quantifiable score)
- Peer benchmarking
- Review of related Elements®
Decide
Upon review of your Elements® performance summary, your advisor will determine if adjustments are needed to optimize your plan.
Depending on the level of explanation required, recommendations will be delivered to you by email, video, or phone.
Act
As the point person on your financial plan, your advisor will:
- Assign action items to our internal team
- Facilitate conversations with your other service professionals
- Introduce you to approved industry partners
Address your financial health indicators on a recurring schedule
How does your performance compare?
See how your performance compares to hundreds of other dentists. Take our Elements® benchmark survey to receive your free report.
Elements® Related Resources
Explore educational content related to each Element in our periodic table of financial indicators
A Year in the Life of a Dentist Advisors Client – Episode 282
What is it like to be a Dentist Advisors client? On this episode of the Dentist Money™ Show, Ryan and...
4 Unsexy Truths of Comprehensive Financial Planning – Episode 279
When you need to make tough money decisions, it’s critical that you have your financial house in order. On this...
What’s Your Real Income? Here’s Why Most Dentists Get It Wrong. – Episode 276
Taxable income and gross cash flow. What’s the difference and why is it important? On this episode of the Dentist...
Should You Listen to an Advisor Who Earns Less Than You? – Episode 275
You make a high income, should you only get financial advice from someone who makes as much—or more? Many people...
What I Wish I Knew When I Was 22 – Episode 272
Did the money mistakes of your youth bias how you think about investing today? On this episode of the Dentist...
A Warren Buffett Investment Secret You Can Mimic – Episode 267
If you could imitate a secret ingredient to Warren Buffett’s investment success, would you do it? Warren Buffett is considered...
Advice Dentists Want vs Advice Dentists Need – Episode 266
When it comes to financial advice you may think you know what you need—chances are you’re wrong! Dentists looking for...
Two Powerful Tips to Help You Reach Your Financial Resolutions – Episode 265
It’s time to set some goals. Learn two proven ways to make successful financial resolutions. On this episode of the...
Bad Decisions? Bad Luck? Or Both? – Episode 260
Are financial mistakes the result of just being unlucky? Recorded on Friday the 13th, Ryan and Matt bring you a...
What Dentists Want to Know — Listener Q&A #17 – Episode 255
How are portfolios diversified and why should they be rebalanced periodically? On this listener Q&A episode of the Dentist Money™...
Do Your Favorite Song Lyrics Lead to Mo’ Money or Mo’ Problems? – Episode 254
Does the music you listen to influence your attitude towards money for good … or bad? What do Kurt Rambus,...
Do investment behaviors affect wealth accumulation?
In this video clip, Ryan Isaac and Matt Mulcock discuss how controlling your own investment behavior has a greater effect...
Er [Equity Rate]
Helps us determine whether the client will experience too much volatility risk for their personal level of spending and age.
EQUITY INVESTMENTS
TOTAL INVESTMENTS
Podcast
Six Keys to Powerful Investment Portfolios – Episode 55
Education Library
Explore Er (Equity Rate) related Resources
Pr [Profitability Rate]
Measures how much money the practice owner keeps as a percentage of collections. This serves as an important indicator of business efficiency.
TOTAL PRACTICE-
RELATED INCOME
TOTAL COLLECTIONS
Podcast
Dentist Money: The Profitability Killer – Episode 8
Education Library
Explore Pr (Profitability Rate) related Resources
Ir [Insurance Rate]
Measures how much insurance a person has compared to how much they need based on annual spending and net worth. Coverage is evaluated for the following types of insurance: life, general disability, business overhead disability, buy-sell, key person, personal liability, and business liability.
INSURANCE
COVERAGE HELD
INSURANCE
COVERAGE REQUIRED
Podcast
How to Bullet Proof Yourself Against Litigation – Episode 18
Education Library
Explore Ir (Insurance Rate) related Resources
Sr [Savings Rate]
Indicates how much of a person’s income is being put away for future expenses, emergencies, and retirement.
ANNUAL SAVINGS
TOTAL
PERSONAL INCOME
Podcast
The Hidden Costs that Delay a Dentist’s Retirement – Episode 61
Education Library
Explore Sr (Savings Rate) related Resources
Br [Burn Rate]
Helps us understand a client’s spending patterns and retirement preparedness.
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
TOTAL PERSONAL
INCOME
Podcast
This is Why Dentists Spend Too Much Money – Episode 95
Education Library
Explore Br (Burn Rate) related Resources
Dr [Debt Rate]
Indicates whether a person is servicing too much or too little debt for their individual circumstances.
ANNUAL DEBT
PAYMENTS
TOTAL PERSONAL
INCOME
Podcast
How Fast Should You Pay Off Your Loans? – Episode 102
Education Library
Explore Dr (Debt Rate) related Resources
Tr [Tax Rate]
Indicates whether tax liability could be reduced with better tax planning.
ANNUAL TOTAL TAXES
TOTAL PERSONAL
INCOME
Podcast
Dentist Money: Do You Have a Tax Strategy? – Episode 10
Education Library
Explore Tr (Tax Rate) related Resources
Lt [Liquid Term]
Estimates the number of years a person could live on his/her cash or cash-like assets outside of a retirement plan. Lt also indicates the amount of after-tax money an individual can access if needed.
TOTAL LIQUID ASSETS
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
Podcast
How Much Money Should You Keep in Your Bank Account? – Episode 17
Education Library
Explore Lt (Liquid Term) related Resources
Qt [Qualified Term]
Estimates the number of years a dentist could live on the assets he/she has within qualified retirement plans (401k, IRA, etc.).
RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
Podcast
Everything You Need to Know About Retirement Plans – Episode 53
Education Library
Explore Qt (Qualified Term) related Resources
Pt [Practice Term]
Estimates the number of years a person could live on his/her current practice equity. It also indicates how much of a person’s wealth is concentrated in the practice.
TOTAL PRACTICE EQUITY
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
Podcast
How to Stop Your Practice from Bossing You Around – Episode 92
Education Library
Explore Pt (Practice Term) related Resources
Rt [Real Estate Term]
Estimates the number of years a person could live on his/her current real estate equity. It also indicates how much of a person’s wealth is concentrated in real estate.
TOTAL REAL
ESTATE EQUITY
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
Podcast
The Truth About Real Estate Ownership – Episode 60
Education Library
Explore Rt (Real Estate Term) related Resources
Tt [Total Term]
Estimates the number of years a person could live on his or her current assets if they did not grow. This includes cash, investments, practice value, and real estate equity.
NET WORTH
ANNUAL PERSONAL
SPENDING
Podcast
How Successful Dentists Track Financial Progress – Episode 64
Education Library
Explore Tt (Total Term) related Resources
How much wealth do I need to make work optional?
Tt (Total Term) is the crown jewel of the Elements® table because it indicates how long you could live on your current wealth if it did not grow. In other words, it provides a conservative estimate of how many years you could survive if you stopped working today. Tt is calculated by dividing net worth by annual personal spending. It is also a summation of the four blocks to its left which represent each asset type: Rt (Real Estate Term), Pt (Practice Term), Qt (Qualified Term), Lt (Liquid Term).
Do I have the right mix of assets?
The four blocks to the left of Tt (Total Term) estimate how long you could live on your liquid assets, qualified retirement plans, practice equity, and real estate equity respectively. These represent the four asset types in a dentist’s portfolio, and when added together, they create your Tt. These four blocks also provide a clear view of your asset distribution to help you and your advisor understand if there’s an opportunity for better diversification.
Podcast #82
The Numbers Dentists Need to Know to Retire Better
Am I using my income wisely?
The second row of the Elements® table calculates the percentage of your total income that goes toward savings (Savings Rate), spending (Burn Rate), Debt (Debt Rate), and Taxes (Tax Rate). These are the only four places your income can go and it’s important to keep them optimized to accelerate growth.
Podcast #95
This is Why Dentists Spend Too Much Money
Am I taking the right amount of risk?
The top row of Elements® contains Er (Equity Rate), Pr (Profitability Rate), and Ir (Insurance Rate). These ratios indicate risk levels within your investment portfolio, business, and insurance profile respectively. The amount of risk you should take in each area will depend on a number of factors including your tolerance for risk, career phase, liquidity, and financial goals.
Podcast
How Much Insurance Does a Dentist Need? – Episode #100
Sample Elements® performance summaries
(Click images to view full PDFs)
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
