FOUNDATIONS
The financial foundation, before the financial complexity.
I finished residency the way a lot of physicians do: over $300,000 in student loan debt, living paycheck to paycheck, learning the hard way what a dollar is actually worth — and, more importantly, what time does to money left to grow. Étalon Foundations exists because I wish someone had walked me through this back then, instead of leaving me to figure it out alone.
Medical school and residency come with a specific, predictable set of financial decisions — and almost no training in how to make them. Foundations gives medical students, residents, and incoming attendings direct access to that guidance, years before a full financial planning engagement makes sense.
Who This Is For
Medical students (MS1–MS4)
What you're likely facing: Understanding loan terms before they compound into a real strategy; budgeting on limited or no income.
Residents & fellows (PGY1+)
What you're likely facing: Choosing a repayment strategy under real deadlines; starting to save and insure on a resident salary.
Incoming attendings
What you're likely facing: Reviewing your first real contract; building the plan for the income jump that's about to happen.
The Foundations Roadmap
A complete, personalized financial plan — investing basics, loan strategy, insurance, and a clear direction for the next five years — for $250, not the several thousand dollars a plan like this normally costs. This is the flagship Foundations offering, available to a limited number of applicants each cohort.
Selection is needs-based. Student loan debt is a major factor, but not the only one — the application looks at your complete financial picture, not a single number. What matters is genuine need and specificity, not how polished the application is.
How to Apply
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Submit the application — covers your training stage, your full financial picture (see below), and what you're hoping to get out of a plan.
Applications are reviewed each cohort on a needs basis, weighing debt, income, financial support, and stated goals together.
Selected applicants are notified and begin with the $250 engagement fee.
Your plan is built and delivered — the same process and rigor as a full-fee engagement, scaled to your situation.
Other Ways to Start
Complimentary 30-minute intro conversation
no cost, no obligation.
Student loan repayment strategy session
flat-fee, single session.
First attending contract review
flat-fee, timed for PGY-3+ residents approaching their job search.
Early investing & insurance basics session
flat-fee, disability insurance and Roth vs. traditional basics.
If you're not selected for the Roadmap in a given cohort, you're not turned away — the free conversation and the flat-fee sessions above remain open to everyone in this program, any time.
Apply for the Foundations Roadmap
Join eligible medical students, residents, and incoming attendings in establishing your financial future today.