Net Worth Trend Over Five Years As An Attending

I started my career as an attending cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist on October 1, 2019. Beginning in January 2020, I started using Empower (referral link) to track my income, expenses, and net worth. Roughly five years later, I’m analyzing my net worth (y-axis) over time (x-axis) and have seen three phases (from left to right).

1. Initial Steady Growth (January 2020 to November 2021): Note the consistent, upward trajectory primarily from “living like a resident.” I lived in the same apartment complex I was at during my residency. 😃 I maximized my retirement contributions, saved most of my income, and contributed to investments in the market. This time also allowed me to pay off any remaining debt I had accrued throughout my training, exams, licensure fees, etc.

2. Plateau/Volatility Period (November 2021 – April 2023): This phase was rough. The stagnation and volatility related to the COVID-19 pandemic, pressures from inflation, purchasing a car, etc. made this ~1.5 year stretch very, very slow financially. However, I remained steadfast and continued to invest an even larger amount each month, knowing that things would be much better when the market did turn around. After all, time in the market is much more important than trying to time the market, so drown out the noise and keep investing!

3. Accelerated Growth (April 2023 – present): Following the plateau, there’s a significant and more consistent upward trend. Note how the slope of phase 3 is higher than that of phase 1. I attribute this accelerated growth to the appreciation of securities I bought during phase 2. This is also when I transitioned from my apartment to a much larger penthouse with more space and amenities. I hope to see phase 3 continue to have a nice run. ☺️

Down the road, I plan to take a loan against my portfolio to buy a home, invest in startups, etc. The loan’s interest rate would be lower than the year-over-year market growth rate, so I can get the funds without selling my portfolio securities. This way, I won’t jeopardize the growing value of my investments.