MoneyRx for CRNAs Podcast

She did it as a PA. Not a surgeon. Not an attending physician. A PA who refused to believe that wealth building was someone else’s story. In this episode of MoneyRx, she and Brett Fellows, CFP®, dig into the mindset traps, student loan mistakes, and tax strategies that determine whether high-earning healthcare professionals can build the financial freedom they’ve worked for. Read on for the biggest takeaways.

Amanda Kay left W2 life over a year ago. She lost a hospital contract, had some tight months, and almost went back. Her husband told her not to. Brett Fellows sat down with Amanda to hear what a year of full independence taught her.

Most CRNAs and nurse practitioners who ask this question are really asking the wrong one. The mortgage rate is not the variable that decides this, and for a household with most of its net worth locked inside a pre-tax 403(b), that distinction is worth about $190,000.

Most CRNAs approaching retirement are told they have to choose between an ACA subsidy and a Roth conversion. That framing can cost an average nurse’s household hundreds of thousands of dollars. Brett Fellows breaks down why the choice is false, what the shadow tax is doing to your marginal rate without showing up on your return, and how The Conversion Calendar puts both levers to work across the right years of your retirement runway.

Most nurses retire with a solid balance and a tax problem they never saw coming. This episode lays out the three reasons the default savings path costs high-earning CRNAs and NPs six figures in retirement, and the three moves to fix it before the window closes.

People who build a line-item retirement budget typically estimate what they think they can live on, not what they spend. That gap, 20 to 30% above estimates on average, can be the difference between a plan that holds and one that doesn’t. This post walks through the Subtract-and-Replace Budget: a two-part framework that starts with your paycheck instead of guessing at future expenses, and surfaces the four cost categories that decide whether a retirement plan survives.

Many CRNAs and nurse practitioners retire with more than enough. The problem is they spent three decades learning to save, and nobody ever taught them how to spend. This episode walks through how one couple with $2.5 million was leaving $3,700 a month on the table every single month, and what it quietly cost them in taxes.

Many CRNAs and nurse practitioners have done everything right and still aren’t sure whether they can stop working. These are the four financial markers that show whether you may already be in a position to retire. From portfolio math to tax planning to protecting your spouse, the picture may be clearer than you think.

Freedom, and the 1099 Life
After nearly 30 years in healthcare, Dr. Michelle Cuevas, DNP, FNP-C, didn’t do a traditional job switch; she changed the model entirely. Michelle shares the real financial lessons she learned going from a W2 employee to a 1099 entrepreneur, including the mistakes, the breakthroughs, and why she would not trade the complexity for anything.

A CRNA or nurse practitioner can save consistently, build a seven-figure portfolio, and be just a few years from the finish line and still lose tens of thousands of dollars before retirement begins. This guide walks through the three specific healthcare decisions most APRNs never see coming, and what to do about them before it’s too late.

You saved $2 million, and you’ve been maxing your 403(b) for decades. Still, you wonder: Where will my paycheck come from once I stop working? This guide covers the three hidden issues that quietly cost CRNAs six figures in unnecessary taxes, and the framework that addresses all three before the window closes.

Most nurses have spent 30 years doing everything right. They have a solid pre-tax balance and a real sense of accomplishment. The problem is that nobody covered what happens when the money starts coming out. This guide walks through five retirement mistakes that look responsible on the surface and only reveal their true cost much later, along with what to do instead.