Happy Thursday! Here is your WealthKeel Weekly, or what we like to call "news you can use!"
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​What we read this week:

​More Than 7 Million Student Loan Borrowers Face Deadline to Leave Biden-era Repayment Plan. What to Know
​Millions of borrowers who enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan now face a firm deadline to leave the program after a federal appeals court blocked it. The Trump administration has announced that starting July 1, borrowers will have 90 days to transition into a different, legally recognized repayment plan, and the Education Department is sending guidance to all 7.5 million affected borrowers. Many borrowers remained in the plan during an extended forbearance, but interest has been accruing since August, causing loan balances to quietly grow. The blocked program had originally been introduced by the Biden administration to lower monthly payments, but legal challenges from Republican‑led states ultimately ended the plan.

Borrowers are urged to review their options carefully because those who fail to select a new repayment plan within the 90‑day window may be automatically placed into a Standard or Tiered Standard plan, which could significantly increase their monthly payments. Federal officials say the transition period gives borrowers time to evaluate alternatives such as other income‑driven repayment plans. The Education Department emphasized that the new guidance is intended to move borrowers into legal repayment structures and end the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the defunct SAVE program.

Source: CNBC.com
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​Why Earning More Still Doesn’t Make Money Feel Easier for Doctors
​Many physicians report that even with strong salaries and stable careers, money still feels heavy because their financial lives offer very little margin. As expenses from student loans, taxes, childcare, housing, insurance, and professional obligations stack up, there’s often not much room left over—so everything feels like it only works as long as they maintain the same relentless pace. This tension isn’t about overspending or financial crisis; it’s about the constant pressure created when high income meets equally high commitments, leaving doctors feeling like even small reductions in work could jeopardize their stability.

Underlying much of this stress is the sense that financial peace doesn’t automatically scale with income. The real strain comes from how little flexibility physicians feel they have—when every shift, decision, or unexpected expense carries weight, money never feels easy. Many doctors describe a persistent background awareness of financial obligations, even though their incomes look strong on paper. That thin margin, not a lack of earnings, is what makes finances feel fragile and keeps money concerns ever-present.

Side note: This is exactly why WealthKeel is here for you—to help ease that stress, rebuild margin, and support a path toward financial clarity and freedom.

Source: passiveincomemd.com
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​The Absurd Odds of a Perfect NCAA Bracket​
​The chances of completing a flawless March Madness bracket are described as astronomically low, to the point where achieving one is considered functionally impossible. Even with some basketball knowledge, the probability barely improves: completely random guesses yield odds of 1 in 9.2 quintillion, while informed predictions still hover around 1 in 120.2 billion. No one has ever verified a perfect bracket in NCAA history, and even small sample calculations illustrate how quickly the number of possible outcomes explodes in a single‑elimination tournament.

Because of these staggering odds, the dream of a perfect bracket remains more of a fun fantasy than a realistic goal. Millions fill out brackets every year, yet every attempt eventually collapses under the unpredictability of upsets and tournament chaos. Statistical models and historical knowledge can help improve accuracy, but they can’t come close to overcoming the overwhelming mathematical reality that a perfect bracket simply isn’t expected to happen anytime within the foreseeable future—or even the next millennium.

Source: ncaa.com
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🧩 The WealthKeel Wordle! Click here → WK Wordle to play. The clue this week is: “What spring brings”
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A random note or thought for the week:
This week and next are two of the crazier ones we face every year at WealthKeel. It’s the perfect storm of review meetings and client tax return draft reviews. Emails might occasionally take more than 24 hours to get a reply (though that still rarely happens 😉).

While it’s busy, it’s also incredibly motivating and invigorating—seeing the progress we’ve helped clients make and getting everything buttoned up.

A HUGE shout-out to Zac on our team, who just passed his CFP exam last Tuesday (and celebrated a birthday the very next day—what a week!). He’ll soon be WealthKeel’s newest Certified Financial Planner, bringing us to three CFPs on the team. 🎉

This shortened trading week (thanks to the Good Friday holiday) was all about geopolitics and oil—with a dramatic plot twist on Tuesday.

• Monday (3/30): Markets mostly dipped as crude oil blasted past $100/barrel amid ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East conflict. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, Nasdaq fell 0.7%, while the Dow eked out a tiny 0.1% gain. Volatility stayed elevated, and the fear gauge (VIX) kept investors on edge.
• Tuesday (3/31): Boom—relief rally. Unconfirmed reports that Iran’s president may be open to ending the war with guarantees sparked a sharp rebound. The Dow surged over 1,100 points (2.5%) to close at 46,341, the S&P 500 jumped 2.9% to 6,528, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rocketed 3.8% to 21,590. These were the best daily gains since last May. Oil prices eased, helping fuel the move.
• Wednesday (4/1 so far): The momentum carried over modestly. Stocks opened higher on continued de-escalation hopes, with the S&P 500 up around 1.3%, Nasdaq leading with gains near 1.5-1.8%, and the Dow up about 0.9%. Energy stocks took a hit as oil pulled back (briefly dipping below $100 before rebounding). Overall, a positive but quieter follow-through after Tuesday’s fireworks.

Overall, March was rough (S&P down ~5%, Nasdaq ~4.8%, Dow ~5.4%), leaving the major indexes down several percent for Q1 amid the conflict’s drag on sentiment and inflation worries. But that late-week hope provided a much-needed breath of fresh air heading into April.

Bottom line: Markets hate uncertainty, and right now the biggest variable is still how (and when) things play out in the Middle East. We’re watching oil, inflation reads, and any diplomatic breakthroughs closely. In the meantime, stay diversified, keep perspective, and remember—these swings are why we build resilient plans, not reactive ones.

Trendlines, not headlines. 👊

“Baby” Z finally made it to his first NHL game, and he loved it! It still pains me to see all my kids wearing Lightning gear, but I can’t win them all. Just happy they love hockey. 💙 Hoping the Bruins beat the Bolts by 10 goals on Saturday so that I can let them hear it. 😂

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Happy Easter! 🐰
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Special Offers from Physician Cents:

• Need your Contract reviewed? Contact our good friend Kyle Claussen at Resolve. Use the code “PhysicianCents10” for 10% off!
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Have a great day,
Your WealthKeel Team

​Disclosures​