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:

​Student Loan Borrowers Will Have Two New Repayment Options Come July 1. Here’s How to Pick One 🩺​
​Starting July 1, federal student loan borrowers will have two new repayment plans, reflecting a major overhaul of the system. The key options are the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), an income‑driven plan, and the Tiered Standard Plan, which sets fixed payments based on loan balance and repayment term. At the same time, several existing plans are being phased out, meaning borrowers, especially those taking out new loans, will have fewer choices and may need to transition into these new structures.

The two plans differ significantly in how payments are calculated and how forgiveness works. RAP bases monthly payments on income, typically ranging from about 1% to 10% of earnings, with a required minimum payment, but it may take up to 30 years to reach forgiveness. The Tiered Standard Plan, by contrast, ignores income and focuses on fixed payments over 10 to 25 years, offering more predictability but generally no path to forgiveness. For borrowers, the shift introduces both simplicity and uncertainty - while the system is less complex than before, it may also lead to higher payments or longer repayment timelines depending on income and loan size.

Source: CNBC.com​
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​The Financial Stress a Simple Document Could Have Prevented📃
​A will alone is often not enough to prevent financial complications after someone passes away. While many people assume a will avoids major issues, it still requires the estate to go through probate - a legal process that can take months or even more than a year. During that time, family members may not be able to access assets, even if they’ve been clearly left to them, creating unexpected financial strain at exactly the wrong moment.

The real challenge is that these delays can come with significant costs and stress. In one example, a daughter inherited her father’s home but had to cover mortgage payments, taxes, and upkeep out of pocket while waiting for probate to complete. Legal fees can also add up quickly, often based on the full value of the estate rather than actual equity. A revocable living trust could have avoided much of this by allowing assets to transfer more quickly and privately, highlighting how one additional planning document can make a major difference in reducing financial and emotional burden for families.

Source: humbledollar.com​
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​10 Well-being Questions to Ask in Your Next Job Interview 💬​
​A physician job interview is one of the few opportunities to evaluate whether a workplace truly supports your well‑being, not just your clinical role. Organizations often present themselves in the best possible light, so it’s important to look deeper into how they handle workload, burnout, and physician support in practice - not just in messaging. Well‑being should show up in how schedules are structured, how teams function, and how leadership makes decisions, rather than being treated as a side initiative.

To better understand this, physicians are encouraged to ask targeted questions that uncover what day‑to‑day life actually looks like. This includes asking how burnout is addressed, what mental health support systems are in place, how workflows are designed to reduce strain, and whether leadership is accountable for physician satisfaction. Questions can also explore whether the organization tracks and measures well‑being or participates in recognized programs that require real system‑level changes. These kinds of conversations help reveal whether a role will be sustainable, supportive, and aligned with long‑term career satisfaction.

Source: ama-assn.org​
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🧩 The WealthKeel Wordle! Click here → WK Wordle to play. The clue this week is: "Foundation of the body."
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A random note or thought for the week:
First full week of summer! ☀️ We’ve been enjoying a pleasant break in the humidity here in Tampa, with nice low dew points expected through the weekend. Routines haven’t shifted too dramatically yet — Ryker and X both attended hockey camp this past week. They have another one starting next week, and then we should finally be able to downshift into full summer mode.

As I mentioned last week, it was a wonderful (and emotional) week in the best way possible. We celebrated Z’s 4th birthday, and Ryker and X wrapped up 2nd grade and Kindergarten.

We kicked off summer with a quick long-weekend trip to the Orlando area and played tourist the whole time — and loved every minute of it. I highly recommend Peppa Pig Land to anyone visiting or living near Orlando. It’s a small, clean park with great staff, and you can easily enjoy everything in about two hours. It sits right next to Legoland, making it easy to combine both if you want a full day. We also visited the Crayola Experience for the first time, which was fantastic. The kids had a blast — Slime lab was cool! , and I even made my own official WealthKeel crayon — so I had just as much fun as they did!

It was a perfect way to start the summer. Feeling like true tourists again in Orlando was surprisingly refreshing.

Weekly Market Update (as of Wednesday afternoon)

It’s been a mixed week following recent record-setting runs. The major indexes demonstrated resilience amid ongoing Iran-related developments, with oil prices showing volatility amid mixed signals from peace talks. Markets remain near all-time highs after strong momentum, though Wednesday saw a pullback and rotation as investors digested geopolitics, yields, and data. The Dow pushed to new records earlier in the week before easing, while tech and broader indices traded mixed with some profit-taking.

Key Index Performance (as of Wednesday midday/intraday, with Tuesday closes noted for reference):

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Strong resilience. Closed at 51,307.79 on Tuesday (up notably for the week, hitting fresh records), before pulling back modestly on Wednesday. It has demonstrated leadership and cracked the 51,000 level convincingly.
• S&P 500: Near records, closing at 7,609.78 on Tuesday (first close above 7,600 and new highs) before trading softer Wednesday. Remains solidly above 7,500 and up strongly YTD.
• Nasdaq Composite: Tech-driven with some choppiness. Closed around 27,093.90 on Tuesday after recent gains, facing rotation/profit-taking Wednesday but holding significant YTD gains.

Broader Context: This follows a powerhouse stretch with multiple weekly gains and records, including extended winning streaks for the S&P 500. Volatility persists with the 10-year Treasury yield hovering around 4.45-4.50% (elevated but relatively stable). Oil has been volatile on Iran truce/peace headlines—prices eased at times on optimism but remain elevated vs. pre-conflict levels amid uncertainty, recently trading in the mid-to-high $90s for WTI.

What's Driving the Action?

• Inflation & Yields: April CPI came in at 3.8% y/y (hotter than recent months), heavily influenced by energy jumps tied to the Iran situation. This has kept some pressure on rate-cut expectations and bonds.
• Geopolitics: Mixed signals on U.S.-Iran talks, potential Strait of Hormuz developments, and reviews of proposed agreements have fueled oil swings. Markets have shown overall resilience despite the headlines.
• Sector Notes: Energy remains sensitive to oil moves; tech and chips continued to see strength amid AI enthusiasm (with some rotation), while broader participation appeared in other areas. Profit-taking and sector shifts were evident mid-week.

The fundamentals—corporate earnings resilience, AI tailwinds, and a solid economic backdrop—continue to support the market, but higher-for-longer yields, energy volatility, and geopolitics highlight the importance of diversification and a long-term perspective. We'll monitor Fed communications, upcoming data releases, and any Iran updates closely.
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Have a wonderful rest of your week, and an awesome weekend!
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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
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​Disclosures​