Five Financial Mistakes Doctors Commonly Make

Ruvan Grobler • January 22, 2026

Medicine is built on precision, protocols, and evidence-based decisions. Financial life, unfortunately, is not. For many doctors, success arrives early in one area of life and much later in others—time, structure, and strategic planning often lag behind income.

 

Over the years, a few patterns come up repeatedly when working with medical professionals. These are not mistakes born from ignorance or carelessness, but rather from being busy, successful, and focused on patients first.

 

Here are five of the most common financial missteps doctors make—and why addressing them early can materially change long-term outcomes.

 

1. Being “Cash Heavy” Feels Safe… Until It Isn’t

 

Holding large cash balances is often seen as prudent. Cash is liquid, familiar, and low-stress. For doctors with volatile workloads or private practices, this feels especially comforting. The problem? Cash is one of the most tax-inefficient assets for high earners.

 

While interest income enjoys a modest annual exemption, anything above that threshold is taxed at your marginal rate. For many doctors, this means a significant portion of “safe” interest returns never actually reach them. Add inflation into the mix, and the real (after-tax, after-inflation) return on excess cash can quietly turn negative.

 

Cash has a role—but without intention and limits, it often becomes a silent drag on long-term wealth.

 

2. Paying More Tax Than Necessary (Without Realising It)

 

Doctors are among the most heavily taxed professionals in South Africa, yet tax planning is often treated as a once-a-year exercise rather than an integrated strategy. The issue isn’t usually under-reporting—it’s under-structuring.

 

Different investment vehicles are taxed in very different ways. Income tax, capital gains tax, and dividend tax don’t just affect returns; they compound over time. Two portfolios with the same gross return can end up worlds apart after tax if they’re structured differently.

 

When investment decisions are made in isolation—without considering tax, time horizon, and estate implications—the cost isn’t obvious in year one. It shows up quietly over decades.

 

3. Offshore Exposure: Opportunity or Overreaction?

 

Global diversification is important. Offshore exposure can reduce concentration risk and unlock opportunities unavailable locally. However, many investors move money offshore without a clear strategy—often driven by headlines, fear, or currency anxiety rather than long-term planning.

 

Key questions are frequently overlooked:

 

  • How much offshore exposure is appropriate for your situation?
  • Which structures are most efficient?
  • How does this affect tax, liquidity, and future repatriation?

 

Offshore investing isn’t a binary decision. The value lies in how, where, and through what structure exposure is obtained—not simply in moving money abroad.

 

4. Paying Everyone Else First

 

Doctors are natural caregivers. Practices, staff, patients, families—everyone’s needs come first. Personal savings often come last. The data is clear: South Africa’s domestic savings rate remains worryingly low. Even among high earners, inconsistent or delayed personal investing is common.

 

The risk isn’t lifestyle inflation—it’s time. Missed early contributions can’t be recovered later, no matter how high income becomes. Compounding rewards consistency, not intention. Paying yourself first isn’t about sacrifice; it’s about ensuring today’s success translates into future independence.

 

5. Using the Wrong Investment Structures

 

This is arguably the most expensive mistake—and the least visible.

 

Many doctors accumulate investments across multiple platforms, policies, and accounts over time. Each decision may have made sense in isolation, but together they can create inefficiencies around:

 

  • Tax
  • Access
  • Estate planning
  • Intergenerational transfer

 

The structure holding the investment often matters as much as the investment itself. Over a 20- or 30-year horizon, the difference between “adequate” and “optimal” structuring can be substantial—even if the underlying returns are identical.

 

The Common Thread

 

None of these mistakes stem from poor decision-making. They stem from complexity, time pressure, and the reality that financial planning is a discipline of integration—not isolated choices. Income, tax, investments, offshore exposure, and estate planning don’t operate independently. When aligned, they reinforce one another. When they’re not, value leaks out quietly year after year.

 

For professionals who spend their lives mastering complexity in one field, the challenge is recognising that financial clarity often requires the same level of specialised thinking. Because in finance—just like in medicine—the biggest risks are rarely the obvious ones.

 

Ruvan J Grobler RFP™ (PGDip Financial Planning)

Never let a Crisis go to Waste

By Ruvan J Grobler • March 31, 2026
In a quiet corner of a garden, a tiny egg rested beneath a leaf, unnoticed by the world. In time, it hatched into a caterpillar—small, vulnerable, and endlessly hungry. Day after day, it consumed everything in its path, growing rapidly but remaining earthbound, exposed to every passing threat. Then, without warning, it stopped. It found a still place, attached itself to a branch, and formed a chrysalis. From the outside, it looked lifeless—fragile, even pointless. To an observer, it might have seemed like the end of its journey. But inside, everything was changing. The caterpillar was breaking down completely, dissolving into something unrecognizable before slowly rebuilding itself into something entirely new. Time passed. When the chrysalis finally opened, the creature that emerged was no longer confined to the ground. Its wings were soft at first, uncertain. It struggled, pushing fluid through them, strengthening them with effort. Only after this resistance could it take flight. And when it did, it soared—no longer bound by the limitations of its former life but shaped by every stage that came before. It’s been six years since humanity’s last global threat, the Covid pandemic. A lot has changed, but we as people have not. Just as the butterfly in the story above goes through its cycle the global economy does too. But the butterfly does not know its going through this cycle, its merely following its path. We are very aware of the cycle as it has an effect on our every day lives especially on our finances. But just as the butterfly follows its path, we do too. Focus on what you can control. We often stress the issues out of our own control and isn’t exclusive to finances. Not a single person reading this article has any control of the global economy and the current conflict in the Middle East. None of us also knew exactly when it would happen and when it is going to end. Don’t get me wrong, I too struggle to manage my thoughts and emotions when we go through the tough parts. Shifting the focus towards finances; except for being in control of how you earn an income, the only other factor you can control is your spending. Stick to your budget! Never stop investing! Stay disciplined! Crisis Asset Allocation I get many questions on what we are doing to manage risk and potential losses. This is where financial planning becomes extremely important. Every single investment in your portfolio is linked to a need or a goal, not just any goal but a time-based goal. This specific time horizon has influenced the type of assets bought in order to reach these goals. The longer away the goal, the more risk is taken and vice versa. Investments where liquidity is needed will be affected much less than a long-term share portfolio. More liquidity, less risk. Meaning that if you need cashflow you should not be worried as the asset exposure will be less affected. Retirement products will have exposure to many different assets where there are conservative assets to provide protection in the short-term. The growth asset exposure that may be volatile now is the part that gives you the long-term inflation beating returns. During this part of the cycle certain assets have become less desirable and opportunities have popped up elsewhere. All portfolios are monitored to make sure that the original mandate is followed, and the investment goal is reached at the end of the applicable term. All asset managers have started to make asset allocation changes to match the changing of the cycle and the Bovest investment committee has also done so. Is it time to sell and move to cash? In short, no. We don’t know when markets will turn and no one else either. Historically in these crises it takes on average around two weeks to reach the bottom of the market and then more than a month to recover. This does create many buying opportunities for asset managers but also for you as investor. Warren Buffet always says, "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful" . This is the time to buy assets on “sale”, don’t sell them. Getting out of the market is the biggest risk, this is where investors lose money. Stick to the plan and stay patient, you will be rewarded. Ruvan J Grobler RFP™ (PGDip Financial Planning)

Jou Aftrede en die Oorlog in die Midde-Ooste

By Dr. Riaan Botha • March 31, 2026
Die oorlog in die Midde-Ooste is ’n nuuswaardige gebeurtenis en die TV-dekking daarvan ontstel die meeste kykers. Dit is die rede waarom afgetredenes wonder hoe hierdie vernietigende optrede van vegtende weermagte moontlik hul finansiële beplanning vir hul aftrede gaan raak. Ons leef in ’n wêreld wat elke paar jaar geruk word deur onvoorsiene krisisse. Dink maar aan die internasionale finansiële krisis in 2008, en wie kan die pandemie van 2020 vergeet? Die finansiële markte is toe, net soos tans die geval is, negatief geraak deur vernietigende gebeure. Is die finansiële gevolge van die huidige oorlog anders as tydens vorige krisisse? Finansiële beplanning vir aftrede is langtermynbeplanning, terwyl ’n krisis ’n korttermyngebeurtenis is. Langtermynbeplanning is veral noodsaaklik tydens korttermynperiodes wanneer finansiële markte wisselvallig vertoon. Geskiedenis het bewys dat die strategie om in en uit die markte te koop en te verkoop minder portefeuljegroei veroorsaak as om voortdurend in die markte belê te bly. Die beleggingstrategie van “timing the market” moet eerder vervang word met “time in the market”. Sodoende word groeigeleenthede in die markte benut en word kostes van transaksies vermy. In ’n beleggingsomgewing waarin onsekerheid heers, is die diversifikasie van ’n beleggingsportefeulje een van die mees effektiewe benaderings tot risikobestuur. Beleggings in verskillende bateklasse en oor verskillende geografiese gebiede heen dien as ’n kussing teen krisisse soos die oorlog in die Midde-Ooste. Langtermyn finansiële beplanning, waartydens daar gereelde portefeuljehersiening plaasvind, asook die hersiening van persoonlike finansiële doelwitte, verseker ’n meer stabiele uitkoms vir die afgetredene.  Hierdie oorlog is nie anders as vorige krisisse nie. Indien daar egter onsekerheid by kliënte van Bovest bestaan oor of hul huidige aftreeportefeulje reg saamgestel is vir die oorlogskrisis en die moontlike finansiële gevolge daarvan, moet hulle asseblief hul adviseur skakel.