David B. Mandell, J.D., M.B.A.

Experts detail 5 tips to ask a financial advisor so they can best serve your interests.

If you’re like most Americans, you feel less secure about the U.S. economy. Certainly, this is justified. Western European countries have run out of capital, unemployment-based riots have broken out in the streets of Great Britain, and the United States debt shield political debacle has caused our government debt to be downgraded from “AAA” for the first time in history.

Are you the owner of a medical practice taxed as a flow-through entity, such as an S corporation? Most physicians are. We would estimate that 70 percent of medical practices operate as S corporations. As such, you may be paid both as an employee of the practice, receiving a W-2, and as an owner of the practice, through a K-1 distribution.

We have consulted with thousands of doctors in all specialties during our combined 35+ years in practice. From this experience, we have become intimately familiar with how most physicians build their financial plans (what we call “wealth plans”). Too often, they have ignored the most important factor in a sophisticated long-term plan - flexibility.

All signs lead to future tax increases. We have historic deficit levels, an aggressive legislative agenda and a president whose campaign promises included raising taxes on households with annual incomes above $250,000.

As consultants to hundreds of physicians, we encounter many misconceptions about asset protection planning everyday. In this article, we will address the most important of all misconceptions regarding asset protection - that this area of planning is not important, because physicians practically, don't lose assets to medical malpractice lawsuits.

As a physician, do you realize that you spend 40 percent to 50 percent of your working hours laboring for the IRS and your state? That is a lot of time with patients for someone else's benefit.

Two techniques for selling your practice for millions when you retire are using a nontraditional retirement plan or a captive insurance company to fund a buyout. The key is to plan early. There are no outside buyers of practices willing to pay you millions for your practice anymore. If you want such a buyout, you must plan for it yourself.