Managing personal finances
In this article:
- Find money management resources, including the AVMA's personal financial planning tool.
- Discover CE webinars on maximizing financial health.
- Learn about strategies and resources to manage student debt.
Part of thriving in your career as a veterinarian is successfully managing your finances. Among other things, this means finding the right strategy to pay down debt, making and managing a budget, and planning for the future. From veterinary school through retirement, AVMA tools can help. Use them to plan for your future and stay on a road to financial health.
Managing money
From budgeting to goal setting to managing cash flow, these resources can help make money management simpler and less confusing, regardless whether you’re a new graduate or nearing retirement.
Personal financial planning tool
This AVMA-exclusive tool lets you build a personalized budget estimate so you can plan for the future while meeting your current needs. It walks you through the essential steps of budgeting—and lets you experiment with scenarios to see what will work best for you.
Financial health CE webinars
Earn CE while learning strategies and practical tactics to maximize your financial health. Webinar topics include how to improve your personal finances, grow practice profitability, and more.
More financial planning resources
Find links to calculators that help you estimate cost of living, credit card scenarios, car ownership costs, retirement needs, and more.
Dealing with student debt
Student debt is a reality for veterinarians, and finding creative solutions to alleviate the veterinary debt load is a top priority for the AVMA. Both on our own and in concert with other groups across the profession, we develop tools and advance public policies that help address veterinary debt. Use these resources to manage your own educational debt.
Optimizing student loan repayment strategy
Take the guesswork out of loan repayment. These short video modules featuring student debt expert Paul Garrard cover everything from repayment options to refinancing.
Loan forgiveness and repayment programs
Devoting part or all of your career to public service, nonprofit work, or rural practice can be a strategy to manage student debt.
Loan consolidation
The Federal Student Aid site shares pros and cons of loan consolidation, describes the application process, and lists factors to consider in deciding whether to consolidate.
Financial hardship and paying back student loans
There are many reasons why you might not be able to make payments on your student loans. Explore your options to avoid default.
Veterinary salary estimator
See approximate salary ranges for early-career veterinarians in the first 10 years after graduation. This tool can guide salary negotiations and help map out potential earning scenarios.
Veterinary debt initiative
The Veterinary Debt Initiative works to enhance financial literacy, reduce the cost of education, and create tools to help veterinarians reduce and manage debt.