them seems to be living below their means and prudently saving and investing their money.

The ones who do that set themselves up extremely well, because those are both careers where you can generate great income and basically make work optional in a fairly short time. And then they’re working on their terms.

Problem is, many people go into those careers specifically because they (and often their wives) want to fund expensive lifestyles. Nothing wrong with that if that’s your thing, but that’s a recipe for feeling trapped. It is hard to give up the “expensive doctor life” once your wife and kids are used to it.

I work with an orthopedic surgeon who has $9m in the bank. He’s 56 and drives a 2006 Avalon. Spends $150k/year. He can do anything he wants. He loves life and tells me to stay away from any young surgeon who drives an Escalade, cause that guy is probably gonna recommend something unnecessary.