Financial advisors who work with physicians often face a puzzling challenge:
How can someone so brilliant make such uncharacteristically poor financial choices?
- It’s not uncommon for a surgeon who routinely makes life-or-death decisions to panic-sell during a market dip…
- Or for an anesthesiologist with meticulous clinical judgment to jump into a speculative investment without running the numbers…
- Or for a radiologist who thrives in a world of precision to suddenly freeze and avoid necessary financial decisions for months or even years.
To advisors, these moments can be frustrating—or downright baffling.
To physicians, these moments can be embarrassing and painful.
But here’s the good news: there is a reason behind these seemingly irrational decisions.
And once you understand it, you’ll dramatically increase your ability to help doctors make better decisions…
build trust faster… and deliver value that goes far beyond portfolio performance.
The reason is something I call financial triggers.
A Story About Louie and What He Teaches Us About Money
I’m going to begin with a story that might sound unrelated to wealth-building, but it isn’t.
Not long ago, I rescued a six-year-old dog named Louie. Louie is sweet and gentle 70-pound Great Pyrenees mix. He is well-trained, eager to please, and a joyful companion.
Except when something triggers him.
A man wearing a hat.
Another male dog.
A sudden sound.
Even my own son walking into the house one afternoon.
When Louie is triggered, he lunges with full force. And because we’re connected by a leash, I get pulled with him. Once, when I instinctively tugged back, Louie even bit me—not out of aggression, but because he was fully in fight-or-flight. In that moment, he wasn’t “thinking.” He was reacting.
This story appears to have nothing to do with personal finance or financial advice.
But it does.
Because your clients—especially your physician clients—have financial triggers, too. Moments when something in their environment wakes up old fear, scarcity, or insecurity… and their rational adult brain momentarily shuts down.
Understanding financial triggers is one of the most powerful tools you can bring to your work with physicians.
What Is a Financial Trigger?
A financial trigger is an event—external or internal—that causes someone to react emotionally and impulsively around money.
This is not about a lack of intelligence.
This is not about carelessness.
This is not about immaturity.
A financial trigger is a nervous system response, not a logical decision.
When a physician’s financial nervous system fires, common reactions include:
- Panic selling
- Over-investing in high-risk ventures
- Avoiding decisions entirely
- Over-spending to relieve emotional discomfort
- Saying yes to opportunities without due diligence
- Becoming suspicious or mistrusting for no clear reason
And like Louie, they may not understand why they’re reacting this way. They may even feel ashamed afterward.
Your job as a financial advisor is not to correct their intelligence—but to understand their biology.
Why Physicians Are Particularly Vulnerable
Physicians are trained to make decisions in high-stakes environments. But their training is almost entirely cognitive:
- Assess data
- Evaluate risks
- Determine action
- Execute with precision
None of this prepares them for the emotional complexity of managing money, especially their own.
Most financial triggers come from childhood experiences—not adult ones.
- Maybe a client grew up in a household where money was scarce.
Maybe they heard arguments about bills.
Maybe they internalized the belief that “if I don’t act now, I’ll lose everything.”
Or perhaps they saw a parent make a catastrophic financial mistake. - These memories lie dormant… until something in adulthood resembles that early danger.
Suddenly, a 45-year-old physician with multiple degrees becomes, emotionally, an eight-year-old with a checking account.
This is not a moral failing. This is neuroscience.
And when you understand this, everything about your relationship with your doctor clients becomes easier.
Spotting The Signs Of A Triggered Client
Just as Louie has clear “tells”—the bark, the stance, the leash tension—your clients have tells, too.
You might notice:
- A sudden urgency to act
- Uncharacteristic impatience
- Avoidance or shutting down
- Catastrophic thinking
- Fixation on short-term outcomes
- Irritation or defensiveness
- Rapid breathing, tension, or agitation
Advisors often misread these cues.
You might think the client is challenging your expertise…
or losing trust…
or being difficult on purpose.
Most of the time, they’re not.
They’re just triggered.
And your response in that moment can make or break the relationship.
Your New Superpower: Staying Calm When They Can’t
When a physician becomes triggered, they are momentarily unable to think clearly. Your job is to become their co-regulator—the calm in the storm.
Here’s how:
1. Slow the Conversation “Just One Beat”
Triggered people speed up.
You slow down.
A calm tone, a grounded posture, and a steady pace help their nervous system settle.
2. Validate the Emotion Without Agreeing With It
Say things like:
- “It makes sense you’re feeling unsettled right now.”
- “This is a big decision—let’s take a breath and look at the data together.”
- “We don’t have to decide anything today.”
Validation reduces shame and restores clarity.
3. Create a Decision-Delay Protocol
Advise clients: “When you feel financial panic, pause. Don’t make any decisions for at least 24 hours. Call me first.”
This simple step alone can prevent million-dollar mistakes.
4. Normalize the Experience
Tell your clients, “Even the smartest people get financially triggered sometimes. It’s human.”
This helps them feel safe with you—and more willing to accept guidance.
When You Understand Triggers, You Become Indispensable
Most advisors compete on:
- Investment strategy
- Risk management
- Tax efficiency
- Asset allocation
Those are important. But they are not what deepens client loyalty.
Clients remain loyal to the advisor who helps them feel safe.
When you can say:
- “I know what this feels like, and I’ve walked many doctors through moments like this,”
- “You don’t need to react right now. Let’s look at this together,”
- “Your nervous system is telling you something old—let’s look at what’s true today,”
…you become more than an advisor.
You become the person who protects them from themselves.
That is priceless.
Helping Doctors Identify Their Own “Tells”
Part of empowering your clients involves helping them recognize their own triggers.
You can ask:
- “How do you feel in your body when money stresses you out?”
- “What were money conversations like in your home growing up?”
- “What financial decisions do you regret—and what was happening emotionally in that moment?”
These questions are not therapy.
They are financial leadership.
Once a client understands their patterns, they become more collaborative, more open, and more coachable.
A Final Thought: Your Clients Are Not Broken
Physicians are hard on themselves. When they make a financial mistake, they often say things like:
- “I’m terrible with money.”
- “Why do I always do this?”
- “I should know better.”
Your role is to help them rewrite that story.
They’re not bad with money.
They’re not irresponsible.
They don’t need more discipline or more spreadsheets.
They simply need help managing their financial nervous system.
And when you can guide them through that?
You unlock their ability to build TrueWealth—and you strengthen your partnership for life.
Your Advantage In The Marketplace
Most financial advisors never have conversations like these. Most don’t understand physician psychology.
Most don’t know how to recognize or manage financial triggers.
When you do, you stand out immediately.
You become a trusted partner in a world where physicians often feel financially unsafe.
And that is how you grow a thriving, physician-friendly practice—one meaningful conversation at a time.
If you prefer to watch or listen, you can also catch this topic on YouTube and our podcast—along with more insights to help you better serve your physician clients.
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