Stanley Liu, MD
Stanley Liu is the only prominent practicing cardiologist who also practices as a 100 percent fiduciary, fee-only financial planner in the United States. He is the founder and principal financial planner at DocEmpowered, LLC, a financial planning firm dedicated solely to physician financial wellness.
His career pivot into the financial side of physician wellness began with a choice between walking away from his career as a beloved academic cardiologist and telling his young son he could never walk him to the school bus stop in the morning. Liu chose to walk away, creating his own financial plan to ride out an 18-month, 20-mile noncompete with his family and emerging on the other side with autonomy he once only dreamed of. Today, he practices medicine sustainably and with purpose as a self-employed cardiologist. He eats breakfast and dinner with his kids every day, salsa dances with his wife, and is a dedicated volunteer, advocate, and philanthropist for his community.
Liu also became a licensed financial planner, earned a Certificate in Financial Planning from Emory University, and passed the CFP examination, one of the most highly respected accomplishments in the financial planning profession. As a financial planner, he has helped physician clients across the United States reclaim autonomy in their lives and careers while staying true to their highest values.
Liu is a highly sought-after speaker for his expertise in financial planning and his unique ability to apply it to the physician community as a trusted peer. His insights have been featured in Medscape and PracticeLink Magazine, and he has been an invited speaker for multiple medical societies, including the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. He brings his audiences a rare perspective on the underrated connection between physician wellness and financial planning.
His mission is simple: Give every physician the financial power to serve their patients, families, and communities on their own terms. He shares more on his DocEmpowered blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
Finance
Many physicians believe they can't escape burnout or an unsustainable career until they've become financially independent. Thankfully, it's not true. The idea of financial independence (FI) is simple: build enough wealth such that earned income becomes optional. For financial planners,…
Many physicians believe they can’t escape burnout or an unsustainable career until they’ve become financially independent. Thankfully, it’s not true.
The idea of financial independence (FI) is simple: build enough wealth such that earned income becomes optional. For financial planners, financial independence is a mathematical problem to solve. I might be able to run your numbers in a Monte Carlo analysis and demonstrate you have, say, an 84 percent chance of …
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The sweet spot before physician financial independence
Finance
What if pursuing wealth and pursuing purpose aren't competing goals, but two essential components of a fulfilling career and life? When I speak to fellow physicians about their financial lives, the conversation usually focuses on either: The strategies and tactics…
What if pursuing wealth and pursuing purpose aren’t competing goals, but two essential components of a fulfilling career and life? When I speak to fellow physicians about their financial lives, the conversation usually focuses on either:
- The strategies and tactics of building wealth
- The purpose to which we would devote our lives if money weren’t a factor
It is rare that I have a conversation that encompasses both. And it’s not …
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Financial freedom for physicians starts with purpose
Finance
Most of the time in my work as a financial planner, my job is to help fellow physicians think long-game so they can craft a sustainable career and life they love. Today is different. We are going to focus on…
Most of the time in my work as a financial planner, my job is to help fellow physicians think long-game so they can craft a sustainable career and life they love. Today is different. We are going to focus on the short game and introduce a financial concept I call the “Courage Fund.” If you are hoping to create a more flexible career, and you cannot wait years to develop …
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Unlocking career flexibility with a Courage Fund
Finance
Suppose you were offered the following two work opportunities. Which would you choose? Career A: an acceptable opportunity that pays slightly more than your current job; you're guaranteed never to make less than you do today. Career B: a dream…
Suppose you were offered the following two work opportunities. Which would you choose?
Career A: an acceptable opportunity that pays slightly more than your current job; you’re guaranteed never to make less than you do today.
Career B: a dream opportunity that sings to your soul but comes with no guarantees. While you may make much more than you do today, you could also potentially take a six-figure pay cut.
In other words, …
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Physician career choices come down to risk tolerance
Finance
It keeps us up at night. We pay thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to protect ourselves from it. Our hospitals or practices have entire departments dedicated to managing it. It is "Risk." Avoiding risk is an…
It keeps us up at night. We pay thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to protect ourselves from it. Our hospitals or practices have entire departments dedicated to managing it.
It is “Risk.”
Avoiding risk is an inherent part of modern medicine. Every day, we practice CYA documentation, ensure our patients sign informed consent forms, and do everything we can to minimize the risk that someone will sue us …
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Physician financial risk: Balancing capacity and tolerance
Finance
When graduating residents and fellows begin their careers as attending doctors, there is a wealth of financial advice out there. Grow into your salary slowly. Don't buy a house right away. Get disability insurance. Plan ahead for the tax bomb…
When graduating residents and fellows begin their careers as attending doctors, there is a wealth of financial advice out there. Grow into your salary slowly. Don’t buy a house right away. Get disability insurance. Plan ahead for the tax bomb that always takes attendings by surprise during that half-trainee/half-attending year.
Today, we won’t discuss any of those. We’ll focus instead on a business lesson that you must unlearn
…
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The business lesson new doctors must unlearn
Finance
In 2025, I celebrated a monumental milestone: I saw a patient within 20 miles of my home. While this may be a daily occurrence for most physicians, it was something I could not do for 18 months due to a…
In 2025, I celebrated a monumental milestone: I saw a patient within 20 miles of my home. While this may be a daily occurrence for most physicians, it was something I could not do for 18 months due to a non-compete clause from my previous job.
When I left my position as an academic cardiologist, I was bound by a non-compete clause that prevented me from practicing cardiology within 20 miles …
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5 steps to ride out a non-compete without uprooting your family
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