Why You Should Consider Ditching Your Whole Life Policy
Why You Should Consider Ditching Your Whole Life Policy

I remember sitting through many lunch and learns back in dental school and residency where we were constantly told that we needed to get life Insurance. After the differences between Whole and Term Life Insurances were discussed, many of the insurance agents(Reps) would emphasize the need for Whole Life versus Term Life Insurance, especially for us soon-to-be dentists. They advertised Whole Life Insurance as the best plan to “offer great returns”, “protect our assets,” while providing a substantial death benefit.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice Smithlife insurance, whole life insurance, term life insurance, insurance, three, financial development, personal development Comments
Tackling Student Loan Debt
Tackling Student Loan Debt

Almost all young dentists face confusing (and often conflicting) choices after graduation because of the significant amount of student loan debt they have from dental school. The average dental school graduate has more than $247,000 in student debt. That figure has risen nearly 40% since 2010.

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Professional Financial, Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice Smithstudent debt, student loans, three, refinancing, refinance student loans, consolidation, consolidate student loans, practice ownership, financial development, professional developmentComment
Benefits of Social Media to Your Dental Practice
Benefits of Social Media to Your Dental Practice

For many years, dentists relied almost exclusively on reputation, word of mouth, expensive advertising and flyer marketing to help build their practices. But, it’s a different time now and more likely than not, our patients/audience are on one or more social media platforms. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat,etc being active on social media will give us the ability to drive traffic, reach new patients and build lasting relationships that will only benefit our practices.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice SmithSocial media, New Dentist, practice ownership, practice managementComment
Live Your Life on Purpose
Live Your Life on Purpose

To live a life of purpose means to live your life with Intention. To say you’re living with intention means that there is meaning and purpose behind all your actions. When you are living with intention life doesn’t just happen to you, you are not merely existing, everyday is not “just another day.”

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Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice SmithLifestyle, live on purpose, purposeful life, goal setting, Love What You do, three, personal developmentComment
How Student Loan Consolidation Positively Impacted My Credit Score
How Student Loan Consolidation Positively Impacted My Credit Score

Many of us have student loan debt, and if you’re a dentist or physician your student loan amount may be pretty significant. Figuring out how exactly to go about tackling them can be quite daunting; from knowing the different repayment options and which is best for you, to knowing whether to consolidate or refinance or even making the decision to take your time paying or pay down aggressively.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice Smithstudent debt, student loans, consolidate student loans, refinance student loans, credit score, credit history, three, practice ownership, financial independence, professional development Comment
Paradise Found: Turks & Caicos Islands
Paradise Found: Turks & Caicos Islands

Turks & Caicos is one of the most beautiful Caribbean Islands I’ve visited! (besides Jamaica, of course - I’m biased). It’s surrounded by the largest sand banks in the world which allows for crystal clear, turquoise blue water. It is scenic, quiet and a lot less touristy than other surrounding islands. It is truly paradise!

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Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice SmithTravel, travel and leisure, traveling doc, travel doctor, turks and Caicos, Providenciales, Two, travel, personal development Comments
Refinance or Consolidate your Student Loans?
Refinance or Consolidate your Student Loans?

As young professionals, many of us left or will be leaving school with student loan debt. As our grace periods wear off and we enter repayment a lot of us find ourselves scouring the internet or asking friends and colleagues how they are going about tackling their student loans. It can be daunting going through the options - some of us have loans from undergraduate school and/ or graduate school. Some of us may have taken out private student loans, federal loans or a combination. Either way, we need to know the options for repaying these loans.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice Smithstudent loans, consolidation, refinancing, refinance student loans, consolidate student loans, student debt, Two, practice ownership, financial development, professional developmentComment
An Orthodontist Can Boost Your Self Esteem!
An Orthodontist Can Boost Your Self Esteem!

People who are happy with the the way they look are typically more confident and have higher self esteem than those who are not. The way our teeth look and the appearance of our smile can have a pretty significant impact on the way we view ourselves. This is where an Orthodontist comes in. Orthodontics is a specialized branch of dentistry that has a focus on the alignment of teeth.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice Smithbraces, orthodontics, orthodontic treatment, straight teeth, self esteem, confidence, Two, teeth tips, dental tips, professional development, practice ownership, entrepeneurship, smile tipsComment
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Set New Year Intentions (Goals) that You Will Actually Stick To
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Set New Year Intentions (Goals) that You Will Actually Stick To

A new year is upon us, which means it’s time to reflect on the past year and bid the last 12 months adieu. With 2019 comes the promise of a fresh start whether it be personal or professional. But, how many of us get really excited for a new year and set lofty goals only for them to fall by the wayside in mid-January? Setting new year resolution for goals has been a long time tradition but statistics show that only about 10% of people actually stick to their new year resolutions past the month of January - that’s pretty low, but we can change that.

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Professional Financial, Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice Smithnew year, Set Goals, goal setting, new year resolutions, new year goals, happy new year, set intentions, Two, personal developmentComment
Retirement Planning for Young Professionals
Retirement Planning for Young Professionals

It is never too early to start saving towards retirement. As the new year approaches everyone is setting their goals and intention for the coming months. A main focus for many of us will be our money management and long term goals(retirement planning). It is imperative to have some knowledge of compounding interest to fully understand the benefits of starting early. In this post I will cover some basics of retirement planning and hopefully compel every young professional to start saving towards retirement(if you haven’t already).

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Professional Financial, Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice Smithretirement, retirement planning, retirement accounts, 401K, IRA, Roth IRA, Two, financial developmentComment
Tanzania: Dental Helping Hands
Tanzania: Dental Helping Hands

Our latest mission took us to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Dr. Patrick Christopher (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery resident and President of our non-profit Organization) and a team of other surgeons and volunteers performed life saving and life altering surgeries for individuals who were in dire need.

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PhilanthropyDr. Patrice Smithdental helping hands, dental services, Philanthropy, humanitarian, volunteer, Two, travel, Travel, personal development Comment
Best Money/Finance Podcasts for Young Professionals
Best Money/Finance Podcasts for Young Professionals

On the path to becoming a professional regardless of the field you’re in, the focus has been getting to the place where we finally start our careers. Nobody taught us anything money or finance related. We lacked knowledge regarding taxes, refinancing/consolidating student loans, insurances, retirement, and investing.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice SmithFinance, Money Management, finance blogs, money advice, Two, financial development, podcast Comments
Professional Teeth Whitening At Home
Professional Teeth Whitening At Home

White teeth are always in style! Everyone wants a sparkly white smile and if you read my previous post you will know that there are many culprits out there that may diminish the whiteness of your teeth over time. Some of those culprits include coffee, tea, red wine, sodas, curry, turmeric, cigarette smoke to name just a few.

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Professional Financial, Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice Smithteeth whitening, white teeth, professional teeth whitening, smile brilliant, Two, teeth tips, dental tips, professional development, entrepeneurship, practice ownership, smile tipsComment
White Teeth Are Always In Style
White Teeth Are Always In Style

We all want sparkly white teeth! Your smile is often times the first thing someone notices when they look at you so it makes sense to want to keep your teeth in tip top shape. However, there are some culprits that may prevent us from having and maintaining our pearly whites.

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice Smithteeth whitening, white teeth, cosmetic dentistry, crest, smile brilliant, Two, teeth tips, dental tips, professional development, entrepeneurship, practice ownership, smile tipsComment
Go Where You are Celebrated
Go Where You are Celebrated

We spend at least 40 hours per week at work, quite literally half our lives. Life is way too short to live in a state of constant stress and misery. We hear this quote all the time - “Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated.” Yet, many of us find ourselves in jobs where we’re not valued at all.

Working in an environment that you are merely tolerated will only hold you back. Instead, try to work for loyal employers who appreciate your talents and will give you opportunities to grow and develop.

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Dr. Patrice SmithTwo, personal development
How to Negotiate Your Contract, Like a Boss
How to Negotiate Your Contract, Like a Boss

Many professionals find the idea of engaging in contract negotiation intimidating. For this reason, many skip it all together and accept what they're offered, or they negotiate very minimally.

At this point, I have negotiated a few contracts to lend some insight on how to negotiate your contract to get what you want, what is fair and what you deserve. 

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Professional FinancialDr. Patrice SmithContracts, Contract, contract negotiation, Associate Agreements, job, career, Two, practice ownership, practice management, personal development Comments
Ghana: Dental Helping Hands
Ghana: Dental Helping Hands

Earlier this year the DHH team was in Ghana where over 3000 patients received essential and life saving dental care.

The purpose of the Dental Helping Hands (DHH) Non-Profit Organization (NPO) is to provide dental services to people who do not have access to dental care, who cannot afford it and who would otherwise not be able to receive treatment

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PhilanthropyDr. Patrice Smithdental services, dental helping hands, volunteer, Philanthropy, mission trip, Ghana, give back, Two, travel, personal developmentComment
Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy

I love Italy! I haven't been to very many cities, but of the ones I've visited Venice is my favorite. I love the fact that it is small enough to explore in just a few hours and not miss a thing. You can go cafe-hopping for coffee, wine, pizza and gelato; go shopping; sit and relax in the small squares; take a ride on a water taxi or gondola and so much more.

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Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice SmithTravel, Lifestyle, travel and leisure, travel doctor, traveling doc, Venice, Italy, Vacation, Two, travel, personal developmentComment
Creating a Life You Don't Need a Vacation From
Creating a Life You Don't Need a Vacation From

I came across a meme on Instagram that said "Create a Life You Don't Need a Vacation From" and it resonated with me quite deeply. It made me reflect on my own life and ask some really deep questions: Am I living in my purpose? Do I love what I do? If I didn't get paid for my work, would I still enjoy it? Am I living my best life? 

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Professional Financial, Lifestyle & TravelDr. Patrice SmithLove What You do, Be Intentional, Vacation, Work, Career, Lifestyle, Two, travel, personal development Comments