Financial Health Assessment
Wesley: Flight Surgery Household Scores 53 Out of 100
By Ryan Inman
Published · Updated
Flight surgeryResident · Intern year completeCouple, first child due
Financial Health Assessment score
53 out of 100
Corrections
- Needs a workup 0 to 39
- Corrections 40 to 69
- Stable 70 to 84
- Healthy 85 to 100
The score grades the household on 19 measures across seven frameworks. Wesley lands at 53, in the Corrections band, score 40 to 69.
Wesley is an active duty military flight surgeon and general medical officer who has completed his intern year, with an anesthesia residency still ahead after his service commitment. He earns about $100,000 a year and is the household's only earner. Part of the pay is non taxable, and there is no state income tax. His wife stays at home, and their first child is due the day after the recording. The assessment scores the household 53 out of 100, in the Corrections band.
The saving rate is the strong line in this file. Stated flows run about $3,000 a month, $2,000 to a Roth TSP and $500 to each Roth IRA, dropping to about $2,600 a month, and the hosts state the rate at about 40 percent of the $100,000 income. Investable accounts stand at about $88,000, including a taxable brokerage of about $38,000 from an inheritance. A car accident settlement of about $100,000 to $125,000 is expected, and it has not been received.
The protection file is built life cover first. The life cover is finished and large, a $4.4 million ladder on the only earner, and there is no disability insurance at all yet, on a household whose income is stated to drop to about $60,000 when residency starts. Health cover is not stated, the wife's term life waits on the pregnancy, and the estate documents are stated as established with no document itemized.
About 40 percent
Savings rate · stated by the hosts
$4.4 million
Laddered term life · on the only earner
About 2 months
Emergency fund · goal is four months
About $100,000
Household income · one military salary
60
Score with the two traced fixes · Corrections band
The short version
- The score: 53 out of 100, in the Corrections band. The Transition framework earns the full 10 of 10 and the Physician Wealth Equation the full 6 of 6, while the Protection Stack earns 8 of 22.
- The household saves at a stated rate of about 40 percent on about $100,000: about $3,000 a month into a Roth TSP and two Roth IRAs, with about $88,000 already invested.
- There is no disability insurance yet on the only income. The household lists it as a goal, and placing it is one of the two traced fixes, worth 4 points.
- The emergency fund stands at about two months, with a goal of four. The hosts direct the expected settlement, about $100,000 to $125,000 and not yet received, to top it to at least three months.
- Two traced fixes move the score 7 points to a 60: place the disability cover, and top the emergency fund from the settlement. A score of 60 stays in the Corrections band.
A $4.4 million ladder, and no disability cover under it.
What They Did Right
This is the machinery already running.
- A stated 40 percent savings rate About $3,000 a month into a Roth TSP and two Roth IRAs on a single $100,000 income. The floor and the stretch box both grade full.
- The loan strategy, complete Federal loans on REPAYE, a PSLF plan for his loans after about five active duty years, and a lump sum plan for hers. The box earns the full 6.
- Life cover bought first and large A $4.4 million term ladder on the only earner, in 10, 20, and 30 year layers, beside the military cover he plans to cancel.
- No credit card debt, stated Zero card debt, a vehicle loan at 2.45 percent, and a refinanced mortgage at 2.75 percent. Cards and other debt earn the full 4.
- Six goals, written Short and long term goals stated, with retirement and financial independence funded at the stated rate. The Decision Filter earns the full 6.
The Score: 53 out of 100
The Financial Health Assessment grades a household across the same seven frameworks and lands the total in a band. Wesley scores 53, in the Corrections band. This household is scored on the resident and fellow rubric path. The record's stage note stands beside the fork: intern year completed, active duty service now, residency still ahead.
19
Measures graded
7
Frameworks
53
Wesley's score
The 3 Bucket Framework earns 5 of 26. Milestones earn 0, because the milestone net cannot be determined from what the intake states. The emergency fund earns 0: about two months stated, against a goal of four, with the dollar amount not stated. Named lanes earn 2, on itemized fixed expenses with the remaining income lumped into one category for pets, household, and other spending. Goals funded earns 3, with retirement and financial independence goals funded at the stated rate and the emergency fund and car payoff goals below target.
The Physician Wealth Equation earns the full 6 of 6 on the resident stretch box: a savings rate stated at about 40 percent is full on the resident scale. Residents are never scored on debt to income. The loans are graded through the loan strategy box instead.
The Protection Stack earns 8 of 22. Health earns 0, because cover is not stated. Disability earns 0, because no disability insurance is in place yet, as stated. Life earns the full 4, on individual term in force on the sole earner, laddered to $4.4 million. Umbrella earns the full 4, at $1,000,000 against stated investments of about $88,000 plus the house. Malpractice earns 0, type and tail not stated. Estate documents earn 0: the documents are stated as established, no document is itemized, and no guardian is stated for the expected child.
The Transition framework earns the full 10 of 10. The loan strategy box earns the full 6: federal loans on REPAYE with a stated PSLF plan for his loans and minimums on hers toward a later lump sum. Cards and other debt earn the full 4, because credit card debt is stated at zero.
The Tax Ladder earns 2 of 8, at 2 and 0: every retirement account is Roth, the TSP and both IRAs, with no bracket reason stated, and the bracket and deliberate tax moves are not stated. The Decision Filter earns the full 6 of 6 on six stated goals.
The Lifestyle Guardrails earn 16 of 22: the Savings Floor at the full 12 on a stated rate of about 40 percent, the leak at 0 because the spending past the fixed lines runs in one lumped category, and wealth first automation at the full 4, on Roth TSP payroll contributions running monthly through the year for the match, beside monthly Roth IRA funding.
| Framework | What it covers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 02 3 Bucket Framework | Milestones 0, emergency fund 0 at about two months, named lanes 2, goals funded 3 | 5 of 26 |
| 03 Physician Wealth Equation | Stretch saving 6 at a stated rate of about 40 percent. Residents are not scored on debt to income | 6 of 6 |
| 04 Protection Stack | Health 0 (not stated), disability 0, life 4, umbrella 4, malpractice 0, estate documents 0 | 8 of 22 |
| 05 Transition | Loan strategy 6, REPAYE with a PSLF plan. Cards and other debt 4, no card debt stated | 10 of 10 |
| 06 Tax Ladder | Roth against pre tax 2, bracket plus moves 0 | 2 of 8 |
| 07 Decision Filter | Goals written 6, six goals stated | 6 of 6 |
| 08 Lifestyle Guardrails | Savings floor 12, the leak 0, wealth first automation 4 | 16 of 22 |
| Total | Corrections band | 53 out of 100 |
Read the shape, not just the total. The flow and loan boxes are finished work: a stated 40 percent saving rate, a full loan strategy, no card debt, wealth paid first. Several zeros sit where a single income is exposed: no disability cover on the only earner, health cover and malpractice unstated, an estate box with no itemized document and a child due the day after the recording, and an emergency fund at two months with a pay cut already scheduled.
The Prescription
Two traced fixes, and the open items behind them.
- Place the disability insurance. This is the Protection Stack, and it gains 4 points, moving disability from 0 to 4. The cover is the household's own stated goal, discussed on the episode through a military experienced agent, and it lands on the household's only income.
- Top the emergency fund to at least three months. This is the 3 Bucket Framework, and it gains 3 points, moving the emergency fund from 0 to 3. The hosts direct the expected car accident settlement, about $100,000 to $125,000 and not yet received, to the fund, from two months toward the household's goal of four.
- Add the wife's term life after the pregnancy. Her cover is planned and not in force, and the life box already grades full on the ladder in place on the earner. No point gain is traced for this item.
- Itemize the estate documents and name a guardian. The documents are stated as established, no document is itemized, and they will need adjusting after the child is born. No point gain is traced for this item.
Run both traced fixes and the arithmetic is 53 plus 7, a score of 60. The gains are 4 for placing the disability insurance and 3 for topping the emergency fund to at least three months. A score of 60 out of 100 keeps the household in the Corrections band.
What This Case Teaches
Cover the income before the income drops. This household bought its life ladder early and large, and its savings rate is the line its hosts state at about 40 percent. The missing layer is the one that pays during the years the plan depends on a single military salary, and that salary is scheduled to fall by about 40 percent when residency starts.
The plan's thin layer is the one under the only income.
The second lesson is what an expected windfall is worth in a score. The settlement is real enough for the hosts to direct, and it is not money in hand, so this file traces points only to the step it funds, the emergency fund top up, and carries the rest as expected. A page that priced the whole settlement today would be grading money the household does not hold yet.
Behind the score
The Household
Wesley is an active duty military flight surgeon and general medical officer. He has completed his intern year, and an anesthesia residency waits on the far side of a three year service commitment. He earns about $100,000 a year and is the household's only earner. Part of the pay is non taxable through BAH and BAS, and there is no state income tax. His wife stays at home. Their first child is due the day after the recording. The record flags the stage plainly: intern year complete, residency still ahead, scored on the resident path with the mismatch noted.
Investable accounts total about $88,000: his Roth IRA at about $14,000, his wife's Roth IRA at about $13,000, a Roth TSP at about $23,000 to $24,000, and a taxable brokerage at about $38,000 from an inheritance. The emergency fund is stated at about two months, with a goal of four. Its dollar amount is not stated. A car accident settlement of about $100,000 to $125,000 is expected, and the record carries its amount and timing as approximate and unclear.
The baby is due the day after the recording. The income drop is already on the calendar.
The saving system runs about $3,000 a month: $2,000 to the Roth TSP and $500 to each Roth IRA, dropping to about $2,600 a month on the stated path. The hosts state the savings rate at about 40 percent of the $100,000 income. The fixed expenses are itemized, and the rest of the income runs in one lumped category for pets, household, and other spending, which is what the leak box grades.
Debt is two student loans and two payment lines. His student loan is $105,000 and hers is $65,000, both on REPAYE minimums. His PSLF is planned after about five active duty years, before residency, and hers is to be lump summed after his forgiveness lands. A vehicle loan of $19,000 at 2.45 percent runs on minimum payments, and a mortgage of $220,000 at 2.75 percent was just refinanced, also on minimum payments. Credit card debt is stated at zero. Total stated debt is $409,000. The stated income falls to about $60,000 when residency starts, which is the fact the rest of this file is built around.
Protection is built life cover first. The life cover is finished first: a laddered individual term set totalling $4.4 million, $400,000 for 10 years, $2,000,000 for 20 years, and $2,000,000 for 30 years, just set up on the only earner, beside $400,000 of military cover he plans to cancel. There is no disability insurance yet. The household lists it as a goal, to add after the settlement. His wife's term life is to be added after her pregnancy and is not in force. An umbrella policy of $1,000,000 is in place. Health cover is not stated, and malpractice type and tail are not stated. The estate documents are stated as already established, with no document itemized, and they will need adjusting after the child is born. No guardian is stated.
| Household fact | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Careers | Active duty flight surgeon and general medical officer. Intern year complete, anesthesia residency after the service commitment |
| Household income | About $100,000, one earner. Part non taxable through BAH and BAS. No state income tax. Stated to fall to about $60,000 when residency starts |
| Family | Couple. Wife at home. First child due the day after the recording |
| Student loans | His $105,000 and her $65,000, both on REPAYE minimums. His PSLF planned after about five active duty years. Hers to be lump summed after his forgiveness |
| Mortgage | $220,000 at 2.75 percent, just refinanced, minimum payments |
| Other debt | Vehicle $19,000 at 2.45 percent, minimum payments. Credit card debt $0 stated. Total stated debt $409,000 |
| Emergency fund | About two months stated, goal four months. Dollar amount not stated |
| Saving | About $3,000 a month now (Roth TSP $2,000, Roth IRAs $500 each), dropping to about $2,600. Rate stated at about 40 percent |
| Balances | Investable about $88,000: Roth IRAs about $14,000 and $13,000, Roth TSP about $23,000 to $24,000, taxable brokerage about $38,000. Settlement of about $100,000 to $125,000 expected, not received |
| Disability | None yet. A stated goal, to add after the expected settlement |
| Life insurance | His laddered term totalling $4.4 million just set up, plus $400,000 military cover he plans to cancel. Wife's term to be added after pregnancy |
| Umbrella | $1,000,000 policy in place |
| Estate documents | Stated as established, no document itemized. To be adjusted after the child is born. No guardian stated |
| Goals | Six stated goals. Retirement and financial independence funded. Emergency fund and car payoff below target |
The Two Frameworks Behind the Score
The score grades 19 measures across seven frameworks. Two of them carry this case: the Protection Stack, which scores 8 of 22 with the disability box empty, and the 3 Bucket Framework, which scores 5 of 26 with the emergency fund at two months.
Framework one
The Protection Stack
The Protection Stack grades the coverage that keeps one bad month from ending the plan. Life and umbrella are bought and large. The disability layer does not exist yet: 8 of 22.
- Life cover, laddered Built
- Individual term totalling $4.4 million stands on the only earner, in three layers just set up. The box earns the full 4 of 4.
- Umbrella Built
- A $1,000,000 policy stands against about $88,000 of stated investments plus the house. The box earns the full 4.
- Disability Missing
- No disability insurance is in place on the household's only income. The box earns 0 of 4, and placing the cover is a traced fix.
Framework two
The 3 Bucket Framework
The 3 Bucket Framework grades the milestones, the cash cushion, the lanes, and whether the goals carry money. The cushion is thin, and two goal lines wait on money that has not arrived: 5 of 26.
- Emergency fund Missing
- Stated at about two months, against a goal of four, with the dollar amount not stated. The box earns 0 of 6, and topping it up is the other traced fix.
- Named lanes Partial
- Fixed expenses are itemized, and the rest runs in one lumped category for pets, household, and other spending. The box earns 2 of 4.
- Goals funded Partial
- Retirement and financial independence are funded at a stated 40 percent rate. The emergency fund and car payoff goals sit below target. The box earns 3 of 6.
No Disability Cover on the Only Income
The first look is the empty box under the whole plan. This household has one income, a child due the day after the recording, and no disability insurance at all. The cover is a stated goal, still to add after the expected settlement, and the box grades what is in force today: 0 of 4.
The order of the purchases is visible in the file. The life ladder was just set up, $4.4 million in three layers, and an umbrella policy stands at $1,000,000. The disability layer, the one that pays when the earner cannot work and stays alive, is the layer that waits.
The life ladder is built. The income it replaces has no cover of its own.
The hosts discuss placing the cover through a military experienced agent, and the record traces the full box to it: 4 points, the larger of this file's two traced fixes. The record carries the hosts' route and adds no terms of its own.
Around the empty box: health cover is not stated, malpractice type and tail are not stated, the wife's term life is still to be added after the pregnancy, and the estate documents are stated as established with no document itemized and no guardian stated for the child on the way.
The Income Falls to About $60,000
The second look is the calendar. The stated income is about $100,000 today. When residency starts, after the service commitment, the record states it falls to about $60,000. Separately, the stated saving flows are set to drop from about $3,000 a month to about $2,600 a month.
The emergency fund stands at about two months, against the household's own goal of four, with the dollar amount not stated. The hosts direct the expected settlement, about $100,000 to $125,000 from a car accident, not yet received, to top the fund to at least three months.
Two months of cushion, and a pay cut already scheduled.
The record traces 3 points to that top up, moving the emergency fund box from 0 to 3. The rest of the settlement is not assigned in the target basis, and this page does not assign it either. The car payoff goal and the fund's own four month goal both sit past the traced line.
What carries the household through the drop is the habit graded elsewhere on this page: a stated 40 percent saving rate, payroll contributions that run monthly for the match, and no card debt. The system that produces it is already built.
Milestones: Scored on What Is Stated
Inside the 3 Bucket Framework, the milestone checklist tracks the markers a training household has already hit. This checklist earns 0 for Wesley, because the intake never states a milestone list the net can be computed from. The box pays only for stated milestones.
The rest of the bucket picture: the emergency fund earns 0 at about two stated months, named lanes earn 2 on itemized fixed expenses beside one lumped spending category, and goals funded earns 3 of 6 on retirement and independence flows at the stated rate while the emergency fund and car payoff goals wait. The framework earns 5 of 26.
Questions this case answers
What score did Wesley receive on the Financial Health Assessment?
Wesley scored 53 out of 100, in the Corrections band. The Transition framework earns the full 10 of 10 and the Physician Wealth Equation the full 6 of 6, while the Protection Stack earns 8 of 22.
What happens to the household income when residency starts?
The record states the income falls to about $60,000 when residency starts, from about $100,000 today. Separately, the stated saving flows drop from about $3,000 a month to about $2,600 a month. The household already saves at a stated rate of about 40 percent, and its emergency fund stands at about two months, against a goal of four.
What protection is missing for Wesley's household?
There is no disability insurance yet. The household lists it as a goal, and the household plans to add it after the expected car accident settlement, and the hosts discuss placing it through a military experienced agent. Health cover is not stated, malpractice type and tail are not stated, and the wife's term life is still to be added after the pregnancy. The estate documents are stated as established, and no document is itemized.
What do the fixes do to Wesley's score?
Two traced fixes move the score 7 points, from 53 to 60. The gains are 4 for placing the disability insurance and 3 for applying the expected settlement to top the emergency fund from two months to at least three months. A score of 60 out of 100 keeps the household in the Corrections band.
Sources and Basis
This assessment is built from the household's own intake for the Financial Health Assessment and the episode assessment of it. Every figure on this page comes from that record, and the score is traced box by box under the locked resident and fellow rubric.
The resident and fellow rubric weights the seven frameworks at 26, 6, 22, 10, 8, 6, and 22, for a total of 100. The bands are Needs a workup from 0 to 39, Corrections from 40 to 69, Stable from 70 to 84, and Healthy from 85 to 100. Residents and fellows are scored on the Transition fork: the loan strategy, and the state of cards and other debt.
Written by Ryan Inman, MBA, MAFM. Last updated October 2026.