John Pollard - Members on the Move - Brief Article

Physician Executive, March-April, 2004

John Pollard, MD, MBA, CPE, FACPE, retired after 45 years as a physician and physician executive, only to go back to work in a new career as a financial planner. "My first thought was to learn to play golf. Then, I helped found Physician Advisory Resources (PAR), a company designed solely to help physicians manage their personal finances," Pollard writes.

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"During my working life I saw many competent doctors who earned a good living squander their financial resources by making bad financial decisions. They were capable of making good choices but the pressure of their practices did not allow the time needed to do proper financial planning. Also, these doctors often received bad financial advice or were influenced to 'take a flier' on a questionable investment hoping for a windfall. There clearly was a need for a company that provided sound financial planning for physicians and I was very interested in meeting that need."

"I started my new career by talking with two financial planners who had helped me for many years. I had come to trust and appreciate the way each had assisted me with my own financial planning. Interestingly, each of these financial planners talked to me about joining their company and helping me get the necessary education and credentials to function as a Certified Financial Planner Practitioner. Neither opportunity felt right to me. However, the two companies employing these financial planners proposed creating a new company to serve the financial needs of physicians. This appealed to me and so PAR was born with me as part of it."

"My new career is just starting and already it is making my retirement more fun and more challenging. I still have time to chase the little white ball around the links, but now there is more to my life than that. I feel like I'm doing something useful by helping fellow physicians better manage their personal finances. You may decide you need a new career to make your retirement more fun, too."