Decade by Decade: The Real Net Worth Trajectory of Emergency Physicians

When ER doctors talk about building wealth, the stories often sound like night-and-day—one physician hits millionaire status by 40, while another is still digging out of debt. What explains the difference?

It usually comes down to a handful of consistent choices around debt management, savings rates, and lifestyle creep. To see how those decisions play out, let’s walk decade by decade through the financial trajectory of a typical emergency physician.