Hello, I'm Kat, PA-C, and I want to teach you how to become financially independent!
PA the FI Way LLC was developed with the intent to serve as a guide for PAs and future PAs of all types to help them find their path to financial independence (FI).
I learned about FI after working as a PA-C for 5 years. However, I feel as though this information would have been invaluable to have learned earlier when I was a Pre-PA student in either high school or undergrad, when I was a PA student in PA school, or even at the beginning of my PA career.
Financial literacy is unfortunately not typically taught in high school, college, or PA school. This site was created to do just that: help future and current PAs on their way to financial independence by offering advice, and to try to have a little fun on the way.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are able to stay awhile!
My Story
Hello there! Allow me to share a bit more about my background. I’m a PA-C who has been practicing in medicine since 2014, primarily in family medicine as well as some walk-in / same-day clinic roles, though recently transitioned into outpatient psychiatry. I live in Minnesota with my awesome, supportive, and hardworking husband, and we are fortunate to live close to both of our families. Life is pretty great! Now, some of you may be asking, “Well, why are you into FI (financial independence) if you love your PA job and your life?” That’s an excellent question! I firmly believe that there is more to life than working hard until one is 65 years old, and THEN retiring to FINALLY relax, travel, find out what hobbies are enjoyable, spend time with friends and family, and so many more things!
How did I hear about FI? Well, I actually first heard about travel rewards, which was my introduction to FI. My friend and I were going to a wedding of our mutual friend, and our husbands tagged along with us (as great husbands do, even if they are muttering under their breath about having to go to another wedding). During the carpool on the way to the wedding, her husband was actually telling me how they had traveled to Europe for 10 days, and all they had to pay for was the cost of 3 nights’ worth of hotels. The other hotel nights and flights were FREE because they used travel rewards. He sent me the link to this ChooseFI podcast episode 9, and I was amazed to hear about this awesome way to travel the world for free! I then started listening to more financial independence podcasts, and instantly became hooked on the concept of FI. It was like a lightbulb went off! A FI life really is a life full of optimization in so many aspects, which I am excited to share with you through this site.
Now some of you may be asking, “Why haven’t you mentioned the RE (Retire Early) part of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)?” The beauty of FI is that you do not necessarily have to retire early if you do not want to (although it can certainly be an option for you)! FI is about creating the life you want to live, choosing when to retire if you want to retire early, choosing when to cut back on working, or choosing when to work on another passion in your life. The decision truly is yours if you live a FI life, and I hope you decide to join me in living an adventurous life of a PA the FI Way.
Enjoying the PA the FI Way blog and podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee to show your support for the site and the show. Thank you kindly for following along and for all of your support!
– Katarina "Kat" Astrup, MSPAS, PA-C
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