Money · Financial Intelligence

Generic financial advice doesn't work for CRNAs.

$200K+ in doctoral debt meets $270K+ in income meets the 1099 decision. The math is unique. The tools should be too — built for the working CRNA, not the generic professional, and updated for OBBBA, REPAY, and the new PSLF reality.

Avg Student Debt

$200K+

Doctoral CRNA programs

Median W2 Income

$270K+

Before call/bonus/1099

Avg S-Corp Savings

$25K+

Self-employment tax saved per yr

PSLF Payments

120

Trackable to forgiveness date

What Are You Working On?

Pick the math. Skip the noise.

1
Tackling the Debt
Loans, OBBBA, PSLF, refinancing.
Start here
2
Optimizing Income
Salary intelligence + signing bonuses.
Start here
3
1099 & Tax Strategy
S-Corp, quarterlies, deductions.
Start here
4
Building Wealth
Retirement, side income, FI math.
Start here

Flagship Calculators

Three calculators that pay for themselves.

Post-OBBBA

Student Loan Optimizer

Standard, Extended, IDR, PSLF, refinancing — modeled side-by-side with total cost, monthly payment, and forgiveness scenarios. The reference for any CRNA carrying federal debt.

1099 Math

S-Corp Savings Calculator

Gross 1099 in — self-employment tax saved as S-Corp vs sole proprietor out. Most independent CRNAs save $20K–$40K/yr by electing S-Corp. The math is non-negotiable above ~$120K of 1099 income.

Path to FI

Retirement Projector

Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, and Defined Benefit options modeled for high-income CRNAs. Target FI year, contribution stress-test, and the account hierarchy that minimizes lifetime tax.

Stage 1 · Debt

Tackling the Debt

The OBBBA changed everything: Grad PLUS elimination, new borrowing caps, the REPAY plan, PSLF rules. Refinancing math is different now. These tools reflect the post-OBBBA reality.

Student Loan Optimizer

Compare Standard, Extended, IDR, PSLF, and refinancing side-by-side. Total cost, monthly payments, and forgiveness scenarios.

Average new-grad CRNA debt is $186K. Choose Standard over an IDR-then-PSLF path and you can leave $40-90K on the table — or vice versa. The right answer depends on your job, your income trajectory, and the rules in effect this cycle.

5 repayment paths modeled in parallel
Lifetime cost + monthly cash-flow projections
PSLF and IDR forgiveness scenarios
Updated for OBBBA caps and the new REPAY plan

Student Loans After OBBBA

Grad PLUS elimination, new borrowing caps, the REPAY plan, PSLF updates, and financing strategies under the new rules.

OBBBA Loan Calculator

Model borrowing under the new caps with cost projections for public vs private programs and payoff paths.

PSLF Tracker

Project your forgiveness date. Log qualifying employers, count payments toward 120, and identify gaps before the servicer does.

Stage 2 · Income

Optimizing Income

Most CRNAs leave $20K–$50K per cycle on the table because they don't know the market. Salary intelligence is the cheapest negotiation leverage you can buy.

Salary Intelligence 2026

State-by-state compensation, total comp breakdown, setting premiums, and 5 negotiation leverage points backed by market data.

The same CRNA can be paid $190K or $260K for the same hours depending on state, setting, and how the offer is structured. Knowing the market is the cheapest negotiation leverage on the table — and most CRNAs walk in without it.

All 50 states benchmarked with current market data
Total comp breakdown — base, bonus, retirement, benefits
Setting premiums: hospital vs ASC vs CRNA-owned
5 negotiation levers most CRNAs leave on the table

Signing Bonus Analyzer

After-tax, clawback-adjusted, vesting-aware real value of signing and retention bonuses.

Salary by State 2026

All 50 states compared. Sortable by salary, practice authority, and NLC compact status. The negotiation reference.

Stage 3 · Tax

1099 & Tax Strategy

The single highest-leverage decision a 1099 CRNA makes. S-Corp election, quarterly estimates, deductions, multi-state filing — the math is significant and the rules are unforgiving.

Highest leverage

S-Corp Tax Savings Calculator

Gross 1099 income in — self-employment tax savings as sole proprietor vs. S-Corp out. Real math.

Above roughly $80K of self-employment income, the S-Corp election typically saves a 1099 CRNA $5-15K per year in self-employment tax — net of payroll, accounting, and the extra return. Below the threshold, the overhead eats the savings. The math is yours, not your CPA's.

Sole-prop vs S-Corp side-by-side at your income level
Reasonable salary calculation built in
Annual SE tax savings with break-even threshold
Factors in payroll, accounting, and filing overhead

1099 vs W2 Calculator

True comp comparison: self-employment tax, benefits replacement, S-Corp savings, retirement, after-tax take-home.

Quarterly Tax Estimator

Federal + state + SE tax with S-Corp toggle. What to set aside each quarter with IRS payment deadlines.

1099 Hub

Business formation, deductions checklist, multi-state filing, health insurance, practice ownership — the full 1099 operating system.

Stage 4 · Wealth

Building Wealth

High income only becomes wealth if you save aggressively, optimize tax shelters, and ignore the lifestyle creep. The plan and the discipline matter more than the picks.

Retirement Projector

Path to financial independence with Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, and Defined Benefit options modeled for high-income CRNAs.

A 1099 CRNA earning $250K can shelter $70K+ per year between Solo 401(k), profit-sharing, and a Defined Benefit plan. W-2 CRNAs typically max out around $30K. Same income, very different paths to FI — and the account ordering matters more than the picks.

Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, and Defined Benefit modeled together
Target FI year with contribution stress-testing
Account hierarchy that minimizes lifetime tax
Backdoor Roth + mega-backdoor logistics built in

Retirement Planning Guide

Age-based savings targets, account hierarchy, tax-sheltered strategies, and backdoor Roth logistics for CRNAs.

First-Year Financial Playbook

The 'don't buy the car' survival guide. Budget template, emergency fund, debt prioritization, insurance musts.

Side Income & Wealth Building

8 income streams beyond the OR: locums, real estate, expert witness, teaching, consulting, and more.

Where Our Financial Data Comes From

Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, AANA compensation surveys, and direct CRNA-submitted offers. Loan math: federal IDR formulas + OBBBA borrowing caps. Tax math: IRS publications + state tax rates updated each cycle. Retirement projections: standard FV formulas with current contribution limits. We cite every claim and refresh data each filing season. Last verified: April 2026. Read the full methodology →

Educational only — not investment, tax, or legal advice. Run final decisions past your CPA and financial advisor.

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