I would be 49 years old at that time.

The aggressive chase dollar types would open up the 3rd and 4th clinics, chasing the dollar .. not realizing that it would actually KEEP them working!

I guess that your decision is pretty easy now, but you now have the luxury of time to think it over, since your post came in first

This is because of startup clinic costs, the time it takes for them to cashflow positive as well as cuts in pay that I receive when hiring and training associates and if they only produce 85% or so of what I produce.

It’s only after that 9-10 year period where owning 3 clinics begins to seriously take off vs. owning 2! And the difference is quite substantial, but requires me to keep working past my 10 year date.

With the calculations I made, I also factored in that I would be getting a 10% return on the cashflow I would be investing.

Obviously, this could quite possibly be better than 10%, if I choose individual stocks in good companies, we come out of a recession and enjoy a fairly high return to previous market levels for a while and/or I invest heavily in some good real estate that enjoys a good capital appreciation(foreclosures or just darn cheap deals) as we move out of the recession. I also didn’t factor purchasing the commercial properties the 2 offices are in, which “might” result in a higher than 10% return.

Obviously, if I can beat a 10% overall return on my investments, that 3.2 mil climbs much higher, much faster.

I must have gotten something wrong the first time around because THIS time, even after triple checking the math, it appears that by buying him out 6 months from now with a business loan(vs waiting it out the 30 months) and factoring in starting up a second clinic within at least a year of owning clinic#1 in both scenarios, gets me to a 3.2 million dollar investment portfolio only 6 months sooner(9.5 years from now vs. 10 years from now).

Now this 3.2 mil doesn’t include the values of both businesses that I can then sell, or any equity value in my home or rental property or anything else at that time. When those values are factored in, we should be right at a 4 million dollar net worth, provided our home and rental property begin at least growing along with inflation in a couple of years as well as equity achieved in our home as we continue with the base mortgages and our slow remodeling process AND as my student loan balance drops faster with it’s now ultralow 1.8% rate.

1) Step back – these issues are going around and around in your head and I would recommend “taking time out”. Decide not to look at any figures; don’t do any spreadsheets; try and schedule time to just wander through the woods or along a river-bank; and mark, say, 2 weeks from now as the earliest date that you’ll consider what course to follow.

It’s weird that when you’re not forcing your brain to come to a conclusion, when you’re relaxed and focussed on other things, sometimes your subconscious resolves it for you – effortlessly.

One occasion where “no pain, no gain” does not apply.

2) To have an alternative to focus on, either go to your public library or phone round the local bookstores, and get yourself a copy of:

Muhammed Yunus “Creating a world without poverty” so you can start to focus more on what you could do AFTER the sum has been reached.

He won the Nobel Prize for transforming the lives of thousands of poor Bangladeshis by providing tiny amounts of credit so they could build their own little businesses and thereby easily feed and school their kids.

He’s “been there and done that” so he has actual experience, but he’s also a dreamer and suggests things that might be done to build on the current tranche of socially-inspired enterprises.

So I recommend lifting your head up a bit from the spreadsheets on your computer screen and let your dreams fly a little.

When you come back to this particular task, I think you’ll feel refreshed and less “pulled down” by this intense concentration on what is the right course.

Just my 2 cents worth. But get that book – its so inspirational, and there’s so much to be done.

Interestingly he talks about interventions that specifically the poor of the United States would benefit from, and so there are suggestions there of specific tasks that could be started, many of which involve the provision of medical services in line with your approach.

Take a break, but use the time to more fully engage with your broader vision. Yunus is a brilliant, business-informed guide.

KC