Mark Acierno MBA, DVM, DACVIM

I received my undergraduate degree in business with a minor in computer science from Skidmore College. While working and living in New York City, I attained an MBA from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. In 2000, I earned a DVM from Mississippi State. After a private practice internship, I completed an internal medicine residency at Tufts University. It was here that I developed a passion for nephrology and urology. In 2004 I arrived at The Louisiana State Univeristy where I developed one of the most advanced urology / nephrology programs in the world. As of January 2017 I’m proud to call Midwestern University in Glendale (Phoenix) Arizona my “home.”

One thing that has increasingly concerned me over the past fourteen years is how the indebtedness of our graduates has increased in leaps and bounds while starting salaries have only inched along. Even more concerning is the lack of basic financial understanding today’s newly minted (and not so newly minted) DVMs possess. We teach veterinarians to be great doctors but we don’t provide them with the tools needed to understand student loan repayment options, how to buy a house, how to save for their children’s education or plan for retirement. You’ve worked hard for years, you should be able to save for life’s milestones and support a comfortable life; however it will require an investment in education. That’s where this blog comes in. It is my hope that together we can embark on a journey of financial independence.