My husband is a nurse, and he knows several doctors that are locked in the "golden handcuffs."

That is, when they finished their residency, suddenly they were making more than 400K per year. So they start to not worry about money at all, buying big houses, buying new cars, sending their kids to private schools, going out to dinner 4 times per week, going to Hawaii every year, etc. At some point they realize that they're 45 years old, still making the minimum payments on their debt and they haven't saved a dime for retirement. They work overtime every week just to live paycheck to paycheck to pay their bills.

But what's crazy is if you play your cards right, you could easily set yourself up for life just by working for 10 years or so.

Finish your residency, buckle down and pay off your loans ASAP, stay out of debt, live within your means (get a modest house, get practical and affordable cars), set a budget, and sock every penny you can into your savings. 401k, IRAs, 529s, HSAs, investments, emergency fund - ALL THE FUNDS. Build yourself a big-ass nest egg.

With as much money as doctors make, if you are still working at age 45, it should be because you like your job. Not because you need the paycheck just to keep the debt collectors at bay. It's easy for you right now to think "that'll never happen to me," because you're used to living like a broke college student. But trust me, it happens to more doctors than you'd think. My husband and I (a nurse and an accountant) together make like 1/3rd of what a doctor makes, and we have a higher net worth than a lot of the doctors he works with.

Stay vigilant about your spending.