Run The Numbers: The Physician-Focused Process by Shawn L. Davenport

Introducing Run The Numbers: The Framework for Physicians

Run The Numbers is the comprehensive tax planning and wealth strategy process created by Shawn L. Davenport, founder and CEO of GenWealth 360. Built specifically for physicians, dentists, medical practice owners, and other high earners, the Run The Numbers process translates complex financial options into actionable steps that align with your profession’s realities and aspirations.

If you are a physician faced with high tax bills, unpredictable cash flow, or confusion about new retirement and deduction limits, you are not alone. The 2026 tax code brings higher top rates (including the 37% bracket above $640,600 single or $768,700 joint taxable income1), changes to the SALT deduction (now capped at $40,400 and phasing down for high earners), and new annual contribution thresholds. The Run The Numbers process is built to make every relevant number clear, meaningful, and strategically useful for high-earning professionals under these updated rules.

The Origins: Shawn L. Davenport’s Approach

The traditional financial planning playbook falls short for physicians. After years advising professionals across the country, Shawn L. Davenport developed Run The Numbers at GenWealth 360 to address the unique demands and opportunities facing medical professionals.

This process isn’t a generic exercise—it distills decades of real-world insights and the principles from Davenport’s books, The Physician’s Wealth Code and The New Tax Paradigm. Run The Numbers helps you see the hidden levers in your financial picture, calculate current and potential impacts, and understand what each decision means before you act. It meshes tightly with GenWealth 360’s "tax-first wealth architecture" ethos, focusing every step on after-tax results.

Why Tax-First Wealth Architecture Matters in 2026

For physicians, the margin for error with taxes keeps shrinking. Key 2026 updates you must factor into your wealth plans include:

• 37% top tax bracket: kicks in at $640,600 (single), $768,700 (joint) (IRS).
• 35% rate: applies above $256,225 (single) and $512,450 (married filing jointly).
• Standard deduction: $16,100 (single), $32,200 (joint), $24,150 (head of household).
• SALT deduction cap: $40,400 for 2026; phases down above $505,000 modified AGI and set to revert to $10,000 in 2030.
• Retirement contribution limits: 401(k) and similar plans allow $24,500 employee deferral, with $8,000 catch-up for those age 50+; IRAs limit is $7,500, $8,600 at age 50+ (IRS).

With both federal and state taxes squeezing high earners, it is essential to model—not just estimate—your true exposure before making big spending, saving, or investment decisions. That’s what Run The Numbers is designed to do.

The Run The Numbers Process Explained

GenWealth 360’s Run The Numbers process guides you through five clear stages, each grounded in expert analysis and tailored for physicians and practice owners:

1. Discovery: Understand your total financial landscape. This step considers your professional income (W-2, 1099, or business), real estate, investments, family obligations, and key practice details. For more on types of physician income, see W-2 vs 1099 Physician Taxes.
2. Baseline Calculation: Using current-year tax law and the latest IRS figures, calculate your projected effective tax rate, marginal bracket, available deductions, tax credits, and how state taxes affect you. This is why GenWealth 360 uses tools and frameworks detailed on our Tax-First Wealth Architecture page.
3. Strategic Modeling: Test multiple scenarios—ownership structures, S corporation treatment, cash balance plans, or backdoor Roth IRAs. Run The Numbers visually compares the outcome of each approach. For further detail, see Advanced Tax Strategies for High-Income Physicians and Backdoor Roth for Physicians.
4. Implementation Decision: Identify the combination of actions that best align with your goals, cash flow, and risk tolerance. You receive a clear roadmap emphasizing "tax-first" priorities, not just investment or retirement choices in isolation.
5. Continuous Monitoring: Tax laws, medical practice ownership status, and life circumstances evolve. Run The Numbers is designed as a living framework that adapts every year as rules and reality change. Annual re-calibration is recommended, especially after major law shifts like those effective in 2026.

Key Benefits for Physicians

• Clarity: Replace uncertainty with precise, actionable data tailored to your specialty, state, and stage of career. For examples by state, see our state tax pages for physicians.
• Comprehensive integration: Unites tax, retirement, business, practice transition, and estate planning concerns in a coordinated model. Learn more on Our Wealth Architect Approach for Physicians.
• Proactive decision-making: Enables you to capitalize on tax and wealth opportunities, rather than reacting at tax time.
• Focus on after-tax wealth: Built to maximize what you keep—not just what you earn or invest.
• Customizable process: Supports a range of physician situations, from solo practices to group owners to specialists with locum tenens income.

When and How to Use Run The Numbers

While some physicians seek out Run The Numbers when facing a large tax bill or practice transition, the process is valuable at every career stage:

• Starting a new position or considering partnership
• Evaluating S corporation structures for medical groups
• Selling or buying a medical or dental practice
• Planning for major philanthropic gifts
• Annual or mid-career tax check-ups
• Estate and legacy planning

It’s also a core part of GenWealth 360’s Medical Practice Owner Tax Planning and our Physician Retirement Planning services.

Fee Structure and Engagement Model

GenWealth 360 offers the Run The Numbers process under transparent, engagement-based fee models (fixed-fee or retainer, depending on complexity). You will always receive a written quote describing the scope of the work before you engage. To discuss which model fits your situation, please inquire during your initial consultation. For more on how tax strategists work with physicians, review How To Choose a Tax Advisor for Physicians.

Why Physicians Across the US Choose the Run The Numbers Process

Created by Shawn L. Davenport and available only at GenWealth 360, this approach goes far beyond showing projected tax bills; it maps the entire coordinated financial architecture a high earner needs. Whether preparing for larger contributions, responding to updated deduction caps, or considering advanced charitable giving, physicians can leverage a systemized process rooted in the most up-to-date regulations and tailored to their professional reality.

To learn more about Shawn L. Davenport and his philosophy, visit About Shawn L. Davenport or explore Wealth Architect Approach: Shawn Davenport’s Philosophy.

How to Choose the Right Advisor

When selecting a wealth advisor or tax planning partner, physicians should look for firms that:

• Demonstrate up-to-date tax law expertise (including recent updates for 2026)
• Provide scenario-based modeling—not just tax prep
• Are transparent about engagement models and scope of work
• Offer experience with the specific realities of physician, dental, or medical practice finances

Always request a clearly written proposal and ask how the advisor keeps current with tax law changes.

Ready to Run Your Numbers?

To experience the process created by Shawn L. Davenport and see how Run The Numbers can help you clarify your personal and practice wealth strategy, book a consultation with GenWealth 360 today.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not tax, legal or investment advice. Tax law changes often and its application depends on your facts. Figures reflect 2026 rules as published by the sources listed above. Consult a qualified professional before acting. See our editorial policy.